1. Analysis of China's clothing industry belt
China is one of the world's largest clothing production and exporting countries, with a complete clothing industry chain and mature manufacturing technology. China's clothing industry has experienced a series of challenges and changes in 2023, including rising raw material costs and changes in domestic and foreign market demand, but it has maintained stable growth overall.
China's clothing industry belts are mainly concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta, especially in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Fujian provinces. These industrial belts not only concentrate a large number of manufacturing companies, but also form a complete supply chain system, including raw material supply, design and development, production and processing, and logistics distribution.
Distribution of major industrial belts of China's clothing categories:
Clothing categories Distribution of major industrial belts
Women's clothing
Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Humen, Guangdong Province, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province
Men's clothing
Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, Shishi, Quanzhou, Fujian Province
Shirts Puning
Guangdong Province, Dachen Town, Yiwu, Zhejiang Province
Underwear
Chaoyang, Shantou, Guangdong Province, Yanbu, Nanhai, Guangdong Province, Gongming, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Xiaolan, Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, Shenhu, Jinjiang, Fujian Province, Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, Shanghai
Pants
Xiliu, Haicheng, Liaoning Province
Knitted clothing
Several towns in Jiangsu Province, such as Huangtang Town, Chuanjiang Town, Xinjian Town, Jingang Town, Xizhu Town, Zhenze Town, Xianfeng Town, Daoshu Town, Zhouzhuang Town, Zhitang Town (Renyang), Huangjing Town, Shengze Town, Jiangzao Town, Zhutang Town, Guli Town, Shajiabang Town, Hengshan Town, Huangqiao Town, Xinzhuang Town, Haiyu Town
Casual clothing
Shajiabang Town, Haiyu Town, Changshu City, Jiangsu Province, Yueqing City, Zhejiang Province
Wool sweaters
Hengshan Town, Wujiang City, Jiangsu Province, Haiyang City
Down clothing Guli Town
Changshu City, Jiangsu Province, Gongqingcheng
Denim
Huangqiao Town, Taixing City, Jiangsu Province, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province
Socks
Datang Town, Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province (the largest socks production base in the country), Liaoyuan, Jilin (the largest cotton socks production base in the country), Lishui Town, Foshan, Guangdong
Swimwear
Xingcheng, Huludao, Liaoning Province, Jinjiang, Fujian, Yiwu, Zhejiang
Children's clothing
Zhili Town, Huzhou, Zhejiang, Dongguan area, Guangzhou, Foshan, Guangdong, Jimo, Qingdao, Shandong
Leather fabric
Youxi County, Fujian Province
Women's pants
Erqi District, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province
Flax spinning and weaving
Lanxi County, Heilongjiang Province
Cashmere
Lingwu City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
Printing and dyeing
Changyi City, Shandong Province
Batik
Linqing City, Shandong Province
Knitted clothing
Qingshan Lake District, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, Anyang City, Henan Province
If you want to import clothing from China, I suggest you cooperate with suppliers located in the industrial belt. Why?
There are three main advantages to wholesale clothing from Chinese factories located in the industrial belt:
- Reduced procurement costs
First, China has a mature clothing manufacturing supply chain, from the procurement of raw materials to the production, processing and distribution of ready-made clothes, each link is closely connected, forming an efficient industrial cluster. This integrated supply chain management has greatly reduced logistics and production costs and improved production efficiency.
Second, China has a large number of skilled labor resources, with high skill levels and high production efficiency. Although labor costs have risen in recent years, China's labor costs still have certain competitive advantages compared with other developing and developed countries.
The Chinese government has given certain policy support to the clothing industry, including tax reductions and exemptions, export tax rebates and other measures. These preferential policies help reduce the operating costs of enterprises and improve their international competitiveness.
- More advanced equipment
China's clothing manufacturing industry continues to introduce advanced production technology and automation equipment, which has improved production efficiency and product quality. Automated production lines reduce dependence on manpower and reduce labor costs, while ensuring product consistency and precision. Therefore, they can better meet your requirements for clothing style and craftsmanship.
- High customization efficiency
Chinese clothing companies are able to quickly capture market trends and consumer needs, quickly adjust production strategies, and launch new products. This flexible market response ability enables Chinese clothing products to meet market demand in a timely manner and remain competitive.
Chinese clothing wholesale manufacturers usually have professional R&D teams. Therefore, you can directly tell them your product ideas, and then they can help you design and produce.
In order to make customization more efficient, we recommend that you work directly with clothing factories. Because in the process of cooperating with trading companies, you need to tell them your ideas first, and then they will convey your ideas to the clothing factory. It may take more time to reach an agreement on product details.
2. Which channels can find Chinese clothing manufacturers?
When it comes to finding Chinese clothing manufacturers, there are different channels for you to choose from. You can choose the most suitable one from the following four methods according to your business.
China B2B cross-border platform
With the development of cross-border e-commerce platforms, foreign buyers can more easily access Chinese clothing suppliers and purchase directly, reducing the middle links and reducing procurement costs. Commonly used platforms include Made-in-China.com, Alibaba, DHgate, Global Sources, etc. Take Made-in-China.com as an example:
Made-in-China.com is one of the largest B2B e-commerce platforms in China, focusing on connecting global buyers with Chinese suppliers. You can buy a variety of clothes on the platform at very competitive prices. If you want to find custom clothing manufacturers in China, Made-in-China.com is a very good choice.
Maybe you don't know how to distinguish between traders and manufacturers on the platform. In the search results of Made-in-China.com, you can filter the manufacturing plants by the two fields of Business Type and R&D Capacity, which is generally not wrong.
Warm Tips: No matter which wholesale platform you choose to buy from, you can negotiate the quotation with the supplier. Generally speaking, the more you buy, the more competitive the price will be.
- Purchasing Agent
In addition to the above online platforms, you can also consider working with a purchasing agent in China. You can find purchasing agents in China by searching on Google.
Purchasing agents can help you find more Chinese clothing manufacturers, which are difficult to find on wholesale websites. Purchasing agents can also help you track production, check product quality, arrange shipments, etc. Compared with direct contact with factories, the economic cost may need to be slightly increased.
But one disadvantage of purchasing agents is that they can usually only purchase and customize clothes of simple designs and typical styles. Because designing and producing a brand new fashion style is expensive and time-consuming.
- Clothing Wholesale Market
If you come to China, in addition to visiting clothing factories directly, you can also find many wholesale markets in the industrial belt.
The largest clothing wholesale markets in China are mainly in Guangdong. Guangzhou clothing market is the most famous and largest market in China. Many suppliers in clothing markets in other cities also purchase from them.
The following are some of the more famous clothing wholesale markets in Guangzhou and their characteristics:
Wholesale market name Characteristics Applicable buyer type
Baima clothing market Mainly focusing on mid-to-high-end clothing, it brings together many well-known brands and designer brands, and is one of the largest foreign trade clothing distribution centers in South China. There is a Chinese original design brand base in the market to support domestic original clothing companies. It is suitable for buyers looking for high-quality, well-designed clothing, especially those interested in Korean clothing.
Shisanhang Wholesale Market Provides a rich supply and a variety of styles, especially the 4th floor and above, which is considered to be the essence of Chinese clothing. 1st to 3rd floors are low-end and suitable for small-scale purchases. Suitable for buyers of all sizes, especially those who like diversified choices and have large purchase needs.
Shahe Wholesale Market The largest clothing wholesale distribution center in Guangzhou and even in China, mainly focusing on low-end clothing, is the main point of purchase for denim clothing. Suitable for buyers looking for low-priced, large-scale supply, especially e-commerce and online sales platforms.
Hongmian International Fashion City is mainly engaged in high-end brand wholesale. It is located near Guangzhou Railway Station and once occupied a prime location for passenger flow. Merchants in the market focus on brand building and have a fast response speed and order-making ability. It is suitable for buyers who pursue brands and quality, especially retailers and brand agents who are sensitive to fashion trends.
Guangdahe Jindong Tail Market is located on Qingfeng Road, Shijing. It mainly deals in tail goods and provides high-quality and low-priced goods. It is the largest clothing tail wholesale market in South China. It is suitable for buyers with limited budgets who want to get brand tail goods at a lower price.
In addition, if you want to buy clothes at a lower price, you can go to the tail market, which is not listed here.
- Trade Fairs
If you have enough time and budget, it is also recommended that you attend China's expo. At the exhibition, you can keep abreast of the latest industry trends and technological developments, which is essential for making wise purchasing decisions. At the same time, you can also have face-to-face conversations with Chinese clothing suppliers, which helps you intuitively judge whether the supplier can meet your needs well.
You may also find many clothing factories without e-commerce experience at the exhibition. These factories are difficult to find on cross-border platforms due to lack of experience, but many of these factories are also strong.
The Canton Fair is the most recommended exhibition and is held twice a year. Each session is divided into three phases, and Chinese clothing wholesale suppliers will participate in the third phase, usually in May and November each year.
3. How to find Chinese clothing manufacturers to customize clothing?
The premise is to conduct sufficient market research and supplier evaluation to ensure that the manufacturer can meet the company's needs in terms of quality, cost and delivery time. There are 5 main steps to customize clothing from Chinese clothing manufacturers:
- Select a partner:
Based on the research results, select the appropriate Chinese clothing manufacturer. You can understand the manufacturer's production capacity, design level, quality control, credibility and other information through online searches, industry exhibitions, peer recommendations, etc., and choose the partner that best meets your needs.
- Communicate the design draft
Tell at least two or three suppliers your customization requirements for clothing, or show them your samples directly. If you don't know how to make a design draft, you can send pictures of customized clothing directly to Chinese clothing suppliers.
- Design and development:
Work with the manufacturer's design team to design clothing styles based on the results of the demand analysis. This stage may require multiple communications and modifications to ensure that the design draft accurately reflects market demand and brand concepts.
- Sample production and confirmation:
After the design is confirmed, the manufacturer will make samples. Buyers need to conduct a detailed inspection of the samples, including style, fabric, workmanship, etc., to ensure that the samples meet the expected effect. If necessary, the manufacturer can be asked to make modifications until the sample is completely satisfactory.
- Price negotiation and contract signing:
After the sample is confirmed, negotiate with the manufacturer on price, delivery date, payment method, etc. After the two parties reach an agreement, sign a formal purchase contract to clarify their respective rights and obligations.
- Production process monitoring:
During the production process, buyers can send quality inspectors to the manufacturer for quality monitoring, or require the manufacturer to provide production progress reports regularly. This step helps to timely discover and solve problems that may arise in production.
- Quality inspection:
After production is completed, buyers need to inspect the bulk goods. Sampling or full inspection can be used to ensure that the product quality meets the standards. If problems are found, they should be communicated with the manufacturer in time to resolve them.
- Logistics arrangement and receipt:
After the quality inspection is passed, arrange the transportation of the goods. Choose a suitable logistics method, such as sea transportation, air transportation, etc., and track the transportation status of the goods to ensure timely receipt.
- Sales and market feedback:
After the clothing is launched, collect market feedback and sales data to evaluate the customization effect. According to the market reaction, adjust the subsequent customization strategy and design direction.
4. Is the quality of clothing made in China good?
Some importers may have a bad view of "Made in China". Therefore, they are worried about the quality of clothing made in China. But this stereotype is now changing.
According to Quartz, an international news agency focusing on business, the quality of clothing in China has improved significantly in recent years.
The report pointed out that China's clothing industry has invested a lot of money and technology in training employees and clothing production. Many factories have adopted advanced production equipment and strict quality management systems to ensure that every piece of clothing can meet high standards. Moreover, many companies have passed international certifications, such as ISO standards, which further proves that product quality is guaranteed. As China's clothing exports increase year by year, factories will pay more attention to details.
In addition, domestic factories have cooperated with many international brands, and their products have received good responses in the market. It is recommended that you ask them for some successful cooperation cases to help you judge whether to cooperate with this manufacturer.
Although this does not directly indicate that the quality of Chinese goods is at the top level, we can see that China's clothing manufacturing industry is experiencing significant progress and development. As time goes by, global buyers' expectations for "Made in China" are also increasing. This expectation is not only due to China's huge production capacity and mature supply chain, but also because of Chinese manufacturers' continuous pursuit of quality control and continuous investment in innovative design. Therefore, we have reason to believe that clothing products made in China are gradually gaining recognition in the international market and will continue to maintain this positive trend in the future.
