Sourcing Plan
Seven phases from fabric specification to shipment, each with the real organisations to contact and the week window it occupies in a 16-week order calendar — free of charge.
The seven phases, with timelines and real contacts
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| Phase | Weeks | Talk to |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Specify the fabric | 1–2 | Spinning, weaving and knitting mills, plus trade bodies for test-method guidance. |
| 2. Engineer the garment | 2–3 | Factory CAD rooms and pattern engineers. |
| 3. Cost and equip the order | 3–5 | Merchandisers, machinery agents and trims suppliers. |
| 4. Select and book the factory | 4–6 | Factory planning and production management. |
| 5. Contract and finance | 6–8 | Commercial teams, exporters and your bank. |
| 6. Compliance and sustainability | 8–10 | Compliance teams, mills and certification bodies. |
| 7. Inspect and ship | 12–16 | QA teams, third-party inspection, exporters and buyers. |
Phase 1 · Weeks 1–2
Specify the fabric
Freeze construction, GSM, test methods and acceptance limits so every mill quotes the same quality.
Talk to: Spinning, weaving and knitting mills, plus trade bodies for test-method guidance.
Timeline and dated milestones
Weeks 1–2 · Fabric and fibre selection
Fabric specification frozen and lab dips sent to the mill
Owner: Mill / fabric sourcing
Read the free stage guide
Real organisations to contact in this phase
Arvind Limited
Ahmedabad · India
Denim, woven shirting and garment manufacturing
Vardhman Textiles Limited
Ludhiana · India
Cotton and blended yarn, greige and finished fabric, sewing thread
Nishat Mills Limited
Lahore · Pakistan
Spinning, weaving, dyeing, printing and stitching
Square Fashions Limited
Dhaka · Bangladesh
Knit garment manufacturing within the Square textile group
TEXPROCIL — The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council
Mumbai · India
Cotton yarn, fabric and made-ups export promotion
Welspun Living Ltd (formerly Welspun India)
Mumbai · India
Cotton spinning, terry towels, bed linen and advanced textiles
Trident Ltd
Ludhiana / Budni · India
Yarn spinning, terry towels, bed linen and paper
Texhong International Group Ltd
Shanghai / Hong Kong · China
Core-spun yarn, denim and woven fabric across China, Vietnam and Nicaragua
Weiqiao Textile Co., Ltd
Binzhou, Shandong · China
Very large-scale cotton spinning, weaving and fabric printing/dyeing
Phase 2 · Weeks 2–3
Engineer the garment
Approve the graded pattern set and marker efficiency so fabric consumption is a measured figure, not a guess.
Talk to: Factory CAD rooms and pattern engineers.
Timeline and dated milestones
Weeks 2–3 · Pattern, marker and fabric consumption
Graded pattern set and marker efficiency report approved
Owner: Factory CAD room
Read the free stage guide
Real organisations to contact in this phase
Lectra
Paris · France
CAD pattern making, marker making and automated cutting
SHIMA SEIKI
Wakayama · Japan
Computerised flat knitting machines and whole-garment knitting
Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd.
Bengaluru · India
India's largest apparel exporter — knits, wovens and fabric processing
Epic Group
Hong Kong · Hong Kong SAR (plants in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Jordan)
Multi-country apparel manufacturer and sourcing group
AEPC — Apparel Export Promotion Council
New Delhi · India
Official apparel export promotion body of India
Shenzhou International Group Holdings Ltd
Ningbo · China
World-scale vertically integrated knitwear and sportswear manufacturing
K.P.R. Mill Ltd
Coimbatore · India
Vertically integrated knit garments — spinning, knitting, dyeing and stitching
Phase 3 · Weeks 3–5
Cost and equip the order
Build the cost sheet line by line and confirm the machinery, needles, thread and trims each line needs.
Talk to: Merchandisers, machinery agents and trims suppliers.
Timeline and dated milestones
Weeks 3–4 · Cost estimation and quotation build-up
Costed sheet agreed line by line, not as one FOB number
Owner: Merchandiser
Read the free stage guideWeeks 4–5 · Machinery, needles, thread and trims
Trims cards approved and special attachments confirmed on the line
Owner: Trims suppliers
Read the free stage guide
Real organisations to contact in this phase
Arvind Limited
Ahmedabad · India
Denim, woven shirting and garment manufacturing
Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd.
Bengaluru · India
India's largest apparel exporter — knits, wovens and fabric processing
Epic Group
Hong Kong · Hong Kong SAR (plants in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Jordan)
Multi-country apparel manufacturer and sourcing group
Coats Group plc
London · United Kingdom
Industrial sewing thread, zips and performance materials
AEPC — Apparel Export Promotion Council
New Delhi · India
Official apparel export promotion body of India
Gokaldas Exports Ltd
Bengaluru · India
Large listed apparel exporter — outerwear, activewear, woven and knit programmes
Esquel Group
Hong Kong / Guangdong · China
Cotton shirting from cotton farming and spinning through to finished shirts
JUKI Corporation
Tokyo · Japan
Industrial sewing machines, automated units and sewing systems
Brother Industries — Industrial Sewing
Nagoya · Japan
Industrial sewing machines, embroidery and direct-to-garment printing
Groz-Beckert
Albstadt · Germany
Sewing machine needles, knitting and felting needles
Jack Technology (Jack Sewing Machine Co., Ltd)
Taizhou, Zhejiang · China
Industrial sewing machines, automatic cutters and sewing-room automation
SBS Zipper (Fujian SBS Zipper Science & Technology Co., Ltd)
Jinjiang, Fujian · China
Metal, nylon and vislon zippers and slider hardware
Phase 4 · Weeks 4–6
Select and book the factory
Verify capability against your product, then hold a written capacity window with line numbers.
Talk to: Factory planning and production management.
Timeline and dated milestones
Weeks 4–6 · Factory capability and order flow
Booked capacity window confirmed in writing with line numbers
Owner: Factory planning
Read the free stage guide
Real organisations to contact in this phase
DBL Group
Dhaka · Bangladesh
Vertically integrated knitwear manufacturing, spinning, dyeing and printing
Ha-Meem Group
Dhaka · Bangladesh
Denim and woven garment manufacturing with its own denim mill and washing plants
Square Fashions Limited
Dhaka · Bangladesh
Knit garment manufacturing within the Square textile group
Youngone Corporation
Seoul · South Korea (plants in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ethiopia)
Outerwear, technical apparel, footwear and backpacks
Interloop Limited
Faisalabad · Pakistan
Hosiery, denim, knitted apparel and seamless activewear
BGMEA — Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association
Dhaka · Bangladesh
Apex association for woven and knit garment exporters in Bangladesh
BKMEA — Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association
Narayanganj / Dhaka · Bangladesh
Knitwear manufacturers and exporters association
Shenzhou International Group Holdings Ltd
Ningbo · China
World-scale vertically integrated knitwear and sportswear manufacturing
K.P.R. Mill Ltd
Coimbatore · India
Vertically integrated knit garments — spinning, knitting, dyeing and stitching
Youngor Group
Ningbo · China
Shirting, suiting and menswear manufacturing with its own fabric mills
Phase 5 · Weeks 6–8
Contract and finance
Sign a purchase order with dates and tolerances, then open the payment instrument against a fixed Incoterm.
Talk to: Commercial teams, exporters and your bank.
Timeline and dated milestones
Weeks 6–7 · Contract and purchase order drafting
Purchase order signed with quantities, prices, dates and tolerances
Owner: Commercial team
Read the free stage guideWeeks 7–8 · Payment terms and trade finance
Payment instrument opened and Incoterm fixed against the shipping plan
Owner: Bank / finance
Read the free stage guide
Real organisations to contact in this phase
BGMEA — Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association
Dhaka · Bangladesh
Apex association for woven and knit garment exporters in Bangladesh
AEPC — Apparel Export Promotion Council
New Delhi · India
Official apparel export promotion body of India
TEXPROCIL — The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council
Mumbai · India
Cotton yarn, fabric and made-ups export promotion
Marks & Spencer
London · United Kingdom
UK retailer publishing clothing supplier and factory information
Inditex (Zara)
Arteixo · Spain
Retail group with published supplier standards and sourcing clusters
CITI — Confederation of Indian Textile Industry
New Delhi · India
Apex industry body for the Indian textile and apparel value chain
CCCT — China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles
Beijing · China
Official chamber for Chinese textile and apparel import/export trade
BKMEA — Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association
Narayanganj / Dhaka · Bangladesh
Knitwear manufacturers and exporters association
Epic Group
Hong Kong · Hong Kong SAR (plants in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Jordan)
Multi-country apparel manufacturer and sourcing group
H&M Group
Stockholm · Sweden
Global fashion retail group publishing a public supplier list
Phase 6 · Weeks 8–10
Compliance and sustainability
Collect certificates, audit dates and chemical compliance evidence before bulk cutting starts.
Talk to: Compliance teams, mills and certification bodies.
Timeline and dated milestones
Weeks 8–10 · Sustainability and compliance
Certificates, audit dates and chemical compliance evidence on file
Owner: Compliance
Read the free stage guide
Real organisations to contact in this phase
H&M Group
Stockholm · Sweden
Global fashion retail group publishing a public supplier list
Inditex (Zara)
Arteixo · Spain
Retail group with published supplier standards and sourcing clusters
Levi Strauss & Co.
San Francisco · United States
Denim brand publishing supplier lists and worker wellbeing standards
Arvind Limited
Ahmedabad · India
Denim, woven shirting and garment manufacturing
Interloop Limited
Faisalabad · Pakistan
Hosiery, denim, knitted apparel and seamless activewear
VITAS — Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association
Hanoi · Vietnam
National textile and apparel association of Vietnam
JAAF — Joint Apparel Association Forum Sri Lanka
Colombo · Sri Lanka
Umbrella body for Sri Lanka's apparel industry
Phase 7 · Weeks 12–16
Inspect and ship
Pass inline and final inspection, release shipping documents and agree the repeat-order plan.
Talk to: QA teams, third-party inspection, exporters and buyers.
Timeline and dated milestones
Weeks 12–16 · Quality standards and inspection
Inline and final inspections passed, shipment documents released
Owner: QA / third-party inspection
Read the free stage guideWeeks 14–16 · Exporters, buyers and market entry
Shipping documents, market paperwork and repeat-order plan agreed
Owner: Exporter / buyer
Read the free stage guide
Real organisations to contact in this phase
Marks & Spencer
London · United Kingdom
UK retailer publishing clothing supplier and factory information
Primark
Dublin · Ireland
Value fashion retailer with a public global sourcing map
BESTSELLER
Brande · Denmark
Danish fashion group sourcing across Asia
Levi Strauss & Co.
San Francisco · United States
Denim brand publishing supplier lists and worker wellbeing standards
DBL Group
Dhaka · Bangladesh
Vertically integrated knitwear manufacturing, spinning, dyeing and printing
Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd.
Bengaluru · India
India's largest apparel exporter — knits, wovens and fabric processing
Epic Group
Hong Kong · Hong Kong SAR (plants in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Jordan)
Multi-country apparel manufacturer and sourcing group
H&M Group
Stockholm · Sweden
Global fashion retail group publishing a public supplier list
Inditex (Zara)
Arteixo · Spain
Retail group with published supplier standards and sourcing clusters
AEPC — Apparel Export Promotion Council
New Delhi · India
Official apparel export promotion body of India
TEXPROCIL — The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council
Mumbai · India
Cotton yarn, fabric and made-ups export promotion
Work the plan
Use the free directory to widen the contact list for any phase, the sourcing desk for a country-by-country calendar and checklist, and the sourcing guide for the full detail behind each stage. Every one of them is free of charge.
Educational material only. Timelines are typical planning windows, not commitments, and contract, payment and compliance decisions should be checked with your own legal and financial advisers.