Free guide
How to evaluate a premium blank supplier
The sample looked perfect. The 200th unit did not. That gap is not bad luck — it is the difference between a supplier who photographs a great garment and one who controls a specification. Nine checks separate the two, and all nine can be done before the bulk order.
What is inside
- Measure, do not judge. Chest, length, shoulder and sleeve on the flat garment, against the spec sheet, with the tolerance stated.
- Weigh the fabric. A 10 cm × 10 cm square tells you the real gsm, and the quoted number is often the roll average rather than the finished garment.
- Turn it inside out. Seam type, overlock quality and taped neck say more about the production line than the outside does.
- Wash it once, hot. Shrinkage and collar collapse show up in one wash, not in six months.
- Ask for the size curve. A supplier who can show grading increments for the full run controls the pattern; one who cannot is guessing at 2XL.
- Ask what changed since the sample. The honest answer is a list; the dishonest answer is "nothing".
- Ask about dye lots. Colour across a reorder is the most common quiet failure in blank programmes.
- Ask for the label and trim plan. Labels have their own batch and lead time, and this is where shipments slip.
- Ask for capacity in weeks, not units. "We can do 20,000 a month" is not a delivery date.
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Questions
What should a sample tell me about a supplier?
Three things a photograph cannot: whether the measurements match the spec sheet, how the seams are finished on the inside, and whether the fabric weight is what was quoted. Measure the chest and weigh a square of fabric before judging the hand.
How many questions is too many to ask before ordering?
There is no limit on specification questions, and asking them is a test in itself. A supplier who answers measurement, weight and shrinkage questions in writing is telling you they keep records; one who answers with adjectives is telling you they do not.
What is the first sign a supplier will fail at volume?
A size run that changes between the sample and the bulk. If the chest measurement moves 1.5 cm without an agreed change, the pattern was not controlled — and at 2,000 pieces that becomes a returns problem, not a conversation.
Does a lower price signal a worse supplier?
Not on its own. It signals a different specification: lighter fabric, carded yarn, fewer stitches per inch. Compare price per 100 pieces landed, at the same weight and construction, or you are comparing two products.