textiles Archives

When a Textile Order from Bangladesh goes AWOL…

Posted on November 8, 2022August 14, 2026 by sofeast

What happens when a textile order that you’ve placed and paid for with a Bangladeshi cut-and-sew supplier is seemingly forever delayed and the supplier is giving you nothing?

This is, unfortunately, a rather common issue with Bangladeshi suppliers…here’s an example and some comments from us.

Continue reading “When a Textile Order from Bangladesh goes AWOL…”

What’s The Most Effective Apparel Development & Production Process? [Podcast]

Posted on May 20, 2022August 14, 2026 by sofeast

Renaud is joined by another special guest, Belinda Jacobs founder of Techpacks.co, a company that has been helping soft goods designers and brands improve production & decrease waste, through tech packs since 2016.

This is a great episode for designers of apparel (or other kinds of soft goods like bags, accessories, textiles, etc) who are new to bringing their creations to market because Belinda and Renaud explain what an effective development & production process is, what tech packs are and why they’re such an important document for keeping everything on track, and provide some tips and warnings.

Thanks for listening and also our thanks to Belinda for coming on!

Listen here!

Listen: How To Develop New Apparel (Feat. Belinda Jacobs from Techpacks.co)

Watch: on Youtube

Episode sections

00:00 – Greetings & Introduction to today’s topic.
01:07 – Belinda’s background and business, Techpacks.co
02:58 – What are tech packs?
05:51 – Do apparel manufacturers have the tendency to skip a lot of pre-production steps and rush straight into mass production unless they’re told very clearly what actions to take beforehand by the customer?
08:42 – Initial design.
09:53 – Why using another brand’s garment as a basis for yours is dangerous.
12:52 – What comes first? Sizing, or an initial sample from the supplier for you to check the look of the garment?
14:18 – After your preliminary plan, the importer asks the manufacturer to prepare some elements. What are they?
17:18 – How do designers communicate their ideas for colors to the manufacturer, and what do they give you for approval?
20:08 – The manufacturer has produced a sample in the right style, color, and fit, what’s the next step?
21:44 – Full size set samples. Needed, or not?
24:02 – When do labelling and packing need to be documented and confirmed?
27:26 – What’s the best way to communicate with suppliers once you start working with them?
29:34 – At what point will importers feel confident to pay the downpayment and start mass production?
33:07 – What are ‘TOP samples?’
36:01 – Summary: The garment development process that designers need to keep in mind
39:53 – Wrapping up and how to contact Belinda and Techpacks.co

List of Textile Testing Labs in South India (10 options)

Posted on April 19, 2022August 14, 2026 by sofeast

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”15041″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]India is a well-known source of textile fabrics, apparel, and other softlines. It is competitive with other producers such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, China, etc. So in complement to the manufacturers, there are also plenty of textile testing labs in India that you can use to check and confirm the quality and compliance of products you are buying.

What normally happens during textile testing?

There are a lot of standards that are related to certain types of textile fabrics, accessories, and garments. Your lab should be aware of the kinds of standards your product and market will require for compliance and quality, but it’s also a good idea for buyers to research them in advance — ideally from the product design stage.

For example, here are just a few standards:

REACH – analytical analysis for presence of restricted substances
ASTM D2061 Standard Test Methods for Strength Tests for Zippers
BS EN ISO 11641:2012 Leather. Tests for colour fastness. Colour fastness to perspiration
ASTM-D6614 Standard Test Method for Stretch Properties of Textile Fabrics – CRE Method
ISO 283 Textile conveyor belts — Full thickness tensile strength, elongation at break and elongation at the reference load — Test method

Specific tests have been developed for nearly all aspects of your textile products. Accessories like zippers on apparel, but also other types of textiles like material products and leather.

Labs may carry out the testing using chemical analysis equipment, physical stress equipment, and visual checks.

List of South Indian textile testing labs

We’ve selected 10 textile testing labs in India for you centered around the south of the country where our office is based and many of the best labs can be found.

Please note, we have concentrated on providing laboratories that are certified by the NABL (India’s National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) as these are more credible choices.[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_accordion color=”white” c_align=”center” active_section=”1″][vc_tta_section title=”1. AZO Textile Testing Laboratory” tab_id=”1646668852575-7e58d1db-86bd”][vc_column_text el_class=”t-center li-aero”]

Location: Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
Website: http://www.azolab.com/index.php
Founded: 1997
Staff: 10
Testing Services: Color Fastness Testings Service, Chemical Analysis Testing Services, Water Analysis Testing Services, Chemical Analysis Services, Color Fastness Testing Services
ISO 9001 certification status: Yes
NABL: Yes
Contact email/phone: info@azolab.com/ 9244302610
Export license (N)
Testing lead time: 1 week

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”2. The South India Textile Research Association” tab_id=”1646669553225-56aa4b5c-ed96″][vc_column_text el_class=”t-center li-aero”]

Location: Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Website: https://sitra.org.in/
Founded: 1956
Staff: 100 to 200
Testing Services: Medical Textile Services, Chemical Testing, Accessories and Woven & Knitted Testing, Calibration, Textile Services and Training Programs Services, etc
ISO 9001 certification status: Yes
NABL: Yes
Contact email/phone: info@sitra.org.in/ +91-422-2574367
Export license (N)
Testing lead time: 1 week

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”3. AGS India LABORATORIES PRIVATE LIMITED” tab_id=”1646668852597-f5e9d0a2-6393″][vc_column_text el_class=”t-center li-aero”]

Location: Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
Website: http://www.agstextiletesting.com/
Founded: 2010
Staff: 10
Testing Services: Textiles / Garments Tests, Strength Parameters Test, Performance Parameters Test, Colour Fastness Parameter Test and Yarn Test Parameters Test.
ISO 9001 certification status: Yes
NABL: Yes
Contact email/phone: service@agstextiletesting.com/ 9092992294
Export license (N)
Testing lead time: 1 week

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”4. Southern Textile Testing Lab” tab_id=”1646669440873-95508682-0aab”][vc_column_text el_class=”t-center li-aero”]

Location: Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
Website: https://southernlab.in/
Founded: 2003
Staff: 10
Testing Services: Washing tests, colour fastness tests, fibre composition tests, physical & eco tests.
ISO 9001 certification status: Yes
NABL: Yes
Contact email/phone: info@southernlab.in/ 89034 19070
Export license (N)
Testing lead time: 1 week

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”5. Premier Testing Services India” tab_id=”1646669631055-54a82eea-7a1a”][vc_column_text el_class=”t-center li-aero”]

Location: Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
Website: https://pts-india.com/
Founded: 2017
Staff: 50
Testing Services: Textiles and Consumer Products Testing on apparel, fabrics, and more, including CPSIA/REACH, care label, restricted substance tests, and many more.
ISO 9001 certification status: Yes
NABL: Yes
Contact email/phone: info@pts-india.com/ 99948 60545
Export license (N)
Testing lead time: 1 week

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”6. RR LAB (TEXTILE TESTING & INSPECTION SERVICES)” tab_id=”1646669694758-3bd5c76c-0b30″][vc_column_text el_class=”t-center li-aero”]

Location: Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
Website: http://tea-india.org/rrlab
Founded: 2004
Staff: 20
Testing Services: Textiles and Consumer Products Testing, Inspections (colorfastness, care labeling, dimensional stability, construction analysis, fiber composition, chemical content, etc)
ISO 9001 certification status: Yes
NABL: Yes
Contact email/phone: info@rrlab.in/98422 77454
Export license (N)
Testing lead time: 1 week

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”7. Atlabs Textiles Private Limited” tab_id=”1646669780241-69333301-0345″][vc_column_text el_class=”t-center li-aero”]

Location: Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
Website: https://www.atlabs.in/
Founded: 2019
Staff: 20
Testing Services: testing garments, fabrics, materials, and accessories, appearance, colorfastness, performance, physical tests, specialized tests, eco parameters
ISO 9001 certification status: Yes
NABL: Yes
Contact email/phone: info@atlabs.in/ 95003 44455
Export license (N)
Testing lead time: 1 week

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”8. Inspectraa” tab_id=”1646669891142-6a854878-6408″][vc_column_text el_class=”t-center li-aero”]

Location: Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
Website: http://inspectraa.com/index.html
Founded: 2002
Staff: 20
Testing Services: Textiles, Home textiles, Apparels, Leather products, Coir products, Footwear, Toys, Paper, Sporting Goods, Candles and Decorative accessories
ISO 9001 certification status: Yes
NABL: Yes
Contact email/phone: info@inspectraa.com/99942 30001
Export license (N)
Testing lead time: 1 week

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”9. Testtex India Laboratories Pvt. Ltd” tab_id=”1646670110130-8d774f74-9bf8″][vc_column_text el_class=”t-center li-aero”]

Location: Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
Website: https://www.testtex.com/
Founded: 1990
Staff: 50
Testing Services: Food and Agriculture, Water, Textile, Apparels, Leather, Footwear and Accessories, Consumer Goods Testing, Construction Material Testing, Toys & games, Packaging Material
ISO 9001 certification status: Yes
NABL: Yes
Contact email/phone: labsindiatirupur@testtex.com/ 9821318289
Export license (N)
Testing lead time: 1 week

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”10. SGS INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED” tab_id=”1646670316586-6a4919f0-11a2″][vc_column_text el_class=”t-center li-aero”]

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Website: https://www.sgsgroup.in/
Founded: 2001
Staff:100 to 500
Testing Services: Food and Agriculture, Water, Textile, Apparels, Leather, Footwear and Accessories, Consumer Goods Testing, Construction Material Testing, Toys & games, Packaging Material
ISO 9001 certification status: Yes
NABL: Yes
Contact email/phone: anitha.jeyaraj@sgs.com/98408 30473
Export license (Y)
Testing lead time: 1 week

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]That’s your 10 textile testing labs in India. Hopefully, this will help you start your sourcing journey, but also feel free to contact us if you need further help.

This list has been prepared by our project managers who are based in the country.

Next steps to source suppliers from India…

If you’re ready to source suppliers in India we can help you. 👍
The next steps we suggest are:

New supplier identification to find appropriate suppliers for your needs.
Perform a background check on shortlisted suppliers.
Conduct an on-site factory audit to confirm your chosen supplier’s Quality, Environmental, and/or Social Compliance Systems.
Perform product inspections on-site at different stages of production.

If you have questions about finding the right supplier in India, contact us, we’ll try and help however we can!

P.S. You may also like these blog posts, too…

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section]

How To Maintain Good Quality When Manufacturing A New Piece Of Apparel?

Posted on June 8, 2021August 14, 2026 by sofeast

Maintaining good product quality when manufacturing a new piece of apparel is a common concern, even when working with a regular manufacturer.

The issue here is that the garment is ‘new,’ and, in this case, new means ‘increased risks.’ Increased risks that the manufacturer will make errors in production, that deliveries might be delayed, or that costs may spiral…and the list goes on.

Examine a couple of suggestions for reducing these risks in this scenario here.

Continue reading “How To Maintain Good Quality When Manufacturing A New Piece Of Apparel?”

Vietnam VS China Manufacturers & Digitizing Processes In The Factory [Podcast]

Posted on May 17, 2021August 14, 2026 by sofeast

In This Episode…

Renaud interviews Greg Fleming, an experienced merchandising and manufacturing operations manager who went from New Zealand to Australia to China and finally is now based in Ho Chi Minh City in South Vietnam.

Greg’s background is mainly in the apparel trade, from fabric production to retail. Due to his experience in both Vietnam and China, he is well-placed to give us some really interesting insight into manufacturing in both countries.

Since Vietnam is a very popular China-alternative for many importers, let’s hear more about it from Greg here!

Just hit the play button to start listening..!

Listen to the episode right here 👇👇👇

🎧 Greg Fleming | Vietnam VS China Manufacturers & Digitizing Processes In The Factory 🎧

Show Notes

✅ Introducing the episode, Greg, and his experience

✅ What’s the COVID-19 situation in Vietnam? – Greg explains the stringent measures Vietnam is taking to control Covid, including thorough contact tracing, isolation, and the population’s ready acceptance of restrictions, such as mask-wearing.

✅ What are the main differences between working with Chinese or Vietnamese manufacturers? – Greg makes the point that manufacturing in Vietnam seems to have evolved to be more accomodating than China which can be more regimented, although this varies per region, so Vietnamese suppliers will do what they can to become a partner if you’re showing them similar flexibility. He suggests that honesty, openness, and clarity are the cultural differences between Vietnamese and (many) Chinese suppliers. For example, Chinese suppliers will often accept a contract even if they’re going to struggle to fulfill it, whereas those in Vietnam would usually apologize and walk away rather than disappoint you later.

✅ What have been the main obstacles that have prevented Vietnamese manufacturers from digitizing their processes? – 99% of multinationals in Vietnam have brought in some kind of IT systems (such as ERP, MES for managing the shop floor, PLM for new product development, etc), but on the factory floor, its use is probably at around only 5% because management and middle-management don’t understand it or see the value. This could be cultural as Vietnamese people are proud and don’t like new things forced on them, so when implementing it think about what the cultural and process change is that is going to relate to the uptake of IT.

✅ Is there a particular software Greg suggests for apparel based on his experience? – IT in apparel (soft goods) is very different from that used in hard goods because there are so many variations of SKUs that most ERPs don’t get. There are few apparel-specific ERPs, but the best at the moment is probably Coats Digital. Greg endorses it because they have a really good apparel PLM (product lifecycle management), raw material libraries allowing you to create a BOM for multiple styles, the ability to create garment designs in 3D (remotely, which is helpful these days).

✅ How software can save on costs of getting a new apparel product from concept to production (example) – an example of a study that found that it took 4.8 prototypes to go from concept to production-approved, so that’s around $20,000 to get everything sent between Asia and the USA, for example. This can be done using IT if the prototype designs are made and shared digitally in 3D, saving manufacturers a lot of money by doing everything in-country.

✅ How software can save on costs of getting a piece of new furniture from concept to production (example) – centric PLM software is good for furniture as, in Greg’s opinion, it’s as complicated as garments. This is due to its size and shape, so the dimensions need to be precise when considering shipping them in containers. But as well as the need to get dimensions exact, there are also numerous safety considerations and laws for furniture to comply with, such as bookshelves having a mechanism that allows them to be attached to walls to not tip over and harm children. Key takeaway: select what’s right for you when starting on a digital transformation.

✅ When starting the digital transformation on a factory, where to begin? – The focus is on using IT to reduce wasted time and costs. A Vietnamese factory doesn’t want to receive emails from customers asking what is going on. Developing a digital tech pack providing detailed information and specifications about a product is a key task, as is deciding on what’s acceptable or not in new products, such as colors. On color and pre-production samples, Greg gives the example of brands in the West spending around $500 per time to send color swatches between Vietnam and the West for checking which is an avoidable cost. Datacolor color management software can be used to create the pre-production garment sample in the right color and is a far cheaper workaround to sending swatches between countries each time (as long as the final sample is within an acceptable delta of the agreed color). In his experience, machines have proven to be more reliable in recognizing the right colors than humans anyway. Eventually, a pre-production sample should be made, but only after the product is 95-98% agreed and ready in its digital form. Then this can be modeled in the factory and demonstrated to the customer via video conference rather than spending hundreds of dollars to ship it. This is a more efficient way to evolve how the garment trade operates.

✅ Summarising Greg’s approach of implementing IT – the goal is to reduce the cost of doing business at the product development stage that allows a factory to implement mass-customization to facilitate what a merchandise financial planner needs today, that is to say, to be flexible on styles and order amounts. IT gives you the ability to order in smaller quantities, but many components require quite complex software which can’t be handled in excel, email, or by sending packages back and forth.

✅ Is there a risk that some importing countries will start to demand more proof that products are truly made in the country claimed, materials are not from certain contentious areas, they are sustainable, etc? What is the solution to this? – EU laws are coming in soon that will require exporters to prove the country of origin of their products. In the case of Vietnamese garments where 80+% of materials used come from outside of Vietnam (mainly China), this leaves them in a difficult situation. Customs may no longer accept invoices for materials etc as proof of origin due to fears over counterfeiting. Therefore, Greg suggests that blockchain-based IT software (which is already being invested in by the largest players) is the best way to mitigate the risks of counterfeiting in this situation and be able to comply.

Listen, rate, & subscribe to the ‘China Manufacturing Decoded’ podcast on your favorite provider 👍

There are more episodes to come, so remember to rate us and subscribe! You can find us on:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Stitcher
Google Podcasts
TuneIn
Deezer
iHeartRADIO
PlayerFM
Listen Notes
The podcast’s website at China Manufacturing Decoded

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to give us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and share it with your network if you enjoy listening! 😊

How Can Small Buyers Of Garments Get High Quality From China? – Disputes With Chinese Suppliers Q&A (Volume 6)

Posted on April 21, 2021August 14, 2026 by sofeast

This blog post is about issues with quality from an apparel supplier and is based on a real Sofeast customer’s experiences (with no identifying information given). We’re going to explain how to assure you’ll get high-quality garments from your Chinese supplier even if you are only a ‘small buyer.’

Q: My supplier is providing me with quite a lot of defective garments, even though they claim that the errors found are ‘under the AQL limits’ and ‘only about 3% of the total’. That’s equivalent to around 60 pieces out of every 2,000 I order. This seems a lot and hurts my brand. Is this normal?

In the apparel trade, yes, a 3% AQL is to be expected (not ‘normal’, but expected if you work with a relatively average or unsophisticated supplier). So, the factory salesperson is actually being honest about the 3%. In garments, I don’t think any buyer is happy about that proportion of defectives, but you will need to look for a better factory if you want a lower percentage.

Q: I paid for a final inspection which was not cheap, it failed due to puckering on 100% of the garments, but my factory doesn’t seem willing to take action to fix the issues and I’m struggling to negotiate with them from overseas. How do other companies handle this?

So, this factory sees a failed report with a very serious issue (very visible puckering along some seams) and they won’t do anything? That’s the sign of a bad factory. That’s quite unreasonable on their side, but not atypical, unfortunately. That’s why we usually suggest doing an earlier inspection, such as a pre-production meeting and/or inspection during production, to catch such issues before all is made and packed (at least the factory usually tries to minimize the damage on what they still have to sew).

Q: Are these errors and this behavior typical from a garment factory?

I think their errors are typical, yes. But their behavior is poor. One might say their behavior is typical, too, if they see you as a small customer and they believe you are not going to leave them over this type of issue. If they cannot or will not change their ways, it may be time to consider switching to a new supplier altogether or work on improving your supplier’s quality processes.

Q: How do large apparel companies like Nike manage to prevent any defective garments from reaching consumers?

Huge companies like Nike work with large (often > 5,000 people), very organized factories. They hold a lot of sway over their suppliers as they buy massive quantities. They have pushed those factories to work a LOT on process improvement, even introducing a lean manufacturing approach. That’s another world that is atypical in the garment trade…

If like Nike, you can work with a factory over which you have a lot of purchasing power (ideally, some of their lines work for your company continuously), certain things become possible:

Forcing them to do small pilot runs before launching mass production.
Not cutting all the fabric & accessories in advance (so cutting or fabric issues don’t impact large batches in their entirety).
Paying a lot of attention to the first bundles sewn, with a special process.

But, I am afraid this is not realistic for buyers who are purchasing smaller volumes, unfortunately.

Q: Would a 100% inspection be a possible solution for me to stop these quality problems and what would it cost?

Very few garment buyers arrange for a 100% inspection (apart from some Japanese companies). It adds quite a bit of cost.

However, we are able to perform a Full Production Check (FPC) on batches from your supplier keeping in mind specific problems that have been repeatedly occurring to give you peace of mind that defective garments won’t be shipped.

In terms of cost, the FPC is US$299 per man-day and it could be several man days to check, say, a couple of thousand garments. However, this type of quotation has to be done on a case-by-case basis, based on the ease of checking the garment and the types of defects that we have to catch.

What is the minimum we suggest ‘small buyers’ do to assure good quality products?

Be very clear about the types of defects can and cannot tolerate, and in what maximum proportion
Make sure any potential supplier is made aware of this
Document your inspection checklist and the lists of issues you will count as defects
Have the supplier sign a manufacturing agreement that stipulates what happens if too many defects are found
Send an inspector at different times during the production of the first batch with a new supplier. And keep doing at least a final random inspection after that.

How about you?

Are you also having difficulties with a Chinese apparel supplier? Let us know what’s happening and we will try to offer some advice.

Get expert help to improve YOUR product quality from suppliers in China or Vietnam. Read: Quality Assurance In China Or Vietnam For Beginners

Grab your free copy and learn the common traps new importers from China or Vietnam fall into, and how to avoid or overcome them in order to get the best possible production results. It also outlines a proven quality assurance strategy that you can follow in order to have better control over your product quality, covering:

Finding Suitable Suppliers
Defining your Requirements before Production Starts
Don’t Skip the New Product Introduction Process
Regular Quality Inspections (Trust but Verify)
Tying Payments to Quality Approvals

Sounds good? Hit the button below to get your copy now:

Tag: textiles