Ready to bulk manufacture your clothes? Follow our simple checklist below to make sure it's done right.
Taking the leap to bulk manufacture your clothing collection often feels daunting. It can cost thousands, and for most clothing brands, it's a really sizeable financial investment. Follow our checklist below to make sure you're as prepared as possible when you commit to bulk clothing manufacturing, so that you get the best possible results (and avoid expensive mistakes!).
So here it is - your ultimate checklist before sending your clothes to be manufactured in bulk.
1. Make sure your tech packs are airtight
If you're about to bulk manufacture your clothes, it must mean you've had your clothing samples back, you're happy with them and you want to move to the next step, which is bulk manufacture.
Here's the key. Make sure your tech packs exactly match the sample that you're using.
Why?
Clothing manufacturers make lots of samples for lots of different clients, so you can't rely on the manufacturer remembering exactly how the your samples were made. If anything was tweaked in the sample, or done differently to the initial tech pack information, make sure you update all the comments in the tech pack and send over an updated version.
Tech packs are the blueprint for manufacturing; if you're not sure that your tech packs are 100% correct, don't proceed to bulk manufacturing - it will cost you so much in the long run.
To make sure your tech packs are air tight, check out one of our previous blog post which explains how to make tech packs the right way by clicking here!
2. Explore bulk clothing manufacture pricing options
There are two main ways to decrease the cost of your bulk clothing manufacture.
- Picking your main clothing designs and increasing the number of units for those whilst cutting the designs that are not as strong (generally the higher the number of units ordered per design, the cheaper your manufacturing unit price will be).
The chart below shows a quick comparison of costs and timings for Sea Freight vs Air Freight to transport your clothes after bulk manufacture:
3. Sample testing and review
You will need to thoroughly test your clothing samples. Wear them, wash them and see how they perform and feel.
You are basically doing a test run of all your garments so you know exactly what your customers will be getting when they order from you. So make sure the garments are fit for purpose and comfortable - it's your job as a brand owner to make sure you find and resolve any problems before you sell your garments to the public.
The last thing you want (both for your sanity and your bank balance) is to spend thousands manufacturing your garments in bulk, sell them, and then have to deal with loads of returns and refunds because your clothes all shrink on the first wash.
4. Get first impressions and feedback from your target market BEFORE bulk manufacture
Getting good feedback before you commit to manufacturing your clothes in bulk can save you a small fortune. But first, let's clarify an important point - your Mum and your Granny are NOT your target customers. They might give advice, but it's rarely the feedback you need when it comes to designing and selling clothes! It's essential to gather feedback from your actual audience when designing and selling clothes. To do that, you can use your social media channels to get feedback on your samples and then review the responses you get. If you want your designs to resonate with your customers, it's key to get feedback from your ideal target market before you make the big decision to commit to bulk clothing manufacture - that way you'll be producing clothes that your ideal customers actually want to buy.
5. Book your photoshoot and plan your marketing budget
The saying 'a picture is worth a thousand words' is true; the imagery you use to show the world your garments plays a huge part in successfully securing sales, especially when it comes to e-commerce stores.
Quality clothing commands a higher price point, which is great. But in order to sell, you need to make sure you can back up the quality of your garments with high quality imagery and marketing collateral. Fashion is a crowded space, so you need to ensure that all of the imagery you use to show your designs is really high quality!
Many brand owners like to use their samples for photoshoots whilst their bulk manufacture is taking place - this way you can start building up a strong social media presence as well as set up your e-commerce store. But here's some key advice - don't book your photoshoot until you have samples that you are happy with, in-hand! These shots will be key for showing your customer exactly what they are getting, so if you're still waiting on final samples, don't book the photoshoot.
Sampling development is a fluid process so don't get caught out by assuming your samples will arrive on time or will be perfect first time round - if there's something you need to change or the shipment is delayed, pre-booking a photoshoot could be a big waste of time and money.
What you can do whilst you're waiting is start making connections and planning photographers, models and locations. Here's our guide on how to get your clothing photoshoots done properly.
6. Design well in advance
The best thing you can do when starting a clothing brand, is to understand the process and the timescale you are working to. Brands will often design at least 6 months ahead of the planned release date to take into account the full clothing development process. Plan your items well in advance and sample as soon as you can; give yourself room for decision making and allow for mistakes, making sure you don't rush into bulk clothing production before you're ready.
In Conclusion: Review this bulk clothes manufacturing checklist before you produce your garments in bulk!
Here's a handy summary of all the points:
At Hook and Eye UK we guide you through the whole clothing design and manufacture process from tech packs to sample review to bulk delivery. To find out more about our process, check out our blog post here that explains all the steps of starting a fashion brand.
Or, if you're looking to get your clothing designs and tech packs made in the right way, in our tech pack and design sessions we help you utilise all of the tips above to build collections with lasting quality. Click here to book a tech pack and design session.
Love Joss & the H&E team xx