Short answer: clothing manufacturing with an OEM supplier is a sequence of stages and written approval gates, not a single “send a sketch, receive a carton” step. The brand (or its agent) supplies a tech pack and approvals; the OEM turns those into samples and then bulk garments. How the floor actually runs depends on whether the product is knit-cut-sew or woven cut-and-sew, and on who buys the fabric.
This page is the process view. How to create the brand and hand the brief over is covered in how to create a fashion brand with a China OEM. Factory business models and pricing anatomy are on how apparel manufacturers work. OEM vs ODM vs private label is defined in OEM vs ODM clothing manufacturing. A related custom-production overview is the custom clothing production process; those pages overlap and are flagged rather than merged.
BOM and approval gates
Before anyone should cut bulk fabric, two documents have to exist:
- Tech pack: points of measure, construction, stitch types, artwork placements, packing and the labelled size chart.
- Bill of materials (BOM): every fabric, trim, thread, label, hangtag, polybag and carton that will ship with the garment, with a supplier or approved equivalent for each line. A sketch without a BOM is not a manufacturable order.
Each gate below should produce a written yes, a written change, or a stop. Verbal “looks fine” on a chat app is not an approval record — see what to put in a sealed sample approval record.
Sampling ladder (nothing skips to bulk)
- Development or proto sample: checks whether the idea can be sewn in something close to the intended fabric.
- Fit sample: measured and tried on the intended size chart; corrections go back to the pattern.
- Size set (when the range needs it): confirms grade rules across the sizes you will sell.
- Material approvals: lab dips, print or embroidery strike-offs, trim finishes — see what to check on a lab dip.
- Pre-production (PP) sample: made with the bulk fabric and trims, in the agreed construction. This is the sealed standard for bulk.
Fees, courier costs and how many revision rounds are included should be quoted up front (see sample development services). Most calendar slip happens here, not at the sewing machine.
Bulk stages: knit-cut-sew or woven cut-and-sew
| Stage | Knit-cut-sew (tees, hoodies, much underwear and loungewear) | Woven cut-and-sew (shirts, many trousers and jeans) |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming materials | Relax knitted fabric; check shade lots, width, mass and faults | Check shade lots, width, mass and faults; some fabrics need sponging or relaxing too |
| Spreading and cutting | Spread, let fabric relax as agreed, then cut from a marker | Spread and cut from a marker; denim and other laundry garments are often cut oversized for wash |
| Sewing | Lines assemble body, sleeves, neck, hems; coverstitch and overlock are common | Lines assemble panels, pockets, fly or closures; stitch types should be named (see ISO 4915 for stitch-type vocabulary) |
| Wet process / decoration | Printing, embroidery or garment dye if specified — often a separate booking | Wash, finish or decoration if specified — denim laundry is its own calendar |
| Finishing and packing | Thread trim, press or steam, fold, label, bag, carton | Thread trim, press, measure after wash if washed, label, bag, carton |
For a closer look at cutting and sewing as a system, see what cut and sew is. This page does not invent marker-efficiency percentages, waste-reduction claims or machine cycle times.
Who buys the fabric changes the process
- Full-package OEM: the supplier sources fabric and trims to your BOM, so fabric lead time sits on their calendar and shade risk is shared in the contract.
- CMT (cut, make, trim): you (or your mill) supply the fabric; the factory cuts and sews. Incoming inspection of your fabric becomes your problem as well as theirs.
“FOB” is an Incoterms® 2020 rule for where risk and cost transfer; apparel people also use it loosely to mean a full-package price. Confirm which meaning a quote uses (see FOB or DDP quotes).
Final inspection and shipment
Agree an attributes sampling plan before bulk starts — for example ISO 2859-1, with an inspection level and critical / major / minor limits. Inspection usually includes measurements against the sealed PP, workmanship, labelling (fibre and care under 16 CFR Parts 303 and 423 for the U.S. market) and packing. Pre-production, in-line and final inspection explains where those checks sit. Then goods move under the agreed Incoterms® rule with the documents your broker needs, including country-of-origin marking.
If dimensional change after wash matters, agree a method such as AATCC TM135 or ISO 6330/5077 rather than a verbal “won’t shrink.” Fabric mass, if you specify it, should cite a method such as ASTM D3776.
Decision rule
An OEM relationship is working when every bulk cut can be traced to a sealed PP, a complete BOM and a named inspection plan. If you are still deciding the brand itself, go back to creating a fashion brand with a China OEM. If you need weeks on a calendar rather than stages, use clothing production lead time.
Where Knitwear Base fits
Knitwear Base is a China knitwear manufacturer (tees, hoodies, underwear, loungewear). We run knit-cut-sew OEM programs from a tech pack; we are not a woven-denim laundry or a woven-shirt factory. For knit programs, start from the contact page or private label.
Sources and further reading
- ISO 2859-1:2026, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes (AQL)
- ICC, Incoterms® 2020 rules
- eCFR, 16 CFR Part 303, Rules under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act
- eCFR, 16 CFR Part 423, Care Labeling of Textile Wearing Apparel
- ISO 4915:1991, Textiles: Stitch types, classification and terminology
- AATCC TM135, Dimensional Changes of Fabrics after Home Laundering
- ISO 6330:2021, Domestic washing and drying procedures for textile testing
- ISO 5077:2007, Determination of dimensional change in washing and drying
- ASTM D3776/D3776M, Standard Test Methods for Mass Per Unit Area (Weight) of Fabric
- FTC, Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts
- CBP, Marking of Country of Origin on U.S. Imports
Rules and standards are summarised from their official pages for general guidance; this is not legal advice. Check the current version and the requirements of your own market before you rely on them.
