Questions to Ask Clothing Manufacturers

The questions

Open any question to see why it works.

1. 1

   What do you make the most of, and for what kind of brands?

   Factories specialize by machine and by pattern skill, not by category label. A place that runs mostly knit basics will quote your tailored jacket, and the quote will look fine until the first fit sample. Whatever they name first is what they are set up to do well.

2. 2

   Are you the factory yourself, or an agent placing work with factories?

   Agents are useful and expensive, and the important thing is knowing which you are talking to. If it is an agent, ask which factory the work goes to and whether you can know its name, because a supplier who will not name the production site cannot show you an audit for it either.

3. 3

   Do you work cut, make and trim only, or full package including sourcing?

   This decides who buys the fabric, who carries that cash and who is at fault when the material is wrong. Small brands often assume full package and get quoted cut, make and trim, then discover mid-project that fabric sourcing is their job.

4. 4

   What is your minimum, and is it per style, per color, or per fabric?

   A minimum of three hundred units sounds workable until it turns out to be three hundred per colorway, which is a completely different launch. Fabric mills carry their own minimums underneath that, so ask whether the number they quote already accounts for the mill.

5. 5

   What do you need from me before you can quote accurately?

   The answer tells you how they work. A factory that asks for a tech pack, a graded spec and a reference garment is going to hold you to a standard. One that says just send a picture will quote fast, and the price will move once they see the real thing.

6. 6

   How many sample rounds are included, what do they cost, and how long does each take?

   Sampling is where most first timers lose months. Two rounds is common and rarely enough for a fitted garment. Ask for the calendar time per round including shipping, because three rounds at four weeks each is a quarter of a year before bulk starts.

7. 7

   Who does your patternmaking and grading, and can I keep the patterns?

   The pattern is the asset. If their in house patternmaker develops it, ask in writing who owns it and whether you receive the digital files, because a factory that holds the pattern holds the ability to reproduce your product and the ability to make leaving expensive.

8. 8

   Where does the fabric come from, when do you buy it, and who pays for it?

   Fabric is usually the largest line in the cost and the longest lead item. Find out whether they hold stock, order to your job, or wait for your deposit before booking the mill, because the last case means your delivery date does not start when you think it does.

9. 9

   What happens if the bulk fabric does not match the sample lot?

   Shade variation between dye lots is normal and it is the most common reason a finished run looks wrong. Ask whether they send a bulk fabric cutting for approval before cutting, and what happens to the schedule if you reject it.

10. 10

    What is included in the price you quoted, and what is billed separately?

    Trims, labels, care and content tags, hangtags, poly bags, printing, embroidery, washing and pressing are often quoted outside the garment price. Two quotes are only comparable once you have pulled all of these into both of them.

11. 11

    How long from approved sample to goods ready to ship, and what starts that clock?

    Most factories quote production time and count from a milestone you have not reached: deposit cleared, fabric in house, trims received. Ask them to name the trigger, then add the fabric lead time yourself to get a real date.

12. 12

    What are your payment terms, and what does the deposit cover?

    Deposits typically fund fabric and trims, so a large deposit is not automatically a warning sign, but a deposit that covers the entire order removes their reason to finish on time. Ask what is payable before shipment and what is payable after inspection.

13. 13

    Which parts of my order would leave your building?

    Printing, embroidery, dyeing, washing and sometimes whole sewing operations get subcontracted, and that is where audits and traceability quietly stop. Ask for the names and locations, and note whether the question makes them uncomfortable.

14. 14

    How do you inspect, and to what standard?

    Ask whether inspection happens in line or only at the end, what sampling standard they use, and who signs it off. A factory that inspects only finished cartons finds problems when the whole run already has them.

15. 15

    What happens to units that fail inspection, and how do you handle a short shipment?

    Every run produces seconds and most contracts allow the delivered quantity to fall a few percent short. Agree in advance whether you pay for what was ordered or what arrived, and what happens to the rejects, since unmarked seconds can reappear in a market somewhere.

16. 16

    Can I or a third party inspect before the goods ship?

    Once a container leaves, your leverage is gone and your options are a discount or a return you cannot afford. A supplier who welcomes a pre shipment inspection is telling you something. One who calls it unnecessary is telling you something else.

17. 17

    What audits or certifications do you hold, and when was the last one?

    Ask for the date and the issuing body, not the logo. Certificates expire, cover one site only, and sometimes cover a facility other than the one your goods will be made in. A current report you can read is worth more than a list of acronyms.

18. 18

    How many people work here, what are the hours during your peak season, and are they employees or brought in for the season?

    Peak season hours are where labor problems concentrate, and a factory that has thought about it will answer with specifics about shifts and overtime. Heavy use of short term agency labor also tends to mean the people making your garment change from run to run, which shows up in the stitching.

19. 19

    Where would my order sit in your calendar, and what happens when a larger customer books the same slot?

    Small brands get bumped. Ask directly what share of their capacity your order represents, because being a tiny account in a large factory means slipping dates, and being a large account in a tiny factory means you are the one funding their payroll.

20. 20

    What is your reorder minimum and lead time if this sells?

    Brands negotiate hard on the first order and forget the second, then find the reorder minimum is the same as the original and the fabric is discontinued. Ask whether they will hold fabric for a repeat and what that costs to reserve.