Four regions, four strengths.

For anyone working with textile or pet products in Europe, the practical sourcing map is four regions: India, Pakistan, China and Europe itself. Most buyers pick one, usually wherever they happen to know somebody. That works for a single product line. For a full collection it doesn't, because each region is good at something different.

India carries woven work and artisanal finishing. Rattan, wicker, basket weaving, jacquard with chenille yarn: anything that needs hand skill sits in workshops there across generations. Home textiles and pet textiles both come out of the region. Lead times are longer: count on three months of production plus roughly a month at sea.

Pakistan is the region for bed and bath textiles: towels, terry and bed linen. Pricing in that category is sharper there than elsewhere.

China is about volume: large runs in one go, at a price the other regions don't match at those quantities. Fleece plaids are a typical example. Small runs with a lot of handwork fit less well here.

Europe comes in when lead time matters more than unit cost. Short lines (Portugal, Poland, Italy, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands itself) deliver in 4 to 6 weeks after sample approval, with the option to re-order mid-season. Premium pricing, but a collection you don't have to forecast months in advance. Certification such as Oeko-Tex or GOTS can be arranged outside Europe too, by the way. If a manufacturer doesn't hold it yet, they can apply for it on request; that may come at a cost.

In practice: one supplier per category rarely works. A working collection combines home and pet textiles from India, bed and bath textiles from Pakistan, fleece plaids from China and European production for seasonal peaks. That sounds complex but only becomes complex if you try to learn each region yourself. Which most retailers would rather not.

That's where an agency earns its place.