The reason for the high minimum order quantity of seamless sportswear is because the equipment used to produce it is very expensive. Additionally, each time a different style is made, the yarn needs to be changed, machines need to be adjusted, and production can only restart after these processes are completed. This significantly impacts the production efficiency of the equipment and increases labor costs.
In 2023, with the slowing down of economic growth in various countries and a decline in consumer spending, the sportswear industry has entered a cold winter. Many customers have become more cautious with their investments, leading to a gradual reduction in the minimum order quantity. Customers often ask us if we can produce 400 pieces of pants in sizes 4 and 5, and 200 pieces of sports bras in sizes 4 and 5. Can we accommodate such a minimum order quantity? The answer is yes, but this situation is not cost-effective.
So why are many factories unwilling to accept such a minimum order quantity to produce seamless sportswear?
It’s because the pricing under such conditions would be high, which often scares away customers. Therefore, many factories require the minimum order quantity already established. The reasons are as follows:
Seamless sportswear is produced by the SANTONI machine through yarn weaving. Different sizes of sportswear require different-caliber SANTONI machines to complete the production. (The Italian company Santoni produces two main types of seamless machines: SM8TOP1 and SM8TOP2, with different specifications such as 11, 12, 13 (1152-needle type), 14 (1248-needle type), 15 (1344-needle type), 16 (1440-needle type), 17 inches, etc.)
Unlike the cutting and sewing method, seamless knitted fabrics can be flexibly cut using stored fabric. Each size of seamless knitted fabric corresponds to a specific machine specification, and it cannot be flexibly cut into different sizes.
Based on seamless sportswear standard sizing design, each SANTONI machine can produce approximately 350 sports bras or 200 pairs of yoga pants per day, and this is only for one size. If we consider the minimum order quantity mentioned earlier, the quantity for each size of sports bras would be only 40-50 pieces and for each size of yoga pants, it would be only 80-100 pieces.
After weaving each size, the machine needs to stop and change the yarn to prepare for the next product, which usually takes 2-3 hours for thread changing and machine debugging.This severely affects the production efficiency of the equipment, and the costs of equipment shutdown and labor will be added to the product’s pricing. This is disadvantageous for buyers, and factories are also unwilling to see this situation. This is still the result without considering the use of special yarn.
The minimum order quantity for yarn also affects the minimum order quantity for seamless sportswear. As we know, seamless sportswear is produced by weaving yarn through SANTONI machines. If the product design uses regular yarn, our existing inventory is sufficient. However, if the design involves yarn with special ingredients, it would be very challenging to meet the minimum order quantity requirement for purchasing the raw materials for 200 sports bras.
The fabric produced by the SANTONI machine is cylindrical and considered a semi-finished product. It needs to be dyed in different colors at a dyeing factory. Currently, a small dyeing vat can dye 200 kilograms. Although we can dye 400 pairs of yoga pants or 200 sports bras at once, we do not support this operation mode, especially for pants.
Different sizes result in varying lengths, and dyeing them together would cause the seamless fabric to entangle and continuously rotate in the dyeing vat, resulting in uneven dyeing. Therefore, the dyeing process is usually carried out in four batches, and orders with lower minimum order quantities severely impact production efficiency, leading to increased costs.
Seamless sportswear production process video：
In summary, a too low minimum order quantity is very disadvantageous for factories and also hinders customer market expansion due to higher costs. Our company has been engaged in the custom clothing industry for many years and highly values every customer we cooperate with. Every major customer starts small, and we are willing to accompany them in their growth.
Therefore, we make every effort to meet the following minimum order quantity requirements: 200 pieces per size for yoga pants, with the option to dye in two colors, and 300 pieces per size for sports bras, with the option to dye in two colors. The total order quantity can be adjusted based on the customer’s budget and the variation in sizes.
PairFashion is a supplier specializing in the design, customization and production of seamless sportswear. Our design team is very creative and inspired, and keep up with the latest market trends, we can provide you with the latest design and category solutions to meet your needs.
We welcome all brands, Internet celebrities, fitness bloggers to consult, we believe that our design ability and the latest market trend to master the ability, can provide better promotion for your brand value. If you have any related needs, please feel free to contact us, we look forward to working with you!