INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Sourcing it right!
Fabric sourcing in the garment industry is a complex process and the quality, cost
and lead time are important considerations. At the time of fabric sourcing, the
preferred factor is quality, followed by the cost and lead time. Vasant Kothari gives a
comprehensive report.

Fabric is the basic constituent for any garment  Designing: Dobby, Jacquard ( if applicable)
and that is the reason why the cost of the fabric  Fibre, Yarn and Fabric Dyeing
is a major component of garment manufacturing  Colour, Print and Finish
costs which come to around 60-65 per cent of
the total cost. Because of this, fabric sourcing Knitted Fabrics
becomes one of the most important activities  Fibre Content
in garment manufacturing and therefore, a  Yarn Count
person in the fabric sourcing department must  Machine Parameters
have information about all varieties of fabrics  Gauge of the machine
for executing the sourcing effectively. Normally,  Diameter of the machine
the fabric sourcing department is involved in  Loop Parameters
determining how and from where the fabric of the  Loop Length
desired quality can be sourced. It works in close  Courses per Inch
co-ordination with the merchandising department  Wales per Inch
and also takes care of the delivery of the desired  Type of Stripes (Feeder, Auto, Engineered)
fabric within the planned time and cost. (if applicable)
We take a look at the following classifications  Designing – Full Jacquard, Half Jacquard
to better understand fabric sourcing: (if applicable)
 Fibre, Yarn and Fabric Dyeing
1 FABRIC CONSTRUCTION  Colour, Print and Finish
There are basically two types of fabrics which
are used for garment manufacturing, viz. 2 TYPES OF FABRICS
woven and knitted. It is very important to Fabrics can also be sourced as greige or
understand the aspects of sourcing of both finished fabrics. The procedure to source both
the fabrics as the ordering parameters are these fabrics along with sourcing lead time
different for woven and knitted fabrics. varies for each of it.

Woven Fabrics Greige Fabrics

 Fibre Content Normally, in order to reduce the cost of the
 Yarn Count fabrics, few garment manufacturers source
 Warp Yarn Count greige fabrics directly from the decentralised
 Weft Yarn Count sector or big mills. Lead time for the
 Fabric Count sourcing of greige fabrics is also less as the
 EPI (Ends per Inch) desired standard quality of the fabric can
 PPI (Picks per Inch) be purchased directly from the market and
 Width of the fabric processing is then done as per requirement or
 Type of weave as per the pre-approved sample.

162 I APPAREL I June 2014

FABRIC SOURCING IS ONE
OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
ACTIVITIES IN GARMENT
MANUFACTURING.
THEREFORE, A PERSON
IN THE FABRIC SOURCING
DEPARTMENT MUST HAVE
INFORMATION ABOUT ALL
VARIETIES OF FABRICS
FOR EXECUTING THE
SOURCING EFFECTIVELY.

APPAREL I April 2014 I 23

 INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Finished Fabrics Yarn Dyed Fabrics

Finished fabrics are the ready-to-cut fabrics.
The lead time for the same is more and the
procedure to source finished fabrics is more
elaborate as compared to greige fabrics. To
source finished fabrics, the buyer (garment
manufacturer), needs to share the detailed
fabric specification along with the desired
colour/ shade/print/finish with the fabric
manufacturer. After the approval of dyeing and/
or printing and finishing of the fabric, the fabric
manufacturer will start the production.
3 FABRIC COLOURING
Textile substrate can be coloured either at the
fibre stage, the yarn stage or at fabric stage,
and it requires proper planning as lead time
varies in each case.
Fibre Dyed Fabrics
Sourcing of fibre dyed fabrics, usually known
as Melange Fabric, is very critical. The most
important factor is the lead time. Lead time
required to source fibre dyed fabrics is more,
as the yarn manufacturing and the fabric
manufacturing process will start only after fibre
dyeing. In this case, fibre dyeing is done long
before the season. As trends are prone to
change, there is definitely a certain amount of
risk involved in dealing with fibre dyed fabrics.
Further, as there is a possibility of the wastage
of processed material, the cost of fibre dyed
fabrics is always greater as compared to
the others.
In the case of yarn dyed fabrics, the fabric
manufacturer develops pit loom/desk loom
for approval of the fabric design, i.e. weave of
checks or stripes. Approval for bulk production
is given once the colours of the dyed yarns
and the design pattern is finalised. In yarn
dyed fabric sourcing, the lead time is less as
compared to fibre dyed fabrics and lead time
is more as compared to piece dyed fabrics.
Piece Dyed Fabrics
Piece dyed fabrics are widely sourced fabrics
as they are cheaper and convenient to source.
In this case, colour approval is given based on
the Lab Dip submitted by the fabric processor/
manufacturer. Basically, Lab Dip is the process
to ascertain the formula or recipe required
to dye a particular quality of fabric to the
desired shade.
d Printed Fabrics
In the case of printed fabrics, approval is
required for all the colour shades which are
going to be a part of the design along with
its layout. Strike off, a swatch of fabric in
the desired fabric quality, printed with actual
colour and design, is submitted by the fabric
manufacturer/designer to the buyer.
4 SOURCING SECTOR
Fabrics can be sourced internationally or
from domestic markets as per the availability
and requirements.

a. Fibre dyed fabric

ASSourcing of the fibre dyed fabric, usually known as the Melange 
TRENDS ARE PRONE TO
CHANGE AND THE FIBRE-DYEING
Fabric, is very critical. 

OFThe most important factor is the lead time. Lead time required to 
FABRICS IS DONE LONG BEFORE
THEsource fibre dyed fabrics is more, as the yarn manufacturing and the 
SEASON, THERE IS A CERTAIN
AMOUNT OF RISK INVOLVED INIn this 
fabric manufacturing process will start only after fibre dyeing.  

USING FIBRE DYED FABRIC.

case, fibre dyeing is done long before the season, so there is 
possibility of a change in the trend, so there is risk involved in dealing
with fibre dyed fabrics. Further, as there is a possibility of waste of 
processed material so the cost of the fibre dyed fabrics is always 
164 I APPAREL I June 2014
more as compared to the other.
 INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Domestic Sourcing
Advantages of sourcing fabrics from domestic
markets are cost-competitive, shorter supply
chains and increased speed to the market.
At the same time, the disadvantages may be
non-availability of speciality fabrics and fabrics
with special coating and finishes and an
insufficient attempt to create new designs.
International Sourcing
China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Italy, and
Pakistan are the major destinations for fabric
sourcing, apart from India. Taiwan is known for
knitted goods like fleece, suede and velour.
Poly wool fabrics from Italy are famous for their
high quality, even if they are very expensive.
Pakistan is very strong in cotton fabrics and
is a paradise for procuring denim fabrics,
whereas Thailand is ideal for importing fabrics
in smaller lots.
5 MANUFACTURING SEGMENT
As far as fabric manufacturing in India is
concerned, there are two major sectors,
centralised and decentralised sectors.
Centralised sectors, also known as vertically
integrated units, are where all the fabric
conversion activities are under one roof,
166 I APPAREL I June 2014
whereas the decentralised sector is highly
fragmented and comprises small scale
industries, which work concurrently to
produce the fabric. Sourcing fabric either from
centralised or decentralised sectors has their
own advantages and disadvantages.
Vertically Integrated Units
One of the main advantages of vertically
integrated units is the control of fabric quality
right from the initial stage and for the buyer,
it is very convenient to communicate with
a single supplier. But, at the same time,
the cost of the fabrics sourced from the
vertically integrated units is on the higher
side as compared to fabric sourced from the
decentralised sector.
Decentralised Sector
One of the most important advantages of
sourcing fabrics from the decentralised
sector is the lead time, which is, in most
cases, less. Another advantage for the buyer
is the cheaper cost of fabrics as compared
to vertically integrated units. The major
challenges in the decentralised sector are
vendor selection and maintaining consistent
fabric quality.
 INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Fabric sourcing can also be classified as fabrics
sourced either from a nominated supplier or a
non-nominated supplier. nominated supplierS
ARE decided by the buyer himself, WHEREAS, THE
non-nominated suppliers are those whom the
garment manufacturer goes in search of.
6 TYPES OF SUPPLIERS
Fabric sourcing can also be classified as
fabrics sourced either from a nominated
supplier or a non-nominated supplier.
Nominated fabric suppliers are basically
decided by the buyer himself, whereas in case
of non-nominated suppliers, buyers provide the
details of the desired fabric and the garment
manufacturer needs to search for the supplier
who can develop and supply the desired fabric
with respect to quality and quantity.
Nominated Supplier
In the case of a nominated supplier, at the
initial stage of the season, the buyer finalises
the fabric supplier to develop their fabric
taking into consideration aspects like the cost,
quality, quantity and lead time. Once the fabric
is developed and approved, the garment
manufacturers are asked to source the desired
fabric from the nominated fabric suppliers. By
nominating suppliers, buyers wish to get fabric
with consistent quality and without any defects
or flaws.
168 I APPAREL I June 2014
Non-nominated Supplier
Normally, new buyers with inadequate
resources and buyers who need less quantity
of garments prefer to go for non-nominated
suppliers. Frequent concerns with non-
nominated suppliers may be inconsistent
fabric quality, several rounds of approvals,
extended lead time, etc.At the time of fabric
sourcing, it is very important to consider all the
aspects detailed here. For example, the buyer
may ask to source the yarn dyed Poplin fabric
from a nominated supplier from China. So,
in this case, the following points need to be
considered at the time of sourcing:
 Woven fabric specifications
 Lead time for yarn dyed
 Approval of Desk loom/pit loom
 Supplier details from buyer
 Fabric Price and quality specifications
from buyer
 Information related to Importing fabric
from China
 Transit lead time 