Want to Start a Clothing Brand? Better Know What the Houthis Are Up To.

Think sourcing is just about MOQ and fabric swatches?

If you’re serious about how to start your own clothing line, you need to understand production timelines, freight chaos, and why global events are your problem now.

Start here → Garment Sourcing 101

Me ordering my Summer range in November because the Houthis are having a ball off Yemen.

That’s not a metaphor. That’s logistics.

The Red Sea gets blocked. Suez becomes a no-go. Your container that was supposed to take 30 days now detours around Africa and shows up 40 days late — if it shows up at all.

Meanwhile, your customer’s still asking if the swim shorts will arrive before Easter. And you’re now considering air freight… again.

This is the part no one tells you when you’re Googling how to start a clothing brand.

When Global Chaos Becomes Your Production Problem

When you’re launching a brand, it’s easy to focus on product.

Design. Sampling. Sizing.

But the second you step into garment manufacturing, you step into a global supply chain — and everything that comes with it.

That includes:

• Political instability

• Port strikes

• Holiday closures in countries you don’t live in

• And yes — Houthi rebels with a few well-aimed drones

If you want to start a clothing business and survive, you have to plan your production like the world might explode. Because sometimes, it does.

This Is Why You Order Summer in November

The founders who make it long-term aren’t just creative. They’re paranoid — in a good way.

They know:

• A “30-day transit time” is a best-case scenario

• Peak seasons crush timelines

• You don’t wait until March to order your Spring range

• If your factory goes silent over Chinese New Year, it’s not personal — it’s predictable

Starting a clothing line isn’t about moving fast. It’s about moving ahead.

Want to Start a Clothing Business? Build in Buffers or Burn

Here’s the real founder flex:

Not just designing great product — but delivering it when you say you will.

That requires:

• Realistic delivery windows

• Pre-booked freight

• Contingency plans

• And the humility to realise you’re at the mercy of routes, ports, and global news

The market doesn’t care why your stuff’s late.

But your customer will.

Don’t wait until your shipping lane gets hijacked to learn how garment sourcing really works.

Start with Garment Sourcing 101 — the course built for fashion founders who want to launch with confidence and scale with control.