How To Find Clothing Manufacturers

The world of fashion is always in motion, constantly evolving. In terms of building a clothing line, looking for a clothing manufacturer is a crucial step. This article provides a guide to see if a clothing manufacturer is needed for your clothing business. 

Clothing Manufacturing 

If you’re in need of a clothing manufacturer, it helps to look at the pros and cons before deciding on whether you need a clothing manufacturer.  

Pros - you get creative freedom, scalability and more time to manage marketing. You are able to make more time in order to build an image for your brand. This is important as you should be the one to represent your business. 

Cons - you need to invest in bulk production and it can get risky if you have little to start with. You make an investment upfront and will likely need to manage and store a large number of products by yourself. 

If you decide that creating your clothing business requires a clothing manufacturer, there are some things to consider when looking for a clothing manufacturer: 

Shipping costs and time – At your first meeting with the manufacturer, you should include a question to understand the costs and times involved in having your order in your hands.  

Quality - The range of designs and sustainability of materials they use is important and is a vital step in creating your clothing business. It’s always good to decide what fabric that you want to use before locking in any decisions so you know the quality of the garments that you will be using for your brand.  

Sampling through the development – An essential step in the production process of clothing manufacturing. It includes several details about products such as the reference and code numbers of items, type of fabrics, colour specificities, quantities, compositional details and accessory details. Samples aren’t just for buyers, but for companies to make estimates for fabric consumption, colours, costs etc.  

There are several types of sampling. Promotional samples to score orders, then Proto samples for the fit of the garment and to check measurements. Lastly, a pre-production sample is made to sign off on your garments before production starts. 

Ethical and Sustainable Practices – It is always in everyones and the planets best interest to go for the eco friendly and ethical options when it comes to manufacturing clothes. Whether you have a strong commitment to the betterment of the environment or you want to step on the bandwagon of going eco friendly, do the following steps to ensure you look for ethical clothing manufacturers: 

• Dig into the correct online research and take advantage of the resources you have. For example, Sewport is a meeting point for all the clothing manufacturers all over the world to connect with clothing brands. You will be able to look for a huge number of clothing manufacturers here who provide ethically manufactured products made from sustainably sourced materials. 
• Build connections with other start-up brands who source ethically made products and learn about their process. Inspiration will lead you to make more connections and get to know many eco-friendly clothing manufacturers. 

• Always check the details of the garments you get made and where you get it made from. A single eco-friendly tag does not always signify an actual ethical source. Accreditation is of significance when looking for sustainable practices. The Global Organic Textile Standard Certification (GOTS) is a key certification to look for. Concerns about proper compensation of workers, World Fair Trade Organization certification (WFTO) are usually found here. 
• How is a manufacturers fabric sustainable? They must be using certified or responsible sources, little to no chemicals, minimise waste, doesn’t harm animals, durable, less water usage, biodegradable and fixable. It is important to note, for a fabric to be certified as sustainable, there is a minimum quantity that must be purchased. Examples of these sustainable sources include organic alpaca wool, certified wool, cork leather, organic linen, organic cotton, hemp, silk etc.  

Now that you have a guided outlook on the matter, you can go ahead and start your clothing brand today. Here at Always Trendin, we are an ethical manufacturer with a wide range of sustainable materials.  

 Make that clothing business a reality! We’re here to make this happen – get in contact with one of our team members!