In this post, let’s talk about the apparel supply chain.

The apparel supply chain refers to the journey a piece of clothing takes
—from fabric production to cutting, sewing, inspection, packing,
and finally arriving at the warehouse, ready to be sold.

It all begins with the raw material, like cotton, used to make fabric.

The 6 Steps from Cotton to Fabric

Cotton Preparation & Spinning

Raw cotton fibers are cleaned to remove impurities and then turned into yarn. This involves carding, drawing, roving, and spinning.

Yarn Preparation

The spun yarn is wound onto large spools, and the warp threads are set up for weaving. This step includes winding and warping.

Sizing

To strengthen the yarn and reduce friction during weaving, a special coating is applied to the warp. This is called sizing

Weaving

This is where the magic happens—warp and weft threads are interlaced to create fabric.

Finishing & Quality Check

The woven fabric is inspected and undergoes processes like dyeing or printing to become finished textile ready for garment production.

Of course, there are more post-processing steps like coating and finishing,
but we’ll keep it simple for now.

Once the fabric is ready,
it’s loaded into containers and shipped to sewing factories for garment manufacturing.

Unlike fabric production, sewing can’t be done with machines alone.
More than 90% of sewing work depends on manual labor,
which is why factories are often located in countries with lower labor costs.

Let’s walk through the key stages of garment production.

Garment Production Process

Fabric Arrival & Inspection

Once the fabric reaches the factory, it’s thoroughly checked for quality, defects, and whether it meets specifications.

Fabric Relaxation

Before cutting, fabric is rested to stabilize it and prevent shrinkage or distortion during sewing.

Marker Making

This is the planning stage for cutting patterns.
The goal is to use the fabric as efficiently as possible and minimize waste.

Cutting

The fabric is cut into individual pieces according to the garment pattern.

Sewing

The cut pieces are sewn or assembled to form the basic structure of the garment.

Quality Control (QC)

The finished garments go through strict quality inspections to ensure they meet the standards and are defect-free.

Ironing/Pressing

Garments are ironed or pressed to remove wrinkles and give a clean finish.

Packing

Each piece is carefully packed for protection during transport and prepared for sale.

Shipping

Packed products are shipped to customers, retailers, or distribution centers.

Inbound Logistics

Finally, the shipped products arrive at the brand’s warehouse for one last inspection before going on sale.

The apparel industry works like a global relay race—many countries and companies must cooperate to bring a single garment to market.

The Rising Costs of Global Production

But this landscape is changing fast.

Labor Costs Are Rising.

In countries like China, workers are demanding higher wages.
On top of that, supply issues are pushing up material costs.

That’s why many companies are searching for cheaper production destinations.

This movement is known as offshoring.
In the apparel supply chain, reducing cost is critical
—so offshoring is more active than ever.

In our next post, we’ll talk about why offshoring isn’t always easy.
See you soon!

Curious how humans first started wearing clothes?

🔽 Check out the related post

👉 (-ed) tense of clothing Ep.1; A man in clothes, building a civilization.

References

• https://www.textileschool.com/134/standard-staple-yarn-spinning-procedures/
• https://www.textileschool.com/312/warping-systems-and-selvedges-and-its-types/
• https://indiantextilejournal.com/karl-mayer-groups-cascade-system-for-sizing-machines-and-dyeing-systems/
• https://www.textileschool.com/177/fabric-weaving-basics/
• https://fabriclore.com/blogs/textiles/fabric-finishing-and-its-different-types
• http://ko.ruili-textile-es.com/news/how-many-kilograms-of-faux-rabbit-fur-fabric-c-70198533.html
• https://www.quality-fabric.com/polyester-pongee-fabric-in-greige/
• https://www.sewnproducts.com/relaxing-machine.html)
• https://www.innovationintextiles.com/znd-uk-conquers-furniture-design-market/
• https://www.istockphoto.com/id/foto-foto/garment-sewing
• https://blog.qima.com/quality-control/garment-quality-control-textile-apparel-inspections
• https://dolphinegypt.com/finishing-and-pressing/
• https://fashion2apparel.com/garment-packaging-types-materials-and-requirements/
• https://setraf.com/sectors/textile-warehouse-racking-systems
• https://www.westend61.de/en/photo/CUF31403/warehouse-worker-preparing-garment-order-in-distribution-warehouse