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A sourcing checklist for own-label footwear buyers
Six questions that determine whether a footwear programme lands on the shelf date or a season late.
Who holds the last? If the factory owns it and you leave, you start again. If you own it, you can move. This is rarely discussed at first order and always matters at the third.
Where does sampling happen relative to production? If they are in different companies, every fit correction is an international round trip. If they are in the same building, it is days.
How is the size run shipped? A delivery missing the middle sizes is worse than a late delivery, because the display goes out looking picked over on day one. Confirm that complete runs ship together.
What is the leather consistency commitment across a repeat order, what happens if a hide batch varies, and who pays? Those three questions are the ones that decide whether a second season is possible with the same supplier.
Specifications
| Ask first | Who owns the last |
|---|---|
| Ask second | Whether sampling and production are in the same building |
| Ask third | Whether complete size runs ship together |
Related Products
Leather types used in footwear and accessories
Full grain, corrected grain, split and bonded are different materials, not quality grades of the same one.
Shoe construction methods and what they mean for buyers
Cemented, Goodyear welted and injection construction differ in repairability, price and how the shoe ages.
Sizing and lasts for export footwear programmes
A size run is a grading decision made once on the last, and getting it wrong shows up as returns rather than as complaints.
Send us the style you want made
A sketch, a tech pack or a reference pair is enough to start. You will get a sample in thirty days and one contact who carries the style from there to shipment.