The Conversation Around Sharing Your Factory Name and Why It Doesn’t Mean You’re Hiding Something

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 can sometimes come with an accusation, as if not answering that question means a brand is hiding something unethical. I see this especially on TikTok.

And I get it. People care about where their clothes come from. They’ve seen how fast fashion companies cut corners. They’ve read the headlines about unsafe working conditions. They’ve watched brands call themselves "sustainable" while using questionable production practices. So when someone talks about building with intention, people want proof.

But there are real and valid reasons why a founder might choose not to share the name of their factory, and it has nothing to do with hiding anything.

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 fully copy your designs. If you’ve spent months or years refining samples, perfecting construction details, and building that relationship, sharing it publicly is like handing over your blueprint.

 

There’s a common response online that says, “well if your factory would copy your designs, then you shouldn’t be working with them.” But that’s not how production works, especially for smaller brands. Most clothing factories work with multiple clients. They’re manufacturers, not creative directors. They produce what they’re asked to produce. Unless a brand has locked down legal exclusivity through contracts and intellectual property filings, which takes time, money, and leverage that many new brands don’t have, a factory is legally allowed to produce similar-looking garments.

Factories don’t exist to protect your brand. That’s your job. Protecting your designs doesn’t mean you’re working with an unethical partner. It means you’re being realistic about how the supply chain works and doing what you can to keep your work from being copied. Founders share what’s safe to share. Not because they’re hiding something. Because they’re protecting something.

Factories often serve multiple clients. When one brand names them publicly, it can lead to confusion, requests, and added pressure that complicates a professional relationship that’s meant to stay focused and direct.

A good factory might have one negative review or an old post circulating online. As soon as the name is public, it can turn into a thread of assumptions, even when a founder has done the work to confirm quality, standards, and ethics firsthand.

Some production partners prefer to remain confidential and may include that in their terms. Respecting those boundaries is part of maintaining a professional relationship.

This is the assumption that shows up the most. Founders can care deeply about ethical manufacturing and still want to protect their brand. Many do more behind-the-scenes work than people realize including requesting documentation, auditing standards, and staying involved in communication throughout the entire production process. A lot of founders even records videos of them visiting their factories and showing a sneak peek of the process. I won’t move forward with a factory beyond the initial inquiry if they tell me they don’t have a SMETA report, which is an independent third-party audit that checks for ethical practices including labor standards, health and safety, environmental performance, and business integrity. It’s a baseline requirement for me when it comes to responsible manufacturing, and I know many other founders as well!

 

There’s a conversation happening online that if a founder claims to be transparent but won’t name their factory, they aren’t being transparent at all. But that logic erases everything else a founder may be doing to run their brand with care, intention, and responsibility. I talk 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 communication. Just because a founder doesn’t share the name of their factory doesn’t mean the factory is unethical or that anything questionable is happening. It simply means they’re protecting their business, their designs, and the relationships they’ve built behind the scenes.

Founders don’t owe the internet their entire supply chain, even if people online are questioning it. Choosing not to share certain details publicly is not the same thing as being dishonest, it's one decision within a much bigger process. I believe in building with integrity and I believe that staying focused, protecting your work, and holding your own boundaries is part of that too.

Xoxo,

Arianna

Founder of Triplicity