r/ClothingStartups

Hey everyone, I’m currently developing my first pair of sweatpants for my clothing brand and wanted to get some opinions from people with manufacturing experience.
My manufacturer quoted me $225 USD shipped for 1 sample pair. The sweatpants are 420gsm heavyweight fleece with a custom printed design and a custom embroidered logo. For bulk production, the cost would be $26 USD per pair at an MOQ of 50 pcs.
I’m trying to figure out whether this is normal pricing or if I’m overpaying. For context:
Sample cost: $225 USD shipped for 1 pair
Bulk cost: $26 USD per pair (50 pcs MOQ)
420gsm heavyweight fleece
Custom print + custom embroidery
Premium style sweatpants
Does this seem expensive, reasonable, or cheap?Would really appreciate any insight because I’m still learning the manufacturing side of things. Thanks 🙏🙏

I’m in the process of relaunching my clothing brand. Currently I am cutting out styles and having a local seamstress sew the garments but would like to find a local manufacturer with a low MOQ. Also need a pattern grader, maker and if I can manifest it, a business manager so that I can be creative. Some specifics…
-must be located in NY/NJ or Los Angeles
-women’s RTW
-low MOQ like 20 pieces per style

Also looking for recommendations on any Marts, flea marts, or more upscale marts that folks have sold at and had a good experience. Any tips appreciated. Thanks!!

I started a new fashion brand with a webshop and everything, but I’m struggling to get sales because nobody knows the brand yet. What’s the best way to build a community around it?

I was thinking about posting edits that match my target audience on TikTok and Instagram so people see it on their For You Page and become aware of the brand. But the hard part is getting videos of people actually wearing the products, since I haven’t done any collaborations yet.

Do you guys have any ideas on what I should focus on to start seeing results? And maybe some other viral content ideas besides edits?

I just graduated art college and have got a good following base on my instagram. I have people that want shirts of my art as well as prints and stickers. I was wondering if its worth buying a sublimation printer to make shirts myself at home, or just to outsource ? (I live in Los Angeles) Ive never done anything like this before and was wondering if thats smart, or if I should just try to get it done somewhere that has a dtg printer or dtf printer and get samples of clothes. (I want to make t shirts and hoodies as well as 1 of one pieces like lingerie and bikinis) I may want to buy a nice printer to make art prints and stickers so that i can work from home and ship from home, but im not sure. If anyone has any advice, that would be very helpful !

Hey everyone, I’m currently developing my first premium hoodie for my clothing brand and wanted to get some opinions from people with manufacturing experience.

My manufacturer charged me $156 USD for 1 sample hoodie. It’s a heavyweight premium hoodie with custom details, and for bulk production the cost would be $17.60 USD per hoodie at a MOQ of 90 pcs.

I’m trying to figure out whether this is normal or if I’m overpaying. For context:
• Sample cost: $156 USD for 1 hoodie
• Bulk cost: $17.60 USD per piece (90 pcs MOQ)
• Premium/heavyweight hoodie with custom details

Does this seem expensive, reasonable, or cheap? Also, how much are you guys typically paying for hoodie samples and bulk pricing? Would appreciate any insight because I’m still learning the manufacturing side of things.

Hey guys! I'm trying to get some blanks for tshirts and while I love Shakawear, it IS a little expensive for my budget right now. Does anyone have any recommendations that might be a little budget friendly?

Thanks in advanced! :3

I run a successful apparel brand. I move around 2000 shirts every month and I am looking for other printing options that will print around $6-7 a shirt. Maybe a bit more based on quality. I have a pretty good printing setup that prints on demand but the quality is lacking and I am looking to upgrade. Needs to be 100% cotton shirts.

If you need finding a manufacturer for your clothing line or anything that you want to manufacture in Pakistan let me know and I can help.

Buongiorno a tutti!

Chiunque gestisca un e-commerce o faccia Private Label sa che la parte più stressante non è fare le campagne pubblicitarie, ma trovare una fabbrica affidabile. Spesso ci si scontra con campioni di scarsa qualità, costi di logistica folli o fornitori che spariscono nel nulla dopo il pagamento.

Vi capisco perfettamente perché ci sono passato in prima persona: avendo avuto io stesso un brand in passato, ho faticato tantissimo all'inizio per trovare produttori che fossero davvero seri e all'altezza. Ho commesso errori e perso budget, ma con il tempo, l'esperienza e i giusti contatti sul campo ho imparato come funziona questo mondo e come blindare la produzione.

Da questa esperienza è nata la nostra startup italiana: GoldSource. Aiutiamo piccoli e grandi e-commerce a trovare i produttori ideali, azzerando i rischi per chi produce.

Visto che siamo in fase di lancio e vogliamo raccogliere i primi casi di studio di successo, abbiamo deciso di fare un regalo alla community: offriamo assistenza e analisi di sourcing completamente GRATUITA alle prime 3 persone che ci scriveranno nei commenti o in privato.

Se hai un'idea in mente o se vuoi ottimizzare i costi del tuo prodotto attuale, lasciami un commento qui sotto spiegandomi brevemente cosa produci (o vorresti produrre) e ti aiuteremo a fare chiarezza!

As an apparel brand owner, I am writing this review to warn other independent designers and clothing labels about the severe quality issues and lack of transparency from Dutch Label Shop.

1. The Product Failure (Severe Shrinkage) I purchased 100% cotton labels from this company. Upon the very first standard wash and dry cycle, the labels shrunk and deformed so drastically that they completely puckered and ruined the finished garments they were attached to. A clothing label that cannot withstand standard laundering fails its most basic, fundamental purpose.

2. Complete Lack of Product Disclosure When I confronted customer service, they claimed that shrinkage and deformation are "inherent properties" of cotton and that this information is on their website. However, there is no clear or conspicuous warning on their product pages or during checkout stating that these labels will shrink and ruin garments in a standard dryer. Hiding critical product limitations in vague policy pages is a deceptive business practice.

3. Exploiting Policy to Evade Responsibility Because these labels were used for a merchandise run later than the delivery date, Dutch Label Shop completely refused any meaningful resolution (such as a full store credit or free expedited replacement with a stable material like woven damask). They hid behind their "30-day policy" to avoid taking responsibility for an inherent material defect that can only be discovered after washing. They even deflected blame onto my storage conditions, which is completely irrelevant to fabric shrinkage during a wash.

Final Verdict: If you run a professional clothing brand and care about consistency and quality, DO NOT buy cotton labels from Dutch Label Shop. Their materials are unstable, their product descriptions lack transparency, and their customer service will offer nothing but a small discount to force you to spend more money on their faulty service. Look elsewhere for your branding materials.