At some point we’ve all heard a horror story of a production order arriving from the factory with subpar materials or lower quality finishes than expected. Maybe this has even happened to you and you felt cheated. In these cases, who is responsible and what can be done to prevent quality shortcuts from happening in the future?
First of all, not all brands run the same risk of unexpected substitutions in production. Brands that work with a cut & sew factory source their own materials and trims and provide the factory with their own pattern and tech pack. The factory has no incentive to cut corners on materials or sizing because they aren’t the one purchasing the materials or making the pattern. The only risk lies in the cutting and sewing quality itself.
Brands that work with full package or full service factories are more likely to experience quality shortcuts by the factory because the factory is in charge of sourcing and purchasing the materials as well as producing the garments. Yes, there are cost savings to the factory if they substitute a cheaper fabric, but I don’t think that is the biggest reason you might see corners being cut in production.
Communication is more likely the issue. Did you clearly communicate the quality and materials you expect? Is it written down? The tech pack is the place where you can control and communicate the quality you want. If you expect YKK quality zippers, spec that in the bill of materials. If you want french seams on the inside of the garment, call that out in the technical sketch. If you’re looking for natural fiber materials of a certain weight, note that in the bill of materials and maybe also send an example swatch of fabric qualities you like.
You can’t expect the factory to read your mind or to spend extra money on material quality you didn’t ask for.