It is extremely rare to find someone that doesn’t own a T-shirt in this day and age. After all, it is a fashion staple that is not only comfortable and easy to wear but also serves as a blank canvas that can be easily used to make creative fashion statements. Just look at how many high-end fashion labels have even started to use them as an affordably priced entry point to their product lines.
As such, there has never been a better time to launch your T-shirt brand and come up with creative designs that can not only bring profit to your pocket but also make an impact in the fashion community. However, to do this requires you to find the best t-shirt manufacturers in the world and work with them to create the best quality product that can give you an edge over your competitors.
To this end, we’re going to dive deeper into how you can and should go about finding and choosing the ideal manufacturing partner.
What Are The Different Types of T-shirt Production Processes?
When it comes to choosing a T-shirt manufacturer, you first need to take into consideration how much assistance you require from the offset. In other words, do you have experience producing and selling T-shirts or not?
If the answer is yes, then what you need is a manufacturer that offers CMT clothing production (Cut, Make, Trim). However, if you have little to no experience, then you need a manufacturer that can provide you with FPP clothing production (Full Production Package) but for those unfamiliar, let’s break these two models down even further:
- CMT Clothing Production
This method of production is best suited to experienced brands that are confident in their designs, as it allows you to have complete control over the design and packaging process. This also works for brands that have managed to steadily build a positive relationship with the manufacturer to the point that they have managed to create their specific tech pack for the manufacturer to use.
- FPP Clothing Production
Full Production Package (FPP) is the ideal option for new brands and businesses that are still relatively new and lack experience within the clothing industry. This method involves being provided with help in everything from product design to the production of the final garments. It can often prove to be more expensive than CMT production, but it can often provide you with the starting point that you need to get your clothing brand off the ground.
You can also learn more about these types of garment production if you visit Appareify, as the clothing manufacturer effectively offers clothing brands both options to choose from.
What To Consider When Choosing A T-shirt Manufacturer?
When collaborating with a T-shirt manufacturer, effective communication is essential in ensuring that your design ideas are brought to life. To this end, it is important that you carefully consider the type of questions to ask and some of these main aspects include:
Minimum order quantities (MOQs)
It is normal for manufacturers to place a cap on the minimum number of units that you can purchase because the production of smaller clothing quantities can often be more expensive for them to run. To this end, you need to find out what the company’s MOQ is and determine if it can fit within your given budget and inventory needs. There is no point in working with a manufacturer that is unable to offer a reasonable MOQ, otherwise, you risk going over budget and overstocking your products.
Samples
Samples are another vital part of the production process, as they are what will help you to determine if the quality, look and feel of the product is the right fit for your brand. In this regard, it is always a good idea to request the manufacturers that you are considering working with to send you some of their product samples. This can often be the best way to judge quality control, which can reassure you that you need to make a well-informed final decision.
Product Speciality
While clothing factories tend to produce a wide range of garments, it is always best to choose a manufacturer like Appareify that specializes in T-shirt production. This is because such companies can often understand your vision much better and have the precise skills, equipment and expertise that you need to bring your complex designs to life.
Fabric Choice
Any high-quality t-shirt also needs to be practical, which usually depends on the fabric used. For instance, cotton is usually considered to be the best fabric for T-shirt production since it is soft and breathable but most brands tend to blend it with polyester to avoid shrinkage. However, the blend ratios that are used can vary, so you will need to consult your manufacturer to ensure that you make the most appropriate fabric choice.
Brand Ethics
Ethical practices and sustainability are also important factors to consider because a vast number of consumers nowadays value environmental responsibility in their decision-making process. In this respect, you must partner up with a clothing manufacturer like Appareify that uses sustainable fabrics and materials. This also means checking to see how they work to reduce their carbon footprint, any green certifications they may have, etc.
Step-by-Step Process Of Working With A T-shirt Manufacturer?
From product design to bulk production, the T-shirt manufacturing process is usually fairly straightforward, especially if you are working with a dependable clothing supplier like Appareify. All you usually need is to follow the steps below to launch your T-shirt line:
Step 1: Discuss terms and conditions
The first step that you need to take is to reach out to the company’s sales team to discuss your clothing requirements. This means breaking down product specifications, pricing, MOQs, shipping costs, etc. You should also make sure to clarify their policies on how they would normally deal with certain problems like shipping delays, poor quality control, refunds, etc.
Step 2: Review Samples
Once you have put together the product tech pack and clarified all the relevant design specifications, the next step is to move into sample production. You will usually need to pay a small fee for the manufacturer to produce the T-shirts and ship them over to you for review. At this stage, if there are any adjustments that you need to make, you can relay them to the production team until you are completely satisfied with the final design.
Step 3: Bulk Production
Once you confirm the final design is satisfactory, you will need to put down a deposit for the bulk production process to begin. This will usually take anywhere from 10-15 days, on average, but this can sometimes be longer depending on the complexity of the custom T-shirt designs. Once production is complete and you have paid the rest of the due amount, the company will ship the products over and share the tracking information. It’s that simple.
Conclusion
The key to any successful clothing brand is being able to establish a good relationship with a garment manufacturer. And while nobody expects you to know the ins and outs of the industry, especially when you are just starting, it helps to be informed on how things typically operate.
Hopefully, this article gives you a fair amount of insight into what you can come to expect when working with a T-shirt manufacturer. You should also remember to always remain clear and precise when explaining your ideas and vision to a supplier. This will help reduce any risk of time wasting and even product design errors over the long run.
