Overseas Influencers Turn to Chinese Factories to Build Their Own Brands

Tarik Deliktas contacted 52 factories in a single evening. None of those conversations ended in a deal.

The Los Angeles technology creator told Jiemian News that suppliers' minimum orders were often too large for a brand that had yet to prove itself. He could not be sure his followers would buy enough to justify the expense.

In early September, he returned to China to look for manufacturing partners. Organizer DHgate says more than 30 overseas creators joined its program in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Dunhuang, spanning interests from beauty and fashion to technology and pets.

Their ambitions point to a different relationship between online personalities and the companies that make consumer goods. Rather than arriving only when a product needs publicity, creators want a say in what gets made – and a brand of their own to sell.

DHgate, which has connected overseas buyers with Chinese suppliers for more than two decades, is trying to organize that earlier encounter. Its pitch is to bring creators, designers and manufacturers together while a product is still an idea.

The attraction for creators is easier to understand against the uneven economics of sponsored content. CreatorIQ's latest compensation report found that the top 10 percent of creators received 62 percent of payments made through its platform in 2025.

The number participating in campaigns rose 183 percent year over year, while the total paid to creators increased 59 percent. More money was entering the system, but the pool of people seeking a share was expanding faster.

Across those campaigns, the median creator received US$3,000, compared with an average of US$11,400. That gap shows how a relatively small group of large earners can pull up the average, obscuring the experience of many participants.

A separate survey of 300 creators, conducted by Sapio Research for CreatorIQ, found that changes to platform algorithms and a lack of consistent brand deals were their two leading barriers to growth. The findings describe that survey and CreatorIQ's payment sample, rather than every influencer's experience.

For creators seeking a steadier business, owning products offers a different relationship with customers. It also adds responsibilities: A successful post and a successful product are different tests, and an audience's attention cannot by itself establish demand.

Starting with the audience

One example is Ryan Tang. In a June account of its creator workshop in Los Angeles, DHgate described how growing up between China and the United States had shaped his content about identity, belonging and self-expression. The company said his fragrance brand, XAV, was developed with partners in its network.

The fragrance gives a physical form to themes Tang already explores online. For DHgate, it illustrates the possibility of developing products around a creator's relationship with an audience.

The company's June event also featured Michele Baratta, whose fashion, beauty and lifestyle content addresses women over 50. Her audience illustrates why a clearly defined community can matter alongside the sheer size of a following.

In its September trip report, DHgate described a creator named Michele working with a factory on product development and prototypes. Her community of about 150,000 mature women had voted in several rounds to help determine design and formulation. During the visit, discussions continued over final product confirmation and placing orders.

Audience input can guide a prototype; whether those same followers will buy remains a separate test.

Making the factory a partner

For manufacturers, the proposed change starts with who helps define the brief. Wang Yiyang, general manager of Guangdong Liyan Cosmetics Biotechnology Co, described traditional contract manufacturing as a process in which customers set requirements and factories produced accordingly, DHgate reported. Direct contact with creators and users could bring consumer feedback into development earlier.

Deliktas has a practical suggestion for getting started: Test demand with perhaps 10 samples, then increase production when sales justify it. He also suggested keeping samples in US warehouses to reduce the cost and waiting time involved in sending each one from China, according to Jiemian.

He wanted communication to continue after delivery, with factories reviewing customer feedback and adjusting later batches. For a new brand, that would make the manufacturer a continuing development partner.

Trust is another obstacle. An American entertainment creator identified as Tyler told Jiemian that creators worry a factory might circulate an unpatented idea or develop it without them. His concern highlights a question that accompanies the promise of collaboration: Who controls the idea once it is shared?

DHgate's account makes clear that the September meetings are a starting point. Further development and testing remain, and the release does not establish the projects' commercial returns.

For the creators, the next challenge is to turn those conversations into products people will buy again after the launch has passed.