Great question! How DO you manufacture a new lingerie brand? Many young fashion designers are drawn to the world of lingerie – they fall in love with the exquisite laces, delicate fabrics, and the intricate details that make high-end intimates so appealing.
Some are graduates of famous fashion schools, others are self-taught. Either way, the road to lingerie design expertise is a labor of love!
After conquering the steep learning curve (think underwire bras), they launch their new label with beautiful hand-made collections, exhibit at costly trade shows, and proudly begin to take orders from new customers…and begin the Herculean task of tackling world of manufacturing.
Now, picture this – you’re back at your desk, trying to make a spreadsheet of mismatched items, multiple colors, random sizes, special orders. It’s like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle without a master picture.
Some of the orders you took are way too small to qualify for wholesale prices but which you nonetheless accepted – why? Because the adrenaline of the show impaired your cognitive skills, you might decide, in between bouts of pulling out your hair.
No, don’t blame yourself. All your orders are going to be small in the beginning. Lingerie can be the most difficult to sell in large amounts. Customers are price resistant. Buyers have most of their budget wrapped up in foundations from large brands, the tried-and-true vendors…only a teeny-tiny portion of their budget is for trying something new. So, you’ve done well to get paper!
Nonetheless, it’s very important to remember, that once they’ve written an order, big or small, your new customers will be very disappointed if you can’t fill their orders. Or drop items. Or deliver late. So, treat every order like gold.
So, we’ve agreed that that starting a lingerie brand is challenging. The product is specialized. The retail price is high. Volume is low. You’re making tiny quantities to begin with. So, how to get it made?
You have 3 options – and TBH all of them come with huge challenges. 1. Set up your own workshop. 2. Find a small atelier. 3. Find a lingerie factory.
First option: Your own workshop. It might be in your basement or apartment or in a rented space. You’ll have to purchase the necessary sewing machines and a long cutting table, at the minimum – likely you have some of the equipment already. You’ll be responsible for all the cutting, sewing, checking, ironing, and packing. Sooner or later, you’ll need to hire staff – especially competent sewers – and pay their wages.
Early on, it might seem like a more flexible way to go – you’re thinking, “Well, I can make a lot of small boutique orders in my own place.” This is true but it can be difficult to scale as the orders get bigger. A seamstress/sewer (or yourself) working alone might find it difficult to sew 100 units – in a variety of styles, colors, sizes – in time to meet the customers’ shipping deadlines.
3 ways to manufacture lingerie.
Second option: finding a small atelier that accepts a few dozen pieces per style. This may eliminate the responsibilities of your own workshop. Be aware that hiring their services might come with sticker shock. Yes, they will cut and sew a few dozen of that silk kimono you sold for $100 wholesale. But obviously, they have to charge you for their seamstresses with an upcharge to cover their costs – you might find that after paying for the fabrics and their charges, you underpriced your garment.
Read this post for a list of small ateliers in NYC.
You’ll also have to commit to a certain amount of extra product. Obviously, the atelier is not going to make exactly the number of pieces on your orders. But it does mean you’ll have a little stock on hand for reorders and to sell for “immediate delivery’ at the next show.
As you get rolling, with some careful juggling, you can get your orders produced with a combo of cottage workers and your own workshop for complicated designs, and a small atelier for basics. Still, the day will come when you land the big fish, the holy grail – the order that is too big to handle in a piecemeal fashion. You will need a lingerie factory.
Caveat! You priced your garments out before going to market, however, it’s hard to predict ahead of time which items will sell and in what quantity. It’s important to do the leg work and examining various pricing scenarios, before going to market! If you’re going to use a small atelier, you’ll need to include extra costs, such as pattern markers, tech packs, and another set of samples as a sewing guide. Any detail you forget will lead to errors in production – and cost you more money.
“One is never overdressed or underdressed in a Little Black Bra.”
Paris, Unhooked Magazine
Finding the right factory to manufacture a new Lingerie Brand.
Lingerie factories are few and far between compared to all the other garment factories around the world. The reason? Lingerie is extremely difficult to make!
Most of the big factories are located in Asia. And they’re huge, producing large quantities at a low price per unit. A mid-sized manufacturer is looking for 1000-2500 minimum order quantities. A large manufacturer, manufacturing for the global brands, would be looking for orders in tens of thousands of units.
You might ask, when we’re actually facing an environmental crisis – yes, it’s true, around 85% of unsold clothing ends up in landfills or burned – why are such large quantities necessary? It comes down to price, of course.
Uh oh, I bet you can see where this is headed. High MOQ’s. (Minimum order quantities.)
“How much does this cost?”
“How many do you want?”
“Tell me how much it costs, and I’ll tell you how many I want.”
“You tell me how many you want, and I’ll tell you how much they cost.”
Quantity versus cost! The ago-old conundrum. The MOQ is the minimum quantity the factory asks you to order to get a certain price on an item, whether it’s a strap, or the complete garment. A lower quantity will have a much higher price. (And don’t you wish you could tell this to your customers when they ask, “Can I test out a couple of pieces of a style?” “Sure, but the price is double!”)
On the flip side, something mass produced will be cheaper per piece but will require a higher quantity. Yes, you’ll save money in a way – but what to do with all of the extra stock? It’s something to be considered.
Why such large quantities? In large factories, the automated machines ensure precision and speed in production and lower the costs.
For example, let’s examine one basic component of a bra: the simple shoulder strap. Anyone who has made a shoulder strap with rings and sliders knows only too well the time-consuming and fiddly nature of that process! (And many designs use multiple straps as a style feature which adds to the complexity.) In a specialized factory, the automatic shoulder strap machine solves the problem – and expense – of the handmade shoulder strap.
The computerized shoulder strap machine only takes a few seconds to produce a strap. It automates the process of cutting, folding, and attaching the rings and slides. And it can produce 6000 straps in one day. The precision of the process eliminates the problem of different lengths of straps, low production, and high labor costs.
Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?
Which is the best method? Design your collection first and then hunt for a small manufacturer? OR find a small manufacturer and learning what their capabilities are before designing your full collection?
Showing your designs first, even in tech pack form, to the factory will give you a helpful reality check. Did you design an underwire bra with boning across the cups, stretch mesh back band, harness buckles, 4 different widths of elastic in different colors with velvet binding and lace trim? And ruffles? A discussion with the production manager will help guide you in a realistic direction.
The Devil’s in the Details
Things to consider. Will you be manufacturing in the same city where you live? That makes a big difference.
Why? Items that you sourced locally when you’re designing your collection are not going to be identical to those available where the factory is located. Meaning, you will either have to supply all the materials to the manufacturer or the manufacturer will need to source materials from their suppliers.
Having the manufacturer sourcing your materials can lead to a significant change from your original sample to the finished production. Some of the differences might include the feel of the elastic or lace, color, hardware…even the thread color. You’ll need to approve the components they have available to make certain they are correct.
However, flexibility and compromise are the name of the game. Maybe the rings and slides CAN be changed from metal to plastic – it doesn’t mean you have sacrificed your artist integrity. Garment costs can skyrocket if you try to ship every component – and shortages can delay production.
Remember, you’re building your brand and every relationship you make is a stepping-stone to your future success!
Read next: 10 Ateliers to make your kickass lingerie collection!
