What to Look for in Wholesale Plus Size Clothing Suppliers

It‘s not hard to locate wholesale plus size clothing suppliers. It‘s hard to find one that will make a 4XL look identical to the original design. A size chart gives your measurements but doesn‘t say how those measurements will actually translate into your body.

That difference doesn‘t seem like much more than the typical buyer would want.

A supplier could provide a size of 5XL, yet still encountered sleeve length issues, shoulder width issues, body proportion issues or issues with the fall of the fabric on the larger body. If designing as part of a wholesale collection, they are items that become very noticeable during wear.

Don’t Just Look at the Size Range

On the supplier‘s product page, seeing a size chart like “S–5XL” is not enough because it does not show us how those sizes were plotted.

Start with a simple oversized T-shirt. The chest pattern must increase in width with size, but the shoulder, sleeve and body length also need to all increase together. Simply increasing the overall width without enlarging other parts of the garment will result in a silhouette entirely different from the previous size.

This is one of the reasons more value is gained by requesting the actual measurements rather than general size names.

If you have a fit you already like, send the supplier that measurement. “Loose 4XL” may mean something very different to different manufacturers. A measurement gives everyone the same starting point.

Look at the Largest Size You Plan to Sell

Already we‘re starting to see a place where a sample will tell you something a size chart can‘t:

Suppose you get an XL sample and all the fit looks perfect. You then approve the style and place the order, only to find out later that the 4XL isn‘t proportioned correctly.

Check one of the largest sizes your collection goes to (if using 5XLs!)

Let a person lead it.

Inspect shoulders, chest, sleeve length, body length, armhole and silhouette. Assess while it is worn with the front and side being viewed instead of just on the ground.

The wearing experience may seem totally different to the resting experience. From some garments it is difficult to carry out the basic resting tests, yet the wearing tests may reveal the garment to be comfortable. A jacket that simply appears normal on the table can wear totally differently.

Bigger Sizes Can Change the Way Fabric Behaves

Another thing that can be easy to miss is the fabric.

Although a lightweight T-shirt fabric may feel nice and even look good in a smaller size it may not provide the appropriate weight when scaled up hugely, the garment might hang differently or have no structure.

The same thing can happen with hoodies, dresses, jackets etc.

Therefore, do not just settle for ‘100% cotton’ or another simple fabric description. The weight, construction, stretch, recovery, and drape all contribute to the final product.

If the item relies on it being a specific shape, try a larger version using the real fabric. It‘s a much better test than just a swatch of fabric.

Plus Size Should Still Look Like the Same Collection

This matter especially when it comes to fashion brands.

If your usual T-shirt has a certain oversized fit, the 3XL is not going to look a different product entirely.

Jacket, shoes likewise dress, side bag, bustier and trousers.

Bigger sizes might require altered proportions but the general shape should remain identifiable.

If a 5XL consumer is purchasing they should feel like they‘re purchasing the same product not a basic larger size with the same logo.

Ask How the Pattern Is Developed

You‘re not expected to become a pattern maker in order to ask a question that‘s worth asking.

Find out if the larger sizes are cut from a specified plus size pattern or if they are just graded up from the original size.

You may be able to learn a lot from this answer.

Various body proportions often need more than just direct size increments. depending on the style the chest, shoulder, armhole, waist, hip, rise or sleeve may need various adjustments.

Any supplier experienced at sourcing larger sizes should be happy to talk about these issues.

Don’t Expect Every Garment to Use the Same Approach

A plus size T-shirt has not been produced in precisely the same way as a pair of jeans.

In the case of T-shirt, you might be very conscious about chest, shoulder, sleeve and body length.

On the construction of jeans the measurement of waist, hip, rise, thigh, and leg opening are much more critical.

A jacket also creates a particular set of problems due to the design of the garment requiring space to allow layering while still maintaining the desired silhouette.

Compare the suppliers to their products they actually make.

Just because a company produces great plus size knitwear doesn‘t mean they‘ll be able to handle a complicated denim range.

See How the Supplier Handles Changes

The first sample does not have to be pristine.

What really counts is how people react when you call the problems to their attention.

Perhaps the body is too long. Perhaps the sleeve is just too wide. It may simply be that the fabric needs a little more over-all structure, and the fit may need to be altered around the hip.

Give the supplier explicit comments and then see what replies come back.

This stage can be more enlightening than the first sample.

If the manufacturer ‘gets’ what you are saying, and does exactly what you have asked, then you can be sure of a positive development discussion.

If you need to explain the same problem to someone several times, or each correction introduces a new problem for you, that is definitely something to be aware of before moving into a larger order.

Think About Your Repeat Orders

Wholesale clothing is an all-time seller.

A style might have been selling like hot cakes and then needed for reordering after a couple of months. And that‘s where consistency counts!

The second production run will then be the same as the approved version in all measurements, fabric, colour, construction and finishing.

Retain the approved sample and the final measurement chart for future reference. Ensure that specifications are available from the manufacturer for the product rather than what was spoken between the buyer and seller for the first order.

Owing to the increased volume in the plus sizes small measurement fluctuations will tend to be much more noticeable.

Start With the Products That Matter Most

With several suppliers, you don‘t need to test your whole stock all together.

Select one or two products which are reflective of the genuine thing you will sell.

If your range is primarily oversized T shirts begin with an oversized T shirt. If you are designing a plus size denim range try out a denim style.

That sample offers you an opportunity to observe the supplier‘s response to your measurements, fabric, fit, construction and changes.

What you are doing is testing the working relationship on a smaller scale before turning it into something huge.

JiuvelWear for Custom Plus Size Collections

For brands developing their own plus size clothing, JiuvelWear, operated by Dongguan Jiuzuo Clothing Co., Ltd., can work from brand-specific measurements, fabrics, fit requirements, and design details through sampling and bulk production.

Building the development process on the actual product, rather than taking a basic size and grading up.

Can be handy for brands that wish to maintain the same design character for their plus size ranges.

When you Comparison shop wholesale plus size clothing suppliers remember to look beyond the size chart.

Consider the bigger samples. Compare the proportions. Observe the fabric‘s behavior. Inquire into the pattern design. Observe how the manufacturer handles adjustments in the process.

A supplier who manages to capture these details accurately is going to be much more valuable than one who just presents the 4XL and 5XL options on a product page.