let me guess You have an idea, maybe you’ve been thinking about it for years.And you’re finally ready to pull the trigger and make your dream of starting a clothing company come true. Problem? The world of apparel manufacturing can feel transported to a foreign country without access to Google TranslateThe truth is, there are many (so many can be overwhelming) ways to create custom apparel. Clothing brands considered) – Cut and sew manufacturer.
But before we begin.
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What is a cut and sew maker?
simple definition
Learning all the apparel industry terminology might seem impossible, but don’t worry, I’m here to help. In this case, the production of a cut-and-sew is actually quite simple, and that’s exactly what it sounds like. It is the process of sewing onto clothes.
Easy to say, hard to do…
Here are some tips when looking for a cut-and-sew, and try looking for a sewing company as well. These are basically their own independent factories or companies that have a network of factories that can help sew apparel.
But aren’t all clothes like that?
Not really.
What can a cut and sew manufacturer not help you with?
Cut-and-sew manufacturers are a great place to get custom-made clothes, but unfortunately they can’t help you with everything you might want to make.
If you plan to make seamless knits, full fashion knits, or shoes and accessories, you’ll need to find someone else with those special abilities.
A lot of startups don’t realize they’re creating styles that fall into one of the three categories, so I’ll take a quick look at them.
seamless knit
Again, these are exactly what they sound like. garment without seams. An example is his two-needle knitted sweater made the old-fashioned way. But now we have machines that can do this, and it’s much more efficient.
full fashion knit
Full-fashion knits are like seamless knits, but with seams. A special machine then joins the pieces together. Note that I didn’t say sew here. The joining process is similar to looping panels together using string (instead of string).
The key thing to remember for seamless and complete fashion knits is to skip the textile phase. Garments are made directly from yarn. No need to cut and sew fabric.
shoes + accessories
Shoes and accessories each require a different set of machines. especially leather goods. Sewing the layers of leather requires a very strong needle and a sewing machine. So, in general, a normal cut-and-sew factory is not a place for shoes and accessories.
What are the top pros of using cut and sew manufacturing services?
Low MOQ!
Or lower MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity). The problem with seamless and full fashion knits is that his MOQ minimums for these types of designs tend to be very high. And in general, high minimums are what small startups want to avoid.
If you find the right supplier, we can cut and sew to give you a very low lowest price and even a one-piece style.
Full Package vs Named Supplier
These are two terms you’ll hear often. And newbies never know what they mean.
complete package
A complete package means that the clothing manufacturer does it all. They will make your pattern, source the fabric, and purchase the poly bags and boxes for shipping.
Basically, they take care of and source everything that has to do with your product.
Nominated Supplier
A nominated supplier is a supplier that you have found yourself. Then tell the factory that you want them to buy fabric, labels and tags, buttons, or something else from that person.
For sourcing help, check out this post.
See behind the scenes of how a cut and sew factory operates
There are four main areas in the cut and sew factory and sample room. Well, there are actually a lot of small steps happening in between, but there’s a lot of information in this article, so I’ll keep it simple for now.
Production orders pass through four zones in the factory: fabric inspection, cutting, sewing, and quality assurance.
fabric inspection
This is a very critical step in the process and tends to be omitted in some small sampling rooms. In this step all fabrics are unrolled and checked for defects.
Now the fabric factories should also check the fabric for damage before sending it to the factory.However, it is also important to double check when the fabric is received by the factory.The factory does a great job with inspections. or it may have been damaged in transit.
cutting
In a small sample run, cut each layer of fabric individually with giant scissors. But when making hundreds or thousands of pieces, the factory stacks the fabric and uses a chainsaw to cut through all the layers. Yes, I said chainsaw.
sewing
In a small sample room, usually only one person sews the entire garment.
However, in a large factory, one person may be in charge of sewing the right sleeve and the other is in charge of sewing the collar. This is because in order to be more efficient, large factories require a high degree of specialization in sewerage. So they perfect her one task over and over again.
quality assurance
This is another very important step. Quality assurance is the final step. This is where the factory checks the final garment. They look for things like loose threads, quality seams, and even broken seams that may be caught in the seams.
How to find and vette the perfect cut and sew maker for your brand
What’s my top tip? Don’t settle for just being the first person to take your order. You might be tempted to go with the first person who doesn’t say, “Sorry, your order is too small for us.”
However…
Do yourself a favor. And shop around.
Get some quotes and make sure you’re comfortable with the vibe of the people you work with.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (like a true manufacturing broken record I made). Supply Her Chain Working with her partners isn’t just about hiring someone. Hire people who will be key members of your team.
See our current product range
Another thing you’ll want to spend a lot of time on when hiring a cut and sew factory is to take a good look at their current product range. A raincoat may not be the best choice for you.
ask about the machine
This goes back to the type of product. Some types of products require special machines. Swimsuits are a prime example of this. The factory needs what is called a flatlock machine. This machine keeps the seams very elastic and prevents them from tearing.
get reference
Oh, hi, it’s me, Boken Records, here again. I’ve said this probably 20+ times on this blog. But in case you’re new here, or just in case you forgot – always, always, clog reference.
Some work may need to be outsourced
Think embroidery, sublimation printing, screen printing, buttonhole making, and more. All this kind of work may need to be outsourced to other industry professionals.
Kind of crazy, right? There are people in this industry who have an entire (successful) business just making buttonholes.
When you start working with factories, always remember to be clear about what they do in-house and what they subcontract.
And as always…
Let us know what you think in the comments!