How to Choose Custom Clothing Suppliers That Fit Your Brand

It can be more difficult to identify the right custom clothing suppliers than to simply get a few quotes. A supplier may have a very attractive price but not be fantastic with your fabric, fit, construction or minimum order. Another supplier could be slightly more expensive but robust product development and manufacturing control. For a clothing brand, the question is not who can make the garment, but who can make the garment to the standard required by the brand.

Start With the Product You Want to Make

In every clothing project, there are different production needs. A cheap T-shirt is not going to require the same equipment, supplies or manufacturing skills as a 48 shot denim jacket, functional sportswear, or heavyweight sweat top.

Begin with the product. Before speaking to vendors, examine the fabric, weight of the garment, fit, construction, embellishments, trims, and finishing details. Providing a thorough product description allows the factory to understand exactly what you are looking for.

The assembly of clothing usually includes a series of related processes such as sourcing of fabric, pattern creation, grading, sample making, cutting, sewing, printing, embroidery and finishing. Also industry directories of apparel manufacturers differentiate producers in respect of the above mentioned operations, illustrating the divergent approaches followed by different suppliers.

That variance may have an impact on your project as early as the first sample. Seller who is used to produce light weight basic knitwear may not be that strong in denim, outerwear, or fashion complex products.

Look Beyond the Factory Price

Price draws attention to itself because it gives buyers a number that is easy to compare. The problem begins when the various suppliers come up with that number using different specifications.

Cost can be affected by fabric weight. Custom dyeing could be a further cost. Embroidery, printing, special trims, washing, labels and packaging could influence the final quotation. Quantity of order is an important factor because cost of some equipments, setup and labor can be distributed over a greater number of pieces with a bigger production order.

A useful quote should therefore direct you to what the price actually includes. For example, if one supplier quotes standard fabric for a garment, and another quotes a heavier custom fabric, then their unit prices are meaningless.

Provide each supplier with the same product details instead of simply requesting, “What does it cost per piece?”. Then compare the quotations.

MOQ Can Change the Whole Order

Minimum order quantity can easily be mistaken with a basic factory regulation. However, many factors during apparel sourcing can affect it.

The factory may use a production minimum that is dependent on its flow of work. Fabric mills may establish its own minimums. Minsums above these can result from special custom colors, trims, labelling, packing etc.

Most dressmaking directories to date reflect a vast variation of production minimums. Some cater for prototype and sample quantities; while others envisage production quantities exceeding 300 or 500 units.

That range explains why brands need more precision than simply asking “What is your MOQ?”

Inquire if the MOQs are for each style / color / fabric or per order. Next, find out if the supplier would have the capacity to do a smaller trial shipment and how does the unit price vary for decreasing quantities.

A low MOQ enables a fledgling brand to test demand while a higher number of units becomes more logical after sales start being more predictable.

Sampling Shows What the Supplier Can Really Do

A supplier can tell you all about its equipment, experience, and capacity to produce your product, but a sample provides you with a tangible object to examine.

Examine the size first and immediately. Now examine the fabric, how good is the fitting, the quality of the stitching, the seams, the accessories, decorative parts, labels and the structuration of the garment. After washing if it has to be washed check the fabric‘s and decorative parts’ behavior.

Recent apparel sourcing guide gives special attention to sample examination prior to bulk cutting. Buyers rather want to see physical proof of the fabric hand feel, shrinkage, measurements, logo placement, washing effects, and packing requirement before production.

Another advantage of a good sample process is that it provides a better guideline for manufacturing. Rather than a term such as loose fit or heavy fabric, both can work from measurements, materials and the garment itself.

That makes sampling a whole lot more than just a formality. It allows the brand to resolve many of the issues before they are seen in potentially hundreds or even thousands of pieces.

Ask Where the Lead Time Goes

I believe that many of the buyers assess the production lead time from the moment when the sewing works. However, the real order lead time is started at the bit-earliertime.

Fabric sourcing can be time-consuming. Trims maybe purchased separately. Pattern development and sample adjustments could spend extra days. Printing, embroidery, washing, or special finishing could bring additional procedures.

The Industry guidance for sample development is anywhere between 1 to 8 business days. However, it can take as long as several weeks it will depend on the garment style, fabric and accessories availability and the accuracy of the product data.

The same cannot be said of a simple T-shirt and a structured jacket.

Request the supplier to split sampling time versus bulk production time when inquiring about delivery. Further request the supplier to inquire what could cause schedule delay and measure delivery how the factory manages unavailability of materials, modifications, and peak-season production mode.

A reasonable timeline allows a brand to plan launches without depending on an optimistic production estimate.

Communication Can Change the Final Garment

There are many details of clothing manufacture that cannot be made clear in maps and simple descriptions.

Let‘s say the word ‘oversized.’ To one designer this means a large body, with dropped shoulders. To another it might mean extra length, but a shoulder width you could use for a standard style.

The same problem can happen with “heavyweight”, “relaxed”, “cropped”, “washed” or “premium”.

Strong production communication helps these descriptions become measurable specifications. Details on measurements, fabric GSM and composition, artwork sizes, stitch details, trims and reference samples clarify production language for both parties.

The continuing of communication even when after the first quote. Information about changes to fabric, measurement, color, art work, construction can cost more money and delay a production schedule. The supplier needs to be knowledge about each change before the production begins.

Match the Supplier to Your Stage of Growth

New brands more than anything need flexibility and not necessarily full on production capacity. Short trial orders, product development, samples iteration, repeated discussions,.. may be more relevant on how suitable a factory is for your needs.

Now that the brand is expanding, the priorities do shift. Repetitive orders will need to have tighter planning to production, consistent measurement grading, stable mills for fabric sourcing and consistent QC and enough capacity to support 5+ styles.

So, which is the right supplier will therefore be determined by where the brand is at today… A factory suited to a small development project may not be able to handle a high-volume seasonal collection. Equally a factory built to handle high-volume production, may not be able to offer the developing small brand the development service required.

The point is not to find the biggest factory. The point is to find a production partner with the capabilities for the product and order

Think About the Second Order Before the First

Provides each side with an immediate opportunity to accumulate knowledge of production, the first order of learning.

Also, once a project is completed the supplier gets an insight into the brands choice of fabrics, measurements, construction details, labels, packaging and quality expectations and this information helps them processing the repeat orders far more easier.

Future products that can incorporate previous work on development can include: a new hoodie will use a similar fabric weight a new T-shirt will follow a historical measurement chart/ system. a new colourway will use the same construction and trims.

It also offers a convenient benefit for future Long-term clothing line brands.

The Right Supplier Should Fit the Way Your Brand Works

Selecting custom clothing suppliers should be beyond MOQ and unit price. Whether the product can achievesthroughproduct capability, fabric sources, samplesdeveloping, production capacity, communication, quality control and lead time.

The production of the Special designed garments JiuvelWear takes into account the following pragmatic needs; Dongguan Jiuzuo Clothing Co., Ltd. has been helping brands find the fabrics, prototypes, apparel production and quality control. While working to produce a pair of trousers, they remain dedicated to “Materialise a garment concept into a product a factory can produce on a regular basis”.

A right supplier should simplify the production process, instead of complicating it. When the supplier understanding the product, delivers timely and accurately, fully meets your brand’s production need, so the first order will just be the beginning of your successful supply relationship.