The Worktones’ design and production team go on an annual research trip to China to connect with our makers, sit down for a meal, explore new methods and improve our processes.
The importance of doing this is immeasurable. Not only is it our responsibility to ensure we are knowledgeable about and accountable for our production, but putting faces to names and building relationships is good for everyone.
This time around, we thought we’d share a little more on what these visits look like.
While we were in Shanghai, a friend explained to me the importance in Chinese culture to not only having these face-to-face interactions but to sit together at a restaurant and break bread. It solidifies the relationship. They’re an extension of our team and we hope our visit shows our appreciation and willingness to learn.
Cheryl Corpus, Worktones Head of Design & Production
DAY 1 - SHOPPING FOR SAMPLES
Before the visits started, the team spent hours trawling markets and fabric shops on the hunt for reference pieces, details or techniques that are new and interesting to add to our sample archive.
Sourcing in China is unlike anywhere else: the scale, variety and pace means you’re never far from something surprising, down to a button you’ve never seen before. It’s this mix of abundance and specificity that makes finding references especially interesting.
DAY 2 - HONG KONG BAG SUPPLIER
In Hong Kong, the team had lunch with our more premium manufacturers. Worktones most commonly make bespoke variations of our two bag blocks, the Market Bag and Commuter Tote, and this supplier adds another layer to our offering for those clients looking for different and more detailed options.
The meeting explored what we could achieve and a conversation that will be ongoing. The design & production team will put together packages, which include reference samples, tech packs and measurement specs, for them to try new development methods.
DAY 3 - SHENZHEN HAT SUPPLIER
It was then off to Shenzhen, China’s third most populated city, to meet with our hat supplier. The team had been working with a new contact for almost a year, so it was an opportunity to meet them and the rest of the staff at the mill in person.
It was during these visits that the design and production team were reminded of just how small and hands-on these teams were.
We knew our hats were handmade but it really resonated actually seeing and taking videos of the process. There’s a perception that everything is machine-automated in China, but it was lovely to see that our products are made with these older techniques.
- Cheryl Corpus, Worktones Head of Design & Production
From a person steaming each individual piece of the hat to snipping off excess threads during quality checks, it really humanised our products. We’re not a big conglomerate with products made by a conveyor belt production line.
DAY 4 - GUANGZHOU FABRIC MARKET
Guangzhou is a port city known for its incredible fabric markets that sprawl multi-floor buildings. Design & Production made the visit with a list of fabrics they were hoping to source.
We knew these markets were big, but that was an understatement. We could have spent an extra two days there. We often have to ask our makers to source fabrics for us and now we know what that request really entails. It was a big learning. It's not just a matter of pressing a button and out comes the perfect match. There are hundreds of mills showcasing their fabric swatches and it requires intense attention to detail. It was eye-opening on what fabric sourcing really means.
- Cheryl Corpus, Worktones Head of Design & Production
We walked away with two bags of fabric swatch cards that we had sent to our office as we didn’t have room for them all. Hopefully, by having these on hand, it cuts out a lot of future sourcing for our makers and makes the process a lot faster for us.
DAY 5 - SHENGZHOU GARMENT SUPPLIER
It was then off to Shengzhou to meet with our primary garment supplier. We got to see our Unstructured Blazers being made by hand by a small team of a dozen or so specialists. A perk of only working with smaller quantities as we do is that you can see the full process and all the people involved in one place.
There was a lot of small but important process refinement to come out of this visit. For example, improving the way we provide our designs.
Understanding how manufacturers like to receive measurement specs and tech packs and finding that middle ground was a lot easier to do in person. We realised we were overcomplicating the process in some cases, providing too many measurement points that limited their ability to play around and find a better fit.
- Georgina LoPilato, Worktones Design & Production Assistant
DAY 6 - SHANGHAI GARMENT SUPPLIER & SAMPLE SHOPPING
The final stop was in Shanghai to reconnect with another garment supplier, who also took the design & production team shopping to look for interesting details and techniques, from waistbands to collars.
We just have the utmost respect for what they do. I’ve come back from the trip with such a greater idea of what’s possible, the scale is endless. It really gives you perspective on how specialised each worker is, from pattern cutters to fabric sourcers, everyone has their role and they are all very important pieces to the full circle.
- Georgina LoPilato, Worktones Design & Production Assistant
