Start with the conclusion: the first step in starting a clothing brand is not finding a factory — it is writing down three things: who you sell to, at what price, and how many styles in the first drop. Those three decide what kind of factory you need, whether the MOQ can be negotiated, and how your first-order budget splits. Find a factory before answering them and the usual outcome is a quote you cannot judge and a question you cannot answer: "how many pieces?"
1. Answer three questions before talking to any factory
| Question | Why it decides which factory |
|---|---|
| Who do you sell to? (customer and occasion) | Sets style complexity and craft level. Everyday basics demand capacity and consistency; design-led fashion demands a strong pattern room and sampling. These are not the same factories. |
| At what price? (retail price and cost ratio) | Garment cost typically runs 15%–30% of retail depending on channel. Work backwards to an acceptable ex-factory price so you can judge a quote rather than just accept it. |
| How many styles, how many pieces each? | Directly determines whether a low MOQ is negotiable. Many styles at small volume per style push up changeover losses; three or four styles taken deeper beats ten styles spread thin. |
An arithmetic step people skip: retail 100, cost ratio 25%, so target ex-factory is about 25. If a factory quotes 35, it is not necessarily expensive — your price band simply does not match their craft level. Changing factory is often more effective than bargaining. Work out that line first.
2. What you do yourself, what the factory does
- Do it yourself: brand positioning, visuals and content, customer communication, sales channel. These are brand assets; outsourcing them means outsourcing your lifeline.
- Give it to the factory: pattern making, grading, fabric sourcing, production, inspection, packing. These are where a factory's scale advantage lives, and doing them in-house costs far more.
- It depends: design. With clear design definition, go OEM (you supply the design and pattern). With only a direction or references, go ODM or private label and adapt the factory's range and patterns.
3. Five routes to a factory, and the trap in each
| Route | Strength | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Visiting a manufacturing cluster (Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Humen) | See real capacity, pattern room and floor; best judgement | Time-consuming — book ahead and prepare a style direction, or you will see only two or three a day |
| B2B platforms (Alibaba International and similar) | Wide choice, comparable quotes | Factories and trading companies are mixed together and quote on different bases |
| Peer or buyer referrals | High trust, low communication cost | The referrer may earn commission; still verify independently |
| Search engines and content platforms | You can assess professionalism first — whether they explain craft clearly | Ranking does not mean fit; verify the business licence and factory address |
| Trade shows (Canton Fair, fabric fairs) | Meet many suppliers at once | Crowded and shallow; easy to leave with only a stack of cards |
4. How to write an enquiry that gets a serious reply
Factories receive a flood of messages like "hi, do you make womenswear?" and those go to the bottom of the pile. An enquiry that earns a serious reply usually contains five things:
- Who you are: brand, channel (own site / marketplace / retail), target market.
- What you want made: category (dress / blazer / trousers / skirt / top), style direction, reference images or sketches.
- Volume: number of styles and pieces per style for the first order — even an estimate.
- Timing: when you need samples and when you need goods.
- What you can supply: design files, whether you provide fabric, whether the factory should source it.
Replace "I want to make womenswear, how much?" with those five points and your reply rate changes noticeably. A factory judges whether an enquiry deserves investment on exactly three things: is the need specific, is the volume workable, is the communication professional.
5. Sizing the first order: styles, pieces, timing, budget
- Styles: three to five to start. Too few and you cannot read market preference; too many and you spread your marketing thin.
- Pieces: small trial batches can start from about 50 pieces per style, with a sensible size ratio (S/M/L dominant, fewer at the extremes) to avoid selling out mid-range while extremes pile up.
- Timing: from design sign-off to first delivery, allow sampling (3–5 days) plus revision rounds plus bulk (10–20 days) plus shipping. In peak season, book capacity two to four weeks earlier.
- Budget: first-order budget = bulk payment + sampling fee + fabric and trims (if you supply them) + logistics and duty. Keep an extra 10%–15% for revisions and losses.
6. First-order checklist
- Verify existence and capacity first: business licence, factory address, whether the pattern room is in-house. Ask for a video walkthrough or visit in person.
- Refuse all-in low pricing: what the quote includes (fabric, trims, labour, craft, packing, freight) must be itemised, or there is room to add on later.
- Sign a PP sample: the signed pre-production sample is the single acceptance standard; cutting starts after first-piece approval.
- Agree inspection and after-sales: inspection method (AQL 2.5 is common), defect handling, and the reporting window (typically within 48 hours of delivery).
- Protect the design: an NDA can be signed, restricting your samples and process documents to your own order.
- Tie payment to progress: typically deposit plus balance before shipment, negotiable with depth of cooperation — never let payment run far ahead of production.
Frequently asked
- What is the first step in starting a womenswear brand?
- Answer three questions first: who you sell to, at what price, and how many styles and pieces in the first order. Those answers decide which type of factory fits, whether MOQ is negotiable, and how the budget splits. Skip them and you will struggle to judge a quote or answer the factory's question about quantity.
- Does a new brand need a very high MOQ?
- Not necessarily. Small trial batches can start from about 50 pieces per style, depending on style, fabric and craft. Styles that use the factory's existing fabric and pattern usually carry a lower MOQ; fully custom work (your own fabric and pattern) carries a higher one. The key is to take a few styles deeper rather than spreading across many.
- How can I tell a factory from a trading company?
- Look at three things: whether they can provide a business licence and factory address, whether the pattern room and production floor are in-house, and whether they can arrange a video walkthrough or a visit. Trading companies are not unusable, but you should know which cost layer they add and which functions they take over, such as coordinating multiple lines and following up on quality.
- Do I have to pay a sampling fee on a first project?
- Usually yes. First-sample development is quoted separately by complexity, typically a few hundred RMB per style. Once a bulk order is confirmed, most factories deduct the sampling fee from the bulk payment at an agreed ratio. Put both the fee and the deduction in the quotation to avoid later dispute.
- What budget should I prepare for a first order?
- First-order budget = bulk payment + sampling fee + fabric and trims (if you supply them) + logistics and duty. Keep an extra 10%–15% on top for revisions and losses. Working backwards is more useful: set retail price and cost ratio first (garment cost is typically 15%–30% of retail), then derive an acceptable ex-factory price.
- Will a factory copy my designs?
- You can sign an NDA restricting the samples, drawings and process documents you provide to production of your own order — not copied for third parties, not leaked, not sold. This is standard practice in the trade and a reputable factory will not refuse it.