Vendors for Clothing Line: What Do You Actually Need?

Vendors for clothing line projects can be everything that is related to the manufacturing side. A new label will need a production house, a wholesaler, fabric vendors or other various vendors but it is not going to be necessary from the beginning.

One of the most common mistakes made in the initial days of launching a clothing line is taking numerous pitches from suppliers prior to analysing and establishing as to what type of supply chain the brand is required to operate.

Outcome is the list of various prices, MOQs, fabric options, terms of production and sample requirements that is tedious to analyze.

It is a far simpler matter to begin with the end product and reverse engineer out of it.

Start With What You Need to Produce

Once you know what you want to produce, then begin to determine the shop selling everything you desire before assembling a list of vendors.

Compared with a seasonal collection with denim, jackets, shirts and hoodies, a small range of only three T-shirts seems very limited.

Think about:

• What is your manufacturing process?
• How many styles?
• What level of customization are you looking for?
• What quantity are you looking for?
• What price level are you aiming at?
• Is your model and your design already established?

You do not need to get all of the details finalized.

The more transparent the venture is, the less difficult it is to find the right suppliers.

Not Every Clothing Line Needs the Same Vendors

No one size supply chain fits all clothing brands.

A ready made product the retailer will require is a wholesale vendor.

A brand that is to add own labels to other own branded clothing may require a private label supplier.

For brands wanting to designs the own collection they may become part specific vintage fabric and producer.

An more established brand could also require custom development, custom packaging, and other services as well.

The fundamental error is to think that the larger the vendor list, the better the supply chain.

Sometimes it just means more people to oversee.

Manufacturer or Wholesaler?

One of the first decisions that is worth thinking about.

In this area, wholesaler become useful if you want to buy live product without producing them.

Select the styles you prefer, purchase and sell them under your retail company.

It makes more sense when what you‘re after is control over the product as opposed to a more functional software.

You might have your own patterns, definitions, and fabric needs, labels, or branding.

The simplest question to ask yourself is:

Are you looking for Products to Sell or are you trying to create your own products?

A good answer will usually steer you in the direction of which type of vendor you should be talking to.

Don’t Compare Vendors Only by Price

A low quotation sounds good until you add everything else.

The actual cost of a clothing project may also involve:

• Sampling
• Fabric
• Labels
• Packaging
• Shipping
• Customization
• Production time
• Reorders

MOQ is important as well.

A day trader who has a low unit price for the supplier, will have been starting an order that is too big to fit into the sales.

Another vendor may be slightly more expensive but could enable you to test a smaller amount and reorder if a product is proven.

For a new line of clothes, that flexibility may be worth more than a difference of a few cents per unit.

Samples Tell You More Than a Vendor’s Website

Having a website of the suppliers is a good start to getting to know what is on offer but it is not able to communicate everything about the real article.

3.1.1 Sample. Gives you a tangible artifact against which you can make a critical assessment.

Glance at the fabric.

I want to have quantitative measurements taken.

Put on the garment.

Observe the stitches, the trims, the tags, and the finishing.

If you have your own specifications, check if the supplier complies exactly as you require.

The sampling itself can also be revealing.

It is generally less of a hassle to work with a vendor who maintains good communication and manages revisions effectively when multiple styles are in progress.

Think About Reorders Before Launch

The first order is also very tempting to dwell on.

However, what if one of your products sells a lot more quickly than you had anticipated?

Is the vendor able to replicate?

Do you still stock this fabric?

Is it possible to reproduce the original color and measurements?

Reorder-MoQ. This was although very similar to the original MOQ, as abbreviated MoQ, which was the minimum order quantity for rebooking, still involved the increased price as in supplier B‘s case when the order volume was less then the MOQ.

And how long will restocking another production run require?

These questions are important because the original clothing line is seldom from a sole shipment.

Keep selling the good products.

Any vendor that can handle re-orders may thus be a lot more useful than one just prepared to put out a good initial batch.

When One Vendor Is Better Than Several

Dealing with multiple suppliers or vendors is not a problem.

A sometimes the best solution.

You could have one expert in denim, one expert in knitwear, one expert in packaging and so on.

However, for a small company, dealing with numerous suppliers can easily become very complex.

If one supplier is capable of managing all stages, sourcing fabric, sampling, labels, production and packing to the standard required, one less company involved can make life a lot simpler.

The key is to avoid that once you buy from a vendor you start purchasing everything from him.

It is to prevent fragmentation of the project.

Build the Vendor List Around Your Brand

Your supply chain can evolve as your apparel business expands

You are testing your first products, so you may be looking for relatively small quantities from flexible suppliers.

Number 8. What products are stable and demand high volume? We need increase our business and concentrate product that have consistently being purchased and have high volume demand.

I might later seek a distinct custom fabric and private label, along with particular custom fitting preference to better suit me.

Ensure that your vendor requirements change accordingly with those needs.

It seems premature to develop a complex supply chain at a stage where your products have not even been tested.

Don’t Let the Vendor Choose Your Product for You

Suppliers will naturally want to demonstrate the products they already produce.

That can be helpful when you want ideas, but it can have a bigger impact on your collection than it should.

If every decision starts with:

What do you got?

Your clothing line might not set itself apart from the rest.

Begin with what customers want and how you want to position your own brand.

Then utilize the vendors to determine how to manufacture it.

This simple change of approach can really improve the entire sourcing process.

Choosing Vendors for Long-Term Growth

The right vendors will be right for the stage your brand is truly at.

You could start out with a handful of items, try them on your customers and find out what styles work.

Later you might choose to develop working relationships and go directly to the others who always supply good quality and reliable production.

Therefore, in time, some of these relationships may seed deeper manufacturing relationships.

JiuvelWear provides OEM, ODM, private label, custom branding, and bulk production services for brands ordering custom apparel and accessories including T-shirts, hoodies, shirts, jackets, denim, and streetwear.

You do not want to compile vendor contacts listed on various places.

Avoid: to create a set of supply chains that lets you develop, test, produce, and grow your line more easily.