Three New Prototypes, Three Factories, and One Clear Winner

We have progress! Three new versions of the Loyal & Elvie bag landed in my hands recently. We had hits (the yellow bag is giving timeless sunshine and I am obsessed), and we had misses (the electric blue… listen, someone out there might love it, but that someone is not me).

But color aside? This round got us so much closer to something that feels like a real-deal, almost-ready-for-production version of the bag. “Final” is a funny word in manufacturing, so let’s call this what it is: the closest we’ve been yet to a first production run.

Why I Sampled Three Factories at Once (Even Though I Was Told Not To)

I work with a great agent, who wants to protect my resources. She knows how expensive it is to launch a brand and she's been guiding me through the process. Her guidance was to get one prototype at a time so we didn't waste money. 

My spirit said: absolutely not, we are done with this snail-paced nonsense.

At $200–$250 per prototype, these are the most expensive bags I own, but not expensive enough to justify dragging this process out for months. So I threw a little money at the problem and tested all three simultaneously - and honestly? It was the best decision I’ve made in this project so far.

Here’s Where It Got Interesting

All three factories received the exact same CAD files.
You’d think that would give me three nearly identical bags, right?

Ha. No.

What I got instead were three completely different interpretations of my bag, which tells you everything you need to know about working with manufacturers. A design is only the starting point. Every factory fills in the gray areas differently, solves problems their own way, and makes assumptions unless you guide them clearly.

And one factory rose waaaay above the rest.

The Surprising Reason One Factory Stood Out

The best bag, the yellow one, wasn’t from the most expensive factory. It wasn’t even from the middle price point.

It came from the most affordable partner.
A full third of the price quoted by the factory that made the navy sample.

What made them special?

Communication.

They asked questions. So many questions.
Smart questions.
Vision-protecting questions.

Did they still take creative liberties? Of course, every factory does. But they took the time to understand what was sacred versus what was flexible. And it showed in the final product.

What’s Next

We’re making a handful of upgrades to the yellow version and sampling it in a new, hopefully more youthful, version of navy blue, and expecting another round soon. It feels so good to be one step closer,  one more decision made, one more piece of the vision in place.

Soon, I’ll share my first-reaction video to two of the three versions. I’m genuinely grateful I’ve recorded these reaction clips along the way. When you’re deep in the weeds, it’s easy to lose the spark… but watching my past self be blown away over a new prototype reminds me that every tedious, frustrating, “why am I doing this?” moment is leading somewhere beautiful.

Your Turn

I’d love your honest thoughts! What do you love? What would you change? Your feedback might just make it into the next version.

keep showing up and keep reading - I'll share more details along the way and ask for more input. We’re building this together. One prototype, one question, one bag of joy at a time.

Need to see more before sharing your ideas? Keep checking back, we'll take a full tour soon!