You don’t need another article reminding you that fashion is hard. But what often gets lost in the romanticism of sketchbooks and showrooms is just how complex and fragile the production process really is. It’s not just about making beautiful things. It’s about making them at all – on time, on budget, and at a quality level that doesn’t erode your credibility before your brand has even found its footing.
Few people understand this better than Marzia Narduzzi. With 26 years leading production for fashion powerhouses like Alaïa, Dior, and Dries Van Noten, and now, consulting and teaching on production development on the AZ Academy programme, she’s something of a backstage oracle. “A company operates like an orchestra,” she says. “Many departments and people must work together harmoniously toward the shared goal of delivering an exceptional product. Each individual must perform their part well to achieve the desired overall effect.”
But how does the music start?
Start with a vision – but make it make sense
The first rule of production? Know what you want. The second? Know how to explain it well. “The clearer the vision, the easier it becomes to convey it to others,” Marzia says. “A poorly presented good vision is essentially worthless.”
Before any sketches are sent to sampling, before any fabric is sourced, she insists that designers articulate their project in market terms. “Without a compelling explanation, it becomes hard to convince anyone,” she says. “Most young designers need a company or manufacturer to believe in them. Therefore, it is crucial for them to clearly represent their vision.”
Once that vision is properly articulated, the production process unfolds in stages. First, the project moves into structural analysis: materials are sourced, concepts translated into volumes, and the handoff to pattern makers and prototyping teams begins. From there, prototypes become sales samples, and the sales team steps in as a co-pilot from early on. “Products don’t simply move from development to sales in isolation,” she stresses. “The sales team is involved early, offering input on distribution, customer targeting, and other crucial elements.”
After the sales campaign, it’s time to verify orders, and eliminate anything that doesn’t meet minimums, before shifting into production proper. Here, departments like purchasing and finance begin their dance: tracking material arrivals, checking quality, keeping tabs on customer payments, and making sure the money is flowing where it needs to. All while staying in communication with the sales team to manage potential gaps or delivery issues.
Throughout all of this, financial planning is the unseen scaffolding. “Finance determines the budget for the collection and monitors expenses during development to ensure we stay within that budget,” Marzia says. “It supports production by funding fabric purchases and contractor payments, and it remains in constant contact with sales to manage customer payments and financial planning.” This interdepartmental choreography is delicate. Missteps anywhere can throw the whole process off-key. But how to stay on top of it?
“What I suggest, rather than tools, is good process leaders. For example, someone who ensures that the budget is respected during the collection development process. Someone capable of making difficult decisions at different stages of the project, such as cutting a part of the collection or cutting a portion of production to concentrate better and avoid wasting money, time, and focus,” she says.
Don’t wait to panic about money
Ask Marzia what derails young designers most, and she doesn’t hesitate: underestimating the financial timeline. “Very often, young designers tell themselves that probably the brand will finance itself,” she says. “But it’s not really like that.”
Most forget that revenue comes on a delay, while expenses hit early and hard. “You need money to cover your first collection, your first production, your second collection, and your second production. Because by the time the first payments from customers come in, you’re already working on your second season, maybe even beyond that.”
If that money isn’t already in place, things quickly unravel. “You either have to work and save it, find an investor, or convince a manufacturer to support you financially in some way,” she says. Without a financial cushion, orders fall through, deliveries run late, and relationships with suppliers begin to crack. “The consequences can be very damaging. It affects everything like a disease, even in a healthy brand.”
And that’s before you factor in the hidden costs of small production runs. “One very delicate point is failing to be realistic about order volume in your early seasons,” she warns. “Designers often price based on standard minimum order quantities for fabric, but if their actual quantity falls short, they get hit with surcharges. The same goes for the manufacturer, if their minimum is 40 pieces and you only have 15 or 18, what are you going to do?”
Cancelling means losing sales and credibility. Producing means absorbing higher costs. Either way, the initial pricing breaks down, and that breakdown isn’t always obvious until later. “You don’t see it at first,” Marzia says. “But then you get an unexpectedly high invoice from the manufacturer or an added charge from your fabric supplier. You’re either eroding your margin or slipping into the red.”
That’s why she emphasises the importance of focus, on both the collection and its production. “Minimum order quantities aren’t just guidelines, they’re thresholds for feasibility. So sometimes, it’s better to deliver only part of what was sold if it means consolidating quantities and avoiding hidden losses.” She also encourages designers to start with a tight, thoughtful first collection: “Really concentrate on a few key pieces that define your vision. Those core styles are what you’ll build your business on.”
How to navigate an increasingly complex global market
The reality today is even the tiniest fashion brand operating out of a bedroom or a shared studio can, in theory, reach a global audience. One well-placed Instagram post and boom: your jacket’s in Tokyo, your trousers in Toronto. But that reach doesn’t come friction-free. In a post-Brexit, post-pandemic, tariff-riddled landscape, crossing borders has become a bureaucratic nightmare.
“Trying to do it all by yourself, especially if you’re exporting to the US or elsewhere, it’s complex,” Marzia says. “Most UK-based brands I work with have found a logistics partner in Italy. It makes sense because much of their production is already happening there.” It’s a lesson in strategic alignment: ship smarter, not harder.
Italy is often the starting point for a reason, it’s one of the few places that still supports small quantities with high craftsmanship. But that quality comes at a price. “Italy is expensive, yes, but they’re set up to work with small brands,” Marzia explains. “Portugal is a great choice for jersey or basics, outerwear can sometimes go to Bulgaria or Romania – but only if the volume justifies the added complexity.”
That’s where things get sticky. Many young designers assume it’s more cost-effective to split production across cheaper factories. But they rarely factor in the hidden costs: fabric shipments zig-zagging across borders, rising customs fees, transit delays, and the nightmare of quality control across multiple countries. “Do you have technicians who can travel between Romania and Portugal? A supervisor who checks your zips and hems in three different time zones?” she asks. “Because if not, that €5 you saved per piece could end up costing you double in headaches.”
And let’s not forget transport costs. “Okay, so you saved €5 on a T-shirt. That’s meaningful if you’re making 1,000. But if you’re making 80 or 180? You’ve probably already spent that on shipping, customs, and stress,” she says. Her advice, therefore, is to keep it tight. “If you don’t have volume and you don’t have a team, stay close. Concentrate everything in one supplier. Be smart about it.”
This efficiency-first mindset extends to sizing and distribution. Rather than tailoring for different regional body types (a logistical nightmare for small brands), Marzia advises clarity over complexity. “Keep the same sizes and same proportions for everybody, but be very clear with the final customer,” she says. “If you’re selling directly to the consumer, give your client the possibility of checking their own size… If you are doing wholesale, be very clear about the model’s size. Support your customer to get the right proportions in sizing. That’s the only thing you can do.”
Making things well, and making them last
Once production scales up, quality can falter fast unless systems are in place. For Marzia, the first step is something many overlook: normalisation. “You’re talking about the industrialisation of the production process,” she says. “It’s about minimum quantities that every serious manufacturer requires – for fabric, for colour. It also makes sense for the manufacturer to do a pre-production sample, test it, and maybe suggest more practical solutions, better construction methods, or more efficient ways of working.”
That’s where documentation becomes non-negotiable. “I spend one whole day with my students on the super boring tech pack,” Marzia says. “Because I’m passionate about tech packs. I always say: if I have a good tech pack, I don’t even need to see the sample.”
A strong tech pack – along with a solid pattern and a well-made prototype – acts like a blueprint. It’s how you communicate clearly with your supplier without ever picking up the phone. “The supplier’s life becomes easier when you give the right information,” she says. “At the very least, unless the supplier is truly terrible, they should be able to guarantee you good quality.”
That extends to sustainability, too. You can’t build a long-term business on short-term compromises. “Go visit. Check the facilities personally. Ask for certifications. And remember: sustainability affects prices. So consider your sustainability expectations when you’re setting your prices, because it will cost more.”
Sustainability, like quality, is rooted in realism. And realism begins with transparency – with your suppliers, your partners, and most of all, yourself. “Don’t pretend to know everything. Don’t think others expect you to be super experienced. It’s better to be transparent. If you make a mistake… just say it.”
Because let’s be honest: most designers don’t have this experience yet. “They come out of school with great ideas, but their understanding of what’s actually possible is vague,” Marzia says. “That’s why I always suggest building a team around you – people who can support and help you. Stay humble. Ask questions. Say, ‘I don’t know everything. I need your help.’”
That humility is more powerful than it sounds. In a system where even the smallest miscommunication can spiral into lost time, wasted money, or damaged relationships, being honest about what you don’t know might feel like exposing a weakness, but in reality, it’s one of your greatest strengths. When you build trust with manufacturers, technicians, and suppliers, they’re far more likely to guide you, solve problems collaboratively, and invest in your growth over time.
And that’s the thing many designers overlook: production is not just a means to an end. It’s part of your brand’s identity. The decisions you make: how your clothes are made, where they’re made, by whom – all shape the story you’re telling. A sketch may start the conversation, but it’s what happens behind the scenes that gives the product weight, value, and staying power. There’s no shortcut to getting it right. But there are smarter ways to start: keep your vision sharp, your collection tight, your processes clear, your partners close, and your ego in check.
