209: Chapter 208 Common Thinking Traps

Su Jingqiu led Chen Fan to the sofa and sat down, taking a seat opposite him with a calm and unhurried posture.

She raised her hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her gaze resting gently on Chen Fan as she waited for him to speak.

On the other side, seeing that the two were about to discuss business, Chen Tong pulled Su Mian along and asked her to show her around the factory floor.

Su Mian originally wanted to hear what Chen Fan and her mother were going to talk about, but she couldn't resist Chen Tong's request and could only lead her out of the office.

"Aunt Su," Chen Fan began, "I came here today to ask for your advice. If I wanted to start a garment factory, where should I begin?"

Su Jingqiu paused, looking up at Chen Fan with a slight frown. Her tone carried obvious surprise and confusion. "Start a garment factory? Why would someone as young as you want to do that? The garment industry is not easy to navigate."

She sighed, her tone softening slightly, but the weight of her words didn't diminish. "In this industry, profits are thin; you only make a few yuan per piece, and the work is exhausting. The risk of inventory backlog is also high—if you can't sell it, it's just a pile of fabric taking up warehouse space and tying up capital. Besides, the barrier to entry is low, so anyone can do it. There are too many people in the business, driving prices down until, in the end, no one makes any money. Take our family, for example—the goods are produced but can't be sold, so they're all stuck in the warehouse. They look like clothes, but they're actually dead money. This business is tough."

Chen Fan was silent for a moment before saying, "Aunt Su, I don't want to go into the traditional garment industry. I want to build a clothing brand."

Su Jingqiu was stunned for a moment, her eyebrows arching as if she had heard something unexpected. She stared at Chen Fan for a couple of seconds before speaking slowly, her tone reflecting both surprise and pragmatism. "A brand? Then there's absolutely no need for you to set up your own factory. Just find a garment factory for OEM production; it's much easier. Many brands on the market do it this way. Maintaining a factory yourself is too costly and not cost-effective."

After hearing Su Jingqiu's words, Chen Fan realized he had fallen into a thinking trap.

He had thought that entering the garment industry required owning a factory, not knowing that most brands rely on OEM manufacturing.

It seemed he still lacked experience, but it wasn't too late.

"Aunt Su, what's the general price level for OEM production?" Chen Fan asked humbly. "For instance, what's the approximate cost of making a standard women's T-shirt? And what materials can be used?"

Seeing that he was serious, Su Jingqiu didn't hold anything back. She counted on her fingers as she explained the different materials and the cost of each to Chen Fan.

She then discussed the pros and cons of various materials and their suitable scenarios. Chen Fan listened and took mental notes, committing everything to memory.

Minimum order quantities for OEM, production cycles, sampling fees, packaging, and logistics—he asked these questions one by one, and Su Jingqiu answered each with great patience.

When they had finished their discussion, Su Jingqiu stood up and patted her trousers. "Come on, I'll take you to the workshop. Just listening to me isn't enough; you'll understand better once you see it with your own eyes."

Chen Fan followed Su Jingqiu out of the office and down to the first floor to the workshop.

The workshop wasn't large, about a hundred square meters, with several workers busy inside.

The sewing machines hummed in unison. The female workers kept their heads down, feet on the pedals and hands guiding the fabric, moving with agility and focus.

Rolls of fabric and discarded scraps were piled on the floor. The air was thick with the smell of cloth and machine oil, along with the characteristic warmth of a workshop.

The situation in the workshop was different from what Chen Fan had imagined. He had expected everything to be automated, but it turned out to be a combination of manual labor and machinery.

"Aunt Su, what's your daily output here?"

Su Jingqiu glanced at the busy workers and replied casually, "It depends on the style. For a simple T-shirt, we can produce six or seven hundred pieces a day. For a more complex dress, three or four hundred is the limit. My twenty-odd workers aren't many, but we have the advantage of being flexible. We can take on small orders, rush orders, and multi-style orders that large factories aren't willing to handle."

Chen Fan nodded. Six or seven hundred pieces a day—if each piece earned, say, over ten yuan, that would be seven or eight thousand a day, or over a hundred thousand a month.

After deducting workers' wages, material costs, and factory rent, not much would be left. Plus, there was the risk of unsold inventory. No wonder Su Mian didn't look like a typical factory heiress.

He continued to follow Su Jingqiu until they reached the finished goods area.

Su Jingqiu's factory mainly produced women's clothing. Some styles were mature, while others were more youthful; the styles were inconsistent, looking like a haphazard collection.

In Chen Fan's eyes, these were all very outdated.

As he walked past a row of clothing racks in the middle, a dress caught Chen Fan's eye.

Compared to the other clothes, this one looked quite good—simple and elegant, without that tacky feel.

"Aunt Su, was this dress designed by you, or is it a copy of something on the market?" Chen Fan picked up the dress to examine it and asked casually.

Su Jingqiu took a look and smiled. "This one? Su Mian designed it."

Chen Fan was taken aback and turned to Su Jingqiu in surprise. "Sister Su Mian? Isn't she studying Chinese Language and Literature? How does she know how to design clothes?"

Su Jingqiu waved her hand, her tone a mix of helplessness and pride. "She never studied Fashion Design. She just grew up in the factory and saw a lot, so she started tinkering on her own. She likes to draw sketches in her spare time and has a whole stack of them. I thought this one was good, so I made a sample to test the waters. I didn't expect it to sell quite well."

Chen Fan looked down at the dress in his hand again, and Su Mian's quiet face appeared in his mind.

That soft-spoken girl who always sat quietly to the side could actually design such a simple yet stylish piece of clothing.

"Then why didn't she major in Fashion Design back then?"

Su Jingqiu sighed, her tone tinged with helplessness. "This child has never had much of an opinion of her own. When asked what she likes, she says anything is fine; when asked what major to choose, she says whatever. So I made the decision for her and enrolled her in Chinese Language and Literature."

"So that's how it is." Chen Fan nodded in understanding.

After leaving the workshop, he checked the time; it was already past 11:00 AM.

He turned to Su Jingqiu and said sincerely, "Aunt Su, I've learned a lot from talking with you today. Thank you for the trouble. I've gathered enough information, so I won't bother you any longer. Please, get back to your work."

Su Jingqiu's beautiful eyes widened as she feigned anger. "You silly child, how can you leave just after arriving? It's almost noon anyway; Aunt Su will take you all out for lunch."

Just as Chen Fan was about to politely decline, he saw his cousin and Su Mian walking over from the direction of the workshop.

They were talking and laughing as they walked, looking like they had enjoyed their tour.