Glossary
The language of manufacturing.
Every term you'll hear when producing a clothing line — explained in plain English.
Fabric
GSM
Grams per square metre — the weight of a fabric. Higher GSM means a heavier, denser garment; tees run 140–280, hoodies 280–450.
Jersey
A single-knit fabric with a smooth face and looped back — the everyday base for t-shirts and lightweight tops.
Interlock
A stable double-knit that looks the same on both sides, smoother and more structured than single jersey.
Rib Knit
An elastic knit with vertical ribs and strong stretch recovery, used for cuffs, collars and fitted garments.
French Terry
A knit with looped yarns on the inside and a smooth face — mid-to-heavyweight, ideal for hoodies and joggers.
Fleece
A brushed knit with a soft, warm interior nap, used for cold-weather hoodies and sweatpants.
Piqué
A textured, waffle-weave knit that is breathable and structured — the classic polo-shirt fabric.
Single Jersey
The lightest single-knit construction, breathable and soft, used for basic tees and linings.
Combed Cotton
Cotton whose short fibres are combed out, giving a smoother, stronger, less-pilling yarn for premium tees.
Carded Cotton
Cotton processed without combing — slightly coarser and more economical than combed cotton.
Organic Cotton
Cotton grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, certifiable to GOTS for traceable, lower-impact fibre.
Recycled Cotton
Fibre reclaimed from textile waste, usually blended with virgin fibre; certifiable to GRS or RCS.
Modal
A silky, drapey cellulosic fibre made from beech pulp, resistant to shrinkage and used for premium basics.
TENCEL
A brand of lyocell — a soft, breathable cellulosic fibre made with a closed-loop, lower-impact process.
Viscose
A soft, drapey semi-synthetic fibre made from wood pulp, often used for flowy fashion pieces.
Polyester
A durable synthetic fibre that wicks moisture, dries fast and holds colour — the base of most activewear.
Spandex
A highly elastic fibre (also called elastane or Lycra) blended in small amounts to add stretch and recovery.
Nylon
A strong, lightweight synthetic used for outerwear shells, linings and technical pieces.
Cotton-Spandex Jersey
Cotton jersey with a few percent spandex for stretch and shape retention in fitted garments.
Poly-Cotton
A cotton-polyester blend combining cotton comfort with polyester durability and reduced shrinkage.
Loopback
A terry knit with unbrushed loops on the inside — the smooth, lighter cousin of brushed fleece.
Slub
Yarn spun with intentional thick-and-thin irregularities, giving fabric a textured, vintage look.
Melange
A heathered yarn effect created by blending different-coloured fibres before spinning.
Twill
A woven fabric with diagonal ribs, strong and drapey — used for pants, jackets and workwear.
Canvas
A heavy, plain-weave cotton fabric prized for durability in bags, workwear and structured pieces.
Denim
A rugged cotton twill, typically indigo-dyed, measured in ounces and finished with a range of washes.
Oxford
A basketweave cotton shirting fabric with a soft, textured hand, common in casual shirts.
Poplin
A fine, tightly woven plain-weave fabric with a smooth, crisp finish, used for dress shirts.
Flannel
A soft, brushed woven fabric, often in check patterns, used for shirts and shackets.
Waffle Knit
A textured knit with a raised grid pattern that traps warmth, used for thermals and loungewear.
Production
Tech Pack
A specification document with measurements, materials, construction, artwork and labelling that tells the factory exactly how to make a garment.
Pattern
The template of a garment’s pieces used to cut fabric; the blueprint that defines fit and shape.
Grading
Scaling a base pattern up and down to create the full size range while keeping proportions correct.
Marker
The layout of pattern pieces on fabric, arranged to minimise waste before cutting.
CMT
Cut, Make, Trim — a service where the brand supplies fabric and the factory only cuts, sews and trims.
OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer — the factory makes a product to the brand’s own designs and specs.
ODM
Original Design Manufacturer — the factory designs and develops the product for the brand to buy.
FOB
Free On Board — a full-package model (and shipping term) where the factory sources everything to the port.
Sampling
The development stage where prototypes are made and refined until fit, fabric and finish are approved.
Proto Sample
The first sample made to check the concept, construction and overall look before fit is refined.
Fit Sample
A sample made to test and perfect the fit and measurements before production.
PP Sample
The pre-production sample — the final approved reference that bulk production must match.
MOQ
Minimum Order Quantity — the smallest number of pieces a factory will produce per style; ours is 50.
Bulk Production
The main manufacturing run after the pre-production sample is approved.
Cutting
Slicing fabric into pattern pieces, manually or with automated cutters, before sewing.
Sewing
Assembling cut panels into garments along a production line of specialised operations.
Overlock
A stitch that sews and finishes a seam edge at once to stop fraying — common on knits.
Flatlock
A flat, low-bulk seam that lies smooth against the skin, used in activewear for comfort.
Coverstitch
A parallel-row stitch used to hem knits and finish necklines with stretch and a clean face.
Bartack
A dense cluster of stitches that reinforces stress points like pocket corners and belt loops.
Binding
A strip of fabric folded over a raw edge (like a neckline) to finish and reinforce it.
Placket
The reinforced opening at a garment’s neckline or cuff where buttons or a zip are set.
Gusset
A triangular or diamond panel inserted to add room and reduce strain, e.g. at underarms or crotch.
Dart
A folded, stitched wedge that shapes flat fabric to the body’s curves.
Decoration
Screen Printing
Ink pushed through a mesh screen onto fabric, one screen per colour — durable and cost-effective at volume.
DTG
Direct-to-Garment printing — a digital inkjet method for full-colour, photographic art on cotton with no setup.
DTF
Direct-to-Film — full-colour artwork printed to film and heat-transferred, versatile across many fabrics.
Sublimation
A process that dyes designs into polyester fabric, giving fade-proof, edge-to-edge all-over prints.
Embroidery
Designs stitched into fabric with thread — a premium, durable finish ideal for logos and caps.
3D Puff Embroidery
Embroidery stitched over foam to create a raised, dimensional effect popular on caps and streetwear.
Chenille
A fuzzy, looped-yarn embroidery used for varsity-style letters and patches.
Appliqué
A decoration technique that stitches a shaped fabric piece onto a garment for texture and contrast.
Plastisol
A durable, opaque PVC-based screen-printing ink that sits on the surface with a slight hand.
Water-Based Ink
A screen-print ink that soaks into fabric for a soft, vintage hand and a more breathable print.
Discharge Print
A technique that removes a garment’s dye and replaces it with pigment for an ultra-soft print.
High-Density Print
A thick, raised screen print with sharp 3D edges, used for bold, tactile graphics.
Puff Print
A screen print with an additive that puffs up under heat for a soft, raised texture.
Heat Transfer
A design pre-printed onto carrier film and pressed onto the garment with heat.
Vinyl (HTV)
Heat-transfer vinyl cut into shapes and pressed on — ideal for names, numbers and small runs.
Pantone
A standardised colour-matching system used to specify and reproduce exact brand colours.
Woven Label
A brand label made by weaving coloured threads, giving a durable, premium finish inside garments.
Hangtag
A printed card tag attached to a garment carrying branding, size, price and care information.
Quality
AQL
Acceptable Quality Limit — a statistical sampling standard (we inspect to AQL 2.5) that sets how many defects are tolerable.
Inspection
Checking garments against the approved sample and spec to catch defects before shipment.
In-line QC
Quality checks performed during sewing to catch issues early on the production line.
End-line QC
Inspection at the end of the sewing line, before finishing and packing.
Pre-Shipment Inspection
A final audit of finished, packed goods against the spec before they leave the factory.
Colorfastness
A fabric’s resistance to fading or bleeding when washed, rubbed or exposed to light.
Shrinkage
How much a garment reduces in size after washing; controlled through fabric testing and allowances.
Pilling
Small balls of fibre that form on fabric surfaces with wear; minimised with better yarns and knits.
Tolerance
The allowed deviation from a target measurement before a garment is considered out of spec.
Measurement Spec
The chart of point-of-measure dimensions per size that garments are checked against.
Needle Detection
Passing garments through a metal detector to ensure no broken needles remain — a safety check.
Shade Band
The approved range of acceptable colour variation across a dye lot.
Strike-off
A test print or dye sample approved before bulk to confirm colour and print quality.
GSM Check
Verifying that delivered fabric matches the specified weight in grams per square metre.
Business
Incoterms
Standardised international trade terms (EXW, FOB, CIF, DDP…) that define who pays for shipping, duties and risk.
DDP
Delivered Duty Paid — the seller handles freight, customs and duties to the buyer’s door; our default.
FOB (Shipping)
Free On Board — the seller delivers goods to the port and the buyer takes over freight from there.
CIF
Cost, Insurance and Freight — the seller covers shipping and insurance to the destination port.
EXW
Ex Works — the buyer collects goods from the factory and handles all transport and duties.
Lead Time
The total time from order confirmation to completion; ours runs 7–15 days for samples and 15–25 for bulk.
Proforma Invoice
A preliminary invoice confirming order details, price and terms before production begins.
Letter of Credit
A bank guarantee (LC) that payment will be made once shipping conditions are met.
Telegraphic Transfer
A bank-to-bank wire transfer (T/T) — the most common way to pay for garment orders.
Buyer
The brand or company placing an order with the factory.
Vendor
A supplier — often the manufacturer or a fabric/trim source — in the supply chain.
Nearshoring
Moving production closer to the end market to shorten lead times and simplify logistics.
Reshoring
Bringing manufacturing back to a company’s home country.
Private Label
Products made to a brand’s spec and sold under that brand’s name and labelling.
White Label
Generic products rebranded and sold by different companies under their own names.
Sustainability
OEKO-TEX
A certification (Standard 100) confirming textiles are tested free from harmful substances and safe on skin.
GOTS
The Global Organic Textile Standard — certifies organic fibre content and ethical, low-impact processing.
GRS
The Global Recycled Standard — verifies recycled content and responsible social and environmental practices.
BSCI
amfori BSCI — a social-compliance audit programme improving working conditions in supply chains.
SEDEX / SMETA
A platform and audit format for sharing ethical, labour and environmental data with buyers.
WRAP
Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production — certifies safe, lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing.
ISO 9001
An international standard for quality-management systems governing consistent processes.
Traceability
The ability to track materials and steps through the supply chain from fibre to finished garment.
Circularity
Designing products and systems to reuse, recycle and reduce waste rather than discard.
rPET
Recycled polyester made from post-consumer plastic (like bottles), certifiable to GRS.
Deadstock
Surplus fabric left over from other productions, reused to reduce waste.
Low-Impact Dye
Dyes formulated to use less water and energy and to fix more efficiently, reducing runoff.
Work With Us
Ready to work with the factory?
Tell us what you want to build. Samples in 7–15 days, bulk in 15–25, DDP to 38+ countries — we reply within one working day.
MOQ from 50 units · Free quote