Why I Don't Share the Name of My Factory

There's a question I see all the time on social media, directed at clothing brand founders who talk openly about the process of building a brand. What factory do you use? It often comes with an edge to it, as if not answering means a brand is hiding something unethical. I see this especially on TikTok.

I certainly understand where it comes from. People care about where their clothes come from, and they have every reason to be skeptical after years of watching fast fashion brands cut corners, seeing the headlines about unsafe working conditions, and watching companies call themselves sustainable while doing the opposite behind the scenes. So when a founder talks about building with care, people now want proof.

But there are real, practical reasons why a founder might choose not to share the name of their factory, and none of them have to do with hiding something. I can only speak for myself, but I do think a lot of founders can have similar reasons why, so here are mine.

1. It exposes your entire supply chain to your competitors

Sharing the name of your factory puts your development work at risk. Other brands can reach out to the same partner, ask for similar designs, undercut your pricing, or copy your work outright. When you have spent months or even years refining samples, perfecting construction details, and building that relationship, sharing it publicly is essentially handing over your blueprint.

2. It doesn't mean you're working with the wrong factory

There is a common response online that goes something like, "well if your factory would copy your designs, then you shouldn't be working with them." But that's not how production actually works, especially for smaller brands.

Most clothing factories work with multiple clients at once. They are manufacturers, not creative directors, and they produce what they are asked to produce. Unless a brand has locked down legal exclusivity through contracts and intellectual property filings, which takes real time, money, and leverage that most newer brands don't have, a factory is legally allowed to produce similar-looking garments for other clients. Factories don't exist to protect your brand. As a founder, that's your job.

3. It can put pressure on the factory you don't want to put on them

Factories often serve multiple clients, and when one brand names them publicly, it can lead to a wave of confusion, cold outreach, and added pressure. That complicates a working relationship that's supposed to stay focused and direct, and it is not something most founders want to introduce. Would it potentially mean more business for the factory, which could be a positive for them? Yes, but not always. And as a founder, you also have to think about how it would affect your business too.

4. It invites judgment from people who don't have the full picture

A good factory might have one negative review floating around online or an old post that resurfaces. As soon as the name is public, that can turn into a thread of assumptions, even when a founder has personally done the work to confirm quality, ethics, and standards firsthand. And unless there are proven unethical practices out there, or you have personally visited the factory and seen it yourself, there is no way to prove it. Opening yourself up to people pulling this or that from somewhere and making claims can hurt your business. As a founder, especially when you are new and just getting started, you have to protect your business.

5. Some factories ask not to be named

Some production partners simply prefer to stay confidential, and may include that in their terms. Respecting those boundaries is part of being professional, the same way you'd respect any other working agreement.

6. Not naming your factory does not mean you don't care about ethics

This is the assumption that comes up the most, and it's the one I want to address the most. Founders can care deeply about ethical manufacturing and still want to protect their brand from being undercut or copied (or just from putting too much information out there when you are so early on in your business). These days, you don't know what someone might do with information about you or your business. There are lots of shady characters out there, and sadly, not everyone can be trusted!

A lot more goes on behind the scenes than people realize, including requesting documentation, auditing standards, asking direct questions about labor practices, and staying involved in communication throughout the entire production process. Plenty of founders also record videos of themselves visiting their factories and showing what they can of the process.

For my own brand, I won't move forward with a factory beyond the initial inquiry if they don't have a SMETA report, even if their MOQs are higher or their prices are higher than other options. SMETA is an independent third-party audit that checks for ethical practices including labor standards, health and safety, environmental performance, and business integrity. That's my own baseline for responsible manufacturing, and I know plenty of other founders who hold the same line.

Why I personally don't share the name of my factory right now

I have heard people say that if a founder claims to be transparent but won't name their factory, they aren't really being transparent at all. I understand why people might think that, but it erases everything else a founder might be doing to run their brand responsibly.

I talk openly about fabric choices, sampling timelines, design challenges, how I'm building the brand step by step, and the standards I hold my factory to. That includes ethical working conditions, quality control, and how we communicate. Unfortunately, in the world of social media that we live in, you never know who is out there and what they might do with the information you provide. It's really not about gatekeeping a great factory. And likely by going out and doing your own research, and finding a factory that works for you, that can work out even better.

I personally have not been called out for not sharing my factory name, and maybe someday I will (if my factory would even approve that). But there was a moment on social media where people were going crazy over this idea, calling founders unethical for not sharing, and that's what made me want to speak on it. I think it's wrong to call for the inner details of someone's business like that.

If you are worried a brand is not making clothing at an ethical factory, you can easily shop somewhere else. Honestly, leave them alone! Especially women, can we just lift each other up? I'm all for asking hard questions and challenging things, but let's not get mad when a founder doesn't want to share deeply sensitive information with the entire world.

Xoxo, Arianna

Founder, Triplicity