How to choose a factory for your first clothing collection
From your garment brief and first sample to comparing quotes: a practical way to find a factory that fits your quantity and budget.
Define the garment before finding the factory
Before asking which factory is best, define the first garment you want to sell. An oversized cotton T-shirt needs a different brief from a dress or tracksuit. Write down the garment, fabric, colours, sizes and initial quantity, and include a drawing or reference images showing fit and finishing. Images help explain the idea; the agreement also needs measurements and material specifications.
Choose a collection you can inspect and manage. Every added colour and size spreads your quantity across more variants and may change the minimum order or unit price. Ask whether the minimum applies to the whole style, each colour or each size.
Shortlist factories that fit your order
Search by product in the apparel supplier directory, then ask whether each factory serves domestic brands and orders of your size. A published telephone number or large production capacity does not establish a fit for your first collection.
- Does the factory source the fabric, or do you provide it?
- Does the quote include patterns, sampling, printing or embroidery, labels and packing?
- What do samples and revisions cost, and when does the production timeline start?
Approve a sample and compare equivalent quotes
Request a sample before production. Check measurements, seams, finishing and printing. Try washing it according to the fabric’s care requirements and check for changes in colour or dimensions. Record revisions and approve a specific sample and specification version; approving a photograph alone leaves details unresolved.
Compare quotes for the same material, quantity and services. Include sampling, revisions, labels, packing and delivery alongside manufacturing. The lowest unit price may omit items included elsewhere. A minimum order or lead time in a public directory is not a current commercial quote.
Turn the agreement into a clear first order
Record the size and colour breakdown, quantity, approved sample, price, payment and delivery dates, and how defects or shortages will be handled. Agree on an inspection point before accepting the full order, and retain the sample, correspondence and quote.
Use the directory to find leads, then choose through the sample and a clear agreement rather than the order of names. Supplier details are publicly listed; we have not directly verified their service quality.