Clothing manufacturer in Bangladesh for start-ups
Most first collections are too ambitious for their budget. The way to survive a first order is not to spend more; it is to remove the variables that make small production expensive, then reinvest what the first run teaches you. Here is the route we use with new brands.
- Smallest run
- 100 pieces per style, per colour, via our partner factory
- Best starting products
- Jersey tees, fleece hoodies, simple wovens
- Fabric
- Stock or standard shades, not custom dye lots
- Shipping
- DDP, so your quoted price is close to landed cost
- Before designs are shared
- NDA signed on request
Start narrow, then widen
Two or three styles in two colours will teach you more than ten styles in six colours, and cost a fraction as much. Minimums and set-up costs apply per style and per colour, so a range plan that looks modest on paper can multiply into an order you cannot fund. Sell through the first run, learn which sizes and colours move, then widen the range with real data rather than guesses.
Products matter too. Bangladesh is strongest on cotton knits, so a jersey tee, a fleece hoodie or a simple woven shirt will get you a better garment at a lower price than technical outerwear on the same budget.
What a first order really involves
Development comes before production: pattern making, a proto sample, a fit sample and usually one or two rounds of comments. Sampling is charged separately, and it is where most first-time buyers under-budget. Then bulk fabric, production, inspection and shipping.
Budget for the whole chain, not just the per-piece price: sampling, courier charges, freight, duty, and the packaging and labels your market requires. Our landed cost calculator does the arithmetic so you can see the real number before committing.
- Sampling and pattern making, quoted before development starts
- Bulk production at the per-piece price you approve
- Labels, tags and polybags to your market’s rules
- Freight, duty and clearance, or one DDP price
- A contingency for a second sample round, because first fits rarely land perfectly
The mistakes that cost the most
Four come up again and again. Ordering custom-dyed colours when a stock shade would do, which triggers mill minimums. Approving a sample made in substitute fabric, so bulk feels different. Skipping the pre-production sample, which removes the only agreed standard for judging bulk. And leaving labelling to the end, when a missing composition label in the right language is a relabelling job at your warehouse.
How we work with new brands
You get a named merchandiser rather than a shared inbox, and honest answers about what your budget can produce. If your quantity does not fit our partner factories, we say so in the first reply instead of taking you through three samples first. Small runs are placed with our named partner factory, which is set up for them, and we manage the tech pack, sampling, quality checks and shipping.
Where start-ups usually start.
The production models that suit this route, and what each one includes.
Low MOQ production
Our own partner factories start above small-batch quantities, so we place small orders with our named partner, Collective Studio Ltd. in Narayanganj, from 100 pieces per style and colour.
Private label clothing
Start from proven garment blocks, choose fabrics and colours, and add your labels, trims and packaging. The fastest route to your own brand.
Sampling and product development
Our sample room turns sketches and reference garments into approved samples, with pattern making, grading and technical documentation.
Products we make most for start-ups.
Each category goes to a factory that specialises in it. See what a garment costs delivered before you commit to pricing.
- T-shirtsSingle jersey 140–180 GSM · Midweight jersey 180–220 GSM · Heavyweight jersey 240–300 GSM
- Hoodies and sweatshirtsFrench terry (loopback) 280–380 GSM · Brushed fleece 300–450 GSM · Heavyweight fleece up to 500 GSM
- Woven shirts and bottomsCotton poplin and broadcloth · Oxford and pinpoint oxford · Yarn-dyed checks and stripes
- Caps and headwearCotton twill and brushed twill · Corduroy and canvas · Nylon and recycled polyester
Start-ups: common questions.
How much money do I need for a first clothing order?
There is no single figure, because it depends on the garment, the fabric and how many pieces you order, but the structure of the cost is predictable. You pay for sampling and pattern making first, which is separate from production. Then the per-piece price multiplied by your quantity, which is driven mostly by fabric weight and construction. Then freight, duty where it applies, and clearance. Budget a contingency for a second sample round, because a first fit rarely lands perfectly, and for labels and packaging that meet your market’s rules. The way to control the total is to reduce variables rather than to squeeze the price: fewer styles, fewer colours, stock fabric and a simple construction. Send us your product idea and target quantity and we will give you the real numbers before you commit.
Can I start with 100 pieces and scale later?
Yes, and that is the route we recommend. Small first runs go to our named partner factory, which produces from 100 pieces per style and per colour, cut and sewn from your pattern rather than printed onto ready-made blanks. You get a real garment with your fit, fabric and labels, at a higher price per piece than bulk because set-up and sampling spread over fewer units. Once a style sells and you reorder in thousands, it usually makes sense to move it to a larger factory with its own knitting and dyeing, which is exactly what we do day to day. Keep the pattern, the sealed sample and the fabric details from the first run, because those are what let a bigger factory reproduce the garment rather than reinvent it.
Other buyers we work with
Tell us what you want to make.
Send a tech pack, a sketch or a photo of a garment you like. We reply within one working day with questions or a first costing.
- One merchandiser responsible for your order
- Certificates and audit reports shared before production
- AQL final inspection report before you approve shipment
- NDA signed on request before you share designs