26 Apr How to Choose Between Domestic and Overseas Clothing Manufacturers
How to Choose Between Domestic and Overseas Clothing Manufacturers
Starting your own fashion line is an exciting and nerve-wracking time. As well as the creative aspect of your business, you also need to focus on the practicalities including how you are going to get your garments made. You will only get so far when you manufacture your clothing yourself, at some point it will become necessary to hire a clothing manufacturer. But how do you choose? You’ve probably seen the articles about how cheap it is to get your clothing made overseas, but is this really the best option? Here we look at the advantages and disadvantages of domestic and overseas clothes factories.
Advantages of domestic clothing manufacturers
When you work with a clothing manufacturer in the UK you are more likely to benefit from a higher quality of manufacture. You can rely on standards being high, and factories in the UK also typically have higher standards of labour practice. One of the advantages clothing manufacturers in the UK offer is it is much easier to communicate with a factory in the UK compared to somewhere overseas, particularly when you only speak English. And it is more convenient to stick to the same time zone, the same holiday structure, etc. With the proximity of the factory being in the UK you don’t need to worry about sky-high shipping costs or have to wait for a long time for things to be delivered.
Disadvantages of domestic clothing manufacturers
You may find that manufacturing costs are initially higher than costs for manufacturing overseas, but once you add in shipping costs it can work out as the same, or cheaper. You may have a smaller choice of people to work with, and you could find that some products are not made in the UK.
Advantages of overseas clothing manufacturers
As previously mentioned, the costs of producing your clothing line overseas will be a lot more cost effective but be aware of shipping costs! You will have a wide variety of manufacturers to choose from as the market has expanded in recent years making it a lot easier to source clothing factories.
Disadvantages of overseas clothing manufacturers
Using an overseas clothing manufacturer to produce your fashion line is not the most straightforward option you have, especially taking into consideration the language barriers and time zone differences. It will be difficult to know the quality of the product you are producing until it is received and paid for. You are also likely to experience cultural differences that could affect how effectively you work together. Import tariffs, high shipping costs, flight/hotel costs when visiting and the length of time to transport are all negative factors.
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