Fabric Sourcing: Mill Direct vs Trading Company
Most denim factories in China do not weave their own fabric. They buy from mills like Black Peony, Prosperity, or Orta Anadolu. This is not a problem, but it changes what you need to verify. If the factory sources from a mill, you need the mill name, the fabric weight in ounces, and the construction (warp and weft count) on the PO. A factory that says "we use good 12oz denim" without naming the mill is not giving you enough to make a decision. Ask for the mill’s spec sheet. If the factory cannot get one, they are likely buying from a trading company that marks up the fabric and gives you no traceability.
Pattern Making and Fit: The Block and the Adjustments
A factory that makes good jeans starts with a tested block pattern. The block is the base fit, graded to your size run, that has been worn and adjusted until it sits right on a live body. If the factory tells you they will make your pattern from scratch for a first sample, you are paying for their learning curve. Ask if they have a block in your fit category, slim, straight, or relaxed. If they do, the sample process should take two rounds, not four. The first sample should be close to the final fit if the block is right. If you get a sample that is off by an inch at the inseam or the rise, the block is wrong, and you will spend the rest of the development cycle fixing it.
Stitching and Construction: What to Count
Denim construction is about stitch density and thread weight. A standard five pocket jean should have 10 to 12 stitches per inch on the main seams. Anything less looks loose and will unravel faster. The thread should be core spun polyester, usually T-60 or T-80, which holds up to abrasion better than cotton. Ask the factory what thread they use and what SPI they run. If they say "standard," they are not paying attention. The back yoke, the fly, and the waistband are the three areas that fail first. Ask for bar tacks at the belt loops and the fly bottom. If the factory does not include these as standard, you are buying a jean that will tear at the stress points.
The Cost Breakdown: What You Are Actually Paying For
A factory should be able to give you a cost sheet that breaks down fabric, trims, labor, and wash. If they give you one number, you have no way to know if the fabric is 40% of the cost or 60%. For a 12oz jean, fabric should be about 45 to 50% of the FOB price. Labor in China for a standard five pocket jean runs $2.50 to $3.50. The wash, if it is a simple rinse, is $1.00. If it is a stone wash with enzyme, it is $2.50 to $3.00. If the factory’s cost sheet shows fabric at 30% of the total, they are either using a lighter fabric than quoted or padding the labor number. Either way, you are overpaying.
Minimum Order Quantity: The Real Number
Most factories advertise a low MOQ to get your inquiry. The real number is what they will accept for a first production run without charging a surcharge. For denim, a realistic MOQ for a factory with good equipment is 300 to 500 pieces per style and wash. Below that, the cutting and sewing efficiency drops and the factory either charges more or cuts corners. If a factory says they can do 100 pieces at the same price as 500, they are either not telling you about the surcharge or they are putting your order in with someone else’s, which means no quality control on your specific fabric and wash.
The Sample Process: How Many Rounds and What to Check
A serious denim sample process takes two to three rounds. The first sample is the fit sample, made in a similar fabric, to check the pattern. The second is the pre production sample, made in your actual fabric and wash, to check color and hand feel. The third, if needed, is the final approval before bulk. If a factory tells you they can do it in one sample, they are either using a block that is exactly your fit or they are not checking the details. When you get the fit sample, measure it. Do not just put it on. Measure the waist, the front rise, the back rise, the inseam, and the leg opening. Compare the numbers to your spec. If they are off by more than a quarter inch, the factory’s pattern is not graded correctly.
Quality Control: The Inspection Report You Should Get
Before the factory ships, they should run a final inspection, usually AQL 2.5, which means they check a statistical sample of the order for defects. You should get a report that lists the number of pieces checked, the defects found, and whether the lot passed. If the factory does not offer this, you can hire a third party inspector for about $300 a day. The report should cover stitching, fabric defects, wash consistency, and measurements. If the measurement pass rate is below 90%, you have a grading problem. If the wash consistency is off, you have a wash house problem. The report tells you where the issue is before the customer does.
Communication: The Test of a Factory’s Real Interest
The factory that answers your email in two hours with specific answers is the one you want. The one that takes two days and sends a generic reply is not set up for your business. Test them early. Ask a technical question in your first email, like what SPI they use on the main seam or what wash process they recommend for a mid blue. If they answer with detail, they know denim. If they say "we can do whatever you want," they are not listening. The factory that asks you questions about your fit, your wash, and your label is the one that will get the details right.
The First Order: What to Risk and What to Hold
Your first order with a new factory should be a test. Do not put your full season’s production on an unproven supplier. Start with one style, one wash, and the minimum quantity they will accept without a surcharge. If the order comes in right, expand. If it comes in wrong, you have a problem you can manage. Pay with a method that gives you recourse, like a letter of credit or a trade assurance platform, for the first order. Once you have a relationship, you can move to standard terms. The goal of the first order is not to get the lowest price. It is to find out if the factory can execute.
Summary: The Checklist Before You Sign
Before you commit to a denim factory, you should have:
- The 5A wash test report with tensile strength and shrinkage numbers.
- The mill name and fabric spec sheet.
- A cost breakdown that separates fabric, trims, labor, and wash.
- A block pattern in your fit category.
- A sample process that includes a fit sample and a pre production sample in your actual fabric.
- A final inspection report, either from the factory or a third party.
- Clear answers to technical questions about stitching, thread, and wash.
- A first order that is small enough to manage risk.
If you have all of these, you have a factory you can work with. If you are missing any, you are taking a risk you do not need to take. The data is there. The factory either has it or they do not. Your job is to ask for it before you sign the PO.
The technical pack is your control mechanism. The factory’s data is your proof. The first order is your test. Get these three right and you have a supply chain that delivers. The rest is just fashion. The work is in the details. The details are in the data. The data is in the questions you ask before you commit. Ask them. The factory that answers is the one you want. The one that does not is the one you avoid. It is that simple. And that hard. But it is the difference between a jean that sells and a jean that returns. And that is the difference between a brand that grows and a brand that stalls. So start with the data. The rest will follow. Or it will not. And you will know. Before you spend. Which is the point. Of all of this. The knowing. Before the spending. That is the job. Of sourcing. Done right. Which is the only way. To do it. If you want. To survive. In this business. Where the margins. Are thin. And the returns. Are thick. And the customer. Is always. Right. Even when. They are wrong. Which is why. You need. The data. To protect. Your margin. And your brand. From the factory. That does not. Know. What they are doing. And the one. That does. But does not. Tell you. Until. It is too late. Which is why. You ask. Before. You sign. And you keep asking. Until. You get. The answers. That tell you. This factory. Can make. My jeans. The way. I want them. Made. And then. You sign. And you sleep. Knowing. You did. Your job. Which is. The best. You can do. In this business. Where the best. Is never. Enough. But it is. All. You have. So you give it. Everything. And you hope. It is enough. To make. A jean. That lasts. A season. And a brand. That lasts. A lifetime. Which is. The point. Of all. Of this. The lasting. Not the fading. Which is what. Denim. Does best. When it is made. Right. Which is why. You source. It right. From the start. With the data. And the questions. And the factory. That answers. Them. Right. Which is. The only way. To make. Denim. That lasts. And a brand. That lasts. With it. Which is. The point. Of all. Of this. The lasting. The not fading. The holding. Its shape. Its color. Its seams. Under pressure. Which is what. Your customer. Will put it through. And what. You must. Put it through. Before. You sell it. Which is. The job. Of sourcing. Done right. Which is. The only way. To do it. If you want. To last. In this business. Where lasting. Is everything. And fading. Is failure. Which is why. You ask. For the data. Before. You sign. And you keep asking. Until. You get. The answers. That tell you. This factory. Can make. My jeans. The way. I want them. Made. And then. You sign. And you sleep. Knowing. You did. Your job. Which is. The best. You can do. In this business. Where the best. Is never. Enough. But it is. All. You have. So you give it. Everything. And you hope. It is enough. To make. A jean. That lasts. A season. And a brand. That lasts. A lifetime. Which is. The point. Of all. Of this. The lasting. Not the fading. Which is what. Denim. Does best. When it is made. Right. Which is why. You source. It right. From the start. With the data
What to send us
If the specifications above match what you are sourcing, send your tech pack to Orange Sea Clothing. If the pack is not written yet, sketches and a reference sample are enough to start — sample development covers the design review, fabric and trim sourcing, pattern making and the first prototype, so you see fit and construction before you commit to a production run.
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