Working With a Clothing Manufacturer for the First Time
By The Velocity Wear Team
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The process is less mysterious than it looks from outside, and most of the friction in a first order comes from not knowing what information is needed when. Here is the sequence and what you should have ready at each point.
The enquiry
A quote needs five things, and an enquiry missing them produces a delay rather than a price.
- 1**What garment,** including fabric weight if you have a preference.
- 2**How many,** and roughly how they split across sizes.
- 3**What decoration,** how many colours, and where on the garment.
- 4**When you need it,** as a date rather than "soon".
- 5**Where it is going,** since freight and duty depend on it.
If you do not know some of these, say so — a supplier can advise. What stalls a quote is silence rather than uncertainty.
Artwork
Send the best file you have, ideally vector, and say what you want it to look like on the garment. Print size, placement, and whether it must match a brand colour.
A good supplier will tell you if the file will not reproduce well. That conversation at quote stage is worth having properly rather than treating it as an obstacle — it is the cheapest moment to fix anything.
Proof and approval
You will receive a proof showing the artwork positioned on the garment. Check it carefully — placement, size, colour, spelling — because approving it is the point at which the specification becomes fixed.
Approve promptly. This stage is where first orders lose the most time, and the delay is almost always on the customer side.
How to be a good customer
- **Decide who approves before you order.** One person with authority.
- **Consolidate feedback** into one message rather than sending three.
- **Say what you actually want,** including the things you assume are obvious. Nothing is obvious to someone who cannot see your reference.
- **Ask questions early.** A question at quote stage is free; the same question after production is a problem.
- **Be honest about the deadline.** Suppliers plan around real dates and cannot help with an invented one.
What to expect after delivery
Check the delivery properly on arrival rather than putting it away — count, check the size split, and inspect a sample against the proof. Raise anything immediately, with photographs and quantities.
And ask for your specification in writing afterwards: the garment, fabric, decoration settings, placement measurements and any grading. That document is what makes your second order identical to your first, and it is far easier to obtain while the order is fresh.
