2007
Choosing The Right Clothing Manufacturer For Your Apparel Business
Posted by: Fashion06 in Design, Starting your own line |
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In my opinion choosing a manufacturer for your clothing line is one of the most important steps in building the foundation on which your business operates.
I receive so many emails from aspiring designers/clothing companies looking for manufacturers that I recommend or think would be a good match for their business.
All I can really give most is a link and my experience from working with that particular manufacturer that I recommended. I think the final decision should be well thought out and catered more toward a particular fashion lines situation and not off the mere opinion of one man or woman’s experience.
You should sit down and compile a list of what services and requirements you will need out of a clothing manufacturer.
I remember when looking for my first manufacturer I had no clue where to start and was very overwhelmed by all the options available to me. The only way to narrow the list was to weed out the bad guys and the manufacturers that didn’t provide all the services I might need in the future or at the present time.
I started off by writing down the different services I would need the manufacturers to provide:
- Screen printing- Most offer everyday plastisol ink, but I wanted to use special-effects techniques like high-density and gel or 3-d inks that makes your garments stand out. I made a list of some of the more prominent printing inks used today in this article I Have My Designs! Now How Do I Print Them Onto Garments?
- Relabeling and hangtags
- Embroidery
- Custom manufacturing (cut & sew), because at the time I was producing a custom head wear line out of my apartment with the help of some friends and wanted to get the services of a professional manufacturer to up the quality of production.
- Use my own garments. If you use multiple outlets for your production or blanks for tops or bottoms you might switch from one manufacturer to the next for different services. Well at one point I ran into an apparel manufacturer that required you to use their blanks or cut & sew services. (In order to stay within their profit margins on production orders) This is alright if their fashion blanks are of the same quality and sizes are cut alike, but drastic changes in quality or sizing can drive customers away.
- Poly bagging- Gives a professional retail-ready look to finished apparel.
- Shipping/Store- The manufacturer was able to ship and store goods in their warehouse. Even though I wasn’t producing enough volume at that point to need these services, but I knew it was something I would make use of in the future.
- Location- Domestic or Overseas.
The above list is exactly why I think a clothing manufacturer should be chosen according to a clothing lines needs. You may need more than the services listed above, but you could also need less.
If you’re designing in a apparel specialty field like maternity wear or plus-size you might want to work with a manufacturer that specializes in that type of production or has prior clients in that field. It will definitely make the manufacturing to final product process smoother. The understanding and communication will be there, unlike if you were to work with a manufacturer that clients consisted of street wear or denim clothing companies.
After I had a good list of companies that could meet my services and requirements I worked on the next step, which was pricing. You must compare prices and the quality of each manufacturer in order to make an educated choice.
The best way of going about the process is to make a dummy production order of what you may possibly place in production in the future and email it to multiple vendors for a quote.
Make it a mission to personally or have a company representative visit each manufacturer to see the work environment and quality of their work. It doesn’t matter how cheap or cost efficient their services are if the quality plain out sucks or they mistreat their workers or break manufacturing codes or laws.
Some other important questions you might want to ask yourself is about the clothing manufacturers location and shipping terms and turnaround time. Most manufacturers will include shipping cost into your production total.
Common sense ells us that the further away a manufacturer is the longer your turnaround may be and cost could increase depending on who they ship with (Ups, Fedex) and charges that may occur for premium shipping options (Two day, overnight) and the weight of your average package.
After you narrow your list down to ‘x’ amount of manufacturers choose up to three that you would like to work with and go forward with learning as much about them as possible: Including information like past clients experiences and get them familiar with your company.
As I wrote in a previous article titled Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Manufacturers Basket you should make sure and keep these top three on speed dial in case one fails to deliver or doesn’t meet your standards as you previously expected.
This article is Part 5 of the In-Depth Step by Step Guide to Starting a Clothing Line for Fashion Designers. Click here for part 1, 2, 3, and 4.
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September 3rd, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Great Read….I never really thought about the location of a manufacturer considering most of the ones in my area don’t offer half of what I’m planning for my line so I always thought I would have to go far and beyond to find a good clothing producer with all of what I need.
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:59 pm
great post my suggestion to all the up and coming brands is to pay a visit to magic (the 2 time a year fashion expo in vegas) i just came back from vegas and i must say it was worth every penny. i sat down with over 2 dozen manufacturers from china, indonesia, thailand, honduras, etc and it is much easier than going online and researching them on the web. you can actually ask the questions you need answered and do alot of research and development. vegas is 2 times a year February and august so give it a shot you cant go wrong.
September 4th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Some of the exhibitors at Magic’s limited sourcing area may be suitable for some brands, but for companies just starting out, not a chance. They may tell you all sorts of things you need to hear, but in the end, the headache factor working with overseas or Central American factories will become apparent.
It is doubtful you could even meet most of the factories minimums.Glad you had a good time in Vegas, but don’t be posting stuff like this that gives totally innaccurate info for startups. Most exhibitors at ASAP are aiming to secure manufacturing business with established name brands.
Did they bother to tell you a small 2 lb package from China or Indonesia will cost YOU at least $100.00. How many if these will you need to complete your line developement, as I assume you are still developing your line from looking at your website.
September 4th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
everyone is entitled to their opinion and i respect yours but to be honest with you it is small minded thinkers that would answer the way that you did. why settle for what you can only get in the states if your in this to win this not to play the small indie role for the rest of you life. true we all have to start somewhere and for some people printing a few shirts and calling it a clothing label is good enough. but for me no i aim for the stars i want to make other brands nervous i want other brands to step their game up and produce some good clothing. and lets get real why pay 12 dollars for a pair of jeans from the states and you still have to worry about putting your labels, rivets, zippers, hang tags, etc on them when you can go overseas and pay 5 to 8 dollars for all of that. you do the math. any business man worth his weight would know the answer to that one. and if you are worried about headaches close shop now headaches come with the territory. i am rather opinionated and sometimes i should keep my mouth shut but i want people to see all sides of the playing field and let them come to their own conclusion. i shared how my trip to vegas went and hell ya i would tell anyone to take at least one trip out there just for the knowledge that you could get from fashion industry ceos that made it. if you dont want to associate with people like thats you but i sure do. and in my opinion and it is only my opinion (dont get bent out of shape by it) don’t tell people what they shouldn’t do try to guide people to information and let them make their own decisions we are all grown men and women to make our own decisions. i think the readers of this blog and any other blog are grown enough to decide whats a good fit for them and their business. CEO keep up the great work because your blog helped me through the hard stages of my clothing line and for that i want to thank you. to all the blogers out there keep doing what you are doing you are doing it for a reason and for that you should be commended. this business is not easy if it was everyone would be doing it. and to those who want to say that i give inaccurate information just remember one thing you found yourself going to my website not the other way around ( thats all in fun please don’t go out and write back saying im wack and that my line sucks once it hits my site but if you do that only proves my point even more you keep on going back to my site to see what i got) much respect to all the people that read, write and participate in the blog. like Fred said we are here to share our experiences and learn from them. peace
September 5th, 2007 at 7:17 am
Tony,
Good luck.Let us know when you produce your first collection and get your website functional. Hopefully you can share the travails of your offshore manufacturing if that ever takes place. I hope it does.I am certain so many will benefit from your experience.
September 5th, 2007 at 7:26 am
thanks for wishing good luck to me and my company but actually we don’t need it we have hard work and dedication on our side. and please if your going to send a comment leave out the little hidden messages it’s not needed. what might be a travail to you will be a wonderful evperience for me and my team. just remember hard work beats good luck any day. i don’t know if you are waiting for luck to pass you by but me ill be working hard and getting what i want. peace
September 5th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Now, Now gentlemen. Lets all play nice here and withhold the sarcastic comments. I am all for expert opinion and understand that people will tend to disagree, but…….Can’t we all just get along.
I prefer if we can agree to disagree and move on. Both of you are right in that you can find excellent sourcing at Magic, but new and upcoming lines will be wasting their budget on a booth.
September 5th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
yes iceland&powder i agree that an upcoming brand would be wasting their budget on a booth but i never said to get a booth at magic i just said that they (whoever wants to go) should go to magic to do some sourcing and just soak up the knowledge that magic has to offer. i dont know what thom got out of it. thank you for stepping in an clearing the air.
September 6th, 2007 at 9:11 am
Tony stated: ” i dont know what thom got out of it”. What do you mean ? What did I get out of attending Magic or ASAP ? Well for one thing, I can tell you that most exhibitors at Magic ASAP are not looking to do development or sampling with new clothing lines. They are not interested in doing a few hundred pieces per style. They are looking for brands already making their stuff overseas and are hoping to pick up a new order where some other factory has dropped the ball or hook up with an established brand doing styles in the 100’s, 1000’s of dozens range. Not suitable for new clothing labels, but I will agree that just being there can give the visitor a sense of the enormity of the global apparel industry.
This sort of puzzled me when Tony said: ” thanks for wishing good luck to me and my company but actually we don?t need it we have hard work and dedication on our side. ”
I think every new clothing company needs a bit of luck along the way.
September 6th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
That’s fine your puzzled I kind of sensed that but the bottom line is that if anyone wants to go to magic or any other trade show go don’t think of it as a waste of time think of it as a learning experience. At the end of the day you have to do what’s good for you and your business I’ve wasted more time writing about this one subject than doing what I need to do ill be sending the link soon to my website. Peace
October 1st, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Hi everybody,
I represent a textile company in Peru, We offer services in the apparel and textile field by finding the right factory/factories for our clients.
Our product development team helps the factories through the sampling process, color fabric approval, etc. As well as our planning team helps the factories with production schedules (time & actions), production follow up (WIP?s), quality control standards and shipping policies. Our teams are from various textile/apparel backgrounds in merchandising, product development and quality control and have broad experience in developing production projects from various categories, ranging from children?s , women?s and men?s wear.
What do we source:
Woven:
TOPs, Bottoms, in different types of fabrics like pima cotton poplin, denim, twill and canvas.
Knits:
Tops, bottoms, in different types of fabrics like jerseys, waffles, ribs, sheer fabrics, pique, jacquards, interlock in a variety of textures and blends (polyester cotton, viscose/cotton, cotton/alpaca, and cotton/spandex) In solid and yarn dyes, garment dyes and over dyes.
Sweaters:
In different blends, links, intarsia, with different finishes and blends as alpaca, alpaca/silk, alpaca/cotton and alpaca/wool.
In this particular occasion, I am representing a textile company , that is very flexible regarding minimums and that also has a printing facility in house. Your clothing line is exactly the kind of brand we are looking for to produce and in the case you need any quotation, please feel free to send me the specs and we will quote as soon as possible.
Thanl you very much and Best regards,
Eve.
November 12th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Hello Eve,
Could you please provide me with your contact and/or website information
November 21st, 2007 at 5:40 am
Hello!
My company offers assistance in the development of all types of clothing lines including but not limited to:
Menswear
Womenswear
Kidswear
Sports Apparel and Activewear
Yoga/Pilates
T-Shirt creation
Formal/Eveningwear
Business Attire
And anything YOU’D like to create!
We assist with every stage of the design process for every type of line, from concepts to runways to retail buyers and websites. We’ve been in business for over 2 years and have developed great relationships with factories and suppliers nationwide and internationally due to the amount of volume we give to them.
We are NOT affiliated with a specific factory, textile company, screenprinter, supplier, retailer, or manufacturer. We are an entirely neutral entity - so you can be certain you’re getting unbiased recommendations and assistance. We do have access to the above companies and can provide you with lower overhead than you would get alone. And because most of our fees come from production, not start-up, we make it easy for you to learn both the business and fashion industries with minimal investment and worry!
We’ve got multi-talented designers on hand who are ready to brainstorm with you to develop your ideal look and features. We can help you construct entirely new apparel or purchase t-shirts and pants on which you will screenprint a design.
If you’re just looking to access the cheaper production costs, we can do that, too.
A co-op program is also available to budding entrepreneurs who are interested in making serious cash. Earn a percentage from everyone you refer to us!
For a quote, please contact me.
Wishing you all much success!
Warm Regards,
Brandi
November 22nd, 2007 at 5:44 pm
I need info, pricing on starting a catalog/online lingerie business for plus size women, and need all info on cheapter production costs, along with every stage of the design process for lingerie. I am new to the industry, and have no experience but doing constant research on the subject.
November 28th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Brandi,
Please contact me asap, needing your services for new sportswear clothing line.
thanks!
December 5th, 2007 at 3:11 am
yes im wanting to start my line im looking for a manufacturer that can produce a urban line i want a style like orisue- or evisu- stussy -lrg i need one that does these kinds of things ive been looking but no luck
can anybody help me out thank you
December 8th, 2007 at 8:01 am
Hi Eve, Brandi, and whom it may concern,
Just like Mickael, I need info, pricing on starting a catalog online clothing and lingerie business neesl info on affordable production costs, along with every stage of the design process
December 14th, 2007 at 3:39 am
Hey everyone! I am planning on starting a clothing line eventually but right now I’m really quite puzzled as to where to start. Is a manufacturer a must or is there a different way you can do that? My line will have a lot of really nice higher end dresses with a lot of detail as well as some more simple garments…how do I find a really high quality manufacturer to meet my needs? Thank you so much! Oh and I love the blog.
December 17th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
Hi All! This is Sim who is the founder of Petsonality website. We started off by doing pet fashion distribution business and now we are expanding to build our own fashion brands. I happened to saw this website and I think the author really did a good job. Good source of information and exchanging business experience. Well done!
Keep up the good job. Will visit this again
December 29th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Hi, I have had my own line for 7yrs and the most difficult aspect of it was the manufacturing. We did most everything in house due to the fact that I could never find anyone reliable. I have started my own manufacturing company in Mexico that lis ideal for small to mid size manufacturing runs. We also take care of all of the customs and transporation. You ship us the cut pieces and trim and it is back in your hands in 2-3 weeks. Please email me if you would like a quote painlessapparel@gmail.com. It has really helped our bottom line.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
I HAVE QUESTION - TODDLER LINE T_SHIRTS
THE T_SHIRTS ARE PURCHASED FROM A SUPPLIER / finished product and will be relabeled. IN CA IS A GARMENT REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE required it is confusing because it says manufacturing but the product is finished and technically for resale? DOES ANYONE KNOW? THANKS.
March 20th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
This is Team Savior from jacksonville florida. Were trying to launch a new clothing line . I need to see if you could help us out on getting clothes manufactured for us.
April 1st, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Hi Brandi and everyone else that gives their surpport. I am trying to start my own Urban Apparel clothing line and I need a great deal of help since this is a new venture for me and wolud like to avoid much set backs as possible. Right now i am looking for new designers who can create unique designs, within my budget. Every bit of imformation i can learn from that gets me ready for the “hash fashion industry ” is greatly appreciated. I do hope to have some blogs sent to my e-mail at niyahsem@hotmail.com. thank u
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Hello everyone. My name is Avi. I am located on the east coast and work consulting start up and emerging brands to bring them to market in the correct way. Since emerging and startups are my specialty, we work with many vendors, and mfgs that would like to support the newbies. Not the huge we dont need any more business manufacturers that dont even want to speak to you type of people. Feel free to shoot me an email with any questions you may have to levine.avi@gmail.com.
Best Regards,
Avi Levine
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Brandi Please e-mail me at levine.avi@gmail.com. I have some questions.
thank you,
Avi
April 11th, 2008 at 2:28 am
Hello, everyone my name is Kareem. I am a creative designer in the process of developing a clothing line. I will be starting with headwear as my initial product. I will be attending the magic show to get some inspiration and to source, fabric, new printing processes, manufacturing(packaging, labeling, taging, etc). I need manufacturer that will make 24 samples with material provided. Bye the way, are there any manufacturers of such a scale in Florida? I would like to know…..e-mail me at bcscorp.fl@gmail.com. Brandi i am interested in the co-op program send me some more info please.
April 21st, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Hello all, my name is Denise. I am interested in starting a line that is more specific to women in sports. I would love to hear from those of you who might be able to guide me with manufacturing, graphic design, etc. since this is a new venture for me. My e-mail is dsustaita01@yahoo.com. Thanks
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:16 am
that’s a great article…. I’m looking for a producer the next time.. i hope it will help
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:02 am
I’m a chinese apparel manufactorer,we have 5years experience about making cloth to export,glad to meet you:)
April 26th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Hi everyone, let me start out by saying that this is a great site i’ve learned alot already, but can still use some help. I am trying to start my own apparel clothing line for the extreme sports enthusiast and I need as much help as I can get since this is a new venture for me and would like to avoid the most common mistakes that are made in the industry. Right now i am looking for new artists and graphic designers who can create unique designs, within my budget as well as a great manufacturer to work with. Every bit of information i can retain from here is greatly appreciated. I hope to hear any replys, opinions, and any expertise you may have for me sent to my e-mail address at evolutionrideind@yahoo.com
April 30th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
hello evry1, Eve,Brandi,and Jennifer I’ve been sketching since I was a teen to become a designer, but wasn’t able to. I put everything off to raise my kids. Now their older I want to finish what I started went to FIT and everything. I’ve only gotten one design of mine made and that was my daughters’ prom gown, everyone wanted to know where she got it from. I also had a dry-cleaner owner who wanted me to design that dress for his daughters’ wedding. This was 5yrs ago. I was looking for a manufacturer like the others. Also I would like to get more info as well. This has been some great info that has been provided from evry1. wish evry1 much success. I can be reached at msteel38@netzero.com or msteel38@verizon.net
May 4th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Hello Brandi and Eve, can you please e-mail me at dsustaita01@yahoo.com