The three terms get used loosely, and factories do not always mean the same thing by them. Here is how we use them, and what each one asks of you.
OEM: your design, our making
You bring the design. That might be a full tech pack, a sample garment you want copied and adjusted, or a sketch with the key measurements. We build the pattern, make a fit sample, grade the sizes and run bulk.
You keep: full control of the design and the fit. You need: someone on your side who can approve a fit and say clearly what to change.
OEM suits brands with their own design team, and labels moving production away from a factory that stopped reading their tech packs.
ODM: our design room, your collection
You bring the brief: who she is, what she pays, which categories, when you launch. Our design room drafts the range, sources fabric and makes samples. You edit, we refine, and the collection is yours.
You keep: the final say on every piece, and ownership once the range is confirmed. You save: months of development, and the cost of a full-time designer.
ODM suits new labels, retailers building a private label, and brands adding a category they have never made before.
FOB: one price to the port
FOB is about who carries the cost and the risk, not who designs. On an FOB order we buy the fabric and trims, make, inspect and pack for export, and deliver to the port of loading. Your price per piece covers all of it. From the port onwards, freight and duty are yours, or we can quote them.
The alternative is CMT (cut, make, trim), where you buy and ship the fabric to the factory yourself. CMT can look cheaper per piece, but you carry the fabric risk, the minimums at the mill, and the delays if a roll arrives late or wrong.
FOB suits designer brands that want one price and one point of responsibility.
They combine
These are not either-or. A typical path for a young label:
- Season one: ODM, often starting from pieces in our collection, changed in fabric, colour or detail.
- Season two or three: OEM on your own designs, as your design team grows.
- Throughout: FOB pricing, so you are never buying fabric yourself.
What to send for a quote
Whichever route you choose, a useful first message has:
- what you want to make (a photo or sketch is enough)
- the fabric, or the feel you are after
- a target retail price, or a target cost
- rough quantities per style
- the date it needs to land
Send us a brief and we will come back with questions, a price range and a timeline.