Why Most Fashion Brands Struggle With Production and How to Fix It for Good
Production is where many fashion brands lose time, money, and momentum. Even brands with strong design and demand often struggle once they move into development and manufacturing. Delays pile up, costs increase, communication breaks down, and collections miss their intended launch windows.
At Outsourced Fashion Consulting (OFC), we work with both emerging and established fashion brands, and we see the same production challenges appear again and again. The good news is that these problems are not random. They are structural, and once addressed, production becomes predictable, scalable, and far less stressful.
Here is why most fashion brands struggle with production and how to fix it for good.
1. Production Is Treated as a Reaction Instead of a Strategy
Many brands wait until designs are finalized before thinking about production. By that point, key decisions around fabric, fit, construction, and timelines have already been made without manufacturing in mind.
This often leads to rushed development, incorrect assumptions, and last minute changes that slow everything down.
How to fix it:
Production planning should begin at the product development stage. When development and manufacturing are aligned early, timelines become realistic and quality improves across the board.
2. Tech Packs Are Incomplete or Inconsistent
A sketch or concept is not enough to produce a garment accurately. Without detailed tech packs, factories are forced to interpret missing information, which leads to errors, rework, and delays.
This is one of the most common reasons brands experience inconsistent fit and quality.
How to fix it:
Strong tech packs with clear measurements, construction notes, materials, and finishing details eliminate guesswork. They create consistency and allow production to move efficiently.
3. Timelines Are Unrealistic
Many brands underestimate how long sourcing, sampling, approvals, and production actually take. When delays occur, everything downstream is affected, including marketing, sales, and delivery.
How to fix it:
Build timelines backward from your desired launch date. Account for sampling rounds, approvals, and buffer time. Realistic timelines reduce stress and prevent rushed decisions.
4. Communication With Factories Is Fragmented
Production stalls when communication is unclear or inconsistent. Brands often juggle multiple vendors, emails, and timelines without a central point of coordination.
This leads to missed updates, confusion, and production slowdowns.
How to fix it:
Centralized communication and hands-on management keep production moving. Brands that treat production like a managed process instead of a task list see better outcomes.
5. Quality Control Happens Too Late
Waiting until finished garments arrive to check quality is risky. At that point, fixes are expensive and timelines are already impacted.
How to fix it:
Quality control should happen throughout development and production. Catching issues early protects both quality and delivery schedules.
6. Brands Rely on Factories Instead of Partners
Factories execute orders, but they are not always equipped to guide brands through development decisions, problem solving, or process optimization.
This is where many brands struggle long term.
How to fix it:
Work with a production partner who understands your brand goals and acts as an extension of your team. A true partner helps prevent issues instead of reacting to them.
How OFC Helps Brands Fix Production for Good
At Outsourced Fashion Consulting, we help fashion brands build structured, repeatable production systems. We act as an in-house production partner, supporting product development, sourcing, communication, quality control, and manufacturing.
Our LA-based team brings clarity to the process so brands can scale confidently, launch on time, and maintain consistent quality across every collection.
When production is built correctly, it stops being a constant problem and becomes a competitive advantage.
If you are ready to stop struggling with production and start building collections with confidence, contact OFC to begin your next project.