Starting a clothing line involves countless moving parts. Beginning with a great foundation and high-quality materials can set you apart from other fashion brands. But fabric sourcing can be overwhelming. There are various types of fabric qualities&#;knit, woven, yarn dyed, and printed&#;as well as many techniques for knitting, weaving, and printing. Where do you start?
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For many fashion designers, sourcing fabric is the first step of the design process. The next step is designing garments around that fabric. Choosing the right materials for your products can make an impact on your sales and customer satisfaction&#;no one wants a scratchy t-shirt or pants that shrink in the wash.
In this article, you&#;ll learn how to source the right fabrics in a few steps, the different types of fabrics and suppliers, and the right questions to ask when you&#;re choosing fabrics for your clothing line.
Fabric sourcing is the process of finding a supplier who produces the fabric you need and managing the supply chain and delivery to get the required goods on time, within budget, and without any damage.
Understanding how fabric is constructed and what fabric type is best for the product you&#;re designing is a crucial step in the design process.
While there are many different ways fabric can be constructed&#;two of the most commonly used fabric construction types are knits and wovens.
Knitted fabrics are usually lightweight, comfortable, and don&#;t require much care to keep up their appearance. Knits tend to resist wrinkling making them a more popular fabric choice. Knitted fabric is used when designing soft, comfortable tops, bottoms, and undergarments. Their elastic nature also works well for active clothing.
Today, knits are available in various fibers, such as linen, silk, wool, Tencel, polyester, cotton, and cotton blends.
There are two fundamental ways that knits get made:
This article in Threads Magazine gives you an in-depth look at knit fabric construction. Real Simple&#;s glossary of t-shirt fabrics is a helpful resource to learn more about knit fabric types that brands use for t-shirts.
Woven fabrics are made with two or more sets of yarns interlaced at right angles to each other and are constructed on a machine called a handloom or power loom. Frequent characteristics of woven fabrics are opacity, abrasion resistance, and pill resistance. The higher the thread count, the higher the quality and strength. Uses for wovens include denim and formal pants, button-down shirts, and jackets.
Two classifications of woven fabrics are:
Learn more: Tune in to Shopify Masters to hear from retailer Yanal Dhailieh, founder of Peace Collective, about how a single breakout moment helped them drive lasting growth for their two retail stores.
Finding reliable fabric suppliers is a critical step in starting a clothing line. It&#;s best to find partners that can guarantee the stock you need as well as on-time delivery.
There are three different types of fabric suppliers that are defined based on how they operate and what kind of fabric they stock.
Sourcing fabric in person at fabric trade shows allows you to see and touch the materials. However, you can also find fabric suppliers online and order fabric hangers (a.k.a. swatches or samples) that you can review at your studio or office. Depending on the fabric mill, they may charge you a fee, usually around $5 to $10 for each fabric hanger.
Fabric trade shows can be overwhelming. Rows and rows of supplier booths, sometimes hundreds, are a lot to look at in a few hours. You can research the exhibiting fabric mills before the trade show and make a list of your top 10. Leave yourself a few extra minutes, just in case you discover fabric suppliers that you didn&#;t find during your online search.
Two fabric trade shows that you can start with are:
Here&#;s a list of textile trade shows in the US, in chronological order.
If you can&#;t make it to a fabric trade show, searching trade show websites for fabric suppliers that meet your criteria is the next best option. These days, many fabric suppliers, if not all, have a fabric catalog on their website. You can peruse at your leisure and then request fabric headers (sometimes called hangers) that you can review in the comfort of your office.
Knowing the right questions to ask and what to look for when sourcing fabric for your clothing line is crucial. Many brands create a spec sheet template, a form that lists specific information about each fabric quality. In some cases, the fabric supplier may already have a spec sheet that they can share with you.
Here are 10 questions to ask fabric suppliers while you&#;re sourcing fabric for your clothing line.
Just like finished products that you sell through your ecommerce store, fabric suppliers create article or item numbers for each fabric quality that they sell. The fabric article number is usually found on the fabric hangers. Take note of this number, as you&#;ll need it when you order the sample and bulk fabric yardage.
It&#;s important to think about the fabric weight of each garment you are designing. You most likely will not use the same fabric weight for every product in your collection. Often, bottoms use a heavier-weight fabric than tops. However, it depends on each specific garment and how you want the fabric to drape or lay over the wearer&#;s body.
Fabric weight gets listed in grams per square meter (GSM or GR/M2). Below are a few examples of fabric weights used for different types of knit garments.
Please note, these fabric weights are suggestions based on experience. The fabric weight you choose may vary for your clothing line.
Fabric content refers to the makeup of the fibers that are used to knit or weave the fabric. Commonly used fibers are rayon, cotton, polyester, and silk.
Fabric construction involves the conversion of yarns and sometimes fibers into a piece of fabric that is then used to make an end product. Fabric characteristics are determined by the materials and methods used to construct the fabric. Presently, most fabric production uses interlacing methods, such as weaving or knitting.
Fabric width is the measurement across the width of the fabric roll from edge to edge. Fabric suppliers will provide you with two points of measurement (if they don&#;t, ask for it).
The two measurements to consider are the total width and the cuttable width. The edges of the fabric can be skewed or damaged during production and transportation, so it&#;s best to refer to the cuttable width for a more precise measurement of fabric that is usable.
Depending on your target retail price for the garments that you will sell to consumers and the fabric yield for each garment, you can determine your target fabric price per yard or meter for each fabric. Keep this target price in mind when you are sourcing new materials to ensure that you are within your budget.
Typically, fabric pricing per yard or meter can change from year to year, depending on the market and the cost of resources to make the fabric. Also, buying fabric in bulk usually costs less than purchasing sample yardage. You can ask the fabric supplier for their sample and bulk price per yard. The cost per yard for sample fabric can be $3 to $5 more, and in some cases double the bulk yardage price.
MOQ refers to the minimum amount of fabric yardage that you must buy per order from a supplier. In most cases, fabric mills have an MOQ for sample yardage, usually at least five yards, and a different MOQ for bulk yardage. Depending on the supplier you are working with, bulk fabric yardage MOQs vary.
For example, if a supplier requires an MOQ of 500 yards, you must purchase at least 500 yards to be able to deal with that supplier. In some cases, the fabric supplier will allow you to order less than the MOQ by applying a surcharge to the price per yard.
You can ask if you can apply the bulk MOQ across multiple colors of the same fabric quality or if it&#;s per fabric, per color. Applying the MOQ across more than one color is a way to maximize your buying options if you are unable to buy 500 yards of one color.
The time between the initiation of a fabric order and the completion of a production and delivery process is the fabric delivery lead time. Some fabric suppliers keep stock of the fabric that they sell, resulting in quick turnaround time from the moment you place your order to the delivery at your factory. Other suppliers have delivery lead times ranging from four weeks to eight weeks. You can ask for fabric delivery lead times for sample yardage and bulk yardage. Sample yardage usually has a shorter delivery lead time.
The country of origin or COO is the country where the production of the fabric and shipping takes place. It&#;s important to ask for this information as it must go on the inside label of your garments and it will also affect the cost of your fabric. Here is an overview of key terms to know if you are importing your fabric from overseas.
The recommended method for washing fabric varies for each fabric type and depends on the fabric content and construction. Fabric care instructions are provided to uphold fabric integrity over time. Some fibers get damaged in high heat, or they have higher shrinkage rates than others when placed in the dryer. Other fabrics, like silk, are often dry clean only. Here is an overview of care symbols and what they mean.
Like most industries, the fashion industry has its own language for sourcing and manufacturing. These nine terms can help you navigate fabric sourcing like a pro.
Fabric hand refers to the way the fabric feels when you touch it with your hand. There are no definitive fashion industry terms for fabric hand, but commonly used words to describe fabric hand are soft, cool, dry, and silky.
The selvage is the finished edge of the fabric. It keeps it from unraveling and fraying. The salvage runs the entire length of the material.
The grainline of the fabric is broken up into three options:
Fabric drape is one of the most important factors to consider when constructing a garment. Drape refers to how the fabric hangs or falls on the body. You can decide whether you want a dress to hug the body or hang away from the body.
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A fabric hanger, also referred to as a fabric header, serves as a fabric sample. It&#;s a small cutting of the fabric so buyers can see and feel the material firsthand. You can also use the swatch as a reference during the design process.
Sample yardage is the fabric that you order when designing and developing samples. Typically it costs more than bulk fabric yardage that you buy for production. Most fabric suppliers require a five-yard minimum order for sample yardage.
Bulk yardage is the fabric that you order after you have designed, developed, and approved your garments. Bulk yardage refers to the more significant quantity of fabric yardage that you buy to manufacture your products. Depending on the supplier, there may be sizable minimum order requirements, or you can order a small quantity at a higher price per yard.
Greige is an unfinished woven or knitted fabric in its raw state, before being bleached, dyed, or printed.
Shrinkage is the process in which a piece of fabric becomes smaller than its original size, usually through the process of laundry. Typically represented as a percentage, it&#;s up to you to decide what your tolerance level is for fabric shrinkage. Confirming the shrinkage rate before you go to production can help you determine if you need to adjust the fit specifications of a garment to account for shrinkage.
Now that you have a better idea of the fabric sourcing process and commonly used terms, it&#;s time to visit trade shows, order samples, and look at what other comparable retailers are using for their products to spark ideas and inspire your next collection.
Fabric sourcing is the act of finding fabric or a fabric supplier that helps you gather the best fabric options for your clothing line.
To source fabric for your clothing line, you&#;ll need to attend trade shows or look online to find the best fabric supplier to fit what you&#;re looking for. Then, you&#;ll reach out to create a partnership and add them into your supply chain so you&#;ll have a steady supply of stunning fabrics.
Fabric sourcing and ensuring you have a wide variety of fabrics available helps to ensure that your clothes are unique, comfortable, chic, and appealing to your target audience.
Many designers source their fabrics directly from manufacturers. They&#;re able to view a collection once it&#;s been created and choose the fabrics they want to use in their next line.
You&#;ve probably read our blog on custom manufacturing and its advantages for your dream clothing brand. And if you&#;re quite serious about launching your own apparel line, it&#;s time to dig deeper into the nitty-gritty of this process and understand the steps involved.
Here&#;s your ultimate step-by-step guide to custom manufacturing:
Working with the right custom manufacturer makes all the difference in the apparel world. After all, you won&#;t really be involved in the actual production process aside from the design, so you have to be sure that you&#;re working with a reliable partner who truly understands and respects your vision. You need to be able to trust and rely on your manufacturer for quality, cost-efficiency, and timely delivery of the apparel pieces.
Identify which step of the entire process you&#;re at so you can decide what you want your manufacturer to help you with. Once you know what services you&#;ll need, you&#;ll be able to find the right manufacturer based on the steps they can assist you with.
This is what will make your apparel brand stand out from the rest. Put your own spin on classic styles, or invent a completely new outfit design that no one else has seen before. Just be sure to consider how each piece plays into your overall brand aesthetic and identity.
Will you be selling mostly shirts with graphics, or will you also have some more minimal designs? Are your pieces meant to be worn on a night out, or at the beach? Do you want your designs printed, or embroidered? All these questions will help you create unique, signature pieces that define your brand.
Once you have a good idea of what you want to design, create a tech pack that includes detailed drawings and specifications of the product. This will help your manufacturer understand exactly what you&#;re looking for, so they can create something that matches your exact vision.
If you want a more hands-on approach, you can source the fabric yourself. This is often a much more cost-effective way to produce your apparel, since it eliminates the middleman and puts you directly in touch with the material suppliers.
Be sure to check out different fabric options and compare their quality, color, cost, and availability. You&#;ll also need to consider the environmental impact of the fabrics you choose and make sure that they are sourced sustainably.
If you don&#;t want to be involved in the fabric sourcing process, you can just give your manufacturer a list of requirements and have them handle it.
Of course, you&#;ll need to see how the fabric looks and feels before you commit to it. This is why it&#;s important to order sample fabric yardage and examine each fabric swatch closely.
Once you&#;ve received the samples, compare them side-by-side to see which one best matches your vision and requirements. If you&#;re happy with the swatch, then you can move forward with placing your order for bulk fabric yardage.
The next step in the custom manufacturing process is to develop your pattern. This involves taking the measurements of your design, creating a paper template, and then cutting and sewing the fabric to create a prototype.
You&#;ll need to be precise with your measurements, so it&#;s important to double-check everything before you start cutting the fabric. Once you have your prototype, examine it closely to see if you need to make any changes or adjustments. there are any changes or adjustments that need to be made.
If you&#;re working with an experienced manufacturer, then they should be able to guide you through the pattern development process and make any necessary tweaks.
Once your products have been patterned, the next step is to get samples made. Again, it&#;s important to inspect these samples thoroughly before you place your bulk order. Check to make sure that the fabric, color, and measurements are all correct, and that there are no flaws or imperfections.
If all is well, then you can go ahead and place your order for your first prototype. This will be the final result that you&#;ll send to your customers, so it&#;s important to make sure that there are no mistakes.
Since we&#;re talking about apparel here, you have to make sure that your products will look and feel great when they&#;re worn. This is why it&#;s so important to order a fit sample and have someone try on the garment before you go into production.
For men&#;s and women&#;s garments, it&#;s a good idea to order samples in a range of sizes. This will help you make sure that the fit is consistent across all sizes and that there aren&#;t any strange sizing issues. If you have models of varying body types, you can also use them to do a fit test of the samples.
Once you&#;ve sampled and done fittings, it&#;s time to decide whether you&#;re happy with them or not. If there are any issues, then you can revise the samples and have them sent back for another round of testing.
Once you&#;ve addressed all the issues and you&#;re happy with the sample, it&#;s time to move on to pre-production. This is when your manufacturer will create a sample that is the same as the bulk order.
This sample is to make sure that all measurements, colors, and quality are right before the bulk order is made. So be sure to inspect this sample closely and don&#;t make any compromises with quality or fit.
The last step in the custom apparel manufacturing process is to determine how many pieces you want to order. Your budget will play a big role in this decision, as well as how many pieces you estimate you&#;ll sell. Doing an interest check with your customers can help you get a better understanding of what quantities are realistic.
Once you&#;ve decided on the quantities, your custom apparel manufacturer will be able to provide you with an accurate quote.
While there are dozens or even hundreds of small brands who are already succeeding in the custom apparel space, it can still be a bit daunting for those who are just starting out. Here are some tips that all aspiring apparel entrepreneurs should keep in mind:
The custom manufacturing process requires a lot of commitment, so you have to be sure that you&#;re up for the challenge before taking the plunge. Unlike selling mass-produced, privately labeled apparel, custom manufacturing requires more input from you as the designer, so it&#;s important to be prepared for the extra work.
Your choice of custom manufacturer can make or break your success. So make sure that you do your due diligence and work with one who has experience in producing the type of apparel you want to create. The best manufacturers will be willing to communicate openly and answer any of your questions.
Whether you&#;ll solely be selling online or have a physical retail space as well, be sure that your ordering process is as seamless and user-friendly as possible. Make sure all sizes and colors are clearly displayed and that customers can easily navigate the checkout page. You wouldn&#;t want any potential customers to abandon their carts because of a complicated checkout process.
Marketing is an essential part of any successful apparel business, so make sure that you do your research and come up with a solid marketing plan. See how brands in your chosen niche are reaching their audiences and use those insights to create your own campaigns. Building relationships with influencers is also a great way to get more eyes on your brand.
Aside from the market research you&#;ve conducted in the early stages, it&#;s important to get to know your own customers and their preferences on a more personal level. This is especially the case for small brands that are just starting out. Building a loyal and passionate customer base can help your brand gain traction in the long run.
Once the orders start coming in, it&#;s important to stay open to feedback and make changes whenever necessary. Your customers will be your best source of product improvement ideas, so take their advice seriously. This will help you gain more customers and show that your brand is dedicated to providing the best experience possible.
At the end of the day, custom apparel manufacturing is all about quality. Take your time to review each step of the process. Make sure that your manufacturer is using the best quality materials, construction techniques, and processes. Your goal should be to create apparel pieces that are built to last.
That&#;s a wrap! We hope this guide has given you all the necessary info to get started in custom apparel manufacturing. Just remember that quality, commitment, and customer satisfaction are key to success, so keep that in mind as you embark on your apparel journey. You&#;ll be surprised at just how far your brand can go!
Are you ready to take your clothing brand to the next level? Awkward Styles offers A-Z custom manufacturing services, from design to delivery. Contact us today to learn more about how we can bring your vision to life with our expert custom manufacturing services.
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