How to Choose a Clothing Supplier for Your Brand

Choosing a clothing supplier is a scoring exercise, not a search for the cheapest quote. Score every candidate on seven criteria — minimum order quantity, sampling speed, in-house process coverage, quality control evidence, audit and inspection access, payment terms, and repeat-order capability — then award the order to the highest total. Our own numbers, so you can score us against them: 50 pcs per color on stock fabric, 200 pcs in total for mixed colors and sizes, 7-day sampling, 30-day bulk from deposit and confirmed sample, T/T, PayPal and Alibaba Trade Assurance, and a written defect rate cap agreed before production starts.

The seven criteria and what a good answer sounds like

Criterion	Weak answer	Strong answer	Weight
MOQ	"Depends, tell me your quantity"	"50 pcs per color on stock fabric, 200 pcs mixed"	20%
Sampling	"Two to three weeks"	"7 days from tech pack plus sample fee"	15%
In-house scope	"Everything"	Names each step and states what is outsourced	15%
QC evidence	"We check quality"	First-piece check, inline, final, needle detection on every piece	20%
Audit access	"Our office will handle it"	Third-party inspection welcome, address published	10%
Payment	"100% upfront"	T/T, PayPal, Trade Assurance, deposit terms stated	10%
Repeat orders	"Same as before, roughly"	Approved sample and pattern kept on file, dye lot matched	10%

Weight the top three — MOQ, QC evidence, in-house scope — because they decide whether the first order survives. Price is not in the table deliberately; it belongs in a second pass after the shortlist.

Criterion 1: can they actually take your quantity?

Ask for three numbers, not one: minimum per color, minimum for a mixed batch, and the minimum for custom fabric. A factory that answers only "our MOQ is 300" is quoting a single scenario and will revise it once your colour split arrives. Ours is 50 pcs per color on stock fabric, 200 pcs in total when you mix colours and sizes, and a higher quantity for custom fabric quoted per style — because the fabric mill's dye minimum, not our sewing line, sets that floor. Then test the answer against your own plan: if your launch is three designs at 60 pcs each, a 300-piece-per-color factory cannot serve you.

Criterion 2: sampling speed and sample honesty

Sampling is a dress rehearsal for the order. Two things to measure. First, does the clock match what they said? Sampling takes 7 days at our factory, counted from the moment we have your tech pack or reference sample and the sample fee. If a supplier says 10 days and delivers in 18, the bulk date is a guess too. Second, do they ask questions before starting? A factory that asks about GSM, size grading and label placement before cutting will not discover those issues at packing. Budget one round and plan for two — the second round is where most launch dates slip.

Criterion 3: which processes are actually in-house

This question separates factories from intermediaries. Our split is specific: cutting, sewing, quality control and packing are all completed in-house, while printing and embroidery are done by vetted partner workshops. The useful signal is not "everything in-house" — it is a precise answer with a stated boundary.

Follow up with one question: who makes the pattern? Pattern making is the process most worth keeping under the same roof as production, because fit problems are pattern problems. It is also why, for stretch styles such as dance costumes and gymnastics leotards, sample rounds matter more than anywhere else.

Criterion 4: quality control evidence, not quality claims

Ask what happens at four points, and write the answers into the order: before cutting, fabric weight, shrinkage and shade are confirmed against your standard; the first piece is measured against the graded spec; inline checks run at the stations during sewing; and final inspection plus needle detection happen before packing. Every finished piece at our factory passes through a needle detector, on every order. Then ask for the defect commitment in writing — we agree a defect rate cap before production starts, and pieces above the cap are remade or credited at our cost. A supplier who will not put a number in writing is telling you something.

Criterion 5: audit, inspection and factory access

A supplier who cannot be visited is a supplier you are trusting on marketing copy. Check three things: is the factory address published, and does a video call show the actual cutting room, lines, QC station and warehouse? Is third-party inspection accepted, with production scheduled so the inspector sees bulk goods rather than a staged sample? Is the equipment list published with machine type, brand and quantity — and if a machine your style needs is missing, is the answer a straight "we cannot run this"?

Anonymised order records by category, quantity, lead time and repeat behaviour are also useful — ours are on the cases page, and the equipment list, capacity figures and certification status are on the factory page.

Criterion 6: payment terms that share risk

Payment structure tells you who carries the risk. Compare:

Structure	Who carries the risk	Comment
100% upfront	Buyer, entirely	Avoid for a first order
Deposit plus balance on shipping documents	Shared	Standard export practice
Deposit plus balance after inspection	Buyer-favoured	Negotiable on larger orders
Escrow / trade assurance	Shared, with a dispute route	Alibaba Trade Assurance sits here

We accept T/T, PayPal and Alibaba Trade Assurance; deposit terms are confirmed with the order. Match the payment milestones to production milestones — the deposit and the approved sample together start the 30-day bulk clock, so pay the deposit while the sample is still in transit to you.

Criterion 7: can they repeat the order?

The second order matters more than the first. Ask directly: what is kept on file, and how is a repeat matched? Our answer: we keep your approved sample and pattern, match the fabric dye lot against the sample on repeat orders, and flag any difference before cutting rather than after shipping. Repeats are also faster than the first 30-day window. If the supplier re-develops the pattern on a repeat, you do not have a repeat — you have a new order with a familiar style number.

The 30-day test: how to run the shortlist

1. Week 1 — Send the same brief to three or four suppliers: reference photo, target quantity, size curve, market, delivery window. Compare their questions.
2. Week 2 — Score the responses against the table above. Shortlist two.
3. Week 3 — Order a sample from both, paid. Measure whether they hit 7 days and how they handle one round of comments.
4. Week 4 — Compare the two full quotes line by line: fabric, consumption, packing, labels, MOQ, lead time, defect terms.

The sample fee is the cheapest part of this exercise and the most informative. Ask for it before sending files, because it depends on the style and the fabric. Our published numbers are on our working terms, and what our lines are set up to run per category is on the capabilities pages. When your brief is ready, send it through the enquiry form and we reply within 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions

Should I choose the lowest price per piece?

Only after the quotes describe the same garment. A lower price usually comes from lighter fabric, fewer operations, a larger minimum or packing excluded from the quote. Compare the fabric spec, consumption, construction, size curve, packing and MOQ first, then compare price. A few percent is not worth changing a supplier who hit their sample date and their measurement spec. Our own published set is on our working terms.

How do I verify a supplier before paying a deposit?

Ask for the factory address, a live video walkthrough and the equipment list, and book a third-party inspection. Check that the company name on the quotation matches the bank account and the business licence, and use a payment method with a dispute route such as Alibaba Trade Assurance for a first order.

What if I am too small for most factories?

Look for a factory that publishes a genuine small-batch minimum. Our entry point is 50 pcs per color on stock fabric, or 200 pcs in total for mixed colours and sizes, and we state plainly that custom fabric needs more because of the mill's dye minimum. Starting on a stock fabric keeps the first order inside the standard rules.