What Brands Should Look For in a Tank Top Manufacturer

For example, when I discuss a new tank with the brand, the first thing I find frustrating is how the design is not that complicated once you actually get to it. A quick sketch can seem simple enough, but it gets very specific once the idea of fabric weight, armhole dimension and shape, neckline, body length, wash, print, measurements come into the picture. And this is exactly why, good tank top manufacturer is important.

For JiuvelWear, I consider the entire piece; I don‘t separate each feature as I do by hand. The fabric must be appropriate to the wearability of the fit; the pattern must be appropriate for the picture of the line, the finish appropriate for the style approved by the line.

A Tank Top Starts With the Product You Have in Mind

I don‘t think every line will approach me with a full technical pack. Some will send me a tech pack with detailed measurements. Others may bring me a reference garment, photo, drawing, or even a basic idea of the shape they want.

Off we go. That provides a baseline.

If the reference is a big streetwear tank, I use more measurements than width and length. I note the armhole, shape of shoulder, the neckline, the hem, weight of the fabric, and the proportion all of those allow me to recreate the pattern based on the product rather than just copying some standard tanktop shape.

The World of JiuvelWear: This step is very important for JiuvelWear as a slight difference in construction has the potential to all of a sudden change the sitting of a tank top on the body.

Fabric Changes the Character of the Tank Top

I never select a fabric ‘just because its name sounds appropriate’.

All of the fabrics listed above, as well as many others, can have very different outcomes. Two more or less equivalent GSM fabrics can feel very different due to their construction, materials, stretch and finishing.

In the case of a streetwear tank I might want a heavier jersey that has more body. In the case of a lighter casual tank it might want more drape. And in the case of a performance style I will want a different combination of stretch, recovery, breathability, and durability.

I also keep an eye on shrinkage before we go into bulk. If there are dramatic changes in the fabric after washing, the measurements we approved during sampling will no longer be representative.

That is the reason I like to anchor fabric choices to the finished garment from the start.

Fit Shows Every Small Detail

Tank tops show more of the construction details of the garment than most other basic tops. The neckline and armholes are very visible and minor changes in measurements can make the entire silhouette feel different.

When I develop a tank top, I look at:

• Neckline depth and shape;… A scan of the neckline; depth and ‘U’ shape.
• Armhole depth and curve
• Shoulder width
• Body width
• Garment length
• Binding width
• Hem construction
• Size grading

A casual tank and an extra-big may be made from the same basic fabric, but I wouldn‘t be fitting them from the same pattern logic.

For streetwear, JiuvelWear would work on following relaxed, oversized, muscle, vintage and more sleeveless directions based on the fit that the brand expects. I hope the end product will fit the proportions that the buyer orders, not based on the size chart.

Printing and Washing Can Change the Final Look

A basic tank top can look very plain until the brand‘s details of graphics, embroidery and vintage washes are added.

Development – at JiuvelWear I use various methods for decoration – screen printing, DTG, heat transfer, embroidery, leather patches. I use them depending on the fabric and the design. Not only the placement is important, but also the behavior of the decoration.

Washing reveals yet another set of fine details. A tank from our vintage wash range is often quite different in development process from a clean basic. Distressing or fading, surface tweaks and final measurements must be considered before moving into the bulk production stage.

I don‘t want the sample to look perfect to start with and look totally different post-wash. We need to identify what (if anything) in the finishing process affects the garment.

Private Label Details Should Be Planned Early

The labels and packaging may be the final stage of the production process, but I tend to talk about them while working on the garment.

A private label tank top may require a custom neck label, care label, size label, hangtag, branded packaging, or other details. These features have an impact on the final presentation, and affect the garment construction in some cases too.

JiuvelWear will be able to include the stickers, hangtags, and packaging in with your apparel while it is being manufactured. I would prefer to have those details agreed upon in advance of mass production rather than have to include them at the last minute.

Sampling Tells Me What the Design Needs

I don‘t work with a sample as something we produce just because this is what‘s expected by the customer.

I check in the sample the information which cannot be demonstrated completely with a drawing: hand feel of the fabric, fit, measurements, neckline shape, armholes shape, print location, stitching, in wash effects and proportion.

JiuvelWear standard sample time delivering is approximately 7–15 working days according to the style and items needed. After the buyer has checked the sampling, we will make some changes in the style or in other specifications.

This stage is of great help in avoiding problems at a later time. It is easier to drop the armhole or lengthen the body on a sample than to face the task of patching hundreds of garments.

I Keep Bulk Production Connected to the Approved Sample

After the sample is approved, I want the production team to adhere to the same specifications instead of creating a new piece of bulk production.

In JiuvelWear, all the production including pattern, cut, sewing, printing, washing, inspection, packing is operated within the factory. We don‘t have these production steps run through to other unrelated factories

In our 1,200 2m workshop, we have 38–45 workers and our three sector production lines are woven, dungarees and outerwear workwear. Production over 100,000 pcs per month; 3200–3500 pcs daily.

That capacity will be more critical when a brand transitions from a small test order to full scale production. I will be able to maintain the approved specifications with the manufacturing process instead of recalibrating the manufacturing process,each time the order expands.

Quality Control Starts Before the Final Inspection

I search for problems before packing.

Quality checks are done at each stage to materials, pattern, cut, sew, measurements, work manship, wash, finish and pack. We do check on fabric composition, fabric shrinkage, fabric color fastness and as per the factory instructions.

JiuvelWear has finished production standard of AQL 2.5 for major and 4.0 for minor.

I take extra care on the fit and finish of the garment when it comes to tank tops. Since the silhouette is so basic, irregularities on the armholes, length, or finished edges become glaring.

The Right Manufacturer Should Fit the Product

I don‘t think that the same type of the factory has to be used for every t- shirt project.

A gym tank, a streetwear heavyweight fashion tank and a vintage washed fashion tank can each have totally different production requirements. An appropriate factory and its production team will know that before they quote a price and start running steel for bulk production.

My product is the custom apparel rather than fixed style of the tank top, so I have to work with the resources from the brand such as the fabric requirements, reference garment, measurement, artwork, fit, washing direction, and branding.

JiuvelWear, operated by Dongguan Jiuzuo Clothing Co., Ltd., is a clothing manufacturer based in Humen, Dongguan, China. I work with fashion startups, streetwear brands, DTC clothing brands, independent designers, private label companies and other apparel buyers that looking for OEM customization.

Successfully making a tank top, for me, is not just the end product as finished garment that has a visual similarity as a reference. It is about how the approved fabric, fit, construction, finishing and branding are consistent when the order transfer from one sample into the actual production.

Questions I Would Ask Before Starting a Tank Top Project

Before I start development, I want to understand a few basic things:

What fit are you trying to achieve?
Regular, relaxed, oversized, muscle, cropped, longline, or something completely custom?

What fabric do you have in mind?
A fabric sample or reference garment can help us understand the weight and hand feel much faster.

Will the tank receive printing or washing?
The decoration and finishing process can affect the fabric and final measurements.

Do you already have a tech pack?
If you do, I can work from your specifications. If you only have a reference or product idea, we can start from that instead.

What will the first order look like?
A test order and a long-term bulk program may require different production planning.

Those details give me a much clearer picture of the garment before I start developing the sample.

Questions I Would Ask Before Starting a Tank Top Project

Before I start development, I want to understand a few basic things:

What fit are you aimingfor?
Everyday, casual or just different, relaxed, loose, too big, muscled, cropped, longline, or totally individual?

What kind of fabric do you have in mind?
Referring to a fabric sample or a reference garment can provide us with much faster understanding of weight and hand feel.

Received printing or washing is the tank?
Any decoration and finishing process will influence the fabric and final measurements.

Do you already possess a tech pack?
If you do, I can work from what you specify. If you‘ve only got a brief or early product concept though, we can start from that.

What should the first order include?
A test order and a long-term bulk order might have different production planning.

These information is helping me to picture as best as I can the garment before I begin developing the sample.