Tips from the Managing Director to move your brand ahead in Indonesia...
This page is dedicated to learning more about the processes that most garment manufacturers in Bali widely use.
Fabric Printing</p
Our company specialises in producing high-end womens and mens resort wear, kids wear, swimwear, activewear, maternity wear, plus size clothing, casual wear, cushions, fabric toys, fabric bags and pet wear for large, mid and boutique brands. We also often produce other items such as uniforms and events/promo clothing. Other commonly ordered garments include all styles of t-shirts, shorts, pants, kaftans, resort and lifestyle clothing, sweaters, casual and streetwear clothes.
You can often see some of our production in high-end destinations such as Net-a-porter, Nordstroms, SAKS 5th Avenue and other world class retailers. We have also seen our production on celebrities such as Kendall Jenner and Rhianna, and catwalks such as Australian Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, Miami Swim Week and more.
Design Brief
If you want clothing manufacturers to take you seriously, be professional! Get a design brief or a collection plan together so we can see you have thought out your range. Please do not expect to come in to have a leisurely chat regarding your amazing plans of fashion world domination. We must get hundreds of email where we can clearly see the person is probably having a holiday in Bali and have suddenly decided to start a bikini line whilst sitting by the pool “Hi, how much do you charge for bikinis for? – Sent from Iphone”. We rarely if ever reply to these one line emails. Have the professional courtesy for any manufacturer and provide them with a good amount of information to digest and respond to. Your brief should contain the following information:
What items you want to make & how many of each.
What fabrics do you wish to use, be specific too. If you don’t know much about fabrics then start researching. Importantly, read about the difference between knitted and woven fabrics at the very least.
Do you have your own artwork you wish to print?
Clearly outline your expected time frame. If it is your first time allow a minimum of 4-6 months as you will often be the slowest link in process due to lack of experience.
Your tech pack and trade sketches (no hand drawings). Garments without measurements cannot be provided any set prices for production as we cannot calculate fabric yield.
Import Duties & Customs Clearance</p
We are unable to provide you with any information on import duties and customs clearance into your own country. It is the client’s responsibility to make sure they are aware of all import duties and customs clearance regulations in their country.
Fabric Availability In Indonesia
In my opinion Bali clothing producers chase the “endless summer” orders. What we mean is that after we finish producing the Southern hemisphere summer orders, the Northern hemisphere clients place their production. Since the industry has basically been like this since I can remember (we’ve been in business for 30 years) there is little in terms of heavy winter fabrics available.
Don’t expect to find merino wool, furs trims or heavy puffer jackets being commonly produced here. It is available somewhere but the supply can be extremely inconsistent which is why we don’t consider producing these items. China, or other places where it gets cold would be ideal to source these types of fabrics.
Now you have the back story why every one seems to be producing summer clothing here, the commonly used fabrics are generally natural & cellulose fibres. The following is a list of what we frequently work with.
Wovens:
Rayon grade 1, Rayon grade2, Rayon Voile, Rayon Crepe, Rayon Satin, Rayon Satin-Elastane, Rayon Twill, rayon
herringbone, Rayon crinkle.
Cotton Voile, Cotton Poplin, Cotton Twill, Cotton canvass, Cotton Chambray, Cotton crinkle, Cotton
satin, Cotton-Elastane.
Viscose georgette, Viscose voile, Viscose crinkle georgette.
Tencel Voile, Tencel satin, tencell-linen blend.
Silk Habutai, Silk satin, Silk Chiffon, Silk Georgette, Silk Crepe de Chine, Silk twill.
Linen, Linen-rayon blend, Linen-rami blend, Linen-silk blend.
Knitted:
Rayon Jersey, Rayon-Elastane, Rayon Rib.
Viscose-Elastane, Viscose Poly-elastane.
Cotton single jersey, Cotton double-knit jersey, Cotton-Rib, Cotton-Elastane.
Nylon-Elastane.
Tencel jersey, Tencel-Elastane jersey.
Modal jersey, Modal-Elastane jersey. Modal-Cotton jersey.
Bamboo-Cotton jersey, Bamboo-Cotton Elastane jersey.
Note that all fabrics above may come in various weights & grades.
Doing Business In Bali
Ever wonder why you hear the word “Yes” to almost everything? Ever found yourself in a situation where a problem has occured and the only response your Indonesian producer/seller can give you is “Yes”?
Well this boils down to the ingrained culture of saving face and rarely if ever saying “No” to something (despite being completely unable to do the task). Most smaller and less professional clothing manufacturers will at some point or another find themselves and your deposit in a position where a part of the order is not going to meet the specifications or timeline simply due to this habit. Our biggest advice on how to avoid this is the following:
1. Check Systems
Make sure the company can demonstrate timeline management, ask to see a schedule board or milestone steps for a current running order. If a company has in place a system where delivery dates are clearly outlined along with each milestone for the order then odds are said company is relatively organised.
Find A Sample
If your product is a bit unique or has an element/technique that is not usually found, ask to see a similiar sample or something the company has/is producing. Its one thing to make one sample than it is to make 100, 1000 or 10,000pcs. Establish that the clothing factory has the logistical reach to put together an order.
Check Quality Control
Ask them about their Quality Control method, how many check points does the company have to ensure a minimal defect rate. If they look a bit puzzled or only offer 1 point of QC, don't expect the defect rate to be under 7-10%.
At Yogi & Boo we have a very western approach, if we feel something is not unachievable we won’t take the work on.