If you are planning to start your own apparel line or fashion collection, the most go-to place is in China. We all know how China is known for its vast array of offered goods – from shoes, clothing, novelty items, toys, and even industrial tools and machinery. Plus, China mostly offers affordable products and cheap labor costs.

With so many clothing manufacturers in China, it can be challenging to find a trustworthy and reliable one. This article should serve as a comprehensive guide in where and how to choose a clothing manufacturer in China. Knowing the basic requirements of a reliable clothing manufacturer in China will help save you from future importation issues.

Where to find the best wholesale clothing manufacturers in China

There are many locations where you can find a clothing manufacturer. Among common places include the following:

Trade fairs

Every year, trade fairs are held in China for business owners looking for a reliable supplier. Among popular fashion exhibitions held in China and Hong Kong include the following:

China International Fashion Brand Fair – Shenzhen

Global Sources Fashion – Hong Kong, China

You can also contact your potential clothing manufacturer and request for a meeting, before visiting them on the trade fair.

Internet

If you don’t have time to attend trade fairs and spending on airfare, there’s always everyone’s best buddy to help you out with your search – the Internet. It is impossible not to find at least one clothing manufacturer here. Among websites you can check out for a potential supplier include:

Alibaba

Made-In-China

Global Source

LinkedIn

Google

And many more!

These B2B online platforms list a lot of manufacturers and suppliers in China. Make sure to browse thoroughly, so that you can find the right one for you. Once you already find one, you can contact them through their official website or email address. When composing an email, make sure to indicate the following:

Address the name of the clothing manufacturer.

Introduce yourself and your represented company.

State your purpose (ex. You are interested to know more about their product, including the price based on MOQ, production, and delivery lead time, and other services they might offer).

Ask for a sample and how much it will cost to be shipped.

In writing to your potential clothing manufacturer, make sure to state all the above details and get straight to the point. With a lot of emails that these manufacturers receive on a daily basis, it is important that yours stand out from the rest.

Finding a clothing manufacturer in China via online can be challenging, especially if via Google. For one, a lot of clothing manufacturers in China are not fond of online marketing. That is why they won’t most likely appear on the top pages, when you search for them. Hence, you may have to browse through several search results to find the manufacturer you are looking for.

Hire a sourcing agency

If you are a first-time clothing importer, it is highly recommended to seek the expertise of various sourcing companies in China. They know more about sourcing and importation industry than you, so it is best to leave the work to the experts.

A reliable sourcing agency will help you find the best clothing manufacturers in China. Most of all, they will help save you time and resources in finding suppliers on your own.

Clothing wholesale markets

There are a lot of clothing manufacturers in China. More so, these manufacturers also vary on the type of clothing they specialize on. In China, there are nearly 100 clothing market from north to south. Some of them you may hear about. Some of them supply for domestic market only. Some of them are for exports.

The Top 10 Garment Wholesale Markets in China [Infographic]

Guangzhou Shisanhang Garment Wholesale Market (广州十三行服装批发市场)

Shisanhang Garment Wholesale Market is mainly based on trendy women’s wear, including men’s clothing, women’s clothing, sportswear, pajamas, children’s clothing, women’s shoes, leather boots, belts, hats, bags, and so on.

There is mid-range clothing wholesale mainly. The variety is quite complete. Almost all Chinese Korean style women’s clothing can be found here.

Opening time: 7:00-12:00

Add: Shisanhang Lu, Liwan District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Hangzhou Sijiqing Garment Martet (杭州四季青服装批发市场)

Not only the one of the largest clothing wholesale market, but also one of the most reliable sources of exports. Meanwhile, they were the first market cooperate with the B2B Platform.

There are clear advantages in clothing sales and information. The marketing network covers all parts of the country, as well as Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas. The market has gathered more than 1,200 garment manufacturers and more than 900 brands/trademarks.

Add: No. 31-59, hanghai road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province

Fujian Shishi Garment Market (石狮服装城)

Since 1988, they have attracted a lot of customers around the world. You also can see any type of clothing in the market. However, it’s famous for business men’s wear.

The layout of Shishi Garment Market includes five major functional divisions: clothing trading area, exhibition art center area, Xingguang leisure square, logistics distribution service area and business supporting service community.

The functions of the exhibition art center include product exhibitions, fashion releases, business meetings, and art performances.

Add: Nanyang road, shishi city, quanzhou, Fujian Province

Guangzhou Baima Garment Market (广州白马服装批发城)

Guangzhou Baima Garment Market was established in 1993. It is the largest and most well renovated, best-support, most regulated and most traded medium and high-end clothing market in Guangzhou.

Opening times: 8：30-17：30

Add：No. 16 zhannan road, yuexiu district, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Humen Fuming Garment Wholesale Market (虎门富民服装批发市场)

The advantage of this foreign trade source is that the supply speed is very fast, the supply is also very sufficient.

Add: No.24, yinlong road, humen town, dongguan, Guangdong Province

Beijing Zoom Garment Wholesale Market (北京动物园服装批发市场)

As the largest clothing wholesale and distribution center in northern China, Beijing zoo wholesale market is greatly influenced by seasonal factors. Therefore, the styles and prices of clothing will change with the seasons.

Wholesale merchants here in order not to backlog goods, actively occupy the market. Usually they will sell off the goods at the end of the season before a month or so to. And then they will focus on promoting new season of clothing.

Shanghai Qipulu Garment Wholesale Market (上海七浦路服装批发市场)

Shanghai Qipu Road Garment Wholesale Market is the largest clothing wholesale market in Shanghai. Whether it is clothing wholesale or retail, its popularity is one of the best in Shanghai. Qipu Road Market is abbreviated as 7P Road. Even people who love it call it “cheap road. Although its shopping environment is not as elegant as Shanghai’s high-end shopping malls, it can be surprisingly cheap, and the style follows the international trend closely.

Add: Qipu road, zhabei district, Shanghai

Wuhan Hanzhengjie Garment Market (汉正街服 装批发市场)

The first floor is wholesale for, women’s clothing, men’s clothing, and underwear. The second floor is dedicated to women’s wear, the environment is better than the first floor, but also common products. The third and fourth floors are boutique of menswear wholesale. However, the environment on the third and fourth floors is very good, the style is similar to office buildings, and there are many famous domestic brands.

Opening times：6:00-18:00

Guangzhou Shahe Garment Wholesale Market (广州沙河服装批发市场)

The market is the second largest clothing wholesale business circle in Guangzhou, mainly engaged in low-end clothing. It is the earliest clothing wholesale market in Guangzhou.

It started at 3.4 o’clock. The people who got the goods at 3.4 o’clock were generally the bosses of other clothing wholesale markets in Guangzhou. After they have purchased the goods, they will open their own doors to do business.

Also in that period of time, if you are lucky, you can also encounter the manufacturer’s tail goods, the price is very cheap, generally calculated by pounds.

Opening times: 3：00-13:00

Add: No. 1, shahe lianquan road, tianhe district, guangzhou city

Shandong Jimo Garment Market (即墨服装市场)

It has developed into a modern large-scale professional clothing wholesale market with the largest single area in China, with more than 8,000 merchants.

On the west side of Jimo Garment Wholesale Market, the foreign trade mall with a construction area of ​​47,000 square meters is also called (integrated service area), mainly engaged in some foreign trade product.

Opening times: 8:30-17:30

Add: No. 920, heshan road, jimo district, Qingdao city, Shandong Province

If you want to know more details and route of these markets, or other markets, please contact with us.

Geographical Distribution of The Top 10 Garment Markets

Tips on negotiating with clothing manufacturers in China

For starters, the usual Minimum Quantity Order (MOQ) of textile and clothing is at least 300 pieces per design. That said, importing clothing is a major investment for your budding business. While some would resort in dealing with trade companies and wholesalers to reduce MOQ, there may be some unpleasant consequences that come with it. Among these include low product quality and the use of toxic chemicals on clothing products.

That is why it is so important to choose a reliable clothing manufacturer to avoid these pitfalls. Otherwise, the entire importation process – from choosing subpar suppliers to delivery – can spell disaster. Here are some things to consider when choosing a clothing manufacturer in China:

Determine what type of apparel you will import.

Do you want to make your own denim line? Sports and fitness wear? Casual outfits? Formal attires like tuxedoes and cocktail dresses? There are many types of apparel around, so choose your niche and take it from there.

Research about various manufacturers.

You can find them online and offline, which is already mentioned above. For the latter, hiring a sourcing agent is highly-recommended to help you save time and to work with someone knowledgeable in the field. Again, you can search for sourcing agents online or perhaps have someone referred to you.

Find a clothing manufacturer that meets your business needs.

There are big-time clothing manufacturers in China. However, they are most likely recommended for similarly big companies because the former will require bigger MOQs. More so, big manufacturers would focus more on dealing with big companies than with smaller enterprises.

That said, smaller businesses may consider choosing a small- or medium-sized clothing manufacturer to avoid larger MOQs and other business complications.

Choose a manufacturer with test reports and certifications.

In some countries such as the US and Australia, test reports are required to import clothing from China to another country. Among testing reports that are commonly requested include SST and SGS test reports to name a few. Some clothing manufacturers are also ISO-certified, which is a plus. This means higher quality standards with these manufacturers unlike those who do not.