How to choose a clothing manufacturer: questions to ask before ordering

Choose the manufacturer that can show you proof for each answer it gives, not the one with the most confident reply. Ask every shortlisted factory the same questions, in writing, against the same tech pack, then check the answers that can be checked. The list below is built for a brand that already has a tech pack and is comparing three or four factories.

This guide is written by Plummy Venture, a knitwear, activewear and headwear manufacturer in Bangladesh. We are one of the factories you may be comparing, so the questions apply to us as well. Where we state facts about ourselves they come from our own records and are not an independent audit.

1. Who actually makes the garment?

Start with ownership, because it decides who is accountable when a size set fails or a ship date moves.

• Which legal entity will sign the order and issue the invoice?
• Does that entity own or lease the production unit, or does it pass orders to other units?
• Is any stage, such as knitting, dyeing, printing or embroidery, outsourced? If so, to whom?
• Can you see the production floor by video call or visit, and will the factory name the unit that will make your order?

A factory that outsources is not automatically a poor choice. You need to know where each stage happens so you can ask for the right inspection and test records.

2. Does the factory fit your product?

Match the factory's machines and fabrics to your garment before you discuss anything else. A factory built for woven shirts is the wrong place for a fleece hoodie, however good its references.

• Which of your fabric constructions has it knitted or sewn before: jersey, pique, rib, interlock, fleece or French terry?
• How many lines and machines run your garment type, and which stitch types do your styles need?
• Does it buy yarn or fabric, or knit in house? This changes who owns fabric quality problems.
• Who develops samples, and are they made on the same lines as production?

3. Can it prove safety and compliance?

Ask for documents, then check them at the source instead of relying on a PDF.

• Building and fire safety in Bangladesh. Factories that took part in the post-Rana Plaza safety programme are covered by the RMG Sustainability Council, which took over from the Accord in 2020. The Accord factory search lists inspection reports and corrective action plans for covered factories. Look up the unit by name and address. A recognition letter is not the same as a safety certificate.
• Chemical and product certificates. If a factory shows an OEKO-TEX label, verify the certificate number with the Label Check tool on the OEKO-TEX website and compare the product scope and expiry date with your actual garment. Certificates expire, so an old copy proves little.
• Labelling rules for your market. For the EU, fibre composition must appear on the label under the textile labelling regulation, using approved fibre names and the language of the country of sale. Ask who prepares the label content and who checks it. The UK has its own rules, so confirm them for UK sales.
• Export documents. Ask which export and shipping documents the factory issues and which Incoterm it quotes. Plummy Venture quotes FOB Chittagong, with CIF on request.

4. How does it control quality?

• Does it have a testing lab on site, and which tests does it run: colour fastness, shrinkage, strength?
• At which stages is the garment inspected: yarn or fabric, in line, final?
• What happens to a failed batch, and who pays for rework or replacement?
• Will it send a pre-production sample and measure it against your size chart before bulk cutting?

5. How does it communicate?

Slow answers during sampling predict slow answers during production. Send a real enquiry and note how long the first reply takes, who replies, and whether the reply answers your questions or restates its brochure. Plummy Venture replies to a first enquiry within one business day.

6. Compare the answers side by side

Put the replies into one table so differences are visible. These are the rows we would use.

Leave a cell empty if the factory did not answer. An empty cell is information.

What Plummy Venture can state about itself

These facts are from our own records. Verify them the same way you verify any other factory, and ask for the supporting documents.

The managing family previously built Plummy Fashions, a LEED Platinum knit factory, and Headgear, a Bangladeshi cap brand. That is leadership experience. It is not the client history of this legal entity.

What to send with your enquiry

A comparison is only fair if every factory gets the same brief. Use the RFQ guide to prepare it, and send at least:

1. Your tech pack and size chart for each style.
2. Fabric type and weight, colours and any required tests.
3. The quantity you expect per style and per colour, and any later reorders you expect.
4. Labelling and packing requirements for your market.
5. Your target ship date and delivery address.

Quantities and timing are discussed after your enquiry, since they depend on style, fabric and order size. To send ours the same brief, write to us through the contact section.

Once you have a shortlist, send each factory the same enquiry so the quotes can be compared.