Let’s say that you want to start your clothing brand, you’ve got the vision, a few designs and the money to get started. The most important and vital part of your whole future empire is based on who you decide to choose as your clothing manufacturer. Or let’s say that you’ve got a running company and you want to reduce lead times, cost and increase your quality. Well, find out who and how to choose the appropriate producer.

There are thousands of factories and companies out there that can produce your clothing but by no means are they the same. Here’s why.

1. Not all “clothing manufacturers” are actually manufacturers

You’ll come across a huge amount of companies that will offer you “bespoke” or “custom” clothing only for you to find out that they purchase basic t-shirts or hoodies and allow you to screen print your logo onto them for a certain cost. This isn’t a manufacturer, this isn’t you making a true clothing brand, what it is, is draining your investment and limiting your designing and entrepreneurial vision.

2. What makes a true clothing manufacturer then?

A manufacturer is one that can source for you the fabrics or materials that you want to make your clothing out of. A clothing manufacturer that has a vertically integrated setup, which includes all the stages from knitting to packing. One that has proven records of production capacities so that you know they can fulfill your quantity orders. You should get to know their clients and track history of which clients they’ve already served. One that is running a factory that abides by some kind of CSR (corporate social responsibility), local safety standards, ISO certifications and so on. You don’t want to put your money and efforts into a clothing producer that has no backbone and is running a literal sweatshop. Not paying mind to it’s employees, the environment or fulfilling the standards of ethical practices. If they don’t care about those things, why would they care about you?

3. Open Communication-You’ve found a capable supplier, but do they really understand you?

It’s imperative that you’ve checked the list made in point number 2. So now you are ready to begin your relationship with your clothing manufacturer. But you begin to realize there is a communication barrier. This can’t be good. You can’t work with a supplier if they don’t understand your vision, your passion and most of all your language! Did you know the majority of the top clothing manufacturers in world are based in countries that don’t speak English as their first language?

4. Price is important, but isn’t everything.

You get what you pay for. You better believe it, no company will give you more than what you pay for. This is business. If you see that you are getting your shipment for a bargain of a price, you should expect sacrifice in quality, shipment delays and even more as the clothing manufacturer has to save money somewhere. This will severely affect your company fluidity, customer retention, brand image and end up costing you more in the long run. This can be avoided by paying a small premium in the short run that can be reduced in the long run as your order quantities increase.

5. Conclusion

TxtileSource speaks your language, uses vertical integration, can provide you with info on CSR, compliance, certification reports, clientele lists and production track records. We can help you choose the right production facility for you by filtering your needs and wants. Now the ball is in your court. Whenever you’re ready to increase your output, efficiency and success while reducing your stress and effort, then send us an inquiry and let us get things moving.

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