Direct answerFor the US: fibre content, country of origin, manufacturer identity (an RN number or name) and care instructions, all permanently attached. For the EU: fibre composition under Regulation (EU) 1007/2011, REACH compliance, and since 13 December 2024 an EU-based responsible person under GPSR. In both markets the legal labeler is the brand or importer, not the factory.What has to be on t...

Direct answerThey answer different questions. OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 tests the finished article for harmful substances and is granted per product, with no requirement for organic fibre. GOTS certifies organic fibre content and the environmental and social performance of every processing stage, from fibre to finished garment, and requires chain-of-custody documents at each step.Side by sideA garmen...

Direct answerHandling depends on when the defect is found. In-line defects are repaired at the station and the cause is logged. Units that fail final inspection are sorted 100% and repaired or replaced before packing. After delivery, a claim is checked against the batch code on the carton and the inspection report, and the outcome is replacement or credit depending on whether the fault is ours.Wh...

Direct answerThe lot is frozen and compared point by point against the signed approved sample and spec — not against memory or a photo. We quantify how many pieces are affected, trace the cause to a lot, a cutting batch or a process, and then agree a remedy: rework, remake, or a commercial adjustment. Who pays depends on where the fault sits, and the contract decides that.Step by stepThe first 48...

Direct answerYes. Every order produces a pre-shipment report before dispatch, issued as a PDF within 24-48 hours of inspection. It contains the AQL result, the measurement chart against spec, every defect found with photos, the packing and carton data, and a clear pass, conditional pass or fail decision. The order is not released for shipping without it.What the report containsThe report is writt...

Direct answerPilling is loose fibres tangling on the surface, so the fix is at the yarn: use combed or combed ring-spun cotton, longer staple, a firmer twist, and brush the inside less. Then confirm it with a Martindale or random-tumble test and accept nothing below grade 3-4. A softer hand-feel and lower pilling pull in opposite directions, so the choice has to be made at sampling.Where pilling ...

Direct answerLook for eight faults, because they account for most rejections: skipped stitches, unbalanced tension, uneven stitch density, seam puckering, seam grin, raw or frayed edges, missing backtack and twisted side seams. All eight are visible in ten minutes if you turn the garment inside out, count stitches over 10 cm and pull the seam by hand.The eight faults and what causes themMost stit...

Direct answerShrinkage is measured, not estimated. We mark a 50 cm gauge on the length and width of the garment or a sewn panel, run three wash cycles at the temperature printed on the care label, dry it the way the label says, and re-measure the same gauge. The result is reported separately for length and width as a percentage change, and that number decides the pattern allowance.The two methods...

Direct answerThere is no single number: tolerance is set per measurement point. For knitted streetwear we work to plus or minus 1 cm on body length, chest, waist and hip, and plus or minus 0.5-0.6 cm on shoulder, sleeve length, neck width and cuff height. Woven styles are held tighter on the points that carry the fit. Every point has its tolerance printed in the spec before sampling starts.Tolera...

Direct answerYes. You can appoint any inspection company you like, and we will not restrict access. Most buyers book SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek, TUV or QIMA for a during-production inspection or a pre-shipment inspection. The inspector sees the same order file, measurement chart and cartons that our own QC team works from, and any findings are reworked and re-checked before the shipment leaves...

Direct answerYes — at agreed milestones. The four that matter are: after fabric inspection (shade and weight confirmed), after cutting (quantity and panel check), at in-line sewing (first finished pieces), and before packing (final quantity and carton status). Each update should include photos plus a number, because a photo without quantity cannot tell you whether you are on schedule.Why mileston...

Direct answerEvaluate on evidence, not presentation. Ask for comparable production photos or video from the actual line, a live video walk-through of the workshop, the QC checkpoints written down, and a reference customer who can answer specific questions about defects and delays. Then place a paid sample order and judge the spec sheet against what arrives. At VANRD this is the same path every ne...

Direct answerClose all four approvals before cutting starts, in a fixed order: fabric quality first (quality code, GSM, composition), then colour (lab dip or bulk swatch under D65), then decoration (print or embroidery standard on the actual fabric), then trims (zippers, cords, labels). At VANRD this is the pre-production approval gate — bulk timing starts from that approval, not from the PO date...

Direct answerGrading converts the approved base size into the full range by applying measured increments to each point of measure. Before bulk, VANRD issues a size set (usually the smallest, base and largest sizes) and a measurement sheet with tolerances; the set is measured again after a wash cycle when the fabric shrinks. Bulk is then inspected against that sheet, not against the base sample al...

Direct answerBecause a sample carries all the fixed costs of a style on one garment. The pattern, the marker, the cutting setup, the machine settings, the artwork setup and the finishing are the same whether you make one piece or five hundred — but at one piece they land entirely on that sample. Add small-quantity fabric and the sample price is several times the bulk unit price by arithmetic, not...

Direct answerYes. No bulk run starts without an approved sample. The sample is produced as a separate development item — typically 7–10 days after the spec and materials are confirmed — and it is charged separately because it carries its own pattern, cutting and finishing. One to three rounds is normal; each revision round adds roughly 7–14 days.What the sample actually provesThe sample is not a ...

Direct answerOur minimum is 100 pieces per style and color. It is a per-colour minimum, not a per-order minimum — a two-colour programme starts at 200 pieces, four colours at 400. Sizes can be mixed inside a colourway as long as the total for that colour reaches 100. Different colours cannot be combined to reach the minimum, because each colour is a separate dye and cutting lot.Why the minimum ex...

Direct answerYes. A full-package factory sources fabric, trims and accessories as part of the order: shell fabric, lining, rib, zippers, drawcords, eyelets, labels, hangtags and polybags. The important questions are not whether it can be done, but who carries the mill minimum, who approves the trim standard, and whether every component is recorded on one spec sheet. At VANRD these are consolidate...

Direct answerTo get a firm number rather than a range, send six inputs: the style or reference garment, fabric and GSM (or accept the factory's recommendation), the number of colourways, quantity per colour, the decoration method and artwork, and packaging plus delivery date. At VANRD a quote is built from those six; if one is missing we quote a band and flag the assumption in writing.The six inp...

Direct answerStart with a written brief, not a price question. Send the garment type, quantity per style and colour, fabric and GSM direction, size range, artwork and target delivery date. That one document drives the quote, the sample and the production plan. At VANRD the sequence is: brief and quantity confirmed, fabric and trims selected, sample produced in 7–10 days, then bulk production in 2...

Direct answerChoose by artwork, quantity and fabric, not by preference. Screen printing is the cheapest per unit at volume and gives the most opaque, durable result on bold graphics. DTG is best for small runs and photographic detail on cotton, but ink cost per unit stays high. DTF handles fine full-colour work on cotton blends and synthetics, with a slightly raised film hand-feel. At VANRD the m...

Direct answerA repeatable vintage effect is a documented recipe plus a sealed standard. Write down the enzyme or stone dosage, cycle time, temperature, liquor ratio and drying route; approve a physical standard under D65 light; then hold each bulk lot to a stated colour tolerance and retain a swatch from every lot. Without that paper trail, “vintage” drifts between production runs and the reorder...

Direct answerThey are three different processes. Enzyme wash uses cellulase to break down surface fibres — softness and a slight fade, low risk. Acid wash uses chlorine-loaded pumice to strip indigo unevenly, producing the marbled contrast look, and it is the harshest of the three. Vintage wash is not a chemical but a recipe: enzyme plus stone or bleach steps tuned to a specific shade and hand-fe...

Direct answerShrinkage is reduced in three places, not one. Buy fabric that has been compacted or pre-shrunk, measure the real shrinkage with a wash test on the actual bulk fabric, and build the allowance into the pattern and grade. Untreated cotton knit can lose 3–5% in length on the first wash; compacted cotton with a controlled finishing route typically holds to 1–3%. At VANRD the wash test is...

Direct answerFabric decides whether an oversized garment reads as structured or slouchy. A 450 GSM loopback keeps a boxy, off-body line; a 280 GSM terry falls close to the body and loses the shoulder. For a structured oversized brief, specify 400–500 GSM French terry or double-face, cut the pattern for the measured shrinkage, and lock the fabric before grading — changing fabric after fit approval...

Direct answerYes — most factories can source against a physical swatch. There are three routes: stock fabric already in the mill's range (fastest, cheapest), an existing mill quality re-dyed to your shade (needs a lab dip and a dye-lot minimum), or a custom knit and dye run when the construction itself is unusual. At VANRD we quote the route before sampling, because the route decides both the MOQ...

Direct answerNeither is better in the abstract. 100% cotton delivers the hand-feel, dye depth and “premium” language most streetwear brands sell — at a higher cost and roughly 3–5% shrinkage unless it is pre-shrunk. An 80/20 cotton-polyester fleece shrinks less, keeps its shape through washing, resists pilling and hits a lower unit price — which is why it dominates volume hoodie programmes. At VA...

Direct answerFrench terry and brushed fleece are cousins, not opposites. French terry keeps the inside loops intact: breathable, structured, better print surface, lower pilling. Brushed fleece is French terry that has been sanded on the inside to raise a nap: warmer and softer at the same weight, but the brushed fibres pill and the garment relaxes with wear. On VANRD hoodie programmes, structured...

Direct answerFor a premium heavyweight hoodie, target 400–450 GSM in brushed fleece, or 400+ GSM in French terry if you want structure without heat. 320–380 GSM is the volume standard rather than a premium weight, and above roughly 500 GSM you are building outerwear with a hood, not a hoodie. At VANRD we develop these weights as a single recorded specification, so the first run and the reorder fe...

Direct answerNo — GSM measures weight, not quality. A tightly knitted 320 GSM fleece from combed, long-staple yarn will pill less, hold its shape longer and feel better than a loosely built 400 GSM made from short-staple cotton. Weight is a design decision about drape and warmth; quality is decided by fibre length, yarn count, knitting tension, dyeing and finishing. At VANRD we specify all five o...

Working with a manufacturer that specializes in zip-up hoodies means one team controls the fabric spec, construction, trims, decoration and quality standard as a single recorded specification — which is what keeps fit, color and hand-feel consistent between the first production run and the reorder.On this category specifically, the controls that matter are: a YKK #5 or equivalent full-front zipper...

A first custom zip-up hoodie sample takes 7–10 days after the specification and available materials are confirmed, and bulk production runs 25–35 days after pre-production approval. Most programs need one to three sample rounds, which is where the real calendar is decided.Stage by stage:Specification review — 1–5 days. Construction, quantity, artwork, sizing and timeline reviewed. Vague briefs are...

A zip-up hoodie lives or dies by its 3-part front system: the zipper tape, the placket around it and the collar construction. Those 3 decisions separate a hoodie that feels considered from one that feels generic — and a zipper that snags at the collar is the single most common complaint on an otherwise well-made garment.The zipper itself. YKK #5 or equivalent is the working standard on a 360–400 G...

Custom zip-up hoodies commonly fall in the $8–28+ per unit FOB range. Within that band, the spread is driven mainly by fabric weight, zipper spec, decoration and volume. A unit price quoted without fabric weight, construction details, decoration method and order volume is not comparable across suppliers.What moves the number:Fabric — 100% cotton fleece for a natural hand-feel and garment-dye progr...

VANRD's minimum order quantity for custom zip-up hoodies is 100 pieces per color per style. It is a per-color minimum rather than a per-order minimum, so a two-color program starts at 200 pieces and a four-color program at 400. Sizes can be mixed inside a colorway as long as the total for that color reaches 100.The minimum exists because zip-up hoodies carry setup costs that a basic tee does not. ...

Custom zip-up hoodies are built from four decisions: fabric and weight, construction and trims, decoration, and the private label pack. Each one changes cost, lead time and how the finished piece reads.Fabric. The options we run most are 100% cotton fleece for a natural hand-feel and garment-dye programs; cotton-poly fleece for shape and color retention at a lower cost; French terry for a lighter,...

Working with a manufacturer that specializes in workwear sets means one team controls the fabric spec, construction, trims, decoration and quality standard as a single recorded specification — which is what keeps fit, color and hand-feel consistent between the first production run and the reorder.On this category specifically, the controls that matter are: a jacket and pant developed as one progra...

A first custom workwear set sample takes 7–10 days after the specification and available materials are confirmed, and bulk production runs 25–35 days after pre-production approval. Most programs need one to three sample rounds, which is where the real calendar is decided.Stage by stage:Specification review — 1–5 days. Construction, quantity, artwork, sizing and timeline reviewed. Vague briefs are ...

Custom workwear sets are built from four decisions: fabric and weight, construction and trims, decoration, and the private label pack. Each one changes cost, lead time and how the finished piece reads.Fabric. The options we run most are duck canvas for the most rugged set; heavy cotton twill as a lighter alternative; cotton-nylon blends for abrasion resistance. For workwear sets the practical weig...

Custom workwear sets commonly fall in the $15–60+ per piece, with the set costed as two per unit FOB range. Within that band, canvas weight, reinforcement level and hardware count drive the number. A unit price quoted without fabric weight, construction details, decoration method and order volume is not comparable across suppliers.What moves the number:Fabric — duck canvas for the most rugged set;...