What Really Separates the Best Activewear Manufacturers

A cheap quote may seem tempting as a brand begins to spec up factories. However, the lowest priced supplier is not always the lowest total cost. Brands looking for the best activewear manufacturers must look past the unit price and consider factors such as development support, lead-time control, communication and longer-term dependability.

A Low Quote Can Create Higher Costs Later

Despite pricing always tends to come up early in the discussion, it cannot dominate the decision.

An activewear order encompasses more than just fabric and sewing; pattern-making, sourcing fabric, sample making, multiple sampling and re-sampling, grading, trims, branding, packaging and quality control can all influence the price.

One factory may have a lower unit price but not provide too much support during the development. Another one may have a somewhat higher price but enables a brand to nail the fit problem, choose appropriate raw materials, and prohibit many times of the sample change.

That difference can become very important once the order has been initiated.

Look to see what each quote actually covers. Is the supplier responsible for developing patterns, sourcing fabric, making sample revisions, grading, branding and quality control. A higher quote may provide more value for money through fewer errors and less time spent on development.

Look at the Whole Collection

Few other companies market their business around only one piece of activewear.

The collection could consist of leggings, shorts, sports bras, tanks, T-shirts, hoodies or a matching set. Different styles may require their own fitting and construction details, but the customer will want the entire collection to flow together.

Thus collection-level management becomes an issue.

If a brand has a number of leggings and tops using similar fabrics, details like stretch, recovery, weight, colour or surface appearance may be revealed when inspecting products against each other. Having a manufacturer managing a number of fabrics for a collection will also give more control of end result to the brand.

It is also true for branding: logo location, labels, trims, packaging, referencing of colors should be consistent from product to product.

A collection in a factory that has an understanding of the collection rather than one isolated style can also aid in future development. A successful fabric, pattern, or construction technique can give the brand useful inspiration for new products.

The First Sample Tells You a Lot

The first sample should not just turn up, no question asked, approved and then disappear into the production facility.

Actually development is expression. The waistband has to be supportive. The rise has to offer more room. The seam needs shifting. The logo needs positioning it elsewhere. The fabric seems too heavy, or has insufficient recovery.

Those changes do not really indicate bad production. Usually they are the normal part of product development.

What is crucial is how the manufacturer thwarts them.

An efficient team will also know why the customer want a change so that they don‘t just replace one measure by another. This understanding helps factory know other problems before huge production.

Monitor the discussion that takes place during sampling. Are the questions posed by the team relevant? Do they identify technical concerns? Do they suggest possible solutions? Can they record different versions?

Sometimes the finer points tell us more about the factory than the list of machines.

Factory Size Does Not Tell the Whole Story

A large production facility? While it may seem like an impressive figure to state, numbers don‘t establish if a factory is right for you and a sized facility isn‘t necessarily right for your brand.

Some brands manufacturers large production machines but are less support during production development; Other potential supports at pattern, sampling, sourcing, communication are different at small scales.

The right one will depend on what exactly your brand truly needs.

New label with few technical resources need a garment to translate the idea to a working sample. Established label may have a completed tech pack and need accuracy in execution, consistent production and repeat order reliability.

Observe the development proceedings than how many equipments it has.

Inquire the person in charge of patterns, who approve samples, how the team receives revision, and how they move the approved details to production. Those replies provide you a much more accurate image of what the manufacturer can really do.

Production Capacity Needs Strong Control

A large capacity sounds very attractive when selling, however capacity on its own isn‘t predictive of consistency.

Activewear range can have several sizes, colors, fabrics and styles. The more the variations, the more chances to have errors.

Color matching must be closely monitored when we have several styles in the same collection. Size grading must be consistent through the range. Fabric lot on a garments will impact the visual and hand feel. Branding teams will require standards and placement references.

Quality control should be done along the production process.

Material checks offer an additional opportunity to catch problems before cutting. First piece inspection can help uncover construction problems early on. In-line checks can identify repeat problems before the factory has produced hundreds of units. Final inspection provides one last chance to catch issues before leaving the factory.

This distinction is important for buyers too.

One faulty article is a minor problem. Multiple faults in a large order can add further cost, delay, replacements, and complaints.

Communication Directly Affects the Product

Good communication doesn‘t simply help a project run smoothly. It can also impact the final garment.

Activewear development has many details that can be difficult to communicate in a brief product description. Fabric weight & stretch, fit & recovery, measurements, seam placement, logo sizing, labels, packaging & colors references.

A good manufacturer will also dare to speak out when a specification causes a technical implication.

For example, a buyer can sometimes specify a particular detail of construction without recognizing that the same detail may add to discomfort or reduce production efficiency. The factory experienced with that product can advise and then propose a different technical solution.

Observe the supplier in the development process, how they communicate: do they give the real answer to the question? Do they explain the changes? Is somebody responsible for version control? Are the sample team and production team informed identically?

The smallest communication details can help avoid many major production issues.

Think Beyond the First Order

The review of ‘our’ manufacturer is clearer after the first collection.

Familiar, classic pieces of athletic wear may appear in new color ways, additional sizes, or in product families of associated goods. A new order placement is always simpler when the manufacturer maintains good product data.

Maintain records of approved samples, fabric descriptions, dimensions, grade instructions, artwork, color standards and construction details. The factory may utilize these records when the brand places repeat orders for an established style.

That information also assists with the new development.

A tried and tested pattern for one pair of leggings can be adapted into a different designed leggings. An established fabric can be developed into a new product once the brand agrees that this particular fabric is appropriate for its intended use.

However, the length of manufacture also implies more than merely the volume of production. It also means that the suitable partner should retain and apply useful product knowledge to future orders.

Ask Questions That Show What the Factory Can Really Do

You do not need a big questionnaire to compare suppliers.

Begin with the development process. Inquire who is responsible for patterns and sample adjustments. Ask how the factory deals with fabric amendments. Ask how measurement consistency is confirmed between sizes.

Next, proceed to production. Inquire about how the factory manages approved samples, fabric usage and storage, positioning of branding, and finished measurements. Find out how they handle quality issues that arise during production.

Lastly, discuss repeat orders. inquire about the information the factory keeps on existing styles, as well as how new colors, sizes or accessories are handled.

The eight answers can say if a supplier is a manufacturing partner or a just…“awaits finished instructions.”

Compare the Total Cost, Not Just the Unit Price

All brands require a feasible target cost. A supplier that will not meet the target cost will not be a viable supplier in the long-run.

The trouble begins with buyers measuring factories almost exclusively by the unit price.

Development delays, re-sampling, rejected styles, inconsistent sizing, quality issues, late delivery and communication issues all charge cost and cause additional spend above the quotation.

A more meaningful comparison traces the whole trajectory from an idea, through the design and into mass-replicated production.

Assuming a manufacturer works out a fine saving of a few pence per garment but faces numerous development problems for producing the same item in common with other manufacturers, the saving may quickly be wiped out. Yet another factory may be more expensive per item but minimizes the corrections and delays thus reducing production risks.

It is that variation which becomes important, when the orders made by a brand are bigger, and made more often.

The Best Choice Depends on Your Brand

There is no “one-size-fits-all” activewear supplier.

Some require significant developmental assistance from other parties, whilst others require no detailed technical documentation. Small collections may be launched with the one off order or steady repeat production across a number of sizes, colours and designs will require stability.

JiuvelWear is operated by Dongguan Jiuzuo Clothing Co., Ltd, which has especially capable expertise to help in the make up process of custom apparel by offering fabric sourcing, pattern and sample development, bulk production, branding and QC. This enables our brand to bridge the connection between the product development to the actual production rather than doing it step by step.

Choosing the correct manufacturer is a direct reflection of your brand operation.

Find a partner who understands your products, communicates openly and honestly, handles production well and can also handle further collections. You can get so much more value from that partnership than from the factory with the lowest quote.

The best manufacturing partner should be one for which placing a second order is even simpler than placing the first.