Custom Clothing Manufacturers

Custom Clothing Manufacturers can be your best asset for bringing your custom or made-to-measure garments to life– but choosing which one to work with can be a daunting task. It’s a decision that can make or break your fashion line, which is nothing to take lightly. 

We’re breaking down everything you need to know when you’re looking for a custom clothing manufacturer.

Intro to Custom Clothing Manufacturing

As the name suggests, custom clothing manufacturers make custom garments that are specifically crafted to the requests of the designers and any clothing brand. Before fast fashion plagued the fashion industry, all clothing was custom manufactured, but today, the private label clothing manufacturer is mostly used for small luxury for indie designers.

A designer or a fashion brand has a lot of flexibility and control during the manufacturing process. They work closely with the manufacturing team (seamstresses, sample makers, pattern makers, etc) to develop the design, create the samples or prototypes and flesh out any needed adjustments before the garment goes into production.

At TEG, we take things a step further and assign a specific project manager to each of our clients to ensure that there are quality control checks at each stage of the process.

Why Use a Custom Clothing Manufacturer?

If you wanted to make a high-quality custom piece of pottery, you wouldn’t go to a factory that mass produces tupperware and expect them to know how to help, would you? No, you’d go to a potter who specializes in custom pottery. Similarly, when you need a garment custom-made, you should work with professionals who specialize in making custom pieces rather than going to a manufacturer who pumps out mass-market garments. 

Types of Custom Clothing Manufacturers

While all custom clothing manufacturers do indeed make custom clothing, it’s important to note that they are not all the same. They can be tiny ateliers or studios with just a couple of seamstresses working there or large-scale production companies with a range of expert professionals working there. Some specialize in the craft of bespoke fashion or couture fashion, while some only work on producing ready-to-wear collections.

Initial Research

Identifying Your Needs

Personal vs. Business Requirements

Before you can decide which of the Custom Clothing Manufacturers is the right fit for you, you need to understand if you’re looking to find a custom fashion manufactured for personal needs or for your business.

What we mean by that is the scope of the project. Personal needs could mean making one or two unique, high-quality pieces for a single client or even yourself, while business needs might involve an entire line of custom garments. At The Evans Group (TEG), we have the capacity to take on both small bespoke projects and large orders.

Specific Clothing Types (e.g., Casual, Formal, Sportswear)

It’s helpful to know what type of clothing you want to produce before selecting the manufacturer. Is it casual wear, formal attire, or maybe sportswear? Each of these takes different skills to create custom. Knowing this means you’ll be able to vet the manufacturer that specializes in the specific kind of apparel you want to produce. At TEG our services cover the ability to create a wide range of clothing types, all with expert craftsmanship that can only come from having two decades in the business.

Budget Considerations

Know what you can spend to be within your budget, and find the company that can give you the best quality and service for your budget. Remember that while it’s important to stay within your budget, this is not the place to skimp out. Manufacturing, especially when it comes to custom garments, directly correlates to the end quality of your garments. Your designs can be a 10 out of 10, but bad-quality craftsmanship can significantly decrease your line’s quality. TEG offers transparent pricing and works with you to find cost-effective solutions without compromising quality.

Timeline and Lead Time

Establish a realistic timeline and consider the manufacturer’s lead times for production and delivery. Make sure the manufacturer can meet your deadlines, especially if you have seasonal or time-sensitive collections. TEG provides efficient production timelines and clear communication to meet your scheduling needs.

Finding Custom Clothing Manufacturers

Online Directories and Marketplaces

Platforms like Alibaba, Etsy, and Trade Shows

When you’re just starting out, you might be wondering, “Where in the world do you even find the custom clothing manufacturers?” Start with online platforms like Alibaba and Etsy. It might seem random, but these sites are a treasure trove of manufacturers who specialize in different types of custom apparel, especially for personal projects.

If you’re looking to create a long-term partnership for your fashion business, you can find your manufacturer by attending trade shows. This strategy can be extremely beneficial because you’ll actually get to meet manufacturers in person. This means you can see their samples and directly discuss your specific needs, cutting out a lot of the back and forth in the vetting process.

Recommendations and Reviews

Don’t underestimate the power of getting recommendations from people you trust. Just be sure that their project is similar in scope to yours, and still vet the company for yourself. Also, don’t forget that reading online reviews (i.e., Google reviews) can give you a good feel for a manufacturer’s reliability and quality.

Local vs. International Manufacturers

Pros and Cons

There always comes a moment when you need to decide between working with a local or international clothing manufacturer. Here’s what you should think about before making a decision:

Local Manufacturer Pros

• Easier to communicate, no language barrier, clearer direction
• No or small time zone difference compared to overseas
• Faster Shipping With lower shipping costs, shipping time is shorter
• Quality Control Manufacturers can be visited and inspected at any time to ensure products are made on time and meet the required standards and the factory is upholding ethical practices.

Cons

• Average labor and production costs are higher than international manufacturers
• Limited Options: fewer manufacturers to choose from 

International Manufacturer Pros

• Lower Costs: May have lower labor and production costs
• Variety: more manufacturers to choose from

Cons

• Communication Challenges because of time zone differences and language barriers (can lead both to delays and miscommunication/mess up)
• Longer Shipping Times: garments need to travel longer distances for distribution, and shipping overseas isn’t always quick.
• Higher shipping costs: Shipping costs for planes/boats are higher than ground transport. 
• Lack of Quality Control: You won’t be able to check in on the quality of your garments throughout the process unless you’re willing to book a flight every time you want to pop into the manufacturer. 

Lack of knowledge on who is actually making your clothes and if it’s being done ethically. Subcontracting is a thing, and you’ll have no way of knowing if your manufacturer is doing that from thousands of miles away.

Evaluating Manufacturers

Now it’s time to get to the fun part: vetting your short list of custom clothing manufacturers.

Here’s what you should be on your checklist:

Quality of Work

Quality is everything in fashion, so make sure that your manufacturer can deliver on the level of quality you want to see in your garments.

• Sample Evaluation: Request samples to see the quality of their craftsmanship first-hand.
• Fabric and Material Quality: Ask about the quality of fabrics and materials that they work with. The fabric is the building block of your garments, it doesn’t matter how great the craftsmanship is, if the material is bad quality, the garment will be brought down to that level.

Customization Options

• Design Flexibility: Do they have the skills and capacity to create what you’ve conceptualized? Ensure the manufacturer offers design flexibility to accommodate your creative vision.
• Printing and Embroidery Capabilities: If your project needs special stitching or effects like embroidery and printing, be sure that they can do it in-house.

Production Capacity

Make sure the manufacturer’s production capacity can meet your order volume. At TEG we have no MOQs for custom clothing because we want to empower emerging designers to tap into their creativity without having to break the bank. 

Working with a Custom Clothing Manufacturer

Contrary to what you might have thought, once you’ve decided on which of the custom clothing manufacturers you’d like to partner with, the work isn’t done just yet.

• Preparing Your Request: Provide detailed specifications and clear instructions.
• Design and Prototyping: Collaborate with the experts from the manufacturing team to make sure the design is flawless and ready to be executed. Then the team will get to work prototyping, or creating samples to finalize the product.
• Revisions: 9 times out of 10, there will be revisions, so just be prepared for them. Communicate your feedback in a clear and timely manner to keep the ball rolling.

Pricing and Contracts

While pricing and contracts can seem like the boring, right-brained side of having a fashion business, it’s extremely important. When you’re working with a custom clothing manufacturer you’ll want to make sure you’ve crossed all your t’s and dotted your i’s in all things finance and contracts to be sure both you and the manufacturer know what’s expected.

Cost Breakdown

It’s essential to understand the cost breakdown of manufacturing, including material, labor, and additional fees. If you’re not where to start check out our guide on the real cost of manufacturing. 

Contract Essentials

• Detailed Specifications: Ensure that all aspects of the desired design are described in the agreement. This includes materials, colors, sizes, and other salient points.
• Payment Terms: Discuss when and how payments will be made.
• Expected Production Time: Establish deadlines for each production stage, beginning with the sample process and ending with the final shipment.
• Quality Expectations: Include the details for quality and defect levels. This finally includes maximum acceptable levels and routine quality controls.
• Revisions: Be sure your contract outlines the process and costs for revisions or design changes during the design process.
• Intellectual Property: Include who maintains ownership over the design and any IP around the finished product.

Quality Assurance

We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again: quality is essential. Make it a habit to regularly check samples during production to be absolutely certain that everything is meeting your standards. Clear guidelines for materials and craftsmanship are key. When working with TEG, you’ll get the benefit of our rigorous quality checks each step of the way, which is our way of making sure that each and every piece turns out perfectly.

Logistics and Shipping

Understanding Shipping Options

Finding the right shipping method can save you money and time. It might not be the most glamorous part of the job, but it’s important to have a handle on it. 

Customs and Duties

If you end up deciding on a custom clothing manufacturer overseas, be prepared for customs regulations and duties.

Inventory Management and Warehousing

So you’ve got the garments now, but where exactly are they going to live? Managing your inventory efficiently is crucial. Plan how you’ll store and handle your stock to meet demand without overstocking.

Post-Production

Don’t forget to think about services like packaging and distribution. Proper packaging keeps your products safe during transit, and efficient distribution ensures they get to your customers on time. At TEG we can assist our clients with packaging, making sure that the newly produced garments arrive in perfect condition.