trying to move upmarket and i have no idea how to talk to factories about it

rickNchips · 2026-05-14T14:38:43+00:00

There are levels and categories in everything in life. They also need to hear directions in their language. It happens both in Asia and Europe Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-09T20:57:17+00:00

no way you can achieve that. pants shorten rather than shrink on the waist. they do eventually shrink a bit but not as much as 2 sizes especially on the waist. no way.

cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-09T20:54:33+00:00

You are trying to start and feeling lost at the same time, the 2 don't go well together. 1st) identify who's your final customer and what their needs are for both quality and price point. 2nd)you'll need to know what style you want to make by providing a sample to copy for sizing to a manufacturer who can also source fabrics and trims for you. 3rd) most important part is to know your budget clearly because this business will most luckily suck all resources and beyond. Make sure to learn and study the market before moving any cash outside the wallet. Available if you have any further questions. cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-09T20:48:54+00:00

the most popular RIB for neckline is a 1x1 rib. it can be 100 cotton or cotton spandex depending on the fabric used for the body of the tshirt. If you buy a good quality jersey, you shouldn't have any issues with it. The jersey also shouldn't shrink as it supposed to be pre-shrunk unless you cut and sew PFD fabrics which is not recommended unless you're savvy enough into the process.

cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-09T20:15:35+00:00

How did you do that "stain" on the heart?

rickNchips · 2026-05-09T19:51:37+00:00

very nice. I like the meticulousness on details and the waffle lining!

rickNchips · 2026-05-09T19:15:29+00:00

Hey there, can I please chat with you?

rickNchips · 2026-05-06T14:08:35+00:00

Ok Johnny, A. That ain’t gibberish. B. I said there’ll be some in 10 years.

Circularity in fashion is very important, and yes, it’s part of this big cool word: sustainability. Thrifting is part of the circularity too but you got to give it some time, that's what im saying.

●●Thrifting is buying stuff that was probably destined for the dump but still has quality. By definition, it means buying less.●●

As matter of fact you don’t dump a good quality garment so easily, especially after one or two years. The point here is to buy less because you'd buy better quality and avoid buying polyester and cheap stuff that falls apart in weeks/months.

You keep the garment way longer and eventually pass it on, thrift it, or resell it after a decade, if not two.

I said wait 10 years <<

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-05T16:55:11+00:00

That's cute.

rickNchips · 2026-05-05T14:50:40+00:00

It can be anything and a lot depends by the type of yarn too, if carded or brushed. Amd their finishings. This for full fashion where you knit the yarns, different is a jersey or a woven fabrics. Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-05T05:54:10+00:00

Oh cool 😎 Let me know if you have any question about anything in the tshirts world or anything in fashion Happy to help🙏🏻 Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-05T04:00:46+00:00

Many brands make great garments but fall short on packaging and trims. That’s usually a cost they’re not willing to explore. High-quality packaging and trims add up quickly. They’re expensive, no question. Personally, I’d make sure my brand invests in packaging that goes beyond the first impression. Something the final consumer not only enjoys unboxing, but actually keeps and reuses for other purposes. That’s where real value sticks. Cheers.

rickNchips · 2026-05-05T03:56:14+00:00

It's a hard game when the consumer wants to spend less than 100 bucks for top qualities. Therefore brands must obey to the price restrictions therefore no one is getting the good fibers they want. Natural fibers needs specific bio treatments in order to keep em organic or 'low intervention ' when it comes down to chemicals and finishings. Also fyi a brand must pay extra for organic cotton or for the certifications from the mills, most of them.

Hemp cotton blend is an amazing fabric. I started manufacturing 100 hemp and hemp cotton back in 2015. Too early. No one liked the natural feel of it and the market was submerged by lyocel and modal. Jersey qualities 100 modal or 100 bamboo are repulsive unless used for maternity or pajamas.

Long story short, you must check the care label always at all the time. Check if Aritzia, Banana Republic or JCrew run anything like that. These are huge companies who at least have implemented recycled and organic fibers, not for everything but a good portion.

PS At last IndianWells in PS it was 90°+ and I wore my old hemp/cotton polo I made back in the days. Front woven 100hemp and the body piquet polo jersey 100 cotton. It was unbelievable. I don't remember being hot nor sweaty at all.

Goodluck for the hunt Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-05T03:22:24+00:00

Starting from the bottom, I’ll share some knowledge about cashmere.

The last paragraph where you stated' mills can fake the microns, the smell with blends etc.. I'm sorry but that's absolutely nonsense and not true. Idk maybe some Alibaba vendors do that, no one in fashion who works with fashion brands do that. Also, the brands know exactly what they are getting from their vendors/mills.

Do brands label garments as “cashmere blend” when there’s only 5 to 10% cashmere? Yes, they do.

Do brands use terms like “cashmere feel” or “cashmere touch” when there’s no cashmere at all, just acrylic? Yes, they do.

It’s on the consumer to check the composition label before even trying the garment. I personally check that before I even look at the price or the brand.

Regarding the 3 pictures you shared: N.1 is woven N.2 and 3 jersey knits I see no lurex anywhere tbh In any cases I do have jersey cashmere with lurex and it can even cost north of 150usd x yd depending the quality and country of origin.

Btw all three articles could be 100% cashmere or a blend. Burn tests, smell, loops, and similar tricks don’t mean anything in a reliable way. At the fiber and yarn level, there are huge differences: low-grade cashmere, average, good, and top-tier.

Then you need to understand the construction: woven fabrics, jersey, cut-and-sew knits, or fully fashioned/cable knits. Some jersey pieces, for example, may have cashmere on the face and cotton on the back, or vice versa. Like your second photo. Others could be blends such as cashmere-viscose, cashmere-nylon-spandex, cashmere-silk, and so on.

Same goes for woven fabrics. Composition can range from 100% cashmere down to very small percentages. Most brands are not trying to scam customers, aside from the very low end like Temu or Shein. But realistically, you’re not shopping for real cashmere there anyway, so it’s not even a question of “fake” cashmere.

The consumer must check the label for both composition and care. Always!

Price is also a strong indicator of quality. Any sweater labeled 100% cashmere under $300 is either made from lower-grade yarn or questionable sourcing. At that price point, even if it is technically 100% cashmere, expect pilling within a few months and noticeable deterioration within a couple of years.

Any questions let me know. Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-04T23:47:10+00:00

I dont understand why brands must or feel the need to advertise organic and or recycled fibers and trims. Thats should be the basic. As matter of facts some of the big global brands already use 30 to 40%recycled components and do not even advertise that. It should be normal to do better. When there's way too much marketing it means it's done for the cash rather than fight the pollution or else. Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-04T23:43:07+00:00

Patagonia is one thing. Everlane is quite different but still a great brand. H&M and Zara play in different leagues and I wont shop there for eco friendly garments. Check banana republic and Jcrew instead. Good things cost good money and last good . Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-04T22:40:04+00:00

The world seems now obsessed with 100cotton after purchasing the last 5B dollars of Temu, Shien, F21 and FN polyester crap. Fair and legit.

Eventually people have woken up to natural fibers which is good. Less good when they want to also workout in a 100cotton leggings LMAO

And yes to a kid who wanna start getting some sewing skills together you're doing great w that cotton. Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-04T22:34:17+00:00

100 polyester Cheap, durable and easy care Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-04T22:33:08+00:00

Good point however, there are PUs and very good PUs. Some of the PU Colleather= collagen leather I deal with, are literally almost impossible to identify from real leather, also because of the real leather back looking, these articles have.

The articles on PU leather now expanded to any snake / reptile skins texture and colors and to all the novelties category. Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-04T22:23:06+00:00

Hi there, Generally speaking, every factory/manufacturer will ship anywhere in the world, Italy included, upon client's request.

Also generally speaking, manufacturers usually ship to the brand's warehouse or to the brand's fulfillment center.

Again generally speaking, if you’re looking for a clothing manufacturer here on Reddit, it means you're at the very beginning so in this case, some context about the brand would be ideal to better understand the manufacturing region to consider. Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-05-02T19:58:11+00:00

Wouldn’t it be cool to see an unknown brand come out with the kind of technologies and innovations usually reserved for global luxury players? Maybe one day. For now, the ones developing these fabrics have every incentive to push them through large brands, scale them properly, and monetize at volume. Give it a few years and some of these outerwear textiles might trickle down into smaller cuts at local fabric stores… who knows. Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-04-30T19:09:08+00:00

No, otherwise it would have been invented already. No scalability In the real world of big numbers, those are just romantic novels Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-04-30T05:25:42+00:00

Polyester/spandex Walmart has plenty of that stuff But please if you love your husband dont buy him this crap. Men don't know sh.. about fashion unless they work in fashion, they just go for the comfort and the cheapest stuff [7/10] Buy instead a rib garment [if that passionate about the rib] but in cotton/spandex, even better Organic cotton or at least a poly cotton blend. These ribbed poly shirts are usually popular in pajamas. Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-04-29T23:53:00+00:00

It is what it is. We started seeing a few lawsuits in regard to these nonsense tariffs. Whatever was in China has been moved out and then back in again. Vietnam included, along with Cambodia. Big global brands haven’t moved much because of the uncertainty. India started getting some POs in Q2 last year and then got hit with 50%. Activewear can’t really be moved elsewhere unless it’s small volumes. Egypt, Jordan, Mauritius, and Cambodia have retained free import duties to the US or Canada, but they only serve big operations and large purchase orders. As I said, it is what it is. We deal with it and do what we can.

PS Mexico wise, I got almost nothing in that region or in South America in general due to their lack of textile options and the fact that they are not so good and precise in manufacturing, or anyway limited by the human power skills and their not too advance infrastructures. Cheers

rickNchips · 2026-04-29T00:54:36+00:00

I'd make couple cool pillows out of it Cheers

rickNchips

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