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Hemp Manufacturer
I need to find a manufacturer for women’s hemp blend underwear, who can also do gold foil print on the underwear. I have the techpacks, I’m ready to have samples made and approve to start the order process. I’ve done a google search and reached out to over a dozen, some came back with four figure prices for samples (!!), some didn’t respond and a handful of others politely declined. Is there a known reputable manufacturer who specifically deals with eco conscious fabrics (that don’t look like they belong in the back of a barn)?
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8 Replies
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Hi Emily!
Great that you have all the docs ready to start the process.
One question – Do you want to find manufacturers in the US only or can it be somewhere else? Do you have a Made In US concept?Here are 3 hemp fabric suppliers, and before we get more info from you on your manufacturing preferences, you can start a discussion with the following hemp suppliers. Besides fabric, you can also ask them for manufacturing references. Ask each supplier to give you 3 factory references for your underwear. Sometimes this is the best way to find great manufacturers, by recommendation. The factories they recommend will also be used to working with this type of fabric plus they most probably will have a sustainable profile:)
hempfabriclab.com
hemptraders.com
envirotextile.com -
You can also take a look in the database, Tools (in the left column) -> Find Manufacturers. Search for product category “lingerie”. There are a few results that will show up.
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Definitely do not have a US Concept for the brand, if anything global suppliers with giving back in those communities (Eventually) would be on the list.
I will reach out and ask them for the references, thank you!
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Can the manufacturer also be the provider of the fabric, or do I have to source both separately?
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Hi Emily
Absolutely, the factory can help you source and this is a very typical way of working.
This way of working with the manufacturer is called FOB – freight on board or free on board and you tell them what you want to have, they source everything for you and organise everything and you pay the final price. Some factories work CMT – cut make and trim, and here you have to source and gather everything yourself and they more or less put it together. This is a bit of a pain in the a..
Just tell them what material you have in mind, if it’s a knit or a woven, that it should be hemp, the rough weight if you know and you can also send them a swatch or send a picture so they can easier see what you mean. Ask also if they have materials in stock that you can use. Sometimes they have it and it will be cheaper for you plus there will be no MOQ. You might have limitations in colors…
Here are some factories that can do underwear:
http://www.reacherapparels.com/index.html
http://www.hcorganize.com.tr/index.html
http://fymodatekstil.com
http://www.groupnlm.com/index.html
https://www.suuchi.com
https://www.market-2.comSee if any of these guys can help, otherwise let’s find some new ones:)
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Thank you this is super helpful! FYI, Suuchi is the company that gave me a quote for $10k for qty 10 underwear samples…
What is your opinion on metallic foil print on clothing? That’s what I desire to do on the underwear, just one word on the front right hip, but I’m concerned it won’t wear well over time…one of the manufacturers I’m speaking with specializes in this and I’ve asked them as well.
One manufacturer asked me this question: Will a Polyester or Nylon/Hemp/Elastane jersey about 110-120 gsm will work? I told him I want to do a hemp/organic cotton/spandex blend, but what does 110-120 gsm mean?
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Regarding metallic foil print yes, it’s not that durable… it’s best suited for woven materials that don’t stretch, that’s when it looks the best. Because when you have a stretch material and you apply a foil print, it will crack when you stretch the material out and this doesn’t look that nice or qualitative. Also depending on the print quality, the metallic “shine” is what disappears the quickest in washing, leaving you with a weird color in the print. Can you have other metallic details like ribbons, bindings or piping? And apply the print in another technique?
Embroidery can be OK, it just needs to be quite small, because the backside is going to be uncomfortable on the skin. Also the best print option depends on the base material it’s gonna be printed on. So have a discussion with your manufacturer and test stuff out. Have them make strike offs for you.Regarding the fabric composition, well it depends what your brand story will be. If you are talking about only using natural materials and tying it in with natural mateirals on the skin etc, then poly or nylon is not what you are looking for.
BUT, a poly or nylon blend can actually strengthen the material in the long run, making it more durable in washing and tearing. Now it’s a matter of the % of poly or nylon in the blend. If it’s mostly poly or nylon, then…. but if it’s mostly hemp it could be fine. Just be careful with what you promise the customers in your story.
You can of course educate your customers telling them about your choice of the mixed material and the benefits with it. The elastane will only be a small percentage to give the stretch and to have a better stretch recovery.110-120gsm is the fabric weight. It means grams per square meter.
A normal t-shirt quality is in between 110-160gr. So it means the material they are talking about is fairly lightweight. Ask them to send you a sample:)
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I’m wondering if silk screen might not be the best option for long term wear….embroidery might create odd shirring on a soft hemp fabric, and I still just worry that the metallic foil print will fade too quickly