Indian garment factories can source almost every trim a garment needs from local suppliers, including buttons, zips, sewing thread, interlining, elastic, drawcords, labels, hang tags and polybags. Alternatively you can nominate a specific supplier for any of these, and the factory will either buy from that supplier or fit trims that you ship to it. The decision for each trim is usually about consistency across orders and whether the trim is visible to your customer.
Trims are small in cost but large in risk. A garment with the wrong button or a zip that fails is a return, and a wrong care label is a critical defect that fails a whole lot. Most trim problems trace back to a trim that was never specified clearly, so the first task is a complete trim card for the style.
Trims usually sourced locally
- Sewing thread in standard shades, matched to your fabric by the factory and approved on the trim card.
- Polyester, nylon and metal buttons, snaps and rivets from the local trim markets that serve Ahmedabad, Surat and the other garment clusters.
- Fusible and sewn-in interlining for collars, cuffs, plackets and waistbands.
- Elastic, drawcords, cord stoppers, eyelets and twill tape.
- Plain polybags, tissue paper, cartons and packing tape.
- Woven labels, printed labels, hang tags and barcode stickers from local label printers working to your artwork.
Trims buyers often nominate
Zips are the most common nominated trim. Many buyers specify a particular zip manufacturer and quality grade so that every order, from any factory, feels the same to the customer. Branded buttons with your logo, special hang tags and labels that carry your brand identity are also usually nominated or supplied so that the factory cannot substitute them.
Nominating a trim means the factory buys it from your named supplier at a price you have usually agreed. Supplying a trim means you ship it to the factory yourself. Supplying gives the most control but adds freight, customs and timing to your side of the order, so most buyers nominate rather than supply unless the trim is proprietary.
Getting trims right
Ask for a trim card for every style before production. It is a sheet with a physical sample of every trim stuck to it, labelled with supplier, reference and placement, and signed by you and the factory. Trims arriving at the factory are then checked against the card before bulk sewing begins.
Lead times matter. Local trims typically arrive within one to three weeks, while nominated imported zips or branded trims can take longer, and a factory cannot start sewing until the trims are in. Approve the trim card early so that trim delivery, rather than fabric delivery, is never the thing that holds up your ship date.
How Creston & Co helps
We check the trim card against your tech pack, visit trim suppliers where a trim is critical, and confirm at the inline inspection that the trims on the line match the card. Approved trim cards and samples are sealed and held for the final inspection. A free 20-minute sourcing review is a good moment to go through which trims to nominate for your range.