Starting a clothing brand and wondering where to find manufacturers? This guide walks UK fashion entrepreneurs through sourcing clothing from China and Vietnam — from factory vetting and sampling to placing your first production order.
In summary: To source clothing manufacturers in China or Vietnam for your UK fashion brand, you need to identify reputable factories via platforms like Alibaba, trade fairs, or a professional sourcing agent — then verify them, request samples, negotiate terms, and manage quality control before shipment. UK fashion brands typically use either a White Label or Private Label approach, depending on how much customisation they need. This guide walks you through every step.
Picture this: it's 2013, and a young entrepreneur in Manchester has just sketched out the design for what she's certain will be the next big thing in activewear. The vision is clear. The target customer? Crystal clear. The only problem? She has absolutely no idea where the clothes are actually going to come from.
Twas' a simpler time. Back then, "sourcing clothing manufacturers" meant cold-calling a few factories you'd found on a basic Google search, or perhaps stumbling across a supplier directory at a trade show. The information was scattered, the risks were opaque, and the mistakes were — let's just say — educational.
Fast forward to today, and UK fashion entrepreneurs have more tools at their disposal than ever. But with that abundance of options comes a whole new kind of paralysis. China? Vietnam? A bit of both? Factory direct? Trading company? The questions stack up faster than a poorly managed inventory.
Having worked in the sourcing biz for years, I've seen the full spectrum — brands that got it right from day one, brands that ordered 5,000 units of a garment that looked nothing like the sample, and everything in between. So, without further ado: here's the no-nonsense guide UK fashion brands actually need.
Let's start with the obvious question. Why are so many UK fashion founders still looking East for manufacturing, even as conversations about reshoring grow louder?
The answer is cost, capability, and capacity. Chinese clothing manufacturers have spent decades building infrastructure, specialist knowledge, and supply chains that simply don't exist at the same scale anywhere else. From technical jersey fabrics to fully-structured tailoring, the factories are there — and they're world-class.
Vietnam has become increasingly significant as brands look to diversify away from single-country reliance. Its textile industry is particularly strong in knitwear, casualwear, and activewear, and it benefits from the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), which can mean significantly lower import tariffs compared to goods manufactured in China.
In short: if you want to produce quality garments at a margin that lets you run a real business, sourcing from Asia remains the most commercially viable path for the majority of UK fashion startups and SMEs.
Not all factories are created equal — and understanding the difference will save you from some very expensive education. There are broadly three types of manufacturing partners you'll encounter.
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) factories produce garments to your exact specification. You supply the designs, tech packs, fabrics, and trim cards — they manufacture to your brief. This is the route for brands with a clear product vision and the technical documentation to support it. For a full explanation of the OEM model, see our post on OEM manufacturing for small businesses.
ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) factories have their own existing styles that they'll produce and allow you to put your label on. If you're after a faster route to market without deep design investment, ODM can be a smart starting point. Think of it like finding a generic white label product that you can brand as your own.
Trading companies sit between you and the factory. They can be useful for smaller orders where you don't yet have the leverage to work factory-direct, but their margins add cost and their quality oversight can be inconsistent. Once your volumes allow it, going factory-direct is almost always preferable.
This is where most founders get overwhelmed. Here's how the process actually works.
Alibaba and Global Sources are the starting points most people know about. They can be useful for initial prospecting, but come with a major caveat: the quality of verification is inconsistent. A "Gold Supplier" badge tells you a factory has paid a subscription fee — it does not tell you whether they can produce what you need to the standard you need. Read our honest assessment in our guide to importing from Alibaba to the UK.
Trade fairs like Canton Fair in Guangzhou let you meet factories face-to-face. If you can get there, it's invaluable. Nothing replaces walking a factory floor and looking a supplier in the eye.
A professional sourcing agent with boots on the ground in China or Vietnam is often the most efficient route, particularly for brands without an established in-country network. A good agent doesn't just find factories — they verify them, manage sampling, and act as your quality assurance layer throughout production. Our guide on finding reliable manufacturers in China is a good place to start.
Sourcing Hack #1:
Before approaching any factory, do a reverse image search on their product photos. Many trading companies use images from other manufacturers' catalogues. If the photos appear on multiple unrelated factory websites, you're likely talking to a middleman — not the actual producer.
Once you have a shortlist, you need to know what you're evaluating. Here's what actually matters:
Category experience. A factory that primarily produces knitwear will struggle with technical performance fabrics. Always ask for their core specialism and request photos of products they've actually shipped — not just stock images.
MOQ alignment. Most established Chinese clothing factories start at 300–1,000 units per style. Vietnam is broadly similar. If a factory quotes you 50 units without hesitation, be cautious — it often signals a trading company, or a factory with capacity concerns. Our complete guide to MOQs explains how to navigate minimum order quantities as a smaller brand.
Compliance documentation. For UK market goods, you need manufacturers that understand REACH compliance, fibre content labelling requirements, and relevant safety standards for your category. Ask for documentation, not promises.
Communication quality. This sounds obvious, but it's revealing. A factory that responds quickly, clearly, and with detail during the enquiry stage is almost always a better operational partner than one that's vague and slow from the outset. The way they communicate before you're a customer is a reliable preview of how they'll communicate during a production crisis.
Sourcing Hack #2:
Send the same technical specification to three different factories and compare their responses — not just the price, but how they respond. Do they ask clarifying questions? Do they flag potential challenges with the design? Do they understand your brief? The most commercially aware response often comes from the best factory.
Sampling is the critical step that too many founders rush — usually to their significant financial regret. The sampling process typically runs: proto sample → fit sample → pre-production (PP) sample → production run. Each stage serves a specific purpose, and skipping any of them is a risk.
Proto samples establish whether the factory can execute your design concept at all. Fit samples confirm dimensions, drape, and construction. PP samples — produced from the actual production fabric and trims — are your final approval before the factory runs the full order.
Never approve a production run without an approved PP sample. This is not a guideline — it's a rule. I've seen brands receive thousands of units in the wrong fabric weight because they approved a proto sample and assumed the factory would use something similar. They did. It wasn't.
Sourcing Hack #3:
Always retain a physical "golden sample" — a sealed, signed copy of your approved PP sample that you keep on file. If there's ever a dispute about production quality, this is your reference point. Without it, "we matched the sample" is a conversation that goes precisely nowhere.
The honest answer is: it depends on your product, your volume, and your supply chain strategy.
China remains the leader for breadth and depth of manufacturing capability. If your brand uses technical fabrics, complex embellishments, or has very specific construction requirements, China's manufacturing ecosystem is unmatched. The raw material supply chain for fabrics, trims, and labels is also predominantly centred in China, which can reduce lead times for custom OEM production.
Vietnam is increasingly compelling for simpler-construction garments: basics, casualwear, and activewear. Labour costs are often lower than in coastal Chinese provinces, and UKVFTA tariff advantages can be meaningful at scale. However, Vietnam's raw material supply chain is less developed — many Vietnamese factories still import fabrics from China, which can offset some of the cost and lead time benefits.
A growing number of UK brands are adopting a dual-country strategy — using China for technical and complex pieces, Vietnam for high-volume basics. Our Private Label Package is designed to support exactly this kind of approach.
Once your goods are produced, you still need to get them into the UK without nasty surprises.
HS codes and import duty. Adult clothing typically attracts 12% import duty, though rates vary by product type and fibre content. These costs need to be factored into your landed cost from day one — not treated as a surprise at customs. Our complete guide to importing from China to the UK has a full cost breakdown including duty, VAT, and freight.
Garment labelling requirements. UK regulations require labels stating fibre content, care instructions, and country of origin. Your factory needs to produce garments with compliant labels, and your production agreement should specify this explicitly.
Intellectual property protection. If you have unique designs or branded elements, protect them before sharing detailed tech packs with any factory. This includes registering your trademark in China before manufacturing — a step that's far more important than most UK founders realise. We cover this comprehensively in our guide to protecting your IP when manufacturing in China.
Pre-shipment quality control. A pre-shipment inspection — where an independent QC inspector visits the factory and checks a sample of your order against your approved spec — is the standard last line of defence before your container leaves port. It's also covered in our safety checklist for first-time importers.
Sourcing Hack #4:
Build your full landed cost model before committing to any production order. That means: ex-factory price + international freight + insurance + UK import duty + VAT + third-party QC inspection costs. The final number is often 35–55% higher than the factory price alone. Know your numbers before you negotiate.
Finding the right clothing manufacturers, verifying them, managing sampling, overseeing production, and getting your goods shipped to the UK is a full-time job. Most fashion brand founders don't have the bandwidth or the in-market expertise to do it well on their own.
That's precisely what we do at Epic Sourcing. We have bilingual teams on the ground in China and Vietnam, a vetted network of clothing manufacturers across categories from activewear to formal tailoring, and a proven process that takes UK brands from product concept to finished goods.
Our White Label Package is ideal for brands wanting to launch quickly with an existing manufacturer's styles, branded with your label. Our Private Label Package is for brands with their own designs who want a fully custom product. Our Secret Label Package is for established brands ready to take full ownership of their manufacturing relationships.
Drop us a line at hello@epicsourcing.co.uk or book a discovery call. We work with UK fashion brands at every stage — from first-time founders to scaling businesses with existing China relationships that need professionalising.
Start with Alibaba or Global Sources for initial prospecting, but never rely solely on these platforms for verification. The most reliable route is working with a professional sourcing agent with existing, vetted relationships. Alternatively, Canton Fair in Guangzhou gives you direct access to hundreds of factories — though the logistics and language barrier require careful management.
Most established Chinese clothing factories require 300–1,000 units per style per colour. Vietnam is broadly similar. If your budget doesn't yet support those volumes, consider ODM products — where the factory has existing styles you can brand — which typically offer lower MOQs. Our MOQ guide covers strategies for negotiating minimums as a smaller brand.
Vietnam is competitive for basics, casualwear, and activewear — particularly at higher volumes — due to lower labour costs and UKVFTA tariff benefits. However, for garments requiring technical fabrics, complex construction, or a rich ecosystem of trims and accessories, China's manufacturing infrastructure remains unmatched. Many UK brands use both countries strategically.
Ideally yes, but it's not always practical for initial orders. A reputable sourcing agent can conduct factory audits and verification visits on your behalf. At minimum, request a third-party factory audit report before committing to production — covering business registration, production capacity, quality management systems, and worker welfare.
Register your intellectual property in China before sharing detailed designs with any manufacturer. This includes trademarks, design registrations, and relevant patents. Use bilingual NDAs before sharing tech packs, work only with verified factories, and stage your disclosure carefully. We cover this in depth in our guide to protecting your IP when manufacturing in China.
Adult clothing from China typically attracts approximately 12% import duty, varying by HS code. Clothing from Vietnam benefits from preferential rates under the UKVFTA, which can meaningfully reduce duty costs for qualifying goods. All clothing imports are also subject to UK VAT at 20%. See our complete importing guide for a full landed cost breakdown.
TK Wang, Founder & Director @ Epic Sourcing | hello@epicsourcing.co.uk | 07551 136406
