Yeti Zhang

Yeti Zhang has spent over a decade in fitness and outdoor apparel production, from T-shirts, yoga clothing, shorts and running wear through to seam-sealed waterproof jackets and heated-jacket development.

The work splits in two. Knit lines move fast, and colour and shrinkage decide whether the tenth carton matches the first. Woven outerwear is slower: pattern and seam placement, membrane selection and taping, tested until the laminate holds in the field.

She came into production through sales — seven years following lab dips, strike-offs, trims and schedules through to shipment before moving into production management. That is where she learned that a delayed approval, not a delayed factory, is what moves a delivery date.

Most days are approvals and interruptions: a lab dip half a shade off in daylight, a zip in the wrong finish. Catching them before bulk is cheaper than after.

She writes for the people who sign the purchase order and live with what turns up — retail buyers, importers, wholesalers and founders placing a first production run.