Raven

Hey Guys,

just a quick question...How and where would one source high quality t-shirts like brandless Diesel and guess shirts....top quality gear. I assume those shirts are enzyme washed and destressed etc to give them the super soft feel, but where would one locate manufacturers for them and other prebanded t-shirts like Zara, Guess, Diesel Ed Hardy etc....

Advice please Big guns on forum?

Raven

 

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kaner

they would all be custom made i'd assume

 

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Raven

Ok, from what I have read before yes I agree...but what about other brands of high quality...? the +$50 t shirts? high fashion etc?

 

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mamabloom

I know for a fact that Ralph lauren, billabong, quilksilver, diesel, have their shirts produced in China.
They use various companies throughout China, and lots of other countries too to produce their shirts. So if they have a problem with 1 company or quota problems with importing from 1 specific country etc they can just use another.

 

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mamabloom

Just to add you would be surprised what the Chinese manufacturers can do, literally anything you want with relation to shirt design and effects etc.

They also not only manufacture the shirts for these big companies but they do the screenprints too, or anything else they want. Also they do hangtags, boxes, tissue wraps, literally anything to accompany a shirt.

 

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Raven

The thing is...if it were possible to locate one of the companies that produces these shirts...since they do them in such large quantities wouldnt it be easy to ask them to do some extra and just buy the unbranded shirts from them? sounds a bit naive i know but its just an idea?

 

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4oclockteetime

In the skateboarding world, many companies use China to mass produce the heat transfers which are the graphics that are applied to the blank decks much like tee transfers are applied to tees... they just a different type of heat press. I've dealt with a couple of these companies and they are open to any business as long as you meet the minimum. I found them through a google search... you should try the same and I'm sure it will come up. I emailed them and they responded right away. I would imagine it's much the same for the tee manufacturers there... I'm pretty sure unless they have exclusivity contracts that they don't really care who they make the shirts for as long as you order the right amount... Thats my guess. If you want it, PM me and I will give you the email to the sales contact I was speaking with. Her company does silk-screening work so maybe she would know who to suggest of maybe its one of the things their company does...

 

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mamabloom

Raven, i'm sure it's totally possible. The factories i have dealt with in China normally i found have a minimum order of around 500 items per fabric type (ie all 1 colour, 1 weight of cotton), but if you didnt want to order that much you can ask what big runs they have at the moement and ask if you could use the over runs of the same material.

Not sure if they would just copy an existing companies patterns etc as i personally wouldnt be happy with a manufacturer doing the same with my T-shirt designs. I'm positive super big brands wouldn't either.

There are ALOT of shady people around, so when dealing with overseas orders you gotta be carefull, i dont mean to sound patronising, some people will promise you anything to get you to order.

If you are still interested in sourcing from abroad alot of asian countries have links on their chamber of commerce site. I know on one of the governments sites relating to thailand they have a list of alot of various manufacturers and the big brand names they make for. I once emailed 1 manufacturer on the list whom makes for Ralph Lauren, GAP, Guess, and Versace, they were polite at first and when they asked how much i wanted manufactured they basically laughed at me and demanded to know were i got their email address from !! They were the big boys and didnt wanna know unless i was going to order over 10,000 items !!!!

Not sure where you are based but couldnt you source from the USA if thats were you live? Alot easier.

Hope this helps, all the best.

 

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Raven

Well, im just trying to locate some good quality distressed look shirts at reasonable prices.. Im located in South Africa. Also done quite a bit of searching on washing the tshirts to give them that vintage and silky soft look and feel...just wondering if its as possible to do at home as some of the other people on the forum have mentioned. I dont want to use promo shirts for my fashion designs...looking for a higher quality...not a monarchy or ed hardy etc but something in the proximity of decent quality...i guess its off to google for another 4 hours...seek and ye shall find huh...unless some kind souls PM me some helpful info on how and where i can get this sorted?

 

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karlking85

Mama, I promise I won't laugh at you but...WHERE DID you get their email address??

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mamabloom

Karlking that particular manufacturer was based in Thailand and i found the email via the Thai website which promotes trade within Thailand. Give me a day and i can get the link from my laptop.

Good tip for finding manufacturers, this is for China, each region is known for producing a specific product.(well the specialise in making 1 product) For instance there are regions that produce fantastic jeans, sweaters, etc etc and there is a specific region known for producing T-shirts. SOunds kinda off the wall but it's true. It's in these regions the "big" companies get their shirts from.

But like i mentioned before you gotta research the company & know you can trust them.

I'll find the link and post back.

 

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redkatsourcing

Yes, you can get pretty much anything you want in China. There are minimum quantities, but they are not as large as you would think.

1000 per pieces per color per style is lowest average minimum. You can get a custom fit/ custom color/ custom wash shirt made for less than domestic blanks.

The main consideration with trying to import shirts from China is the quota restrictions on cotton garments. I am not sure what the situation between S. Africa and China. If you want info on US trade you can go to www.cpb.gov

Because of international trade rules, a shirt form a free trade zone can have the same value in materials and labor but be 30-100% less expensive.

 

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mamabloom

KarlKing, i found the website via this :
http://application.depthai.go.th/cen..._id=111#result

If you look under garments here : Thailand 's Exporters Directory by each manufacturer there are what type of things they make, in brackets they mention the brand names they manufacture for. It Takes along time to troll through the whole list .

This is where i found the factory which makes the brand names i stated above. I must stress i have NEVER had any business with any company from this list so cannot vouch for any of them, And also this list is solely for companies in Thailand alone.

Hope this helps

 

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karlking85

Thank you very much, I will definitely check it out. It sounds about as easy to browse as Alibaba.

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redkatsourcing

Quote: Originally Posted by karlking85 Thank you very much, I will definitely check it out. It sounds about as easy to browse as Alibaba.

Yup Alibaba can be a pain.

If you need help finding suppliers in Asia, email me. I live in Shanghai and I work with factories all over the the region.


www.redkatsourcing.com

 

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