Minimum order quantities aren’t arbitrary. They come from three places, and knowing which one is limiting a style is what makes planning possible.
Fabric
Mills dye and knit in batches. A custom colour or construction often needs far more metres than a single style uses. It is the most common reason a quotation comes back with a high minimum.
Trims
Custom zips, woven labels, printed tapes and dyed-to-match cords carry their own minimums, sometimes far above the garment quantity.
Factory set-up
Every style needs a marker, a cutting plan and a line set up for sewing. Short runs spend proportionally more time on set-up, which shows in the unit price.
Planning around them
- Share fabrics across styles to reach mill minimums together.
- Use stock or programme fabrics where the design allows.
- Reduce colour splits before reducing styles.
- Reserve custom trims for the details that carry the brand.
- Price the trade-off: a higher unit price can still beat unsold stock.
Ask how a minimum is counted: per style across colours and sizes, or per colour.