Every story starts somewhere, and mine honestly started with a favor for my best friend.

I was still working my full-time job when he asked me to help him produce his clothing line. He lived in New York but wanted to use Los Angeles because his styles needed heavy garment dye and wash. That part was easy for me — I’ve been working in development and production for a long time, so sourcing, pattern, samples, planning, and production is my thing.

But working with a small factory was the part that opened my eyes.

The communication was almost impossible.
Days without replies.
Prices changing after deposits.
Timelines getting pushed months without warning.
And every issue only showed up at the last minute — when it was too late to fix anything properly.

It wasn’t the work that was stressful. It was how the factories handled the work.

And the more I tried to keep everything on track, the more I realized something:

Most factories don’t see how much pressure brand owners carry.

They don’t see how every small step affects:
• pattern
• samples
• shrink tests
• fabric behavior
• sewing
• wash
• cutting method
• timeline
• and profit

One mistake at the beginning affects everything at the end — but no one tells you that. Everyone just does their part and passes the problem to the next person.

And founders end up holding all the stress because they’re stuck in the middle.

________That was the moment I knew I couldn’t keep working inside a system like that.

A few months later, I quit my job and started Protek.

Not to become a big factory.
Not to take every client.
But to build a small, steady team that actually communicates, plans ahead, and treats every step with intention.

Since the beginning, Protek has been built on very simple principles:

⭐ THE ONE-STYLE RULE

Most factories want your whole collection upfront.
I don’t.

I start with one style — not because I don’t want the work, but because I want to make sure we’re the right fit before you commit to a full line.

It sounds wild to say no to money like that, but I care more about how you feel working with us. You should know what it’s like to have clear communication, real planning, and no surprises.

If you don’t love the process, you can stop anytime.

⭐ WE MOVE STEP BY STEP

I don’t believe in charging everything upfront — sourcing, samples, production, all bundled together. That never felt right to me, so I don’t do it to my clients.

We move one step at a time. You see the work, you feel the process, and you decide if you want to continue.

At any point, if something doesn’t feel good, you can pause.

⭐ NO RETAINERS — EVER

A lot of production houses charge a monthly retainer because some clients take a long time to approve things, and it slows everything down. When approvals take weeks, their sewers wait, their schedule backs up, and they lose money. So the retainer is their way to protect themselves.

I get it. But it never felt right to me.

If I have to chase someone to work on their own dream, then maybe we’re not the right match. I want to work with people who are excited, ready, and moving — not people I have to convince.

So I keep it simple: no retainers, no locked-in monthly fees. Just real work, done step by step, when you’re ready.

Every time we finish a collection, it feels like I’m being invited to a birthday party.
Every time a client texts me, “We sold out,” it feels like Christmas morning.

And honestly… when your weeks feel like birthday parties and Christmas over and over, how do you ever stop?