Garment Quality Assurance: why does it matter?

Quality assurance and control is a very challenging and complex part of the apparel and garment manufacturing industry. There always has been a debate on the importance of garment quality and if product quality has an edge over product price with regards to customer satisfaction. 

Quality of a product is undeniably a prerequisite for building customer trust, retention and boosting your ROIs. If a product fails to meet the quality benchmarks of a customer, it basically fails to retain that customer. While a good quality product helps you earn higher ROIs due to fewer defects and field failures. It also means lower manufacturing and service costs. 

But what parameters define the quality of a garment? Are garment quality and quality assurance the same? What is the acceptable quality limit? What should you know about fabric quality? 

Keep reading to know the answers to the above. 

Why is quality important? 

According to a report by First Insight, 53% of the surveyed consumers rated quality as the most important factor when making a product purchase decision.  

Product quality is a competitive market for apparel brands that can affect their consumers purchasing decisions and thus their company’s profitability. 

A good quality product helps businesses build trust with their customers. A poor-quality product can result in the loss of countless potential sales as the brand fails to establish a connection with the end customer. A product that matches the quality standards fuels positive word of mouth and social media recommendations for your product. 

You also face fewer customer complaints and product returns. But the most important point that strengthens the case for garment quality is its connection to profitability. High quality produces a higher return on investment at any given market share. 

This is the reason why garment quality and assurance are becoming important for apparel manufacturers and women clothing exporters. 

Garment quality assurance and quality control

When it comes to the apparel industry, two terms are often coined together – garment quality assurance and quality control. Quality assurance is not the same as quality control, but quality control is an inherent part of quality assurance. 

Quality assurance takes care of quality at every step of the manufacturing process. This includes the initial design concept stage, production, and final product completion stage. 

Quality control accesses the quality of the garments after they have been manufactured and sorted into categories. All apparel and women’s apparel manufacturers assess quality in the pre-manufacturing phase, during manufacturing, and final inspection once the product is completed. 

Things to consider when it comes to fabric quality control 

When analyzing fabric quality, one needs to understand the acceptable quality limit. It is the worst tolerable quality level i.e. the maximum number of quality defects that are acceptable during the random sampling of quality inspection. 

Fabric quality can be accessed by considering its comfort, colorfastness, and durability. 

Comfort is checked in terms of elongation, elasticity, heat retention, conduction, moisture absorbency, waterproofing, water repellency, air permeability, etc. 

Colorfastness defines how well the fabric is able to preserve its color and appearance against time. When testing for colorfastness the fabric is exposed to different acid and alkali solutions and other environmental conditions. 

Durability tests the performance of the fabric under different conditions. 

Takeaway

As an apparel brand, you cannot overlook the aspect of garment quality. Choose a garment or women’s apparel manufacturer who can give you complete garment quality assurance. You should also communicate your product measurements and acceptable quality limits to the manufacturer. 

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What is ethical clothing manufacturing and how can you find ethical clothing manufacturers?

The words like ‘ethical fashion’ and ‘sustainability’ are a trending buzz word in the fashion and apparel industry. But do you know what ethical clothing manufacturing is? Do you think brands and customers are concerned about the issues or brands are just using it as a marketing gimmick? What goes into ethical product manufacturing? Who are ethical clothing manufacturers?
This blog answers the above and many other similar questions that pop-up into your mind when we say ethical clothing.

What is ethical clothing manufacturing?

The notion of ethical clothing manufacturing can be different for different people. For some, ensuring ethical practices during the manufacturing of clothes is ethical manufacturing, while for others making use of sustainable raw material to make fashion outfits is ethical clothing.

But the crux of every perspective is the same – minimizing the negative impact of manufacturing on humans, plants, and animals while maximizing the positive impacts using sustainable raw material and green manufacturing processes.

During the past decade, we have seen various men and women clothing exporter introducing their sustainable clothing line including biggies like Levi’s, H&M, etc.

Under ethical manufacturing, brands use a holistic approach to the manufacturing process. People are now more aware of what they buy and how fashion is consumed.

Businesses that care about the environment and want to do their bit in making this world a better and healthier place to live, opt for ethical clothing manufacturing.

The term ‘ethical fashion’ encompasses several industry components like fashion designing, manufacturing, retail, packaging, and supplying. A business cannot say it sells ethical products if it does not follow the best practices for factory working conditions, sustainable production, and take effective steps to prevent the exploitation of human and natural resources during the manufacturing process. 

Finding ethical clothing manufacturers

If you’re a women clothing vendor and are looking for ethical clothing manufacturers, you have to take into account several considerations that will help you in making the right choice.

You can search in social media groups like Facebook for ethical clothing manufacturers or post your query in community forums. Before you contact a manufacturer, you must decide on the following:

• Whether you have a rough sketch or CAD of your design ready or you would want the manufacturer to do this part for you.

• Whether you’re looking to launch the product immediately once the production is complete. In this case, you’ll have to get a minimum order manufactured in advance.

Once you list down ethical clothing manufacturers, you have to vet them for the following:

• Year of experience and technical know-how

• Level of manufacturing – small scale or large-scale manufacturing

• Industry certifications to cross-verify their ethical claims

• Minimum order quantity (MOQ)

• Availability of internal design staff and raw material suppliers

• Language of communication to ensure a seamless transfer of messages

• Project deadline, samples, and quality check analysis

 Conclusion

The issues of ethical clothing are more important today than it was a few decades ago. The world is witnessing the effects of global warming and both humans and animals are suffering a great deal.

Ethical clothing is a step towards a better environment by making ethical and conscious fashion choices.

The role of ethical clothing manufacturers is indispensable here and their demand will increase as brands and consumers become more aware of fashion impacts.

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How can retailers leverage the private label market for differentiating their brand?

Do you know what is common with brands like Amazon Essentials, Halogen, Universal Thread, etc.? They all are exclusive apparel brands from big retailers.

With increasing consumer demand, retailers can leverage the private label market as a growth strategy and differentiate their brand and earn customer loyalty in the marketplace.

Private label brands include products that are manufactured by a third-party i.e. a private label product manufacturer and then sold under the brand name of the retailer. It is a leading growth strategy for small and large retailers who can penetrate their private brands into the market, with price and quality differentiation.

Today, the private label market has evolved from its initial objective of giving a low-cost option to the customer to aiming for brand loyalty and quality. Stiff competition and increased demand in the market are the major growth drivers.  

Private label branding – a winning strategy for retailers

Private label apparel production gives retailers an opportunity to establish their brand even when they don’t have a product design from scratch.

These products offer generic styles and can be easily modified using label tags and brand logos.

Retailers who wish to introduce their line of private label apparel can contact a private label manufacturer who can help them get started. These private label manufacturers can help retailers establish their brand with complete product lifecycle management from the initial contact to a wholesale ladies clothing supplier to the final production of the clothing brand.

There are several reasons that lure retailers into private label fashion and apparel brands.

• Retailers can enjoy higher gross margins that lead to higher profits.

• Total control over cost, material, and quality.

• Opportunity to build brand loyalty for the product as the product is available exclusively on the store that produces them.

• Faster agility to respond to trends due to quicker customer feedback and more control over price and manufacturing process.

Some retailers also sell third-party brands along with their private label brand which increases their potential sales and profits. For example, Amazon sells fashion and apparel products from different brands alongside its private label brand – Amazon Essentials.

Looking for private label brand manufacturers

To launch a private label apparel line, retailers need to leverage the expertise of a private label brand manufacturer. Finding a manufacturer can be daunting but it is worth the effort. When choosing a manufacturer, you should first ensure that the manufacturer has expertise in your product. For example, if you want to introduce kids’ garment line then it is better to work with a manufacturer who has experience in producing garments for kids.

You have to strike a balance between price and quality. Look for high-quality wholesale clothing manufacturers with a reasonable price or at least a price that fits into your budget. It is integral if you want to mark up your products at a sensible and feasible profit margin.

Also, you need to discuss the minimum order quantity. Remember, if the manufacturer does not support small-batch manufacturing then you might end up with unwanted inventory. Inquire about their shipping costs and whether they have contacts with wholesale ladies clothing supplier to ensure that you can easily acquire raw material.

Do some digging about the manufacturer through the internet and request their previous work samples before finalizing one.

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