Supplycompass
After much thought and consideration, I finally decided on Linen as my fabric and now had to start finding a producer for my textiles. Where to start?
Months of promising contacts and hopeful first samples only lead to problems at every corner. I was getting increasingly frustrated when I finally came across Supplycompass. They are a digital platform specialised in connecting small businesses like mine with manufacturers, the majority of them in India.
The biggest obstacle I faced was a limited budget for my first collection, meaning a very small metre count which simply wasn’t feasible for most manufacturers. However, as Supplycompass serves both sides - myself and the manufacturer - this was now a possibility, and we were able to find a solution. My prayers had been answered!
Supplycompass’ goal is to revolutionise the supply chain of textiles, accessories and home decor. Their system allowed me to define my goals for the production, tell them which part of my claim to sustainability I found the most important (ethical treatment and pay of workers, the least amount of water waster created, the least harmful chemicals used). Armed with this information my contact at Supplycompass went to their database and found me a supplier.
I was, and still am, a novice in the field and had to learn a lot of things. There were factors that were taken out of my hands (we had to change suppliers quite far in the process, I had to seriously consider how to move everything from Singapore to the US, and, you know, Covid-19) so everything took a bit longer than originally planned - but Supplycompass held my hand throughout, which was reassuring. I also know that they have the manufacturers best interest at heart as well, which is so important in these strange times we live in.
Supplycompass is the reason I can make my dream of SWF a reality. They assure me of the quality of my product, of the ethical treatment of the workers, and so on. One of my business credos is that I believe in radical transparency of businesses - in particular businesses that lay a claim on being sustainable. I hope to take you on this path with me, and I look forward to hearing from you with questions, comments, tips - anything really!
Sophie xxx