Launching a clothing line or sourcing garments for retail involves unique challenges — from creating a proper tech pack to navigating fabric minimums and choosing the right country. This guide covers what you need to source apparel successfully.

Start with a proper tech pack

A tech pack is the blueprint manufacturers use to make your garment. Without one, you'll get inconsistent results and endless back-and-forth. A complete tech pack includes: technical flat sketches (front and back), a detailed bill of materials (fabrics, trims, labels), measurements and a grading spec across sizes, construction details and stitch types, colourways with Pantone references, and labelling and packaging instructions.

Investing in a professional tech pack upfront dramatically improves sample accuracy and reduces costly production errors. It also lets you get comparable quotes from multiple manufacturers.

Choose the right production country

Each country has apparel strengths:

  • Turkey — fast turnaround, lower MOQs, strong knitwear and denim, EU proximity and duty advantages.
  • China — the widest range, best for complex or technical garments, competitive at scale.
  • India — excellent cotton knits, embroidery and embellishment, competitive pricing.
  • Bangladesh — lowest cost for high-volume basics, duty-free EU/UK access, higher MOQs.
  • Portugal & Italy — premium and luxury production, "Made in EU" provenance, lower minimums.

Match the country to your product, volume, budget and target market.

Understand fabric sourcing and MOQs

Fabric is often the trickiest part of apparel sourcing. Mills have their own minimums — frequently 500–1,000 metres or more per colour and quality. This cascades into your garment MOQ. Some manufacturers stock common fabrics (reducing your minimums); for custom fabrics or colours, expect higher minimums and longer lead times. Decide early whether you'll use the manufacturer's nominated fabrics or source your own.

Sampling and fit approval

Never skip sampling. The typical sequence is: a proto sample (first interpretation of your tech pack), a fit sample (to perfect measurements and fit, often several rounds), a pre-production (PP) sample in correct fabric and colour for final approval, and a top-of-production (TOP) sample from the actual run. Approve each stage in writing before proceeding. Fit issues caught at sampling are cheap; caught after production they're catastrophic.

Compliance, labelling and ethics

Garments carry compliance obligations: fibre content and care labelling (legally required and country-specific), flammability standards for certain items, and chemical safety (OEKO-TEX, REACH). For ethical and increasingly regulatory reasons, verify social compliance (BSCI, SEDEX, WRAP) and consider environmental certifications (GOTS for organic). Buyers and regulators increasingly demand supply chain transparency — build it in from the start rather than retrofitting it later.

What actually drives a garment's price

Understanding the cost build-up makes you a far better negotiator. A typical garment quote breaks down roughly as: fabric 50–60%, trims and accessories 5–10%, cut-make-trim labour 15–25%, packaging, overhead and margin covering the rest. The practical implications:

  • Fabric choice is the biggest price lever — a small change in fabric quality or construction moves the price more than any amount of labour haggling.
  • Complexity costs: every extra panel, pocket, zip or embroidery adds minutes of labour per piece, multiplied across the order.
  • Volume discounts are real but taper — the jump from 300 to 1,000 pieces saves more per unit than 1,000 to 3,000.

Ask for a cost breakdown in quotes. Manufacturers who provide one are signalling transparency; it also shows you exactly where to value-engineer.

Realistic timelines from tech pack to delivery

New apparel buyers consistently underestimate the calendar. A realistic first-production timeline: tech pack finalisation (1–2 weeks), sourcing and quoting (2–3 weeks), proto and fit samples with revisions (3–6 weeks), pre-production sample approval (1–2 weeks), bulk fabric procurement (2–4 weeks), production (3–6 weeks), inspection and shipping (1–6 weeks by mode). Total: roughly 3–6 months from finished design to goods in hand.

Repeat orders are much faster — typically 6–10 weeks — because development is done and fabric may be held. Build your launch calendar backwards from the delivery date, and remember seasonal crunches: factories serving fashion brands are slammed before each season, and Chinese New Year, Ramadan/Eid (for Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, India) and local holidays all pause production.