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Manufacture clothing in Asia: the guide
Manufacturing clothing in Asia remains the most competitive route for a premium brand, provided you master five subjects: country choice, MOQs, technical development, quality control and customs. This guide condenses what we apply on the ground every week, in Vietnam and China, for demanding menswear brands.
Choosing your production country
China keeps the deepest supply chain and the widest technicity. Vietnam offers costs generally 5 to 15% lower, fast upmarket movement on tailoring and outerwear, and access to 0% EU import duty through the EVFTA. The right choice is made product by product: a canvassed suit, Hanoi; a highly technical piece in volume, China; small-run leather goods, Ho Chi Minh City.
MOQs and budgets: the real numbers
Large exporting groups require 1,000 to 3,000 pieces per style. Workshops suited to independent brands accept 50 to 300 pieces in Vietnam, with an assumed unit premium. Also budget development: tech packs, samples (often invoiced then deducted), fabric tests, and 60 to 90 days of production.
Development: tech pack and samples
A complete tech pack, measurements, fabrics, finishes, is the condition for a reliable quote and a usable first sample. It is the weak point of most emerging brands, and the first cause of failed productions. Two to three sample rounds are normal; beyond that, it signals a wrong workshop or a wrong file.
Quality control, on site or nothing
A standard AQL inspection checks conformity, not the product: a fit defect that matches the tech pack passes inspection. For premium, control must be done by a product eye, during production, when correcting still costs little. It is the core of our production office work.
Customs: the EVFTA advantage
EU duties on apparel sit around 12%. A Vietnamese production structured under EVFTA rules of origin brings them to 0%. Fabric choice and origin are decided at development stage: too late at shipping.
Alone or accompanied?
Producing directly works when everything goes well. An on-site production office earns its keep on what it prevents: overpromising workshops, samples going nowhere, non-conformities discovered at delivery, slipping deadlines. Our fixed-price entry pack lets you test the formula without a long commitment.
FAQ
What minimum budget to produce in Asia?
For a first premium capsule in a small run: count development (tech packs, samples), production of 50 to 300 pieces per style, freight and taxes. A first brief allows precise costing; the structure varies widely by category.
How long from brief to delivery?
4 to 6 months for a first production: costed proposal (2 to 4 weeks), sampling (3 to 6 weeks), production (60 to 90 days), freight.
Do I need to be on site?
Someone has to be: you, or someone who sees the product the way you do. Remote follow-up by email and photos is the first cause of bad surprises at delivery.
Vietnam or China to start?
For a European premium brand starting in Asia, Vietnam is most often the right entry point: lower MOQs, EVFTA, fast upmarket movement. China is justified for technicity or volume.
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