What is and how to find a clothing factory?

In the fashion industry, there are different types of manufacturers with specializations that are generally known or condensed as "maquila." In summary, clothing factories are businesses or companies specialized in garment production.

If you have an emerging brand or business, you should know what they are and what types exist. That's why today we bring you this quick guide on What is and how to find a clothing factory? and everything you need to know before hiring one of these companies.

What is a clothing factory?

A clothing factory encompasses the entire scope of clothing production, meaning it is a business, company, or service that focuses on designing and producing garments.

However, not all clothing factories offer the services that brands or companies are looking for. It depends on the type of brand, the area the brand focuses on, and its type of product or business model.

Recommended: Clothing maquila in Colombia: A strategic alternative for fashion companies

There are various types of services in the industry, including:

• Maquila
• Full package
• Private label
• Dressmakers/seamstresses

Let's take a closer look at them:

Types of clothing factories

Maquila

A maquila or dressmaking workshop are smaller businesses dedicated solely to garment assembly/sewing.

This business does not engage in design or pattern making and may not offer cutting services in some cases.

Full package

The full package actually takes care of everything for the client, freeing them from production worries so they can focus solely on sales. Because it's such a comprehensive service, its cost is slightly higher compared to traditional maquila services.

At GAT Fashion Lab, we are a full package company with experience in the market and in meeting the needs of our clients. To learn more about our service, click here.

Private label

Private Label, or in Spanish, marca privada, is a service where the brand or company can purchase prefabricated designs/ready-made items without any labels or logos from the manufacturing company.

At GAT Fashion Lab, we have a Private Label catalog. To view it and learn more about this service, click here.

Dressmakers, tailors, and seamstresses

These are services offered by individuals who are generally a smaller, scaled-down version of a dressmaking workshop or maquila.

These are usually businesses where 3-5 people work on sewing, altering clothes, or making custom garments.

Recommended: The Ultimate Guide to Finding Clothing Manufacturers for Startups

Where can I find clothing factories in Colombia?

In Colombia, one of its strengths or what it is recognized for in the industry is its abundance of factories or places to produce garments. It also has a series of events and places where you can attend to have direct contact with the manufacturer, including:

• Fairs and events
• Institutions
• Directories/online search
• Recommendations

Recommended: 5️⃣ Places to find clothing manufacturers for my brand

Fairs and events:  

In Colombia, various fashion and textile fairs and events are held annually, where you can find:

• Colombiamoda
• Colombiatex de las Américas
• Bogotá FW
• Cali Fashion District
• Ixel moda

Institutions:

In Colombia, we have institutions like Procolombia that seek to connect international clients with local companies, manufacturers, and distributors.

Directories:

Procolombia, like other institutions, has digital directories with a compact database of allied manufacturers in Colombia.

Recommendations:

This method is traditional but efficient for finding clothing factories in Colombia. For this, you need to have contacts in the industry to ask them about their manufacturers and their experience with them.

However, you can also go to the profiles of these companies and contact them via email to request the same information if you don't have this contact base.

At GAT Fashion Lab, we are located in Colombia and are recognized for our quality standards and delivery compliance. Start your process today by clicking here.

Conclusions

In summary, a clothing factory is a term that encompasses a myriad of existing manufacturers in the industry and their different types. It's also important to understand that whether you choose a full package or a maquila for your brand, there are different types of maquilas as well as full packages.

Some specialize in certain types of garments, such as tops or bottoms, swimwear, etc.

At Gat Fashion Lab, we offer full package and private label services. You can complement this information with our weekly informative blogs. To access them, click here.