How to Source from European Factories Without a Sourcing Agent
Matias Santos, Founder·
The sourcing agent model made sense in an earlier era of the industry. Portuguese factories didn't have websites, didn't attend trade shows accessible to small brands, and didn't have the infrastructure to manage brand relationships directly. An agent with factory contacts and local language skills was genuinely indispensable. This guide covers why that model is now outdated, what direct access looks like today, and what independent brands can negotiate without a middleman standing between them and the factory floor.
What a Sourcing Agent Actually Does (And What You're Paying For)
To decide whether to go direct, it helps to be precise about what agents do:
Factory introductions: Access to their personal network of factory contacts. In a traditional industry with limited digital presence, this was the main value. It's less differentiating now, but still real in some markets (particularly niche Italian artisan producers).
Technical assistance: Reviewing your tech packs, managing sampling rounds, quality checking during production. This is genuinely useful if you don't have in-house technical expertise.
: Visiting factories, managing production issues on the ground, handling communication in the local language.
Sourcing from European Factories Without an Agent (Guide) | NovaSupplier
Agents who do all of this well are worth paying. The issue is that most agents do some of this well, charge for all of it, and add a layer of communication between you and your factory that can slow decisions and obscure relationships.
The Real Costs of Working With an Agent
Commission model: 5–15% of FOB value. On a €50,000 order, that's €2,500–7,500. On a €200,000 annual spend, it's €10,000–30,000. Over five years of a growing brand, this is a meaningful number.
Opacity: When an agent manages your factory relationship, you don't build the direct relationship yourself. If the agent leaves, moves, or you want to switch agents, your factory connections don't come with you.
Communication delay: Anything that needs to go through an agent adds a layer. A factory might respond to a direct email in 4 hours; via an agent, the same information might take 2 days to reach you.
Conflict of interest: Agents are paid by brands but often have factory relationships that predate you. A genuinely conflicted agent might steer you toward factories that are convenient for them, not best for you.
None of this means agents are bad. The right agent for the right brand at the right stage is a genuine asset. But the assumption that you need one to source from Europe is wrong.
What You Need Before Going Direct
Going direct is absolutely achievable, but it requires preparation that an agent would otherwise provide. Here's what you need:
1. A Clear Brief
Before you contact any factory, have a document that covers:
Garment type and construction
Target materials (fibre content, weight, finish)
Approximate MOQ per style
Target ex-factory price range
Timeline (when you need samples, when you need bulk)
Any certification requirements (GOTS, OEKO-TEX, etc.)
Relevant reference images or existing products
A one-page PDF of this information transforms your enquiries from vague interest into a real business proposition. Factories take you seriously when you demonstrate you know what you're asking for.
2. A Tech Pack (or At Least a Spec Sheet)
A full tech pack is a detailed document specifying your garment: measurements, construction notes, stitching specifications, label placement, packaging requirements. It's the language factories use to understand exactly what you want.
You don't need a perfect tech pack for your first enquiry. But you need something beyond "I want to make a jacket." At minimum: a sketch or reference photo, a measurement chart, and a materials specification.
If you don't have technical design capability in-house, hiring a freelance technical designer to build your tech pack (typically €200–600 per style) is money well spent, much cheaper than an agent on an ongoing basis.
3. Basic Knowledge of the Production Process
You need to understand the basics of how clothing is made:
Difference between CMT and full-package
What a lead time covers and why it's what it is
How sampling works and why you pay for samples
What a commercial invoice, packing list, and certificate of origin are
Incoterms (FOB, DDP, DDU) and what they mean for who bears cost and risk
You don't need to be an expert. You need to be literate enough to have the conversation without needing a translator.
4. A Way to Pay Internationally
Factories in Portugal and Italy invoice in Euros. You'll need a business account that can make international bank transfers (SWIFT/SEPA) cheaply. Transferwise (now Wise) Business is commonly used by independent brands. Traditional UK high-street bank SWIFT transfers are expensive and slow, avoid them.
How to Find European Factories Without an Agent
Platforms
Platforms built specifically for direct brand-factory connections are the most efficient route. NovaSupplier (app.novasupplier.com/onboarding) operates precisely this model: you post your production project, verified Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian factories review it and submit structured quotes, and you manage the entire process, sampling, order management, payments, from a single place. No agent commission.
This is meaningfully different from a directory. A directory gives you a list of phone numbers; a platform gives you structured conversations with factories that have already expressed interest in your project.
Trade Shows
Première Vision (Paris), Texworld, Modtissimo (Portugal), and Milano Unica (Italy) are the major shows where European factories exhibit. Walking the floor and talking directly to factory sales teams is a legitimate route to finding manufacturers without going through an agent.
Cost: travel + registration fees, typically €1,000–3,000 per trip. Return on that investment requires converting at least one good factory relationship.
LinkedIn
Factory owners and production directors are increasingly on LinkedIn. A well-crafted message with a genuine brief can open conversations. Better success rate than cold email to a generic info@ address.
Referrals
Other brand founders are the highest-quality source of factory recommendations. Industry communities, Discord servers, Shopify forums, fashion founder groups on Slack, regularly have factory-sharing conversations.
Managing the Sampling Process Directly
This is where most brands feel most uncertain about going direct. Here's how to handle it:
Initiate with a clear spec: Send your brief and request a quote for a sample. Ask for a sample price (expect €80–300 per garment in Europe) and a sample lead time (typically 3–6 weeks for garments, longer for footwear).
Track everything in writing: Every instruction, every change, every approval, put it in email or a shared document. When something goes wrong (and something always goes wrong), you need a clear record of what was agreed.
Annotate samples clearly: When you receive a sample and have comments, mark up photographs with numbered annotations and a corresponding note document. "Collar is too wide, reduce by 1cm" with a photograph is clear. "The collar doesn't look right" is not.
Don't approve with reservations: If a sample has issues, don't approve it and hope they'll fix it in bulk. Request a counter-sample. The extra time is far cheaper than a bulk production run with the same issues.
Limit rounds where possible: Ideally 2 rounds of sampling (first sample + counter-sample) before bulk. Each round takes 3–6 weeks and costs money. Good specs and clear communication reduce rounds.
Managing Production and Quality Control
Once you've placed a bulk order, an agent would typically manage production oversight. Without one, you have several options:
Remote inspection: Ask the factory to send photographs or short videos at key production milestones (first bulk piece off the line, mid-production quality check, before packing). Most factories will cooperate with this.
AQL inspection: For orders above €15,000 or so, consider hiring a third-party inspection service to conduct an AQL (Acceptable Quality Level) inspection before shipment. Services like Bureau Veritas, Intertek, and SGS operate in Europe. An inspection typically costs €300–600 and gives you independent verification of quality and quantity before goods leave the factory.
Factory visit: For your first significant order with a new factory, a production visit is worth the cost. Even a half-day on the factory floor before shipment, seeing the bulk production quality in person, is valuable intelligence.
When You Should Consider an Agent
Direct sourcing works well for most independent brands once they have basic technical capability. But there are situations where an agent genuinely adds value:
Very complex products: Tailored outerwear, footwear, or highly technical garments where construction expertise is critical. An agent with relevant technical knowledge can save expensive mistakes.
Very small volumes: At 30–50 units per style, some factories won't take you seriously without a third party endorsement. An agent with existing relationships can sometimes get you access you couldn't get alone.
Entering a completely new country or product category: If you're moving from jersey basics to tailored Italian wovens, the technical and cultural gap is real. A one-off consultancy engagement with someone who knows the Italian tailoring market can be worth paying for.
Operational constraints: If your team has no capacity to manage factory relationships, an agent who manages the full operational side (brief to shipment) is handling real work that has real cost.
The key distinction: hire an agent for specific value they add, not because you assume you can't source directly.
The Financial Case for Going Direct
Let's run a simple model. Assume a brand spending €150,000 per year on European manufacturing (ex-factory):
Scenario
Agent cost (10%)
Platform/direct overhead
Net saving
With agent
€15,000
-
-
Direct via platform
-
~€2,000 (platform + inspections)
~€13,000
Direct (no platform)
-
~€3,000 (trade shows + admin)
~€12,000
At €150,000 annual spend, going direct saves approximately €12,000–13,000 per year. At €300,000 annual spend, that doubles. The savings compound as your brand grows.
FAQ
What do I do if I don't speak Portuguese or Italian? Most production-facing contacts at European factories in Portugal and Italy speak workable English, particularly those who deal with international brands. Communication has become significantly easier in the last decade. For very small artisan workshops where English is limited, a machine translation tool (DeepL is excellent for European languages) handles most written communication adequately.
Can I negotiate directly with factories on price? Yes, and you should. Agents negotiate on your behalf, but their incentive to get the lowest price is complicated by their factory relationships. Direct negotiation lets you be explicit about your target price and the volume you can commit to over time.
What happens if there's a dispute about quality without an agent to mediate? A clear written record of what was agreed (brief, sample approvals, production specifications) is your primary protection. For significant disputes, third-party inspection reports (from Bureau Veritas etc.) provide objective evidence. Most factory disputes are resolved through negotiation, a good factory values the relationship and will work to resolve genuine quality failures.
Is NovaSupplier free to use for brands?NovaSupplier is designed to give brands direct access to European manufacturers without agent commissions. You can get started by posting your project at app.novasupplier.com/onboarding.
How do I protect myself from being copied? A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) signed before sharing tech packs provides some protection. In practice, good factories, the ones with established brand clients, have no interest in copying your designs and risking those relationships. Smaller, newer factories are higher risk. Registered design protection in your key markets is additional protection.
Getting Started
If you're ready to start sourcing directly from European factories, the practical first step is to get your project brief together and start conversations.
Post your project on NovaSupplier to receive structured quotes from verified Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian factories, no sourcing agent required.