ODM/OEM Capability — From Sketch to Shipment
Your Idea,
Made Real.
Not Just OEM — ODM.
We turn a rough sketch into a wearable, producible garment — hi-vis workwear or a technical outdoor shell. The hard part isn't drawing. It's knowing which process makes a design manufacturable: heat-press vs. sewn tape, seam taping, material cost, sample-to-batch feasibility.
ODM or OEM: which one do you actually need
Buyers use both words loosely, and the difference changes the timeline, the cost and who carries the risk. Here is the honest split.
| What you give us | OEM: a complete tech pack — measurements, BOM, construction, graded spec. ODM: a reference sample, a mood board, a target price, or just a gap in your range. |
|---|---|
| What we do | OEM: we build to your specification and flag anything that will not produce cleanly. ODM: we develop the product — fabric, fit, features, cost — then build it. |
| Sampling rounds | OEM: usually 1-2 rounds to a approved sample. ODM: 2-4 rounds, because the first rounds are resolving the design rather than the execution. |
| Time to bulk | OEM is faster to bulk because the design work is already done. ODM adds roughly 2-4 weeks at the front and removes it from your internal calendar. |
| Cost of development | OEM: sampling charges only. ODM: development is bundled, because we are recovering it across production rather than billing it as a service. |
| Right for you if | OEM: you have an in-house designer or a freelance tech designer. ODM: you do not, or you would rather spend that time on sales and marketing. |
Most of what we run sits between the two: you arrive with a clear idea of the product and a target price, and we resolve fabric, fit and construction around it. That is the version where a sourcing partner earns its keep — because the decisions that decide your margin are made in the first two weeks, not at the quotation stage.
What we see selling: 2026/27 read
This is the part most suppliers cannot give you. We develop across European and North American programmes at the same time, so we see what is being specified for next season before it reaches retail. A short, current read — ask us for the full breakdown on a call.
Hi-vis, EU
Segmented reflective tape has overtaken solid tape at the mid and upper tiers — it flexes with the fabric and stops cracking. GRS recycled polyester is now a tender requirement rather than a nice-to-have in the Nordics and Benelux.
Hi-vis, US
ANSI/ISEA 107 Type R Class 2 and 3 with a looser, more relaxed block. Buyers are asking for stretch panels at the back shoulder — a comfort request that came out of field feedback, not fashion.
Ski, EU
PFAS-free C0 DWR has moved from premium to entry tier as member-state rules tighten. 20K/15K is now the mid-market expectation; 10K no longer clears the bar for a resort mainline.
Ski, US
Longer, looser silhouettes with snowboard influence, and insulated vests outselling insulated jackets in several western accounts. Colour blocking is back after several seasons of solids.
Outdoor, both
Ultralight shells keep gaining share as layering replaces single heavy garments. Grid fleece has overtaken standard fleece at the midlayer tier for weight-to-warmth reasons.
Workwear, both
Stretch panels and modern fit are now expected even on certified garments. The old boxy hi-vis parka is losing shelf space to softshell and hybrid constructions.
None of this is prediction. It is a summary of what we are being asked to quote this season, which is usually twelve to eighteen months ahead of what you see on a retail floor.
Choosing spec by brand position
The most common way a new programme loses margin is by over-specifying for the price point, or under-specifying for the shelf it has to sit on. Use this as the starting grid.
| Entry tier | 2L or 2.5L shell, 10K/10K, coil zips, synthetic fill 100-140 g/m², OEKO-TEX only. Target: hit the price, keep the hand-feel acceptable. |
|---|---|
| Mid tier | 2L or 3L, 15K/15K, YKK zips, pit vents and a working hood adjustment, synthetic 140-200 g/m² or down 600 fill. Add GRS recycled content. |
| Premium tier | 3L, 20K/15K or 20K/20K, AquaGuard or equivalent zips, fully taped, articulated patterning, down 700-800 fill power or branded synthetic. |
| Technical / contract | Specification-led rather than price-led. Certified fabric and trims, documented traceability, testing to the named standard. |
| Where to spend | Membrane and seam taping. A visible failure here costs more in returns than any trim upgrade saves. |
| Where to save | Lining prints, packaging and decorative trims. These carry perceived value without carrying performance risk. |
If you tell us the retail price you need to hit and the shelf you have to sit beside, we will usually come back with two or three routes to it — and tell you which one we would choose and why.
One fabric platform, twelve styles
The single most useful trick for a first or second season: build the range on one fabric, then differentiate on silhouette and detail.
A 400 pcs per colour minimum per style is the usual barrier for a new range. Twelve styles at 400 each is 4,800 units — more than most first seasons can absorb. But if all twelve styles come off the same fabric platform, the fabric minimum is met once, and the per-style minimum drops substantially because the cutting is shared.
What this looks like in practice
- One shell fabric and one colour standard across the range, so the collection reads as a family
- Silhouette, pocketing, hood treatment and trim package carry the differentiation
- Shared lining, shared tape, shared zip specification — fewer components to source and test
- Lower effective MOQ per style, because the fabric buy is consolidated
- One round of fabric testing and certification covering the whole range instead of twelve
Proof at the top end
Our 3L hardshell programme supplied a national team at Paris 2024 — 20K/20K, fully taped, delivered to a competition deadline that did not move. The same development discipline, the same pattern room and the same AQL 2.5 inspection run a twelve-style commercial range. The specification changes; the process does not.
How to brief us
The quality of the first quotation depends almost entirely on the quality of the first brief. Here is what we actually need.
Best case
A full tech pack with measurements, BOM and construction notes. We quote in 24 hours and flag anything that will not produce cleanly.
Good
A reference sample or clear photographs, plus your target price and quantity. We reverse-engineer a spec and quote against it.
Minimum
The product category, the market, and the price you need to land. We propose a construction and quote from there.
What we do not need: a finished design. If you have a gap in your range and a price point, that is enough to start.