The founder of Outland Denim, James Bartle, has overhauled his Cambodian-based factory Maeka with help from Nobody Denim founder John Condilis.
The pair had met after Bartle snapped up the assets of Nobody Denim, saving it from liquidation after collapsing in 2023, with Condilis offering consulting services to Bartle’s manufacturing arm.
As well as producing product for Outland Denim and Nobody Denim brands, the Maeka factory also produces for external brands, including the likes of Aje in late 2023.
Bartle said the overhaul included redesigning workflows, simplifying line layouts, adopting lean production methods and embedding clearer accountability across the factory floor. The factory employs 100 staff, with headcount remaining the same during the six-month revamp.
“To be completely honest, I was sceptical at first,” Bartle said of Condilis’ plan to improve the factory. “Our manufacturing operation is one arm of the group, and our brands are another. Like many vertical brand owners, we had experienced the tension that comes from trying to make a factory efficient while brands are forecasting demand months in advance.
“To keep the manufacturing arm viable, minimum order quantities often had to be pushed higher, which at times created overproduction and financial pressure for the brands, including our own. That’s not because anyone is acting irresponsibly; it’s a reality many brands face while trying to scale or predict how a product will perform in the market.”
Bartle said this approach isn’t really sustainable, but that it seemed like the only option. The recent overhaul now means that Maeka can produce lower MOQs.
Historically, Bartle said Maeka was operating at a cost-per-unit close to double that of other manufacturers producing premium denim. “The higher cost-per-garment, higher minimum order quantities and longer lead times placed pressure on brands that wanted to embrace the positive outcomes our factory was able to deliver, but it also prevented them and us from expanding on those social and environmental benefits,” Bartle said.
The factory is also now competitive on price with other premium manufacturers, according to Bartle, with lead times trimmed and being more predictable.
“The future isn’t about heavy automation or chasing just the large volume orders,” Bartle said. “It’s about following this new model that will enable the factory to perform efficiently without pushing all the risk back onto brands.”
Maeka’s revamp comes amid a growing push to onshore local manufacturing in Australia. The Australian Fashion Council (AFC) spent 2025 touring Australia alongside R.M.Williams to understand how this could be done, with a report soon to be launched on this.
Bartle said Australia has incredible talent in the design space, but added that competitive-scale apparel manufacturing here remains extremely challenging due to cost structures, labour availability and infrastructure.
“We see responsibly-run offshore manufacturing as an essential part of the global supply chain,” he said. “The focus should be on standards, transparency, and performance, regardless of location.”