Me When They Ask If I Use Slaves in the Factory — They’re at Home, Not in the Workshop(Start a Clothing Brand, They Said…)

You’re out here grinding.

Building your brand. Managing sampling chaos. Juggling WhatsApp factory threads like you’re hosting the G20 summit.

And someone, somewhere — possibly in your DMs, or worse, at a family dinner — leans in and goes:

“But like… do you use slaves?”

Dead serious. No context. No nuance.

Just that casual “gotcha” energy they picked up from a documentary thumbnail and a reposted infographic.

And look, we all want ethical production.

But the way some people ask about it?

You’d think you were operating a Dickensian cotton mill under a full moon.

It’s awkward. It’s often well-intentioned. But it’s also a sign of how little most people actually understand about what goes into trying to start a clothing brand — especially one built with ethics, transparency, and actual supply chain awareness.

That’s why I made Garment Sourcing 101.

It’s not just about how to find factories — it’s about how to build relationships, ask the right questions, vet production partners, and move forward with real control over your product and your process.

Because ethical manufacturing doesn’t just happen because you say you want it.

It happens because you learn how to run your sourcing like a business owner — not a tourist.

Let’s be honest. When someone asks “do you use slaves,” what they usually mean is:

“Are you sourcing from China?”

“Isn’t overseas production always unethical?”

“I saw something on Instagram, and I’m now an expert.”

You want to be thoughtful and transparent. You don’t want to get defensive. But also — you want to say:

“No, we don’t use slaves.

Our suppliers just disappear for 3 days during national holidays, deliver samples late, and ghost us during lunch.

They’re not enslaved — they’re very, very free.”

And it’s true.

Factories — especially good ones — are made up of skilled workers who are picky about who they work with. The best ones? They’ll reject your order if you’re vague, disorganized, or asking for sketchy stuff like “urgent bulk with no sampling.”

But the myth persists.

Because people don’t understand the middle zone — where you’re not Shein, but you’re also not sitting around sewing every unit by hand in your living room.

That’s where most small brands live.

And that’s where ethical, small-batch, scalable production is not only possible — it’s thriving.

If you come prepared.

And that’s the part that doesn’t make it onto TikTok.

Nobody shows the 10 supplier calls it took to find a factory that met your standards.

Or the endless fabric sourcing conversations.

Or the third sample you paid for — because you didn’t want to approve something that felt “off.”

You can build a clothing brand that aligns with your values.

But not if you start with vague requests, lowball quotes, and magical thinking about what “ethical” looks like.

You need:

• A clear idea of your product

• A basic understanding of how factories work

• A system for asking the right questions (and catching red flags early)

• And yes — a willingness to spend a bit more, wait a bit longer, and own the process

This is exactly what Garment Sourcing 101 is built to teach.

We cover what you need to ask, how to vet factories, how to work responsibly with suppliers, and how to avoid both greenwashing and ethical performatism. Because the truth is, a lot of small brands want to “be ethical” but are sourcing like they’re ordering novelty socks on AliExpress.

Factories aren’t evil.

They’re also not perfect.

They’re businesses — and like any business, their ethics are shaped by who they work with, what they’re asked to produce, and how much you, the client, actually care about your production flow.

If you show up clueless, demanding, and allergic to sample fees — they’ll treat you like a fling.

If you show up organized, realistic, and asking the right questions — you become someone they want to work with long-term.

That’s how you build ethical production.

Not by hoping. Not by crossing your fingers and checking a “we promise it’s sustainable” box on someone’s website.

By knowing what to do, when to ask, and how to run your sourcing like a business that respects people, process, and product.

So next time someone asks you if you use slaves in your factory — and they will — you can laugh softly, sip your tea, and say:

“No, but I do use systems. I use timelines. I use real supplier relationships.

And I use this little thing called preparation — which, by the way, you can learn too.”

Send them the link: Garment Sourcing 101.

Or don’t. Just enroll and run your brand better than 90% of people out here flailing through WhatsApp voice notes and hope.

Because if you’re going to start a clothing brand — do it like someone who knows where their stuff comes from. Not just where they say it does.