Turn to Asia. Features of shoe production at a factory in China

Finding a partner factory for shoe production is not an easy process. Today, many Russian brands sew their collections in factories in China. The concept of the women's shoe brand N.early N.aked, founded in 2019, was based on the idea of ​​producing shoes suitable for dancing, with a perfect fit. Initially, the shoes were sewn in Europe, but in 2022, shoe production was moved to China.

The head of the N.early N.aked brand, Irina Kukusheva-Levchenko, told Shoes Report about the nuances and advantages of shoe production in China and about the training course on creating a shoe brand that she teaches at the RMA business academy in Moscow.

Irina Kukusheva-Levchenko -

Co-founder and head of the N.early N.aked brand Irina Kukusheva-Levchenko

Shoes Report: Irina, now most even European brands sew their collections in Asia. I know that N.early N.aked previously sewed shoes in Spain, tried in Russia, and now moved production to China. How quickly did you find production in China that would satisfy you in terms of quality and price?

Our path was quite winding. Initially, we developed our design at a Russian dance factory, trying to adapt dance technologies for everyday shoes. However, manual production did not provide consistent quality - each pair was different, there were difficulties with components.

Then we moved to a factory in Portugal, where we worked for about nine months, but did not achieve the desired softness and elasticity. Our goal is ultra-comfortable shoes that follow the movement of the foot, without restricting, but supporting it anatomically correctly. Portuguese materials and adhesives turned out to be too rigid.

The next step was an Italian factory that produced both premium shoes and dance shoes. It was there that we managed to create the first reference prototype, which began the production of N.early N.aked. We worked with this factory for about three years, and survived the pandemic.

Later, we moved to a Spanish factory, trying to optimize production. But in 2022, production in Europe became economically inexpedient: transportation became more expensive, problems with payments arose, and production prices increased. The marginality of the shoe business is lower than that of clothing, so these factors turned out to be critical.

At first we were afraid to look towards China because of the requirements for minimum order volumes. However, it turned out that there are factories ready to work with small batches comparable to European ones, but at a more favorable price.

For the first six months, we worked with a manager who helped us find a suitable factory. He had lived in China for a long time and understood the Chinese manufacturing system well. We received many prototypes from different factories. But in the end, we found our factory completely by accident. The main thing is to keep moving!

We signed a direct contract with the factory, which is quite rare for China, where they usually work through intermediaries. The price-quality ratio suited us. From the beginning of the search to receiving the first batch in Moscow, 9-10 months passed. But this was not the end, now another enterprise, which is more suitable for us in terms of technological specifics, makes prototypes for us, so we are at the stage of working out the production process.

Shoes Report: What are your impressions of working with Chinese manufacturers? How carefully do you need to control the process?

Our first experience with a Chinese factory surprised us with the level of involvement of the manager. He worked with us from early morning (3-4 hours Moscow time) until late evening, paying great attention even to our small orders. The only day off was Sunday, and even then with exceptions.

The main difference from the European approach is that in China, each element of the technical task must be worked out separately and in detail. If your technical task contains requests for various components, each of them requires special attention and discussion, otherwise the factory will do as it sees fit, regardless of your instructions.

It is important to understand this mentality and control every step, especially when producing the first prototype. It is necessary to discuss all the details, ask to show all the developments before assembly, and inquire about the factory's previous experience.

Chinese factories do not have enough technical files – they need a large number of references for each part to better understand the task. Also, a lot depends on the personality of the manager: some specialize in typical mass orders, others have a better understanding of technology and pay more attention to specific requirements.

In terms of process control, for our first batch, the factory filmed the entire production cycle: assembly line work, manual operations, final quality check. Every pair in every box was shown on video, giving us a complete picture of the product before we received it.

In Europe, this approach is less common. There, there is more confidence that the batch will correspond to the reference prototype. Although once in Italy we had to invite a separate quality control service, which created certain difficulties: the factory was not ready for this, there were difficulties with re-packaging, especially considering that each pair has its own identification number and the "Honest Sign" marking.

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It is important to understand that both in Europe and China there is a tendency to “think things up for the customer”. Factories sometimes decide that they know better what the product should look like and may not agree with you on some changes that they consider insignificant. This requires constant monitoring and clear communication.

Shoes Report: Were there any unpleasant surprises?

Unpleasant surprises happen in any production, regardless of the country. Every entrepreneur faces them regularly. Some mistakes are repeated, and they need to be systematically worked out.

Surprises are not limited to production. For example, we faced a sudden suspension of simplified import of goods for 10 days in September 2024, which created difficulties with customs clearance. The bank also unexpectedly imposed restrictions on transportation methods, first banning rail transportation, and then leaving only road transport.

Logistics also presents surprises. Our logistics company, which had worked with us for a long time on European deliveries, refused to transport a small batch by road across China and Russia due to the risk of damage. We had to use cargo crating (editor's note: cargo crating is a protective wooden structure in the form of a frame or box, which is used to protect cargo during transportation in a container by road), which significantly increased the weight and cost of transportation. I even joked that the crating cost as much as the French wardrobe that I ordered for my daughter.

When transported by road, the goods are reloaded several times, which increases the risk of damage. Premium goods are usually transported by rail, where the risk of damage is lower. But due to banking restrictions, we had to use road transport.

Shoes Report: What positive things would you note?

The first is the level of attention of Chinese managers at the prototyping stage. Individual approach, readiness to show all materials, take photos, select components - all this creates the feeling that you are an important client, even if your volumes are small.

I am quite a demanding customer and like to double-check all the details. In Europe, this often causes irritation – they consider themselves professionals who know their business better. Show the result – and the issue is closed. In China (although, of course, not everywhere) they are ready to work until the client is fully satisfied. We were lucky to find such a “golden” manager.

Shoes Report: How necessary is Chinese language to do business in China?

Chinese is not required. English is enough, and with modern translation technologies you can even get by with Russian. My assistant communicates in Russian, translates into English and receives answers, which she then passes on to me.

I prefer to see the English version of the communication, since some technical nuances are clearer to me in English.

Shoes Report: Is it easy to find materials in China?

In Russia, the situation with shoe components is complicated – the choice is very limited and expensive, it is almost impossible to find something exclusive.

There is an opinion about China that you can find everything there. In general, this is true, but there are nuances. Factories usually work with suppliers from their region. They offer a fairly wide, but still limited selection of materials. If you need something special from another region of China, the factory may not know where to find it, or will not want to do it. You will have to solve this issue yourself.

Shoes Report: Are there any problems with making payments?

Yes, there are problems. We managed to conclude a direct contract, which is rare for Chinese factories, but the bank constantly imposed additional restrictions and sanctions that complicated the work. The article cannot tell about all the nuances. Although when planning production, it is worth considering everything.

On your training course at the Moscow Business Academy RMA, which starts on September 15, I reveal all the details of working with factories, share my experience. But this is only part of a month-long course called "Creating a shoe brand: from concept to implementation", it covers the entire process of creating shoes: from design concept to commercial launch. A step-by-step roadmap, from idea to finished product on the shelf. I invite everyone interested!