Private Label Clothing vs Custom Clothing Manufacturing

Is private label the same as custom clothing manufacturing? No, both terms are different in terms of the services they offer.

Custom clothing refers to a process of creating personalized garments according to the client's needs, whereas private label involves the sale of pre-made garments by a company that sells them without branding, with the option to customize labels, tags, and more.

To broaden our understanding of each and their differences, let's delve deeper.

WHAT IS PRIVATE LABEL?

Private label is when a company sells pre-fabricated garments without any labels or tags bearing the manufacturer's name. This allows the customer to purchase the ready-made garment and have the manufacturer personalize labels and tags with the buyer's brand logo.

This type of service is commonly used by fashion companies/brands that leverage the manufacturer's expertise and capabilities while selling these products under their own brand.

Private label has a particular feature that makes it special, which is the exclusivity of the design. If a buying brand wants to purchase exclusive design rights so that it cannot be manufactured by anyone else, they can do so. At GAT fashion lab, we have our private label catalog that you can review here.

This option is often sought by emerging companies or brands that lack the necessary resources to manufacture their own lines. If you want more information about private label, you can visit our blog here.

WHAT IS CUSTOM CLOTHING?

Custom clothing is a more personalized service that starts with the client's initial design idea and proceeds to bring it to life.

Unlike private label, custom clothing covers the entire production process from scratch. However, for this, the client must have a clear idea and handle everything related to the design, including pattern-making, sourcing materials, and fabric.

Custom clothing is sometimes confused with a complete package because they share some common processes. Nevertheless, a complete package starts the process from scratch, while custom clothing begins the process from the design phase, skipping the research and proposal stages.

For a deeper understanding of Custom Clothing, its stages, and more, don't miss our blog, which you can visit by clicking here.

DIFFERENCES

MANUFACTURING:

Private Label is characterized by manufacturing garments in bulk, unlike Custom clothing, where each garment must be designed individually, and the entire process must be paid for each design.

On the other hand, with private label, you can acquire a variety of pre-made designs.

DESIGN:

Custom clothing requires a preliminary design or sketch to start the manufacturing process. In contrast, private label is in the final phase of the production chain, providing pre-made garments.

With private label, there is no need to design from scratch, as is the case with custom clothing. It also offers flexibility in modifying the finalized design; you can change the garment's color, fabric type, or modify details such as sleeve type or neckline, among others.

PROCESSES:

Custom clothing, when creating a garment from scratch, goes through more process stages, such as creating a sample (physical or digital), technical specifications, patterns, sourcing (fabrics, materials, labels), cutting, stitching, and quality control.

Due to passing through so many process stages, the time it takes for the garment to be ready for sale is much longer than with private label, and the same applies to traditional production services.

Private Label does not require going through any of these processes, as the garment is already made and ready to sell unless the customer wishes to make modifications to the design.

INVESTMENT AND PROFITABILITY:

Private Label is a more profitable option than Custom clothing or a full package since it doesn't require any production. Being sold in bulk allows for price flexibility or the possibility of getting discounts from the manufacturer.

This option is ideal for emerging or small brands seeking a wide variety of designs, flexible prices, and good quality.

Custom clothing, on the other hand, requires a higher investment and longer production time, making it a less profitable option. However, it all depends on the client's budget. Therefore, it's not a viable option for companies/brands that do not have the capacity to produce their lines independently.

MINIMUM ORDER QUANTITIES:

In private label, the order quantities depend on the manufacturer or producing company and generally are not very high. In contrast, Custom clothing has high minimum order quantities per reference to initiate production.

To learn more differences and specifications about Custom clothing, visit the following blog, and for more knowledge about private label, click here.

WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE?

Since these are two very different services with distinct approaches, the choice will depend on your company or brand's needs.

If your brand is emerging or relatively new to the market, seeks scalability, but lacks the resources to create its own garments, yet is interested in selling and being known for high-quality products, private label is the most viable option.

However, if your focus is different and you have the resources to start production from scratch with an ideal design concept, a higher budget, and the time to initiate garment production, Custom clothing is the best choice.

Both services have favorable advantages, such as design exclusivity, good quality, and the potential for high profitability. It all depends on the manufacturer/distributor or producing company you choose. To save time and money in the process, you can read our quick guide on this topic here.

At GAT Fashion lab, we have a series of informative and educational blogs that will allow you to learn more about how this industry operates. You will also find quick guides with tips on frequently asked questions about these services. To access them, click here.

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