How much does it cost to start a clothing brand?
Most guides say $7,000 to $15,000. That number bundles design agencies, branding and marketing. The manufacturing part — the garments themselves, made properly with your label in them — is a fraction of it. Here is what a first run actually costs from our factory in Lahore, line by line.
- 50
- Piece minimum, mixed sizes
- 7–10
- Days at our fastest
- Lahore
- Our own factory, one roof
- 97
- Countries we ship to
The number that matters: your first production run
A clothing brand starts existing when there are garments with your label in them. Everything else — the logo, the website, the photography — costs what you choose to spend. The garments cost what they cost, and that is the number to understand first.
At our 50-piece minimum, a first run of decorated stock garments lands between roughly $550 and $1,800 depending on the garment and the decoration. A first run of fully custom cut-and-sew garments, made from scratch to your spec, lands between roughly $900 and $2,500. Add samples, labels and shipping and a serious first drop from a real factory is a $1,000–3,500 commitment, not $15,000.
What a 50-piece first run costs, from our current pricing
| Garment | Blank at 50 | Decoration | Label + bag | Per piece | 50 pieces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 gsm classic tee, chest print | $10.75 | $1.30 DTF | $0.65 | $12.70 | $635 |
| 270 gsm heavyweight tee, full front | $12.91 | $3.40 DTF | $0.65 | $16.96 | $848 |
| 220 gsm polo, embroidered chest | $15.66 | $1.60 + $25 setup | $0.65 | $17.91 | $920 |
| 500 gsm classic hoodie, full front | $30.89 | $3.40 DTF | $0.65 | $34.94 | $1,747 |
| Classic dad cap, 3D puff front | $9.30 | $2.10 + $35 setup | $0.18 | $11.58 | $614 |
What sits around the garments
Samples. A pre-production sample of your decorated garment is part of a quoted order and typically $40–100 per piece for a one-off, credited against bulk. Budget one per style. A blank sample to check fabric and fit before committing is cheaper, and we recommend it for anyone ordering remotely.
Labels and packaging. A woven neck label is around $0.45 per piece plus a one-off $40 setup; a printed care label $0.20; a hangtag $0.30 with a $25 setup; an individual polybag $0.18. For a 50-piece run, allow $60–110 in total including setups. These are what make it your brand rather than a printed blank.
Artwork. If your logo exists as a vector file, nothing. If it exists as a screenshot, we redraw it as part of the job. If it does not exist yet, a designer on a freelance platform will produce a usable logo and print-ready artwork for $50–300; a branding agency will charge $2,000–10,000 for the same files plus a strategy document. This is the line where most 'cost to start a brand' figures inflate.
Shipping. From Lahore to the US or UK, a 50-piece carton of tees is roughly $80–150 by air express, $40–70 by economy; hoodies are two to three times the volume. Within Pakistan, a fraction of that. Duties on arrival depend on the destination and are quoted with the order.
Three realistic first-brand budgets
| Lean test drop | Proper first collection | Private-label launch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garments | 50 heavyweight tees, one print | 50 tees + 50 hoodies, two designs | 100 cut-and-sew tees, your own fit |
| Manufacturing | $850 | $2,600 | $2,200 |
| Samples | $80 | $160 | $250 |
| Labels and packaging | $70 | $110 | $140 |
| Artwork | $0–150 | $150–300 | $300 |
| Shipping to US/UK | $120 | $350 | $250 |
| Total | ≈ $1,150 | ≈ $3,400 | ≈ $3,150 |
Where the $15,000 figure comes from, and whether you need it
Guides that quote $7,000–15,000 to start a clothing brand are including a designer, a photographer, a website build, initial advertising and often a larger first run of 200–500 pieces. None of that is wrong; all of it is optional at the start. A brand that sells its first 50 pieces has learned more than one that spent $10,000 before selling any.
Where we would spend more, if the budget exists: a heavier garment rather than a cheaper one (customers feel the difference and it is the thing they remember), and a proper sample before bulk. Where we would spend less: everything that is not the garment, until the garment has sold.
Why manufacturing in Pakistan changes the maths
Pakistan is the world's fourth-largest cotton producer and one of the largest garment exporters, which is why a heavyweight cotton tee that costs $18–25 to make in the US or Europe costs $10–13 to make in Lahore at the same weight and construction. That gap is what makes a 50-piece minimum viable — the same run from a Western factory would be double the price or twice the minimum.
It also means the factory is a real factory. We cut, sew, print and finish under one roof in Lahore, with the person quoting your job able to walk to the line. Most 'manufacturers' a startup finds online are resellers passing orders to a factory they have never visited; the price difference is their margin.
How a first order runs, start to finish
For a brand ordering for the first time, this is the sequence and the timing.
Send what you have
A garment photo you like, your logo, and a quantity. A tech pack helps but is not required — most first orders arrive without one.
Quote within a working day
Garment, decoration, labels, packaging and shipping, itemised. If a different method or fabric would serve you better, we say so here.
Sample
A blank sample to check fabric and fit, or a decorated pre-production sample. Approve it in writing; nothing goes to bulk before that.
Bulk production
7–10 days on decorated stock garments; 10–14 working days for cut-and-sew. A custom dye lot adds roughly 7–10 days. You receive photos at key stages.
Dispatch
Folded, labelled, polybagged and cartoned to your spec. Shipped by the method on your quote, with tracking.
Common questions
- What is the cheapest way to start a clothing brand?
- Fifty heavyweight tees with a single DTF or DTG print and a woven neck label — around $850–950 in manufacturing plus a sample and shipping. It is a real product from a real factory for roughly $1,100 delivered.
- Do I need a tech pack to start?
- No. Most first orders arrive as a photo of a garment someone likes, a logo and a quantity, and we build the specification with you. A tech pack matters for fully custom cut-and-sew; for decorated stock garments it is not needed.
- How many pieces should my first order be?
- Fifty — our minimum, and enough to learn what sells. Mixed sizes within the 50. Ordering more before you have sold any is the most common early mistake.
- Is it cheaper to manufacture in Pakistan than China?
- For cotton knits — tees, hoodies, polos, fleece — Pakistan is typically comparable or cheaper at low quantities, with shorter shipping to Europe and the Gulf and no language barrier for English-speaking brands. China tends to win on synthetics and complex outerwear at very high volumes.
- What is the minimum order for private label?
- 50 pieces per style, 30 per colour. Medical scrubs are 100.
- How long does a first order take?
- From approved sample: 7–10 days for decorated stock garments, 10–14 working days for cut-and-sew; a custom dye lot adds roughly 7–10 days. Add sampling time and shipping.
- Can I order samples before committing?
- Yes. Blank samples to check fabric and fit, or decorated pre-production samples. Sample cost is credited against the bulk order.
- Do you work with startups and first-time brands?
- Most of our private-label customers started with us at 50 pieces. The minimum exists so that a first order is possible, not to keep small brands out.
- What payment terms do you offer a new brand?
- A deposit to start production and the balance before dispatch, confirmed on the quote. Bank transfer or card.
Where this applies
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Choose a garment, a decoration and 50 pieces and the calculator gives the number in seconds — or send us what you have and we will quote the whole first order within a working day.
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