Criterion Sourcing Index
Questions to ask a clothing manufacturer
A first-call checklist covering capability, samples, MOQ, quality, labor evidence, certification, payment, and what happens when production changes.
How to use this shortlist
Begin with the production question, not the promise.
The best first call is not a performance of expertise. It is a structured attempt to learn whether the factory, product, terms, and working style fit one another.
Ask the same core questions of every supplier, then add product-specific questions about fabric, construction, testing, and compliance.
Capability and facility
Ask what the factory makes repeatedly, which machinery and finishing are in-house, and which processes leave the building. Request the legal facility name and address for sample and bulk production.
A sales office, agent, and factory can all be useful, but they are not the same role. Know who contracts with you, who handles money, and who controls the production floor.
Development and approvals
Confirm what the factory needs to begin, who creates or corrects patterns, how grading is handled, which sample stages are expected, and how comments are recorded. Ask whether development fees are credited to bulk.
Define the approval that authorizes cutting. A photographed sample, a couriered sealed sample, and a digital measurement sheet do not create the same control.
Quality and evidence
Ask for the quality plan: incoming material checks, in-line inspection, measurement tolerances, final inspection, testing, defect classification, and remediation. Product-specific evidence matters more than a generic promise.
For labor and environmental claims, ask which facility and date the document covers, who issued it, and whether corrective actions were closed. Certification databases and assessment schemes are inputs to due diligence, not substitutes for it.
Commercial terms and failure modes
Get MOQ basis, all fees, incoterms, payment milestones, lead times, shipping responsibility, intellectual-property terms, cancellation, delay, defect, remake, and dispute terms in writing.
Ask what happens when fabric is late, shade varies, the sample fails, inspection finds defects, or a subcontractor changes. The answer reveals more than an ideal timeline.
Questions for the first call
What to confirm before paying a deposit.
- Which facility will make this order, and what may be subcontracted?
- What similar products do you make regularly?
- How are samples, approvals, tolerances, inspections, and remakes handled?
- Which current labor and certification records cover this facility?
- What are every fee, payment milestone, lead time, and exclusion?
4055 source-backed records
Use the answers to compare factories; do not treat a completed checklist as an audit or guarantee.
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
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