In short
Private label means clothing made to a proven block in your fabric and colour, finished with your labels and packaging. You own your branding and any colours you develop; the factory keeps the block. Labels must show fibre content, and in the US also the country of origin. Each style is quoted from your tech pack.
Want a costing for your own style? Send us your enquiry
Private label means clothing made in Bangladesh to a block whose fit is already proven, in your choice of fabric and colour, and finished with your labels, tags and packaging. You own your branding and any colours you develop; the factory keeps the block. By law your label must show the fibre composition, and in the US also the country of origin. Every style is quoted from your fabric and branding choices. This guide explains what you get, what you own, what your label must say by law, what it costs and where first orders go wrong.
What private label means, and what it does not
Four terms get mixed up, and the differences decide what you pay for and what you own. Private label: the factory's proven pattern, your fabric and colour choices, your branding. White label: the same garment sold to several brands with only the label changed, usually from stock. Full package (FOB): the supplier makes your design from your tech pack, sourcing fabric and trims. OEM: exactly to your specification, with patterns developed for you and owned by you. Private label sits between white label and full package: more choice than stock, less development than your own design. Our private label service page lists what is included; FOB, CMT and full package explains the production models.
What you own, and what the factory keeps
Your logo, label artwork, hangtags, packaging and any colour you develop are yours, and we do not show them to or reuse them for other buyers. The block, the base pattern the garment is cut from, belongs to the factory, which is why private label is quick and inexpensive to start and why the same fit can appear under other labels. If exclusivity of fit matters to your brand, the route is OEM development, where a pattern is made for you and stays with you. Many brands start private label to test a category and move their best sellers to their own blocks later; the sealed samples and lab dips from the first run carry across.
The five steps
- Pick base styles and fabrics. A tee, polo, hoodie, jogger or woven shirt from proven blocks, in a fabric weight and composition that suits your product and market; our fabric and GSM guide helps here.
- Send logo and label artwork. Vector files, Pantone references for fabric and trims, and the fit you want: approve the factory’s block, or send a reference garment to compare against.
- Approve a branded sample. Made in the bulk fabric with your labels and tags; once approved it is sealed and every inspection is judged against it.
- Production and inspection. Fabric inspected before cutting, inline checks on the line, a final random inspection to ISO 2859-1 with the report sent to you before shipment.
- Delivery. FOB Chattogram if you have a forwarder, or DDP to your warehouse with duty and clearance handled.
Planning a first range: where each style is made and what it commits you to
Before you pick base styles, it helps to know where each one will be sewn, because that decides the minimum and how many factories your range involves. With us it depends on the product. Knitwear and caps are made in our own factory: t-shirts, polos, hoodies and sweatshirts, activewear and sportswear, underwear and loungewear, swimwear, kidswear and babywear. Woven shirts, denim, jackets, socks and the other sourced categories are placed with an audited partner factory, which we name to you in writing, with its address and audit reports, before production starts.
Minimums count per style and per colour, so the number to plan with is the minimum multiplied by your colours, not the minimum on its own. The table works it through for one style in three colours. A range built only from knitwear can stay in our one factory, with one set of samples and approvals; adding a woven shirt or a pair of jeans adds a second factory and a minimum four times the size, so plan that style as its own order from the start.
The simplest way to make a first order smaller is not a smaller minimum but fewer colours. One t-shirt in two colours is 1,000 pieces; the same t-shirt in five colours is 2,500. Launch the colours you are sure of and add the rest on the reorder, once sales show which ones sell; the minimum order guide explains where the per-colour rule comes from.
| Base style | Where it is made | Minimum per style and colour | One style in three colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-shirt | Our own knitwear factory | 500 pieces | 1,500 pieces |
| Hoodie | Our own knitwear factory | 500 pieces | 1,500 pieces |
| Polo shirt | Our own knitwear factory | From 500; exact minimum on your quote | From 1,500 pieces |
| Activewear | Our own knitwear factory | From 500; exact minimum on your quote | From 1,500 pieces |
| Underwear | Our own knitwear factory | 5,000 pieces | 15,000 pieces |
| Cap | Our own factory | From 500; exact minimum on your quote | From 1,500 pieces |
| Woven shirt | An audited partner factory, named before production | 2,000 pieces | 6,000 pieces |
| Denim jeans | An audited partner factory, named before production | 2,000 pieces | 6,000 pieces |
| Jacket | An audited partner factory, named before production | 2,000 pieces | 6,000 pieces |
| Socks | An audited partner factory, named before production | 5,000 pairs | 15,000 pairs |
What your label must say by law
The brand name is the least regulated part of a garment label; what the law requires depends on where you sell. In Great Britain the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012, and in the EU Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, require the fibre composition, and product safety rules add the name and address of the business responsible and a product reference, but neither market requires a care label or a country of origin. The United States requires fibre content, the country of origin and the identity of the company responsible, plus care instructions. Our guide to clothing label requirements by law sets out each rule with its source, and every market guide covers the rest. Check label content against the market you sell in before anything is printed.
Planning your first range?
Send us your tech pack, a reference garment or even a sketch. We reply within one working day with the right production route and the first steps.
Woven labels, printed labels, hangtags and packaging
A woven label is the durable, premium option for the neck; a printed neck label, often heat-transferred, is softer and preferred for babywear and activewear where a sewn label irritates. The side or care label carries the legal text and can be woven or printed. Hangtags, stickers, polybags and cartons are all part of the same brief, and they are where marketplace rules bite: a barcode format, a polybag warning, a carton label to a retailer's specification. Send the rules of the channel you sell through with your artwork, so they are built into the packing specification rather than discovered at the warehouse door.
A label and packaging specification to send with your artwork
A factory prints what the artwork file says, so a label is only as right as the specification behind it. Send one page with your artwork that lists every label and every piece of packaging, what goes on it and which rule it has to meet. The label supplier, the factory and the final inspector then all work from the same document, and the inspector can check the labels against it, not against memory.
Most of the legal text usually goes on the care and content label in a side seam. The United States adds a rule about placement: on a garment with a neck, the country of origin goes on the front of a label at the inside centre of the neck, either midway between the shoulder seams or close to another label there, and no other label may cover it. If you sell in the US, decide at the artwork stage whether origin goes on your main neck label or on a small label beside it.
The other markets differ in detail. Canada wants fibre content in English and French, while the dealer’s name and address or CA number need not be bilingual. In Australia, care instructions follow either AS/NZS 1957 in English words or the ISO 3758 symbols, and headwear is exempt from the care labelling standard. Whose name goes on the label is covered in the questions below; our guide to clothing label requirements by law sets out each market’s rules with their sources.
| Item | What to specify | Rule to check before printing |
|---|---|---|
| Main neck label | Woven or printed, size, fold, position, logo file and Pantone colours | US: origin on the front of a label at the inside centre of the neck, this one or one close to it |
| Content label | Fibres by their permitted generic names, largest share first, with percentages | GB and EU fibre labelling rules; US Textile Act; Canada in English and French |
| Country of origin | “Made in Bangladesh”, matching the origin documents | Required in the US, in English; in GB and the EU optional, but it must not mislead |
| Business identity | The name and address of the business responsible, or an RN or CA number | US: name or RN; Canada: name and mailing address or CA number; GB and EU product safety rules |
| Care instructions | Washing, bleaching, drying, ironing and dry-cleaning, in words or symbols | US Care Labeling Rule; Australia: AS/NZS 1957 words or ISO 3758 symbols, headwear exempt |
| Size label | Size codes as your sales channel uses them | Your retailer’s or marketplace’s size rules |
| Hangtag | Barcode type and number, any price label space, how it is attached | Your retailer’s or marketplace’s specification |
| Polybag and carton | Bag size and any warning text; carton marks and carton labels | Your retailer’s or marketplace’s packing manual |
What it costs
Because the pattern already exists, most of the cost is the garment itself. We publish no prices: each style is quoted from your fabric, weight and quantity, with the shipping term stated on the quote. Branding is added line by line: woven or printed labels, hangtags, care labels and packaging, and lab dips where you choose custom shades. What private label removes is pattern development; what it does not remove is fabric minimums, so a custom fabric development carries mill minimums and is quoted separately. Our cost guide shows a cost sheet line by line, and the order cost estimator turns a quoted price into an order total.
Claims on the label: organic, recycled, made in Bangladesh
A label is a claim, and some claims need paperwork. "100% organic cotton" needs a transaction certificate under a scheme such as GOTS or the Organic Content Standard covering the fabric in your order, not a certificate for the mill in general. "Recycled polyester" needs the same under the Global Recycled Standard or the Recycled Claim Standard. "Made in Bangladesh" is a customs statement that must match the origin documents. Ask for the certificate before the label is printed, and if it does not exist, take the claim off the label; our guide to verifying factory certificates shows how to check one yourself.
Where private label orders go wrong
- The bulk looks different from the sample. Prevented by sealing the approved sample and judging every inspection against it, never against a photograph.
- Labels that break marketplace rules. Prevented by checking fibre names, origin and care text against your market before printing.
- Reorders that do not match the first run. Prevented by keeping lab dips, sealed samples and fabric details on file and matching the reorder to a physical standard.
- Too many colours for the quantity. Minimums apply per colour, because each colour is its own dye lot; three colourways of one style are three commitments. See the minimum order guide.
- Decorating blanks and calling it manufacturing. A printed blank in tens of pieces is a printing job, not a private label programme, and is priced and sourced differently.
Before you enquire: a short checklist
- Which products, in which fabric weight, and roughly how many pieces per style and colour
- Your logo and label artwork as vector files, and Pantone references for colours
- The country you sell in and the channel, so labels and packaging follow its rules
- A reference garment for fit, or a note that the factory’s block is fine
- The date the goods must be in your warehouse
Send those and we reply within one working day. If your range needs its own patterns, or your first run is a few hundred pieces, say so at the enquiry stage and we will tell you honestly which route fits; our guide on starting a clothing brand with a Bangladesh factory covers the first order from the other side.
Questions buyers ask.
What is the difference between private label and white label clothing?
White label is the same garment sold to several brands with only the label changed, usually from stock: fast and cheap, but your competitor can sell the identical product. Private label starts from a proven block too, but you choose the fabric, weight and colours and finish it with your own labels, tags and packaging, so the garment is made for you even though the pattern is not exclusive. If you also need your own pattern and construction, that is full package or OEM development, where the pattern is made for you and stays yours. The practical rule: white label when you are testing whether a product sells at all, private label when you are building a brand on proven basics, OEM when fit or construction is your point of difference. You can start private label and move your best sellers to your own blocks later.
What must a private label clothing label say by law?
The brand name is the least regulated part, and the rest depends on the market. In Great Britain the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012 require the fibre composition in permitted names, in descending order by weight, and in the EU Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 does the same in the language of the country of sale. Product safety rules in both add the name and address of the business responsible and a product reference, but neither requires a care label or a country of origin, although any origin you state must not mislead. In the United States, the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act requires fibre content, country of origin and the identity of the manufacturer or importer, with care instructions under the Care Labeling Rule. Canada requires bilingual fibre content, Japan its own care symbols, Australia a care label in English words or symbols. Check label content against the market you sell in before anything is printed.
How much does private label clothing cost in Bangladesh?
We publish no prices: each style is quoted from your fabric, branding and quantity, with the shipping term stated on the quote, and our orders start at 500 pieces per style and colour. Because the pattern already exists, most of the cost is the garment itself. Branding is added line by line: woven or printed labels, hangtags, care labels and packaging, and lab dips where you choose custom shades. What moves the price most is fabric: a 2023 study of Bangladeshi factory cost sheets put it at 42.6% of the price of a basic t-shirt and 52.3% of a polo, so a heavier or certified fabric changes the figure more than any label. Quantity per colour comes next, because minimums apply per colour. Custom fabric development is quoted separately because it carries mill minimums. For a real number, send artwork and a reference garment, and we reply with a first costing within one working day.
What is the smallest private label order I can place in Bangladesh?
With us, orders start at 500 pieces per style and colour, which is also the minimum for t-shirts and hoodies. Some categories start higher: denim jeans, jackets, woven shirts, workwear and uniforms at 2,000 pieces, underwear at 5,000 pieces and socks at 5,000 pairs, all per style and colour. For polos and other categories, the exact minimum is confirmed on your quote. The count is per colour because each colour is its own dye lot, so one tee in three colours is three commitments. What private label saves is pattern development, not fabric minimums, which is why launching in one or two colours is the practical way to keep a first order small. If your first run is a few hundred pieces or fewer, say so when you enquire: cut-and-sew knitwear runs from 150 pieces per style and colour go through our sister factory, Collective Studio Ltd., as a separate route, with its own prices and minimum; our co-founder Homaira Jashim co-founded it and AB Rahman is its Head of Growth. The minimum order guide explains what that route involves and what it suits.
Do I own the design when I use private label manufacturing?
You own your branding and any colour you develop, but not the base pattern: in private label, the block belongs to the factory. Your logo, label artwork, hangtags, packaging and any shade developed for you are yours, and we do not show them to or reuse them for other buyers. The block is the proven pattern the garment is cut from, which is why private label is quick and inexpensive to start, and also why the same fit can appear under other labels. If an exclusive fit matters to your brand, the route is OEM development, where a pattern is made for you and stays with you. Many brands start in private label to test a category, then move best sellers onto their own blocks, carrying across the sealed samples and lab dips from the first run. Agree in writing which items are yours before sampling starts.
Can my brand name go on the label instead of a company name?
Not on its own in the United States or Canada. A US label must identify a business responsible for the garment by the full name it trades under, or by its Registered Identification Number (RN); the FTC says a trademark, brand or label name does not count unless it is also the company’s trading name. RNs are issued only to US businesses and are not compulsory, so a brand based elsewhere uses a name: on imported goods that can be the foreign manufacturer or distributor, the US importer’s name or RN, or a retailer’s name or RN with the retailer’s consent. Canada asks for the dealer’s name and mailing address, or a CA identification number, which only Canadian manufacturers, importers and sellers can hold. In Great Britain and the EU, product safety rules ask for the name and address of the business responsible. Your brand can still lead the neck label, as long as it does not crowd out the required details. Decide whose name or number goes on the label before the artwork is drawn, because it is printed on every piece.
Which private label styles do you make in your own factory?
Knitwear and caps. T-shirts, polos, hoodies and sweatshirts, activewear and sportswear, underwear and loungewear, swimwear, kidswear and babywear, and caps are made in our own factory. T-shirts and hoodies start at 500 pieces per style and colour and underwear at 5,000 pieces; for the other knitwear and for caps, orders start at 500 and the exact minimum is confirmed on your quote. Woven shirts, denim, jackets and workwear are made in audited partner factories, from 2,000 pieces per style and colour, and socks, from 5,000 pairs, are sourced the same way; we name the factory in writing, with its address and audit reports, before production. A range can mix the two, but each factory means its own samples, approvals and minimums, so a first private label range built only from knitwear is the simpler order to run. In both cases the approved sample is sealed and the finished goods are inspected against it before shipment, and your branding is never shown to or reused for other buyers.
Sources
Checked . Rules and figures change, so confirm anything that affects your pricing.
- legislation.gov.uk: The Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012, SI 2012/1102 (opens in a new tab)
- EUR-Lex — Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and labelling (opens in a new tab)
- US Federal Trade Commission: Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts (fibre content, country of origin on a label at the inside centre of the neck, business name or RN, RNs only for US businesses; edited January 2025; opened 2 November 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- GOTS — public database of certified suppliers (transaction certificates) (opens in a new tab)
- Textile Exchange — standards and certified sites (OCS, GRS, RCS) (opens in a new tab)
- legislation.gov.uk: The General Product Safety Regulations 2005, regulation 7 (producer’s name and address and the product reference or batch on the product or its packaging) (opens in a new tab)
- UK Office for Product Safety and Standards: EU Regulation on General Product Safety (2023/988) (a type, batch or serial number, and the manufacturer’s name and postal and electronic address, on the product or in an accompanying document) (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Product labelling: the law (no particular information is required on every product; statements about where it was made must not mislead) (opens in a new tab)
- eCFR: 16 CFR 303.15(b), Rules under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act: on a product with a neck, the country of origin label goes at the inside centre of the neck, midway between the shoulder seams or in close proximity to another label there, on the front side of the label; and 16 CFR 300.4(b): RNs are issued to applicants residing in the United States; opened 2 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Competition Bureau Canada: Labelling textile requirements in a nutshell (modified 19 January 2022): fibre content in English and French; company name and mailing address or a CA identification number, which need not be bilingual; opened 2 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Competition Bureau Canada: CA Identification Number (modified 10 July 2022): available to Canadian manufacturers, processors, finishers, importers and sellers of textile fibre products; not required, but may replace the name and address on the label; opened 2 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Register of Legislation (Australia): Consumer Goods (Care Labelling) Information Standard 2023, F2023L01187, as made, in force 5 September 2023: headwear exempt (section 7(2)); after the transitional periods, care labelling to AS/NZS 1957:1998 as varied, with wording in English (section 11), or to ISO 3758:2012 symbols (section 12); opened 2 November 2026 (opens in a new tab)