Fabric mills, garment factories and cut-make-trim shops are different businesses that can be listed under one heading. A brand looking for a garment maker also has to know who supplies the fabric and how much of the work is passed on. This page sets out how we research candidates for apparel production, and what the comparison and source log tell you.
In apparel the stated factory can be only the first of several hands. A garment may be cut in one place, sewn in another and finished by a third. The brief fixes whether you need cut-make-trim only, a full package including fabric, or a fabric supplier, because the screening differs for each.
Subcontracting that a company's own materials suggest is recorded as an inference; where they say nothing it is unavailable.
Public sources do not show working conditions or sampling discipline. Social compliance reports a maker states it holds are recorded as stated by the company and are not assessed.
Candidates are compared on the points where a garment job depends on what the maker itself states.
Knit or woven, outerwear or basics, tailoring or sportswear: factories state a specialism and the review records which one fits the product.
Whether the maker sources fabric, uses client-supplied fabric only or owns a mill, and the minimum per fabric or colourway it states.
Whether pattern making and grading are stated as in-house, and for which size ranges.
The number of sampling stages the company describes and whether samples are charged, as stated by the company.
Organic, recycled or similar statements and the certificates behind them, as stated by the company, with the issuer named on each document.
Garment minimums can be smaller than fabric minimums, so the search checks which of the two binds.
Consistency of fabric lot and colour matters most; the comparison reads what the maker states about fabric sourcing and colour matching.
Companies that state cut-make-trim only are separated from those that state they also source fabric, so the two models are not set in one column.
Research reports what can be established from public and provided sources. It is not a guarantee about a counterparty's future conduct and not legal advice.
No. Auditing or rating conditions is outside the service; reports a maker states it holds are recorded as stated by the company.
No. The service finds and compares manufacturers; buying is outside it.
No. It holds candidates matching the criteria in the sources reviewed.
No obligation. We read your request and reply with a straight answer.
Tell us what you need to find out and by when. We confirm scope before any work starts.
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