Kubramal Apparel Intelligence
fabrics, countries, costs… /

Sourcing

An advice call, before you commit money

An hour with someone who has sat on the supplier side of this market, on your product and your numbers. Paid, scoped, and written up.

What this is

A paid call with the founder to review your product plan, quantities, target cost and timeline before you commit money. $150–$300 an hour, depending on scope, with a written summary afterwards.

Why this exists

Most money lost in apparel sourcing is lost before an order is placed: a quantity chosen to reach a price tier, a fabric that cannot do what the product needs, a timeline that assumes a factory is idle, a landed cost that forgot duty. None of those are manufacturing problems. They are decisions, and they are cheap to correct in an hour and expensive to correct in a container.

This is a product, not a sales call. You are paying for an assessment, which means the assessment is allowed to be that you should not do this — and the written summary will say so.

Who it suits

  • First-time founders who have a product idea and a rough budget, and want to know what is realistic before they spend anything on samples.
  • Brands with a quote in hand who want a second opinion on whether it is a fair price and whether the specification behind it makes sense.
  • Buyers considering Pakistan who want to know which categories it is genuinely strong in before committing to a country.
  • Anyone stuck. A factory that has gone quiet, a sample that is wrong in a way you cannot name, a cost that will not come down. Those are usually specification problems wearing a different hat.

What happens on the call

  1. Your product and your numbers. What you want to make, the quantity, the price you need it to land at, and when you need it.
  2. The realistic version. What that product costs to make in Pakistan, what the quantity does to the price, and where your target sits against both.
  3. The specification gap. What is missing from your brief that will make two factories quote two different garments — and what to write so they cannot.
  4. The risks specific to you. Duty into your market, testing and labelling, minimums that will not budge, and the part of your plan most likely to break first.
  5. What to do next, whether or not that involves us.

What you get afterwards

A written summary: the numbers discussed, the specification points to fix, the risks in priority order, and a recommendation. It is yours, it does not depend on you hiring us, and it is written so that you can act on it without calling again.

What it costs

$150–$300 per hour. The rate is quoted before the call based on what you describe — a single product question sits at the bottom of the range, a multi-style review with a landed-cost model at the top. It does not move after the call has happened.

It is not credited against a managed production engagement, deliberately. A credit that quietly commits you to a larger piece of work is a sales mechanism rather than a service, and this page is meant to be honest about which one it is.

How to book

Booking runs by email while the scheduling link is being set up. Write to [email protected] with the product, the quantity and the market you are selling into, and you will get a time, the rate for your call, and an invoice. A call is confirmed once the invoice is paid.

If you would rather describe the requirement first and decide afterwards, use the form below — it reaches the same desk and costs nothing.

What an advice call is not

It is advice, not a guarantee. It does not include factory placement, order management, inspection, or any commitment on cost, quality or timing. Those are the managed production engagement, and they are priced separately because they are different work. Nothing said on a call should be treated as a quotation: a quotation is a written document with a specification behind it.

Questions about the call

What do I actually get for the fee?
The call, and a written summary of what was discussed and recommended afterwards — so the value is a document you keep rather than a conversation you remember. If the honest answer is that you do not need us, that is what the summary will say, and you will have spent an hour rather than an order finding out.
Why is the rate a range rather than a price?
Because the work varies. A single-product first-time founder asking whether 300 pieces is realistic is a different hour from a brand with six styles, three colours and a landed-cost model to review. The rate is quoted before the call, based on what you describe, and it does not move afterwards.
Is it credited against a managed production engagement?
Not today. We would rather quote an honest fee than use a credit as a reason to book, and a credit that quietly commits you to a larger engagement is a sales mechanism rather than a service. If that changes, it will be stated here before it applies to anyone.
What should I have ready?
Whatever you have. A specification and a target cost make the hour sharper, but most first calls are someone with an idea, a rough quantity and a price they are hoping for. Bringing the numbers you have — even rough ones — is more useful than bringing nothing.
Can you tell me a factory to use on the call?
We can tell you what kind of factory should make your product, in which city, and what you should expect to pay. We do not hand over the panel to non-clients, which is not gatekeeping: the relationships are the work, and passing them out without managing an order is how they stop existing.
What if I need to reschedule?
Once the booking link is live, it handles rescheduling directly. Until then, email and we will move it — within reason and without a fee.

Or describe the requirement first

If you are not sure whether the call is the right first step, send the requirement instead. You will get an honest answer on feasibility, and that answer is free.

We reply to this address. It is never added to a mailing list.

The product, the fabric if you know it, and anything already fixed about the design.

Optional. Target date, destination country, budget concerns, anything that changes the answer.

Or write to [email protected] — it reaches the same place.

If you want the work done rather than explained

The advisory call assesses a plan. The engagement that executes it — specification, factory placement, milestone inspection and shipment coordination — is described at managed production.