Tips on Choosing an Ethical Clothing Manufacturer with Low Minimum Order Quantities
Starting a clothing line can be a gratifying experience, but finding an ethical manufacturer who shares your values is important. Unfortunately, many more prominent manufacturers have minimum order quantities that are out of reach for small businesses.
In this blog post, we'll explore some of the best options for ethical manufacturing with low MOQs. We'll also provide tips on how to find the right supplier for your business.
So if you're ready to take your fashion career to the next level, keep reading!
TIP #1 -Be Strategic With Your Products
Start small and work your way up! When you first start, it's best not to go for the big guns. Instead of working with a traditional factory or production facility that can afford expensive machinery and equipment, look locally at smaller businesses. They may be able to offer what you need at an affordable price point — especially if they have pre-orders Ahead of Time (Ahead Of Launch).
TIP #2 - Treat this process as a numbers game.
When looking for an excellent local sewer or production facility, it is crucial to know the difference between being rushed and being taken advantage of.
You should not just go with whoever offers their service first because they might not be what's best suited to meet your needs in terms of the price range. Before committing yourself to any deal, check around thoroughly so there won't ever again need for another upgrade down the road due to an unfulfilled contract.
TIP #3 - Do your due diligence and thoroughly vet them.
Once you've gone through my list of tips and made sure they are reputable companies, it's time to do some due diligence. I can't emphasize that this step is essential for positively impacting your experience working with them.
There have been many horror stories about getting scammed or receiving products of bad quality. Vet them thoroughly, so no such thing happens again.
TIP #4 - Ask them to make samples.
Lastly, I recommend getting your sample requests approved. It's best to do this before designing a garment entirely from scratch so there won't be any surprises when it comes time to finalize everything together.
This way, you can make samples and iterate on designs without upfront investing too much money in the production process.
And here's a bonus tip, which I also believe is the most important thing to do in this process:
Create and foster a great working relationship with your chosen manufacturer. Treating your partners like they are part of the team will make it easier for you both because there won't be any problems or worries on either side.
It can be challenging to find an ethical clothing manufacturer with low MOQs, but it is worth the effort. By doing your research and reaching out to a few different companies, you should be able to find one that meets your needs.
If you want to take your learning to the next level, check out our Launch Your Brand Program which supports aspiring sustainable fashion founders from idea to profitable brand that makes $20,000+ at launch.
