5 Questions to Ask Clothing Manufacturers before Working With Them

Another thing is that a good factory might not help you grow your business but also help estimate the cost of manufacturing your clothing line. Finding a good clothing manufacturer is challenging nowadays, as many manufacturers work in the market. There are different ways by which you can find manufacturing factories in trade shows, on social media platforms, online, or by contacts.

Once you have looked and checked all the manufacturers and shortlisted your options, there is still some research remaining. Although this process is a little longer, the whole process is worth it. As you will be investing a lot of cash in manufacturing a line, you need to analyze things from every point of view.

Suppose you have spotted the proper manufacturer to produce your clothing line. And you are all set to work with them. But you still need to make sure they are a good fit for your brand to get started. You need to ask them the right question.

Questions You Should Ask From Clothing Manufacturers Before Working With Them

The primary job of the clothing sample makers is to cut, sew, and assemble the clothing sample or prototype and make it a fully finished product. Using their hands and machines, the clothing sample makers collect client's requirements information, specifications, and sizing needs and then create the clothing samples for clients.

Before moving to bulk production, the sample production unit in the clothing sample is responsible for manufacturing and testing the product by creating a sample. Moreover, you can also check a number of things like garments, sizing, colors, patterns, style, and fabrics by manufacturing a sample product before you start with the bulk production of a clothing line.

In garment sampling, different types of samples vary according to the need of brands and clients. When we are talking about the samples, it depends on the manufacturer and the sample type they want. This blog outlines all kinds of samples manufacturers create that customers might ask for.

What Type of Question Will Be You Asking?

When working as a clothing brand or with a clothing manufacturer, you should consider several things such as fabric selection, inventory management, custom order delivery, logistics, and more. So, you will need to ask some questions to help you analyze the abovementioned factors.

This blog has listed several questions you can ask the manufacturer before working with them. So, let’s get started:

• Can you source the type of clothes I’m looking for?

  
  
  
  
  

  There are different types of manufacturers working in the fashion industry. Some clothing manufacturers can source everything for your brand, from the type of fabric you are looking for to the components like zippers, buttons, and labels, and make a complete product for you.

  
  

  On the other side, some manufacturers require you to provide them with the buttons, zippers, labels, and tags you want on your clothing line. Now, if your brand is easy to deliver raw materials to the manufacturer, then working with such a manufacturer is fine.

  
  

  You can ask them about they do screen printing, cut and sew manufacturing, sublimation printing, fabric dyeing, embroidery or whatever you need to get done.

  
  

• Proto sample

  
  

  The word proto refers to "first," so these proto samples are developed at the initial stages of product development. These samples are created from the manufacturer's end and delivered to the brand or client to check the design and style of the sample.

  
  

  In this type of sampling, substitute fabric and trims are used instead of the original material in case they are unavailable. The sample is manufactured based on the tech pack provided to them. So, it's critical to mention all the details in the tech pack.

  
  

  Most clothing sample makers also offer tech pack design services like us. We are a one-stop shop for brands looking for sample-making and bulk manufacturing of their clothing lines.

  
  

  But if you want the manufacturer to handle everything from scratch till the production of a finished product, you can choose the first type of manufacturer.

  
  

  A manufacturer might have an excellent reputation, but there are still chances that the deal might not work for you if they are not handy with the type of manufacturing you are looking for. So, you need to analyze and identify the type of manufacturing you are looking for are the manufacturers capable of producing it. You can look over their portfolio and find a similar product. Lead a deep conversation about the type of clothing line you want with the manufacturer.

  
  

• Are you a wholesaler, agency, or manufacturer?

  
  

  Before you connect with a manufacturer, it’s very important to understand their business model, whether they are wholesalers, agencies, or manufacturers. If you expect to directly connect with the source who will be directly producing your clothing line, then connecting with the clothing manufacturer is an excellent fit for your brand.

  
  

  Plus, you can directly communicate with the clothing manufacturers and discuss your requirements, making it a sorted situation. This is unlikely with the wholesale and agency.

  
  

• Are they taking new orders?

  
  

  Sometimes, when there are many orders in the pipeline, the manufacturer puts the customer on hold, so before getting things started and saving time, you should ask them if they are taking new customers.

  
  

• Which language do you speak?

  
  

  That’s a critical question that you should ask initially. Language plays a vital role in hassle-free communication. If the language will common, then both buyer and seller will be easily able to understand each other concerns and have a meaningful conversation.

  
  

  A common language will help the buyer or brand convey their message to the manufacturer, which is very important. You must understand clothing terms to get into the details of the clothing line. Sometimes a minor misunderstanding can lead to a significant error in the clothing product. So, being loud and clear while talking with the manufacturer is essential.

  
  

• What is the other brand you have worked with?

  
  
  
  
  

  This will let you know about the working experience of the manufacturing. You can ask for their portfolio. If they claim to have expertise in cloth manufacturing, they might have worked with several brands, while some might be popular.

  
  

  You can verify about them for their previous clients, and you can visit their physical store website to look over the quality they are serving. This will help you understand the capability and reach of the clothing manufacturer and help you make a more informed decision.

  
  

• What is your MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity)?

  
  
  
  
  

  As the name tells, the MOQ refers to the Minimum Order Quantity. It means that what is the least of the quantity you can order from clothing manufacturer. Suppose you are a startup and don’t have much budget to get things started, so you might search for a manufacturer who accepts the lower quantity order.

  
  

  There are different types of the manufacturer. Some offer you a MOQ of 200-250 pieces per design, while some manufacturers work with a LOW MOQ of 50 parts per design, like Steve Apparel. Steve Apparel is dedicated to helping startups and established brands grow with diversification in their clothing line.

  
  

  So, having a low MOQ is a plus, as with such a manufacturer, you can produce more designs and a significant number of clothing lines. If you can’t find the manufacturer offering your required MOQ, then further communication is no point.

  
  

• When do I visit your factory?

  
  

  There are two types of manufacturers, overseas manufacturers and local manufacturers. The local manufacturer works in the same country or city you live in. While on the other side, the overseas manufacturer works abroad country.

  
  

  You can ask your local manufacturer about visiting their factory to eyewitness their production unit, which will create a sense of trust that you can work with them. At the same time, you can ask an overseas manufacturer to show their production unit via video calls. Normally, the overseas manufacturers will keep updated about your order at every step of production.

  
  

• When can I expect my order?

  
  

  While you are working with a clothing manufacturer, it is not essential that they provide you with the exact date of delivery of your order. But you can give an idea of when your order will be completed.

  
  

  They will let you know the clothing sample delivery date and duration between which your order might be delivered. If you have a short deadline to meet, you can discuss the situation with your clothing manufacturer. They might be able to provide you with your order before your deadline, and a good manufacturer might save you both time and money.

  
  

• What will the cost estimation of my product be?

  
  
  
  
  

  Another thing that you should not forget is to ask about the cost estimation of your product making. This will give you an idea of whether working with that manufacturer might suit your budget.

  
  

  Before placing an order, you must inform your manufacturer about the details you expect in your clothing line. Suppose that if you are manufacturing sportswear, you should know about the fabric you want, the functionalities you are looking for, the color, sizes, zippers, collars and buttons, and more.

  
  

• Are you connected with any 3rd party suppliers?

  
  

  Sometimes, manufacturers are connected or linked with the 3rd party suppliers. If they are working with the 3rd party suppliers, this means that they must be sourcing some parts from them. Sometimes it can be more challenging than it looks.

  
  

  Suppose a shortage of particular elements occurs with the 3rd party supplier, which might affect your order, and you might have to wait a little longer than promised. With 3rd party, the chances of misunderstandings and delays increase.

  
  

• What will be your terms of payment?

  
  
  
  
  

  It is essential to ask your clothing manufacturer about when and by which method they are accepting the payments. Different manufacturers have different working modes. A lot of manufacturing requires advance from the client’s end to start the garment manufacturing process. Its starts with a minor part of the payment initially, while the rest of the payment is done at the time of the delivery.

  
  

  Moreover, be sure to pick a manufacturer that holds the authority to import the clothes, as when you work with such manufacturers might help you save money. They have the license for import, so it removes the extra taxes, shipping charges, and additional payments.

  
  

• What are their terms and conditions?

  
  

  Clothing manufacturers have terms and conditions, be sure to ask for their terms and conditions documents and read them carefully to understand their way of doing business.

  
  

• What is your turnaround time?

  
  

  The turnaround refers to the total time from the order you place until the date the order is delivered. Different manufacturers offer different turnaround times.

  
  

These are some of the questions you should ask your clothing manufacturer before working with them. Asking the right question can help you determine the vast number of facts and information and, most importantly, gives you a better idea about the best manufacturer for your brand.