Chapter 50 Cooperation and Win-Win [First Update]

After pondering for two days, I came up with two methods.

One option is to design the clothes herself, have a large factory produce them for her, and then sell them herself. This way, she can earn more money, but it's very troublesome. The capital required is large; she has to pay for the fabric and labor upfront. If the finished clothes don't sell, the losses are even greater. More importantly, she needs to expand her market. She has a regular job, and she can't manage everything herself, so she needs to hire people. But finding suitable candidates isn't easy, and even if she does, it still requires a lot of effort.

Another method is to directly "sell" the designs to factories, let them make and sell the products, and take a cut per piece. This way, she doesn't have to take any risks or invest any capital; she can just sit back and collect money, although she earns less.

“Risk…capital…” Jiang Suining muttered to herself, her fingers unconsciously tracing patterns on the table. Building a cold storage facility would require a large sum of money, but her ultimate goal was to build a cold storage facility! She couldn’t put the cart before the horse.

"Commission! I'll choose commission." Her eyes hardened. This way, the money was more stable. Although she earned less, if she carried over a lot of it, the amount could be considerable.

Having made up her mind, she stayed up all night meticulously drawing three pictures: a modified knee-length "island skirt" more suitable for everyday wear, a men's hunting short-sleeved shirt, and the "workwear overalls" that had been copied to death but proved to be a bestseller.

She even consulted with tailor Zhong and drew the pattern in great detail, clearly indicating even the size of the waist dart and how the pockets should be edged.

The next question was who to talk to. She thought of the state-owned Hongqi Garment Factory on the island, the largest one. She had Lu Ye subtly inquire about it; the factory director's surname was Zheng, a leader who cared about the factory's profits and was eager to come up with new ideas—someone she could work with.

Having made up her mind, Jiang Suining, clutching the patterns, went straight to the entrance of the garment factory. The old gatekeeper, upon hearing that she was there to discuss new clothing designs with Factory Director Zheng, sized her up several times before slowly pointing her in the right direction.

The factory manager's office was small and stuffy, with the ceiling fan spinning weakly. Manager Zheng himself was about fifty years old, wearing a slightly worn white shirt, sweat beading on his forehead. He listened to Jiang Suining's self-introduction, then looked at the drawings she handed him; his eyes first showed surprise, then scrutiny.

“Xinfeng Garment Store…I think I’ve heard of it.” Factory Director Zheng put down the blueprints, his tone neither warm nor cold. “Your drawings are quite detailed, but our factory is a state-owned enterprise, and our production tasks are all planned.”

Jiang Suining knew this was just a polite remark, but she remained calm and picked up the pattern of the 'island dress': "Director Zheng, let's be frank. This dress is similar to the 'jasmine dress' that my shop used to sell. There are many imitations on the market, but the workmanship and materials vary greatly, which has actually damaged the reputation of this style. Your factory has good equipment and standardized processes. If you were to produce it uniformly, with solid materials and neat workmanship, you would definitely be able to make this style a branded product."

She paused, observing Director Zheng's expression, and continued, "Moreover, with your factory producing on a large scale, costs can be reduced, prices can be more affordable, and more people will buy it. This is a much larger market than small-scale counterfeiting."

Factory Director Zheng tapped his fingers on the table without speaking. There were indeed some outdated garments piling up in the factory warehouse, struggling to sell. Now that the higher-ups were starting to talk about "efficiency," he was under considerable pressure. What the girl said made some sense.

"So you mean..." Director Zheng raised his eyes.

“Cooperation.” Jiang Suining uttered two words. “Every month I will provide your factory with two or three new designs that can absolutely withstand the test of the market. The factory will be responsible for production and sales. I don’t want any upfront costs. All I want is for the factory to pay me a ‘design guidance fee’ for every garment made using my designs that they sell, which will be two percent of the ex-factory price.”

"A cut?" Factory Director Zheng frowned. "This... there's no precedent for this. There are people in the factory's design department too..."

“Director Zheng,” Jiang Suining interrupted him, her tone still calm but with an undeniable confidence, “Can the design department draw up a design that can immediately turn into real money? With my design, the factory can add a production line for best-selling products without taking any risks. No matter how you look at it, it’s a worthwhile deal.”

She added fuel to the fire: "If the cooperation goes smoothly, I will have more styles that are more suitable for mass production and may even be exported to other parts of the island. If the factory thinks it is not good, it doesn't matter. I will just have to take the pictures and find other channels, or continue to watch the messy imitations on the market ruin the reputation of good styles."

These words struck a nerve with Director Zheng. He stared at the drawings, then looked at the young woman in front of him, who was calm and composed, and whose words were always to the point. His heart swayed.

The factory does lack designers who can grasp the pulse of the market, but this cooperation method is worth considering. However, the factory's leadership team still needs to discuss the exact percentage of revenue taken.

After several meetings and detailed discussions, a simple yet significant agreement was reached: Jiang Suining would provide the factory with no fewer than two exclusive design drawings each month, and the factory would guarantee production according to the drawings and ensure basic quality. For each item sold, Jiang Suining would be paid a design and technical service fee of 1.5% of the ex-factory price, with payments settled monthly. The agreement was for a term of one year.

The first batch of island skirts and hunting shirts were produced by the Hongqi Garment Factory and hung in supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores. Thanks to the state-owned factory's channels and relatively affordable prices, they quickly sold out.

At the end of the month, Jiang Suining received a kraft paper envelope from the clothing factory's finance department. Inside was a thick wad of cash. She counted it and found that it was much more than the net profit of Xinfeng Garment Store for several months. However, as a result, Xinfeng Garment Store's business became even worse.

Initially, she opened this shop as a stepping stone, but as the shop opened, it gradually became a source of spiritual sustenance for Jiang's mother. In order to keep the shop running, she and the staff decided to focus on fine craftsmanship, body shaping, and high-end fabrics, which is essentially selling services.

This sales strategy would definitely work in later generations, but it's not quite the same in this era. However, it's not like there's no customer base, especially for body shaping. People with uneven shoulders, particularly plump figures, or short stature can improve their appearance to some extent by using clothing to correct their body shape. Of course, the revenue in this area mainly comes from tailor Zhong.

As summer arrives, the sun on the island becomes increasingly scorching, with ultraviolet rays so strong that they can make one's skin sting.

Jiang Suining noticed that many young women who love beauty have to wear thick sleeves on their arms or wrap themselves up tightly with scarves when they go out. It is not only stuffy and inconvenient, but also not aesthetically pleasing.

When it was time to wear sun-protective clothing, she immediately took action, visiting several fabric stores over the weekend to compare options repeatedly. Finally, she selected a very lightweight, slightly sparsely meshed, and highly breathable white pique mesh fabric, and a delicately printed seersucker.

Neither of these materials clings to the body; they are breathable when the wind blows through, and the light color itself reflects some sunlight.

Next is the design. She abandoned the heaviness of traditional coats and designed a loose, short cardigan, just past the waistline, so it doesn't look sloppy. The neckline is a small stand-up collar, neat and energetic; the cuffs are made into a slight flare, which is breathable and has a touch of elegance; most importantly, instead of buttons, she designed two long ties of the same fabric on the front, which can be tied into a bow or a simple slipknot at the chest, adding a touch of femininity and liveliness. At the back, she also carefully added a slight pleat at the shoulder blade area to allow for more freedom of movement.

After she finished drawing the design, she first showed it to her mother.

Jiang's mother touched the thin fabric, looked at the pattern, and nodded: "This is a good idea. It provides shade and keeps you cool, and it looks nice too."

Tailor Zhong made a garment in a hurry, and Jiang Suining put it on. She felt that it was indeed different: the material was as light as a feather, the loose style was not restrictive at all, and when walking under the scorching sun, her arms could not feel the heat. Moreover, when the sea breeze blew, the clothes fluttered, and she felt even cooler than when she was wearing only short sleeves.

Jiang Suining immediately delivered the design and finished garment of the "Sea Breeze Shirt" to Director Zheng's desk at the Hongqi Garment Factory.

"This... such a thin cover-up, can anyone really buy it?" Factory Director Zheng looked at the novel design with some skepticism, after all, the climate here really didn't require an outer garment.

Jiang Suining said confidently, "Director Zheng, have the workers make a small batch first, using seersucker or pique mesh fabric, or if you have any better breathable and lightweight materials, that will do. Hang it up and try it out. I guarantee that this will be the best-selling style on the island this summer."

Trusting the success of their previous collaboration, Factory Director Zheng decided to give it a try. The garment factory quickly went into production, and the first batch of light-colored sea breeze shirts was delivered to various supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores, advertised with the slogan "A must-have for beauty-conscious women's sun protection."

As a result, they were almost sold out as soon as they were put on the shelves!

Sea breeze shirts perfectly address the pain points of island women during summer outings. They are lightweight, cool, and provide effective sun protection, with a unique design. The tie-waist design is especially popular among young women. Whether it's working women, women going to the beach, or mothers with children, almost everyone owns one. The refreshing white and playful prints quickly became a flowing sight on the island's summer streets.

A trend of sea breeze shirts has also swept through the military family compound. When Lu Ye returned home, he couldn't help but say to Jiang Suining, "Sui Sui, the wife of our battalion commander asked me to ask if I could reserve a printed one for her, because the department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives don't have any in stock."

Factory Director Zheng was overjoyed and immediately ordered an increase in production. Based on Jiang Suining's suggestion, he also developed sun-protective outerwear in colors such as dark blue and military green, which were more suitable for men and had simpler designs. These also sold very well.

At the end of that month, the envelope Jiang Suining received from the garment factory for design and technical service fees was more than twice as thick as the previous month.

This substantial income from the sea breeze shirt brought her a significant step closer to realizing her dream of owning a cold storage facility.

The cold storage matter can now be put on the agenda, and preliminary site inspections and preparations should begin.