What It’s Really Like to Work with an Overseas Factory

Working with a factory overseas sounds kind of cool… until you’re five emails deep trying to explain where a logo goes.

I’ve been working with a manufacturer in Indonesia on our second round of samples. And while they haven’t made any huge mistakes, no crazy fabric swaps or surprise colors as I’ve experienced with other factories, communication has been a challenge.

We’ve sent diagrams, notes, photos, follow-ups, even marked-up screenshots. But still, there’s confusion about where logos should be placed. Sometimes it’s the language barrier. Sometimes it’s time zones. Sometimes it’s just me thinking I was clear when I really wasn’t.

The real lesson? Communication isn’t what you say; it’s what gets understood. And when you're working across cultures, that takes more than clarity. It takes patience, repetition, and the humility to follow up without assuming you're being ignored.

We’re in the final stretch now. Hopefully, the logo ends up where it’s supposed to.

Update: They nailed it, logos are placed perfectly, eco-fabric with a very soft feel and pretty good wicking properties. Testers have loved them so far, I think you will too!