Buying in-stock fabric from a local fabric wholesaler and retailer is different from ordering from a textile company. When you buy in a physical store, what you see is what you get. Sometimes you will find that that the fabric you like isn't available too. When you purchase from a fabric manufacturer, the material you want is most likely impossible to get right away, but you may have it made. You have to wait, though. In this journal entry, we will share how to buy bespoke cotton fabric from manufacturers and make sure you get the exact result you want.

Step 1. Decide if you are ready to buy fabric in large quantities
Purchasing from a wholesale or retail store in your local market like what the place called Divisoria is in Manila, Philippines, is different when ordering from manufacturers. In a physical store, you may have the option to buy just 1 kilogram of fabric. But in a textile manufacturer, the minimum order quantity ranges from 100 to 125 kilograms per type of material and color.

You will save a lot of money buying in large numbers. But you have to answer these questions:

  • Do you need that much fabric?
  • Do you have enough storage space for your purchase?
  • Can you afford to buy that many materials in one go?

If you want to find out how much do bespoke fabric usually costs, click this.


Step 2. Study your options
There are many types of cotton fabric. Not only that. There are also different types of finishes, effects, or characteristics a finished product may have. For example, a cotton fabric may have 'slub' detail, unique Pantone color, and a vintage touch finishing. And about the color, you may even have a cloth tie-dyed, dip-dyed, and etcetera. If you are new to this type of buying, you will need to have a sit-down meeting with your supplier to make sure you study all of the options before deciding.

List down all of the technical specifications, the complete details of what you want before ordering. We have featured below some cotton fabric types for reference.

Step 3. Create a Purchase Order (PO) complete with technical specifications
You will be spending a substantial amount of money on your purchase, which only means failure is not an option. Create an exact purchase order, and in it, make sure to list and describe all of the details of the fabric you want the supplier to produce. Make sure to include in your PO that you require samples first before mass production.

Step 4. Make a Payment
Depending on your arrangement with the manufacturer, you may be allowed to make a 50% deposit. However, be ready to make a full-payment 100% because many companies require their first-time customers to make full payment before sampling. The arrangement is standard and done so that the manufacturer can build trust with the new client who does not have a history of buying.

For large manufacturers, just like any serious business, time is of the essence. So it is important to deal only with sincere customers. The sampling process is time a company can never get back. Time costs money.

"A client can efficiently run from the supplier. But the legit supplier cannot run from a client. The factories do not have feet for running." - Casey Espaldon, Cazh co-Founder.

The good news is time will come when you need not pay your supplier upfront. Depending on your business relationship with your supplier, some textile factories give 30 days to 90 days in terms of payment. Meaning to say, good-paying, loyal customers deserve a high credit line.

Step 5. Inspect the Color-Matched Fabric Sample, Re-do sample, or Approve for Mass Production
You have already studied your options in Step 2. The last thing you need to approve is the color matching - it is a piece of cloth that should show all of the characteristics you listed on your technical specifications and purchase order. At this point, you may either give the supplier the signal to mass manufacture or ask them to re-do the color-matched fabric.

Be wary that you may never take it back once you approve of mass production once the process has either already started or done. So make sure you have made up your mind for good.

Step 6. Waiting and Product Claiming.
Fabric knitting usually takes one to two weeks and another one to two weeks more for dyeing, treatments, and quality control. You may need to wait one week to one month, depending on the factory's workload from the date of your approval for mass production. The completion of your products may also be sooner than that, especially if it is a repeat order. Your supplier will let you know once the products ready for claiming. We recommend requesting a delivery service for your convenience, which may or maybe free of charge depending on your arrangement with your supplier.

We hope you liked reading this journal entry and have genuinely learned How to Buy Bespoke Cotton Fabric. If you liked this information, please like and share this to educate more people like yourself. Don't forget to leave a message below if you have a comment or suggestion.

We look forward to seeing you again.