It is easy to waste a lot of money when you don’t know much about the hidden cost of clothing production. If you are looking for a more cost-effective way for your next clothing collection, keep reading! I will list some insider tips to help you keep costs down while still retaining cool and funny designs.
1. Keep it simple
If your clothing designs with a lot of different embroidery/ printing/ logo/ trims/ panels or use 2 or more fabrics that will make the cost much more expensive than basic designs that have fewer details.
Below I will take these 2 different sweatshirts as an example to break down the cost:
Cost for boxy fit hoodie:
- clothing cost: US$20
- no extra cost
Cost for zip-up sweatshirt:
- clothing cost: US$20
- elastic band on sleeve cuff and hem: US$1
- zipper: US$0.8
- side stripes: US$2
- chest logo cost: US$0.6
- sleeve logo cost: US$2
- panels on front & back: US$1
- Total cost: US$27.4
The zip-up sweatshirt is 7.4US$ higher than the hoodie which may surprise you. They look similar but the costs are quite different because there are too many details on the zip-up sweatshirt. Having panels, zips, printing logos and etc will mean that your clothing cost more to produce. So keeping the garment designs simple and easier to handle is one of the best ways to make it more wallet-friendly.
But does it mean much more simple designs make your garment be boring? Definitely not! See how we can make your designs outstanding from others.
2. Using fun shapes/ fit
Making your garment with fun shapes/ fit is the easiest and most effective way to bring down the production cost but still keep your attractive.
For example, you can design clothing in oversized style or boxy fit which are 2 of the popular design since 2019. The oversized and boxy fit shape brings a more vintage look to the clothing while you don’t need to invest more money than regular shape clothing. Because the different shapes won’t increase the factory’s workload.
3. Add logos or graphics that are simple and 1 or 2 colors
Adding big, bold graphics or logos makes your clothing more fun and unique. But please remember don’t use graphics that are too complicated and have lots of details. The complex design needs to do DTG printing which is very expensive. (US$2-3 per graphic)
By using big and simple printing, your garment design will make a big impression at a small cost. (US$1-1.5 per logo)
Let’s see some amazing designs that are simple but outstanding:
4. Think about fabrics
A common misconception many beginners have is the heavier fabric, the better quality. However, this is not the truth. A good quality fabric is depending on the composition and the yarn thickness. Heavyweight fabrics don’t mean good quality but mean higher shipping costs. So think more carefully when choosing the fabric weights.
Don’t know how to choose the best fabrics? Here are 2 helpful posts on choosing the right fabrics for t-shirt and hoodie:
How to Choose Fabrics For T-Shirts?
How To Choose Fabrics For Custom Hoodie?
5. Use less branded hardware
MOQ of the branded hardware in China is quite high and here is a list of MOQ for some commonly used hardware:
- custom drawstring: 5,000pcs per color and per design
- custom eyelet: 5,000 pairs per color and per design
- custom metal tag: 1,000pcs
- custom buttons: 5,000pcs
Making branded hardware means you need to pay extra for those small things and also the mold fee (is around US$100-200 each).
6. Using some cheaper accessories
Besides hardware, we have some cheaper accessories for decorating your clothing, such as custom tags, woven patches and tapes, pipping.
In Conclusion:
When you have a very limited budget, if your design is very complex, then you will need to compromise the fabric quality to keep the price under budget. As a clothing manufacturer who has more than 18 years of experience, I recommend not doing over-designing but focusing more on the cutting and fabrics which will keep your customer happy and build brand faith for your future drops.