Clothing production from 10 pieces. Your brand, we make it.

How long does the production process take?

Count on at least 5 to 6 weeks for your sample and then at least 5 to 6 weeks for production, each time counted from payment. Exactly how long depends on the style, the country and the run size.

The pace depends mostly on the number of sample rounds. Count on one to two rounds per style. If you give your feedback in writing and in concrete terms, it often stays at one.

Is MakeaLabel a clothing manufacturer from the Netherlands?

To be honest: the management is Dutch, the sewing machines are abroad. Our team is based at Marssteden 122 in Enschede, with Dutch quotes and invoices and a registration with the Chamber of Commerce (KvK). So you talk to someone in your own language and time zone. Production takes place in our own workshop in Turkey, a family workshop, with no agents or traders in between.

For other products we also work in China, Bangladesh, Italy and Portugal on request, depending on what suits the product.

That is a deliberate choice. Dutch workshops are small, charge a high price per piece and usually ask for 50 to 200 pieces per style, exactly what a new brand cannot carry. With our own workshop in Turkey, we produce from 10 pieces per style and keep control of the planning and the finishing ourselves.

What you give up: you cannot just drop by the factory. Our showroom in Enschede is not a walk-in either: a visit is possible by invitation, during an ongoing sample or production project. Everything else runs through WhatsApp and email, and your sample is the moment you feel the fabric, weight and finishing for real.

What is full package clothing production?

Clothing production roughly has two models. With CMT (cut, make, trim), you supply the fabric and the factory cuts, sews and finishes it. That is cheaper per piece if you already have a fabric supplier. If you do not, you handle the buying yourself: minimum orders per colour, the weaver's lead times and the risk that the batch is not right.

Full package means we also source and buy the fabric and have it dyed or garment-dyed, then produce, check and deliver. You assess the sample; all the work before that is our responsibility. Still want to supply your own fabric? Mention it in your request, because it changes the lead time and the price build-up.

What does clothing production cost per piece?

The price per piece depends on four things: the product, the fabric and its weight in GSM, the techniques and the run size. A basic 180 GSM tee is a different sum from an ultra heavy 500 GSM hoodie with puff print and woven labels.

We simply name amounts. From 10 pieces you pay a fixed price per piece, excluding VAT: €29.99 for a t-shirt, €38 for a longsleeve and €39.99 for a hoodie or sweater, with a print and a printed neck label. For other products and larger quantities you get a tailored price.

That price is in your quote, with the fabric, the weight, the techniques and the quantities named in it. Shipping is added per box; we pay the import duties on production from Turkey. Without those specifications a price per piece says nothing, not even someone else's.

What is your production measured against?

Against the sample you approved. That is the reference for your production, especially with small runs. What you feel in your sample (fabric, weight, fit and print) is what you get back in your bulk.

Clothing is made from fabric and by hand. That is why a deviation of 1 to 2 cm per size is normal, and we always discuss small differences together. Our fabrics are pre-washed, so shrinkage after washing is minimal.

• The approved sample is the reference for your production.
• A deviation of 1 to 2 cm per size is normal.
• The approved sample goes to you; we do not keep it.
• Want images of your order? Just ask: as soon as it is in with us, we send photos.

What do certifications such as GOTS and OEKO-TEX mean?

GOTS, GRS, OEKO-TEX, BSCI and Sedex are often mixed up, but they do not say the same thing: some are about the fabric, others about the factory and the working conditions. With us they are available per item on request, never as our own label, always with a certificate number and validity date.

Our rule is simple: what we cannot prove, we do not claim, and then you cannot put it on your hangtag or your website either. Socially audited partners are mainly in Portugal and Turkey, on request. Per label, in brief:

• GOTS covers organic cotton and the whole chain around it. A GOTS fabric does not yet make your garment GOTS certified: for that, the chain up to and including the finished piece must be certified.
• GRS does the same for recycled polyester and nylon, with checks on where the material comes from.
• OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is only about chemical safety, not about labour or organic farming.
• BSCI and Sedex are social audits of the factory: working conditions, safety and verifiable processes, not the fabric.