Criterion Sourcing Index
Clothing manufacturing costs for a startup
A working cost model for development, sampling, materials, production, freight, duties, testing, and the cash hidden inside a minimum.
How to use this shortlist
Begin with the production question, not the promise.
The first unit-cost quote is rarely the cost of getting the product ready to sell. Development, patterns, grading, sample rounds, fabric minimums, labels, testing, inspection, freight, duties, and payment timing all sit around it.
For a startup, cash exposure matters as much as margin. The practical question is not “What does one unit cost?” but “How much cash must leave before one sellable unit arrives?”
Separate development from production
Pattern making, grading, markers, tech-pack work, fabric development, lab dips, print screens, and sample rounds may be quoted separately or embedded in a higher unit price. Ask for the structure rather than assuming one model is cheaper.
A reusable pattern or grading file has value only if the contract says who owns it and the files can actually move with the brand. Ask what happens if you change factories.
Translate MOQ into inventory cash
If a minimum applies per style and color, 100 units can become 400 before sizes are allocated. A fabric mill may impose another minimum measured in meters or kilograms. The free MOQ calculator below the Index makes that multiplication visible.
Model the cost of unsold sizes and slow colors, not just the average margin. A smaller run at a higher unit cost can preserve more cash than a low price attached to inventory the brand cannot sell.
Build a landed-cost range
Add development and sampling, bulk product, labels and packaging, testing, inspection, freight, insurance, duties, customs brokerage, warehousing, payment fees, and a correction reserve. Keep taxes and recoverable duties separate according to your business and market.
Use a range because freight, currency, yield, and correction costs move. A target cost is an operating constraint; it is not evidence that a qualified factory can make the specified garment at that number.
Compare cash timing as well as total cost
Two equal totals can create different risk. One supplier may require a large deposit before fabric is ordered; another may stage payments around sample and inspection milestones. Document when cash leaves and what evidence exists at each step.
Do not finance a weak contract with optimism. The cleanest first production plan often has fewer styles, fewer colors, and more room for sampling than the original assortment.
Questions for the first call
What to confirm before paying a deposit.
- Which fees are one-time and which repeat on reorders?
- Are fabric, trim, print, dye, and packaging minimums separate?
- When are deposits and balances due?
- Who pays for failed tests, corrections, or remakes?
- What is excluded from the quoted unit price?
4055 source-backed records
Published MOQs and unit prices are not landed-cost quotes. Obtain written, order-specific terms and model a reserve for changes, defects, freight, and duties.
Portugal
White Cotton
From 75 units
Portugal
Create Fashion Brand
From 50 units
Portugal
Campelo Sá
From 100 units
Portugal
ASBX
From 100 units
Portugal
J. Rodrigues & J.
From 50 units
Portugal
Tricothius
Minimum: confirm directly
Portugal
Trend Trading
From 250 units
Los Angeles, United States
The Evans Group
From 1 units
New York, United States
Made X Hudson
Minimum: confirm directly
New York, United States
Cloth Portico
From 50 units
Chicago, United States
Blue Tin Production
Minimum: confirm directly
New York, United States
Dream Fashion
From 20 units
St. Louis, United States
The Collective Thread
From 10 units
New York, United States
Stateless Factory
From 300 units
Los Angeles, United States
Essentials Made
From 72 units
California, United States
Nature USA
From 250 units
London, United Kingdom
EcoKnitware
From 1 units
United Kingdom
Paul Brown England
From 30 units
London, United Kingdom
Clothing Manufacturers UK
From 50 units
United Kingdom
Hawthorn
From 50 units
United Kingdom
CanvasWhisper
From 1 units
India
Go Organnic
From 300 units
India
Eco Organic Clothing
From 50 units
India
Peyote Knitwear
Minimum: confirm directly
Turkey
Orimpex
Minimum: confirm directly
Turkey
Apparel Manufacturer Turkey
From 100 units
Turkey
TEZ
From 10 units
Vietnam
H.A. Fashion
From 300 units
Bangladesh
QKLOTHING
From 100 units
Pakistan
Mughal Apparel
From 50 units
Pakistan
TextileWays
From 50 units
China
Collective Studio
From 100 units
China
OMJ Apparel
From 50 units
California, United States
PuraKai Clothing
Minimum: confirm directly
New York, United States
21 Production
10-50 Prod
New York, United States
3Crowns Manufacturing
10-50 Prod
New York, United States
5001 FLAVORS
10-50 Prod
Los Angeles, United States
A V inc.
50-100 Prod
New York, United States
ABSOLUTE QUALITY PATTERNS
10-50 Prod
Los Angeles, United States
Accessory Lab
10-50 Prod
New York, United States
Accurate Patterns
Minimum: confirm directly
New York, United States
Adrian Jules
10-50 Prod
United States
AIRCAPTURE®
10-50 Prod
New York, United States
Alan David Custom
Minimum: confirm directly
New York, United States
Albrizio New York
10-50 Prod
United States
Alison Hoenes Design, LLC
Minimum: confirm directly
Los Angeles, United States
Alissas Fashions
10-50 Prod
Los Angeles, United States
ALYYO Clothing Company
10-50 Prod
New York, United States
AMELOTTE INTERNATIONAL CORP
50-100 Prod
Los Angeles, United States
American Brands & Co.
100-300 Prod
New York, United States
AmericanSpandex.Com
10-50 Prod
New York, United States
Antex Group Corp.
50-100 Prod
New York, United States
Apparel Production Inc.
100-300 Prod
New York, United States
ApparelKit
10-50 Prod
New York, United States
Apple Pattern Design Outlet Inc.
10-50 Prod
New York, United States
arena Embroidery Incorporated
10-50 Prod
Los Angeles, United States
ARGYLE Haus of Apparel
10-50 Prod
Los Angeles, United States
ARI JOGIEL
100-300 Prod
New York, United States
Artist Gallery
10-50 Prod
New York, United States
Artsline Studio
10-50 Prod
Ready to build the working shortlist?
Open the maintained evidence—not another static list.
Annual access includes complete verification ledgers, unlimited website matching, and the current verified CSV export. One payment, no automatic renewal.