Looking for manufacturers to start my business

Jorge Pantalones wrote:
I'll bite my tongue now, before I really get started...

Keep going, that was a really interesting post.

Jorge Pantalones wrote: ...

Username checks out.

Russ Walling wrote: When anyone comes to us with a new product idea or wants us to manufacture their "dream" for them I just hand them $50 and tell them to never contact me again... even with bad math I bet i'm "up" over a million dollars with this method.

Note:  this is not an invite for all ya'll to start trying to get 50 clams out of me...

I got this idea...it's like a crashpad but you wear it on your back and if it detects you falling it triggers an airbag on your back.

More seriously, OP, my post was really not intended as a put down - just an honest assessment to a question I took as sincere. This shit is hard and often requires people to ignore 'good advice' in the hopes of getting something done. If you want to contact me off list I can give you an ear for 30min or so. It's literally what I do for a living. Braver than I am to dive head first into this conflagration of rogues and rejects (hi friends!).

Jorge, I object to being called relevant or nice, that's not a nice thing to call someone on MP.

hmmmm, OP hasn't responded for a while.  i am sensing a "pivot".

jorge, i get a vague feeling you make pants, but i don't know what is giving me that vague feeling.

Thanks for the overwhelming responses, both to those that were earnestly helpful and to the trolls (who knew they still existed in 2019, I’m shocked people still have time for that!). I could say a lot here, but then I realized I’ll just get the damn thing done instead.

I do not think there were any trolls here. Seriously

ABB Gear wrote: Thanks for the overwhelming responses, both to those that were earnestly helpful and to the trolls (who knew they still existed in 2019, I’m shocked people still have time for that!). I could say a lot here, but then I realized I’ll just get the damn thing done instead.

We have the king of the trolls running the country. What makes you think 2019 would have less

I've worked, with a partner, over the last 3 years to bring a recovery and treatment tool to market.  Not textile, but a small start up none the less.  We sell to Physical Therapists and we are selling a lot of tools to the climbing and running communities.  We are in retail locations, climbing gyms, and we sell a ton online.  
The start up process is really daunting.  Prototyping, getting a Patent, finding manufacturers, customer service, shipping, emailing, marketing, the list is endless.  
Had we listened to most advice we wouldn't have gone through with any of it.  But we kept going and now have a successful little company.  I just sold my Physical Therapy practice and I'll be traveling and climbing and selling my treatment tool full time.  It's crazy what you can do if you work real hard and have some vision and some naivete to keep you going!
Good luck to you.

Nobody wants to club baby seals here, and I think all wish ABB Gear the best of luck in her endeavors....but...there is good advice above - both of the optimistic and pessimistic kind.  It’s only right to go forth with such an effort armed with a realistic picture and to consider all the angles.  

Jeff provides a good example to emulate.  It would be important to keep in mind though, that he appears to have a very specific and unique product with little to no competition, and has a market that extends beyond climbers.  

Being a competitive newcomer in a very narrow market (women climbers) across a range of common products would have significantly greater “headwinds”.  

As far as minimizing waste and trying to have less negative environmental impacts in general while still manufacturing a large range of climbing related equipment, Edelrid seems to me to be doing the best.

Though a company such as Cilogear who uses ridiculously awesome and expensive fabric does quite a bit to minimize waste of that fabric as well.

A new women's specific harness would probably require a great deal of prototyping work. If you could partner with an existing manufacturer like Arc'teryx or Misty Mountain you could get access to their manufacturing technologies... but lose some degree of control and ownership I'd think. If they are interested. They both already have women's specific harness models.

A eco friendly harness is simple make it out of polyester and low carbon steel buckles, it won't be light but it would be 100% recyclable. 
Targeting a niche within a niche when everyone else is serving the entire niche is not a good way to be competitive, if you serve both and put extra effort into women's then maybe it will be okay but you can't target 10-20% of what is already a fairly small market.
If you have anything actually worth doing that doesn't just rely on design it would be a different story but you just making the same ol crap as everyone else.
To answer your question, Misty mountain and Yates would be your best bet. 

Lots of sewing places in Los Angeles.  

Google can help the most.   Not a bad idea to ask here in case someone with a sewing machine is looking to do contract work for a start-up.

Third party safety testing can be done pretty easily too.  (Google) I use Bureau Veritas,  a big company with sketchy service but useful if you are ready to guide them.

Manufuacturing is a commitment requring lots of investment of time and money.  If you have the passion, go for it.  

I work in the promotional products industry and have experience with lots of differnt projects both domestic and over seas.  It's work for sure.

Check out my friend's newly launched business - goudarzigarmentfactory.com