I’m seriously considering starting a small leather bag brand, but the production side is confusing me way more than the marketing.
Every factory I talk to either:
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wants high MOQs (minimum order quantities), or
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sends a perfect sample and then the bulk order has weaker stitching, uneven edge paint, or hardware issues.
And because every leather hide (the actual piece of animal skin used for the bag) behaves differently, QC (quality control) feels harder than I expected.
For anyone who’s actually produced leather goods:
How do small brands keep quality consistent without committing to huge batches upfront?
What’s the part beginners usually underestimate?