Here's how to quality check your clothes once you receive them...
As the brand owner, it's your job to check your garments when you get them back from your clothing manufacturer!
No customer ever purchased a badly stitched T shirt and then blamed the manufacturer. Nope...if the quality is bad, they blame the brand.
It can be really damaging for your brand if you send out garments that are not up the the expected quality level. This often stops future purchases and erodes customer faith in the brand that you've spent months and years trying to build up.
But, don't worry...there is a way to check your garments properly and I'm going to tell you how!
Take a look at the example below, this is what a QC (quality check) station looks like in a large garment making factory:
As you can see above the quality checking process is a manual one (amazingly, even in larger garment factories this is still done by hand). Any decent clothing manufacturer will ensure your items go through this process before sending the garments to you, however it's easy for small things to slip through the net. It's a human process and humans make mistakes!
So how can you maintain faultless quality standards for your clothing brand? It's down to you...
Here's how to quality check your garments at home:
1. Ensure you have a large space to check your garments. You will need a large table with lots of space around it for boxes.
2. Make sure you have a pair of sharp scissors to hand to snip off any loose threads. Although most of these should have been trimmed in the factory quality checking process, it's easy for a few to slip through the net.
3. Prepare 'stations' for yourself to make the workflow more efficient. You'll want all of your packaged garments on one side of you, the large table in the middle (with your laptop handy so you can check off your finished styles) and an empty box on your other side to put checked items back into.
4. You may also want a steamer handy. This is because manufacturers often pack your garments very tightly into boxes to save money on shipping costs for you. This means that your garments may be a little creased when they arrive.
Following the above steps will make a big difference in the quality of garment that you send out.
There are different levels of quality!
At Hook and Eye UK, we manufacture at an AQL (Average Quality Level) of 1.5 which is really good. Most low MOQ manufacturers only manufacture to an AQL of 3-4 which is actually pretty low. This means that what is deemed as okay to pass QC in the factory might not meet your standards.
Unfortunately once you've received delivery from the manufacturer, there's not much you can do about small errors in regards getting a re-make from the manufacturer. You can, however, at least stop your customers from receiving bad product by not sending them out.
Remember that you really get what you pay for in garment manufacture. If you're getting a really low cost for manufacture, the reason is usually that the quality is low!
What are you looking for when you quality check your garments at home?
Because we love you so, here's our very own industry-leading quality check list:
If you follow this process, any garments that you send out to your customers will be ship-shape, saving you a load of time and money on dealing with returns and unhappy customers.
First impressions are everything!
Once you have quality checked your items, make sure your packaging is on-point. We opt for a biodegradable tissue paper & tape, reusable ribbon and recycled boxes!
Here's how it looks:
Always remember that the first impression you give to your customers is vital. Very often their first physical interaction with your brand is the packaging, so take time to make sure it's looking good.
In conclusion:
Always check your garments before you send to your customers. Don't just rely on your manufacturer's quality controls, as often mistakes can go unnoticed.
Once you've done your own checks (using our handy check list), make sure your customers have the best possible experience by using some exciting packaging that reflects the quality of your brand!
We provide consultation time to provide you with non-biased advise to help you through any clothing design or manufacture problems!! Just get in touch!
Love Joss H&E xx
P.s We're here for you if you have questions drop us a WhatsApp on +447939591255