A Strategic Framework for Fashion Enterprises Shifting to On-Demand Production

How to Pilot, Iterate, and Scale a Shein-like Agile Supply Model Without Breaking Your Brand.

Recently, a trend forecasting agency shared that a major brand had asked them to "make us work like SHEIN" within a few months. It reflected a growing pressure we’re seeing across the industry, but also a misunderstanding. Agile, on-demand production isn't a quick tactic.It's a fundamental shift in operating model — one that must be intentionally designed to fit a brand’s:

• Product portfolio (core vs. fashion),

• Customer expectations,

• Strategic ambition to lead or follow trends.
  

✔ Done right, it can lift margins, reduce overproduction, and strengthen customer loyalty.  ⚠️ Done poorly, it can increase waste, erode brand identity, and strain supplier partnerships.

At MannyAI, we believe the right path is: Start with a contained pilot. Iterate based on measurable outcomes. Scale fast, based on evidence. Here’s the strategic framework to guide that transition:

1️⃣ Select Your Test Category

Focus on product categories that are trend-sensitive, high-margin, or have historically unpredictable sell-through. Start where speed and flexibility will have the clearest impact — allowing teams to learn quickly without disrupting the broader business.

2️⃣ Lock SLAs with Select Suppliers

Set clear service-level agreements (SLAs) with selected suppliers — covering capacity bookings, MOQs, and pricing expectations. Start with three manufacturers and negotiate weekly capacity bookings. Manufacturers appreciate 100% clarity and may even offer line buys or manufacturing-as-a-service agreements. This is the most critical step: formalized agreements create the operational discipline needed for agility to succeed.

3️⃣ Identify Key Fabrics to Track

Minimize variables by working from a curated, pre-approved fabric library. Focusing on versatile, in-stock materials reduces procurement delays, simplifies production planning, and accelerates approvals — a critical enabler for fast turnarounds. As the program matures, consider expanding to a real-time fabric marketplace.

4️⃣ Build a Reorder-Focused Team

Assemble a high-performance squad across design, merchandising, marketing, and sourcing, with shared ownership of rapid style evaluation, replenishment approvals, and vendor management. Select champions who can eventually lead department-wide transitions. Agile supply is an organizational shift — not just a sourcing change.

5️⃣ Place Initial Test Orders, Understand the Demand Footprint

Launch with weekly, varied bets to learn what resonates. Track sell-through, conversion, and customer feedback ruthlessly. Use this phase to map your customers’ demand footprint: Does every product spike early? Do you see longer "slow burn" winners?

6️⃣ Move to Shortened Order and Delivery Cycles

Start re-ordering on a weekly or bi-weekly order cadence. The goal is to establish a natural rhythm of rapid replenishment for winning styles and efficient exit for underperformers, mirroring customer demand curves more closely than traditional season-based models. In some cases, small repeat bets work best; in others, a larger, high-confidence repeat order may be the right move.

7️⃣ Automate Order Allocation Across Supply Network

As volumes increase, manual allocation becomes a bottleneck. Use AI to match reorders and new styles to optimal suppliers based on forecast, SLA commitment, manufacturing capability, capacity availability, price, and delivery windows.

8️⃣  Track Supplier and Team Performance

Build continuous feedback loops around key KPIs: speed, quality, accuracy, and on-time delivery. Performance data fuels smarter decision-making — and lays the foundation for supplier development and internal team accountability.

9️⃣ Measure Impact — Then Scale

A successful pilot should be judged on tangible business outcomes: margin improvements, sell-through acceleration, working capital reduction, and team productivity. Use these learnings to expand systematically across categories, brands, or regions — balancing agility with operational discipline.

Final Thought

The future of supply chains is not just faster. It's smarter. On-demand production offers a powerful lever for brands to align supply and demand more precisely — but only if built on a foundation of strategic intent, operational excellence, and trusted supplier partnerships.