Clothing Distribution - How Wholesale Fashion Works
It would be interesting to survey consumers about their impressions of how the retail clothing business operates. How many of them would understand the manufacturing and distribution process that gets clothing and fashion accessories from factories to retail locations? We suspect there's a lot more ignorance out there than we care to admit.
Take t-shirts for example. They are one of the most basic of all clothing products and something worn nearly universally. Nevertheless, what does it take to get t-shirts from the person who makes them to the one who sells them? It requires a manufacturer, a distributor selling wholesale t-shirts to retailers, and the retailers to set up online or brick-and-mortar sales outlets.
The Manufacturer
The entire process begins with the manufacturer. That manufacturer creates the clothing from designs created in-house or from independent designers whose products they are licenced to manufacture.
Manufacturers seldom sell directly to consumers on the street. Instead, they sell their products to distributors at a price that covers their costs and puts some profit in their pockets.
The Distributor
The distributor, or wholesaler, purchases from clothing manufacturers in large lots. In fact, they buy as many individual pieces as they possibly can because they can get lower prices that way. Like the manufacturers, distributors resell the products they purchase at slightly marked up prices. The mark-up covers their costs of doing business as well as their profit margin.
The Retailer
The first two links in the fashion change are manufacturers and clothing wholesalers. UK retailers are the third and final link to ensure fashion products get to consumers. They purchase directly from the wholesalers at marked up prices, then apply their own mark-ups in the retail setting. As always, the price they charge covers their costs and earns them some profit.
Whether you are talking about wholesale T-shirts, footwear, formal wear or accessories, the distributor is the primary link that brings the entire chain together. The decisions made at the wholesale level not only determine pricing and availability on the retail market, they also determine what manufacturers will do in the future. If you are in the retail business, make sure to treat your wholesalers well. If you are in fashion clothing business then must purchase clothes at discounted prices and sell it with a good mark up prices and there is your income. There are endless resources you may have but go with the trusted wholesaler for getting material in quality as well as in a good pricing deed.
