Since starting my fashion consultancy business, I often get asked a similar question: can you recommend a manufacturer to me? 

Of course – I would love to! Yet for many reasons, this is unfortunately a very grey area. To start with, there are a myriad of details behind what exactly constitutes a good manufacturer and inevitably this differs from person to person. To put it plainly, I like to use the analogy of internet dating or house hunting as an easy comparison tool. Finding the right manufacturer for you will be hard work and sadly there won’t be any direct shortcuts. It’s all about building a long standing and healthy relationship, communicating on a personal level and getting the right feeling. Now do you see where the dating/house analogy comes into play?