21.02°N 105.84°E · HANOI
Menswear production office in Asia
A production office is the industrial function a brand cannot yet afford to bring in-house: factory selection, technical development, production follow-up and quality control, held by a team present on the ground. Lebrun Production runs that function for premium European menswear brands, in China and Vietnam, with two stated specialities, tailoring and outerwear, and real capacity across the rest of the menswear wardrobe.
What a production office does, and what it does not
A sourcing agent sells an introduction and is paid on the order placed with the factory. A trading company buys the production and resells an all-inclusive price while keeping control of the actual plant. A production office does neither: it works for the brand, it names each factory engaged and its address, it passes on factory prices and it invoices its own work. The difference shows the day something goes wrong. A badly fused batch, a lining substituted without approval, a fabric delay: the office records it, documents it, arbitrates and has the work redone.
Why a menswear specialised office
Most offices in Asia cover everything, from swimwear to workwear. Premium menswear asks for the opposite, close knowledge of a limited number of constructions. Reading a set-in shoulder, telling a floating canvas from a high-grade fusible interlining, judging how a collar holds after washing, checking that a sealed seam holds on a coated fabric, checking the actual fill weight as it leaves the filling machine. These gestures are not improvised and are not handed to a generalist inspector. Our perimeter is deliberately narrow: tailoring, outerwear, essentials in jersey and woven fabrics, leather goods, sportswear. Each category has its own factory, never one factory for the whole range.
China and Vietnam, two bases and one single management
China keeps the lead on fabric, technical trims and development responsiveness. Vietnam has taken the advantage on structured tailoring, padded outerwear and entry into the European Union at reduced duty thanks to the EVFTA. A brand that picks a single country gives up half the ground. We split the categories between the two on a simple rule: fabric follows the rule of origin when the customs gain matters, construction follows the factory that masters it. Management stays single. The brand has one contact, one calendar and one reporting format, whichever country the piece is made in.
The real work, week after week
A production office is judged on its routine, not on its pitch. A typical week: chasing incomplete tech packs, arbitrating a trim substitution, a factory visit with a photo record, measuring a prototype against the size chart, checking fabric batches on arrival, a quantified progress report sent to the brand. Two to three sample rounds are normal and budgeted. Beyond that, the file or the factory is at fault, and we say so before launching the bulk rather than after delivery.
What the office commits to on quality
Quality control is decided during development, not at final inspection. With the brand we set the critical points per model: measurement tolerances, hang and balance, strength at stress points, colour fastness to rubbing, zip resistance in cold conditions for outerwear, pocket symmetry and regularity of jetted openings for tailoring. Final inspection follows a written sampling plan, with a photo report and a clear decision, acceptance, sorting or rework. Factory certifications and audits, RDS for down, SMETA for the social audit, are checked on a valid document and not on a claim.
Cost, structure and the tipping point
An external office costs less than an in-house team as long as the brand does not run several collections a year and a volume that justifies a salaried person on site. The calculation has three lines: the cost of the office, the cost of a failed development, the cost of a batch refused after delivery. The last two are the ones brands forget. Moving to an in-house team comes late, usually after several seasons settled on the same factories. Until then the function is rented, and it is rented from someone who has already designed and produced the pieces he talks about.
FAQ
How does this differ from a sourcing agent?
An agent is paid on the order, often through a commission paid by the factory. A production office is paid by the brand for its work, and names the factories as well as the factory prices. The alignment of interest is not the same on the day a batch has to be refused.
At what volume does a production office make sense?
From the first serious production. The MOQs we obtain are most often between 50 and 300 pieces per model and colourway depending on the category. Below that, sampling and development remain possible, but the unit price is not representative of the bulk.
Do you cover every menswear category?
Tailoring and outerwear are the two specialities. We also produce essentials, t-shirts, jersey, trousers and chinos, as well as leather goods and sportswear, across the full quality range, from accessible core to premium. The logic stays the same, one factory per craft.
Who follows production on the ground?
Damien Lebrun, creative director and founder, with relocation on the ground underway and regular travel to China and Vietnam, supported by independent inspectors on scheduled inspections. The eye remains that of a garment designer, not a buyer.
How does a collaboration start?
With a scoping call, then a firm quote on a written perimeter. We ask for the drawings, the size chart and the fabric references available. If parts of the file are missing, we say so before consulting factories.
Go further