What do design, tech pack and guidance cost?
Designing yourself in Illustrator or Canva costs nothing. A freelance designer charges €150 to €500 per style for a tech pack, the technical blueprint a factory uses to make your product. A complete brand identity from a studio costs €2,500 to €10,000.
Can't draw? You can still start a clothing line: a short check of your files is free with us, and for €99.99 our designer makes a mock-up and turns your product into a production-ready design.
With us you do not pay separately for guidance. A standalone production manager or sourcing agent usually charges a percentage of your order value or an hourly rate. With us, your Dutch point of contact arranges the fabric choice, the sample rounds and the production with the workshop.
Above all, that saves mistakes you will not see coming yourself, such as the wrong fabric weight or a size grading that only shows up at a hundred pieces.
What do samples for your collection cost?
A sample costs from €150, depending on the style: €150 for a t-shirt, €250 for a hoodie. Count on one to two sample rounds per style, each taking at least 5 to 6 weeks after payment; a second sample costs the same as the first. For a starter collection of three products you will therefore spend at least €450.
What does production cost per piece?
With us you pay a fixed price per piece from 10 pieces, excluding VAT: €29.99 for a t-shirt, €38 for a long sleeve and €39.99 for a hoodie or sweater, with a print and a printed neck label. Embroidery costs €5 per piece extra.
We do not have fixed price tiers: below 1,000 pieces, ordering more usually makes little difference per piece, and for larger quantities you get a custom price.
So calculate with your total outlay per style, not with the unit price alone. With 10 pieces you finance ten hoodies instead of a hundred, and three styles of 10 pieces show you faster which style sells than a hundred pieces of one style.
Other products have their own minimum and a custom price: joggers and shorts from 25, a cotton tracksuit from 25 sets, a polo from 35 and jackets with embroidery from 100 pieces per style.
What do import, shipping and VAT cost?
When you import from outside the EU, clothing carries an average 12% import duty and 21% VAT on the total value, plus transport.
We make your clothing in our own workshop in Turkey. We pay the import duties, not you. Shipping is added per box, €15 per box within the Netherlands, and VAT is always added. That way you know in advance what a piece costs you in your warehouse.
What do a webshop and marketing cost?
Shopify Basic costs about €33 per month, a domain name €15 per year, and a payment provider such as Mollie or Stripe charges around 1.8% plus €0.25 per transaction. In your first year you will spend €500 to €1,000 on platform costs this way.
For your launch marketing, €1,500 to €5,000 is realistic.
- Product photography: €500 to €2,500
- Instagram ads, first month: €300 to €1,000
- Micro-influencers: €100 to €500 per person
- Launch event or pop-up: €500 to €3,000
What starting budget do you need?
Calculate with the fixed prices: 50 t-shirts and 50 hoodies cost €3,499 excluding VAT, 100 t-shirts and 100 hoodies €6,998. Add a sample of each (€150 and €250) and the shipping per box, and you know your production budget. For larger quantities you get a custom price.
For your whole start, these are three realistic budgets. Always add a 20% buffer for unforeseen costs.
- Minimal (50 t-shirts and 50 hoodies, with two samples): around €3,900, plus shipping
- Healthy (100 t-shirts, 100 hoodies, samples and marketing): around €8,900 to €12,400
- Ambitious (a full collection of 5 styles, with marketing and photography): €15,000 to €30,000
How do you keep costs low?
- Start with three styles at most.
- Choose standard colours instead of a specially dyed batch.
- Work directly with the factory, without intermediaries.
- Order labels and hangtags in one go for several runs.
- Take your first product photos yourself, with a good phone and daylight.
- Work with pre-orders, so you sell before you produce.