Garment production is quite a complex task. It is a process of designing a product and converting raw materials into finished goods. If you are someone who has no prior experience with the clothing industry, you may wonder: how to design and manufacture clothing? And that’s what we will answer in this article. So, let’s jump right into the details!
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Introduction of Clothing Manufacturing Industry
Before we talk about how to design and manufacture clothing, let’s first get to know about the clothing manufacturing industry. This industry is concerned with manufacturing all types of clothes, starting from uniforms to fashion apparel and OEM clothing.
The history of the clothing manufacturing industry dates back over a century. And over the years, it has gone through some significant technological changes. And today, almost the entire manufacturing process is computerized, and manufacturers are now implementing 3D technologies and robotics into the manufacturing process. But compared to the other clothing manufacturing technologies, the sewing technology is still less automated.
The clothing manufacturing industry has to produce a wide variety of clothing types. However, the clothing manufacturing factories can be broadly divided into three categories:
- Knit Garment Factory: These manufacturers produce garments from knit fabrics.
- Sweater Factory: This type of clothing factory produces sweaters.
- Woven Garments Factory: These factories manufacture apparel from woven fabrics.
The clothing industry is a billion-dollar industry in many countries. And this industry already has a market size of $826 billion globally. Today, the apparel manufacturing industry is marked as one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.
The Critical Roles of Clothing Manufacturers
A clothing manufacturer’s most important role is to manufacture high-quality apparel for their clients. The relationship between a client and a manufacturer heavily depends on it.
It is a clothing manufacturer’s job to oversee the needed equipment and supplies, effective use of labor, and ensure on-time shipping. And the manufacturer has to make sure the production process is going on smoothly according to the business plan.
Since the industrial revolution, mass production of goods was a common practice among all industries because of manufacturing efficiency. The clothing manufacturing industry was also no exception to that.
Because of that, prices of the product fell. And as a result, people’s spending power increased. And this has increased the demand for customized products among consumers. With the advancement of technology, the clothing manufacturing process became much more efficient.
Thanks to the inclusion of smart manufacturing technologies into the clothing manufacturing process, manufacturers are now able to provide “mass customized” clothing at an affordable price. Today, clothing manufacturers are now focused on producing apparel that is individualized and adapted to the different tastes of their customers so that they can get exactly what they want.
Knowing the role of a clothing manufacturer company is good and all, but how to design and manufacture clothing? Well, that’s what I’m going to discuss in the next section.
The Process of Designing and Manufacturing Clothing
So, how to design and manufacture clothing? The entire process is divided into three stages. These stages are described below:
Stage 1: Product Development Stage
This stage starts when you contact a clothing manufacturer for the first time to clear all your confusion about how to design and manufacture clothing and clearly explain to them what you want and how both parties will operate together.
The product development stage includes – developing a business plan by defining goals, budgeting, and target market, making initial sketches of the product, color scheme, and fabric selection. Once the clothing brand has a clear idea of the design, it is time for them to create one tech pack.
Stage 2: Pre-Production Process
The pre-production process involves selecting the right type of cloth manufacturer for your business, sharing your tech pack with the manufacturer, negotiating agreements and payment terms, and finally, approving the pre-production sample.
There are mainly two types of clothing manufacturers – FPP (Full Production Package) and CMT (Cut, Make, Trim). CMT manufacturers are more suitable for clothing brands that have previous experience in working with manufacturers. On the other hand, FPP manufacturers are cut out for businesses that are just getting started.
Stage 3: Clothing Manufacturing Process
Lastly comes the clothing manufacturing process. During this stage, the manufacturer makes sure that the production is going on according to the business plan. They do everything to make sure nothing delays their product delivery time. And that’s everything on how to design and manufacture clothing.
Different Clothing Manufacturing Models
There are mainly two clothing manufacturing models utilized in the garments industry. These are –
- Supply Chain Management (SCM) model
- C2M (Consumer to Manufacturer) model
We’ve discussed both these clothing manufacturing models below. Just have a look at them!
1. Supply Chain Management (SCM) Model
The supply chain management model refers to the management of the flow of services and goods that includes sourcing raw materials to turning them into the final product, to shipping the product to consumers and retailers. And you can apply supply chain management in every clothing manufacturing operation/process/function.
In supply chain management, the movement of resources should be in such a way that the right resources are available in sufficient quantity, at the right place, at the right time and where the process costs at least. And the most important thing in supply chain management is managing resources at a minimum cost.
2. Consumer to Manufacturer (C2M) Model
The next clothing manufacturing model is C2M or consumer to manufacturer model. This model has seen a rise in popularity in recent years, thanks to advances in technology.
C2M is a business model where one end is connected to the customer while the other end is connected to the manufacturer. And as a result, all links in between, such as sales, distribution, inventory, and logistics, can be taken out of the equation.
As manufacturers are directly dealing with customers in this model, this eliminates all the unnecessary costs, which eventually results in customers buying customized niche products at a factory price.
Advantages of Consumer to Manufacturer Model Over Other Models
The main advantage of the Consumer to Manufacturer (C2M) model is that manufacturers are directly dealing with the customer. In this model, interaction with most third parties is completely omitted.
This removes many unnecessary costs manufacturers had to make in other business models. And as a result, manufacturers can provide their customers with higher quality products at a lower cost.
In the C2M model, consumers connect with the manufacturer directly and let them know about the customers’ demand for a specific customized product, rather than manufacturers reaching out to the market with what they can manufacture. This makes this model much more suitable for meeting the need of niche customer demands.
And as the demand for customized and more niche services and goods is increasing among consumers, more and more clothing manufacturers are now adopting the C2M model nowadays.
Conclusion
Now, you know how to design and manufacture clothing. As you can see, it is pretty complex. The clothing design and manufacture process require on-time and continuous communication between both parties so that the production process runs according to plan. Take your time to create a factory-ready tech pack. Having a good plan will help you to avoid any setbacks in the future.
If you are looking for a clothing manufacturer for your business, consider working with Kutesmart. Kutesmart is one of the high-end clothing manufacturers in China and has over 25 years of experience in manufacturing top-quality suits, overcoats, and shirts for kids, men, and women. Moreover, you will have your product in just seven business days, Kutesmart guarantees it.
If you have any queries regarding this company, feel free to contact [email protected], and Kutesmart will assist you in any way.
