How to Find the Right Activewear & Sportswear Manufacturer for Your Start-up Brand?

 

Activewear Manufacturer

 

Finding the right factory is critical to success when starting an activewear or sportswear brand. Choosing the right factory will directly affect your development progress, production cost, product quality, delivery date, customer feedback, after-sales service, etc. 

In the book “THE FASHION BUSINESS MANUAL,” we can see that production accounts for 24% of the total, which shows that it is essential to find the right factory to produce your products.

FASHION BUSINESS MANUAL BOOK

 

In this article, we’ll explore some basic ways to help you find the ideal factory that matches your brand.

Let’s find it out!

 

Clear The Requirements

First, you must clarify your brand style, product design, target quality, and price, which will help you be more targeted when looking for suppliers/factories.

 

Channels to find suppliers/factories

  1. Friend introduction: Communicate with people in the industry of activewear and sportswear. Through interaction with them, you can get some suggestions and recommendations. This is the fastest and most effective way.

  2. Exhibitions: Always pay attention to exhibitions in local or nearby cities. Many factories or suppliers participate in shows in various countries and regions annually. At the presentations, you can communicate face-to-face with suppliers and genuinely see their quality and service to quickly understand product quality, workmanship, fabrics, and prices.

  3. Google search: By searching product keywords on Google, such as “activewear manufacturer in China,” “sportswear factory,” and “gym wear supplier,” you can find the official websites of some factories. You can learn about the factory’s primary products and situation and get contact information.

  4. B2B platform search: Search for keywords on well-known B2B platforms, such as Alibaba, Made in China, etc. These B2B platforms have settled in many suppliers, but you need to browse and initially evaluate multiple stores patiently.

  5. Social platform search: Search for keywords on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, Twitter, TikTok, etc. Affected by the epidemic in the past two years, many factories could not go abroad to participate in exhibitions and visit customers. They began to learn to use the Internet for marketing. We can see all kinds of information about the factory on social media accounts, including text, pictures, and videos, to comprehensively understand the factory.

 

Initial Communications

  1. Asking Questions: By requesting the factory a few simple questions, such as the brands that have been cooperated, company size, factory introduction, product catalog, minimum order quantity, sample and production lead time, etc., you can determine whether the two parties are compatible. If your order quantity is small initially, working with a prominent manufacturer is challenging since their production schedule and capacity are full. Even if they took the order, they may produce it with a subcontractor. At this time, the quality and delivery time will be challenging to control.

  2. Express Your Requirments: After understanding the supplier’s situation, you can also express your product requirements and concern, such as quality requirements, order quantity, target price range, target consumers, etc., to see if the supplier can quickly understand your needs and evaluate their service capabilities.

  3. Make A List: After communicating with multiple suppliers, it is necessary to make a list now. The content of the list includes the supplier’s name, address, contact information, website, main products, approximate price, etc.

  4. Grade ABC: According to preliminary communication, select 2-3 factories you are satisfied with from the list, which can be classified into ABC grades based on satisfaction and other factors. Provide quotations for 3-5 typical styles, which can preliminarily evaluate whether the factory’s price meets your targets.

  5. On-site Visit: You can visit the supplier on-site to learn more about the situation of the factory in an all-around way.

 

Make Some Samples

Sample development is an excellent stage to evaluate suppliers before placing an order. You can choose 1-2 factories to make some samples.

  1. Select 1-2 interested factories to make some samples. Through sampling communication, you can know the factory’s ability and service.

  2. After receiving the samples, you can compare the quality and price.

  3. Finally, select the most satisfactory factory to place a small order.

 

Try A Samll Order

All cooperation requires both parties to work together. If you start working with a new supplier/factory, it’s too risky to place a big order.

  1. Try a small order from the sampled factory.

  2. After one trial order, you will better understand the factory, including price, product quality, service, etc.

 

Establish long-term cooperative relationships.

  1. Choose the most suitable factory from small order cooperation, maintain a long-term cooperative relationship, and maintain good communication.

  2. In the case of a small order quantity, give the factory an appropriate price and a reasonable profit to ensure a win-win situation for both parties to get the maximum support from the factory.

 

In conclusion: 

Finding suitable suppliers is a long-term process that requires constant contact, management, and supervision with them through initial communication, follow-up development, and production to ensure stability and quality.

 

By Geo Garment Team | Updated on July.20, 2023

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