Private Label Clothing Manufacturers: Find and Vet One in China
Quick answer: There are two ways to get clothing under your own label from China. You can take a garment a factory already makes and swap in your neck label, hang tag and packaging, or you can have a factory cut and sew your own design from a tech pack. Find factories on 1688 and Alibaba.com, in China's garment clusters, at the Canton Fair or through a sourcing agent. Vet them on three things: the size spec they work to, the minimum per color, and how they handle labels. Before you sell in the US, every garment needs fiber content, country of origin, your company identity and a permanent care label. Once your brand is on it, those are your responsibility, not the factory's.
Two routes to a private label clothing line
Most new brands start with the first route and move to the second once a style has proved it sells.
| Relabel a stock garment | Cut and sew your own design | |
|---|---|---|
| What changes | Neck label, hang tag, packaging, sometimes a printed or embroidered logo | Pattern, fabric, fit, trims, colors and labels |
| Who owns the design | The factory; other stores can sell the same garment | You, if your agreement says so |
| What sets the minimum | Your label order and any logo printing | Fabric, often bought by the roll or dye lot per color, plus the factory's line setup |
| Samples | A stock sample, then a branded one | Several rounds: first sample, fit sample, size set, pre-production sample |
| Risk | Low; a style that flops is easy to drop | Higher; fabric bought for you can't be returned |
| Good for | Basics, testing a niche, fast launches | A signature fit or fabric customers can't find elsewhere |
Factories often call the first route ODM (you choose from their designs) and the second OEM (they make yours). If you're still deciding how much of the product should be yours, read private label vs. white label first.
Where to find clothing manufacturers in China
- 1688.com. China's domestic wholesale site. A huge range of stock garments at domestic prices, many available in small quantities. It's in Chinese and sellers expect Chinese payment and delivery addresses; our 1688 guide explains the workarounds.
- Alibaba.com. The export side: English listings and suppliers used to private label requests from abroad. Expect higher prices than 1688 for the same item, and a lot of trading companies among the "manufacturers".
- Garment clusters. Chinese apparel is made in specialist towns. Guangzhou has big fabric and trim markets and many small workshops. Humen, in Dongguan, is known for women's wear; Zhili, in Huzhou, for children's clothing; Quanzhou and Jinjiang, in Fujian, for sportswear; Shantou for underwear; Xingcheng, in Liaoning, for swimwear. The cluster tells you where the specialists are.
- Trade fairs. The Canton Fair in Guangzhou has a spring and an autumn session, and textiles, garments and shoes have sat in its third phase. The autumn 2026 session runs from October 15 to November 4.
- A sourcing agent. Someone who talks to factories in Chinese, checks them in person and can combine your small orders. Worth it when your quantities are too small for factories to take seriously, or you don't have time to vet them yourself.
Each garment type has its own traps, so we cover them separately: activewear (fabric testing), swimwear (chlorine, UPF and timing) and lingerie (bra sizing and discreet packing).
How to vet a clothing factory: 8 questions
- Do you sew in-house or subcontract? Ask for a short live video of the sewing floor, and check that the business license lists garment production in its scope.
- Is the minimum per style, per color or per order? "300 pieces" per color is a very different commitment from 300 pieces split across five colors.
- Can you send a size spec sheet with tolerances? Chest, length, sleeve and waist for every size, each with an allowed plus or minus. A factory that works from a spec sheet can be held to one.
- Where does the fabric and yarn come from, and can you document it? For cotton this matters at the US border (see below).
- Which labels can you produce and sew in? Woven neck labels, printed or heat-transfer labels, care labels, hang tags, polybags with size stickers.
- What does each sample round cost, and how long does it take? Is the sample fee credited against the bulk order?
- What is the lead time for bulk, and for a repeat order of the same style? Repeats should be quicker when the fabric is a stock color.
- What happens if bulk doesn't match the approved sample? Get the answer in writing before you pay a deposit.
Samples: what to check before you approve
Each sample round builds the reference that every future batch is checked against. On each one:
- Measure every point on the spec sheet, in at least two sizes.
- Wash it once the way your care label will say, then measure again for shrinkage and look at the color.
- Stretch the seams, work the zippers and buttonholes, and look at the inside finish, not only the outside.
- Read the labels: placement, spelling, fiber percentages and care symbols.
- Keep one approved unit as the reference sample with your supplier or agent, so bulk goods can be compared side by side.
US label rules, and who is responsible
When a garment carries your brand, you, as the brand owner and usually the importer, are the one regulators and customers hold to account. What US clothing needs:
- A textile label (FTC). Fiber content by generic name and percentage, the country of origin, and the identity of the responsible company: its name or an FTC Registered Identification Number (RN). RNs are issued only to US-based businesses, so a brand based abroad uses its company name. The origin must appear on the front of the label.
- A care label (FTC). Care instructions on a label attached permanently and legible for the garment's life. An industry petition to allow digital care labels was still pending with the FTC in 2026, so plan on a physical label.
- Your product page. Online listings for textile products must say whether the item is made in the USA, imported, or both. For goods made in China, "Imported" does the job.
- Flammability (CPSC). Adult clothing must meet the general flammability standard, 16 CFR 1610. If every fabric in the garment is exempt from testing (plain-surface fabrics of 2.6 oz per square yard or heavier, or fabrics made entirely of fibers such as polyester, nylon, acrylic or wool), the CPSC does not require a certificate. Otherwise you need a General Certificate of Conformity. Since July 8, 2026, the importer of record files that certificate data, or a statement that none is required, electronically with US Customs at entry, whatever the shipment value.
- Children's clothing. Anything designed for kids 12 and under is a children's product: testing at a CPSC-accepted third-party lab, a Children's Product Certificate, permanent tracking labels, plus rules on drawstrings in kids' outerwear and on sleepwear flammability. A kids' line is not "the same garment in smaller sizes".
- Cotton traceability. Under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, US Customs presumes goods containing Xinjiang cotton are barred and can hold a shipment until the importer proves otherwise. Ask where the yarn and fabric come from and keep the paperwork.
- California PFAS limits. California bans PFAS in textiles above 100 ppm of total organic fluorine, tightening to 50 ppm on January 1, 2027. Water- and stain-repellent finishes are the usual source.
When you relabel a stock garment, the factory's label comes out and yours goes in, so your new labels have to carry the fiber, origin and care details. Proof them before you print a few thousand.
A worked cost example
Take a hypothetical stock hoodie at $7.50 from the factory, with your woven label and hang tag added at the factory, and a first batch of 600 pieces. Using PackQuay's published fees:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Product cost (600 x $7.50) | $4,500.00 |
| Sourcing fee, tier 1 (up to $5,000): 10% | $450.00 |
| Private label add-on: 2.5% | $112.50 |
| Total before shipping | $5,062.50 |
Then, per order once the stock is in our warehouse: pick and pack is $2.00 on days with 1 to 19 paid orders and steps down to $1.00 from the 149th order of the day; a second SKU in the same order adds $1.00 at the first tier. If labels are swapped in our warehouse instead of at the factory, that work is billed at $7 per person per hour, so ask for an estimate on a sample first. Storage is free for the first 2 months. Shipping is charged at cost, and since the US duty-free threshold no longer applies to parcels from China, build duties into your price. The full tables are on our pricing page.
Mistakes that cost clothing brands the most
- Approving from photos. A garment that looks right can be two centimeters short in the body. Measure a physical sample.
- Buying the same quantity in every size. Styles rarely sell evenly across sizes. Use your test sales to set the size split.
- Letting the fabric change between sample and bulk. Put in writing that any substitution needs your approval.
- Losing the care label in a relabel. Removing the factory label can remove the only compliant label on the garment.
- Adding kids' sizes casually. It turns an adult product into a children's product with third-party testing.
How PackQuay helps
We find the factory, request spec sheets and samples, check labels and measurements, and follow bulk production. Goods land in our own warehouse in Xinxiang, Henan, where 20% of each batch is inspected free, then each order ships under your brand on one of 30+ shipping lines. Send the styles you want to brand to your account manager on WhatsApp and we'll quote both routes: relabeled stock and your own design.
FAQ
What is the minimum order for private label clothing from China?
It depends on the route. Relabeling a stock garment is limited mainly by your label and print order, while cut-and-sew depends on the fabric minimum per color and the factory's line setup. Always ask whether a minimum is per style, per color or per order.
Can I put my own label on clothes bought from 1688?
Yes, physically. But your new label must still show fiber content, country of origin and your company identity, and the garment needs a permanent care label, because the brand on the label answers for it in the US.
What labels does clothing need to be sold in the US?
A label with fiber content, country of origin and the responsible company's name or RN, plus a permanently attached care label. Online listings must also state whether the product is imported or made in the USA.
Do I need a certificate to import adult clothing into the US?
Adult clothing must meet the CPSC flammability standard. If every fabric is exempt from testing, no certificate is required; otherwise the importer needs a General Certificate of Conformity, and since July 8, 2026 the certificate data, or a statement that none is needed, is filed electronically at entry.
How do I tell a real clothing factory from a trading company?
Ask for a live video of the sewing floor, check that the business license lists garment production, and ask questions only a maker can answer, such as the fabric minimum per color and the lead time for a repeat order. Trading companies can still be good partners for small mixed orders.