The world is brimming with clothing manufacturers from the likes of China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Italy, Turkey and numerous other countries and we have conducted an in-depth review of each country here. So which country should you choose to do business with? If you’re an amateur, you might be tempted to spin a pinwheel and hope for the best. However, we have another idea. We recommend you choose Turkish clothing manufacturers. Why? Read on to understand!
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Background: Turkish Clothing History
Textile production started in Turkey back during the Ottoman period between the late 1200s and early 1600s. It wasn’t until the mid 1920s that Turkey elevated itself into a major player in the textile industry. These days, Turkey exports over £6 billion in textile goods every year. These good are produced by a variety of manufacturers — some small, some large. There are in fact over 11,000 individual manufacturers producing clothing goods in Turkey alone.
Reason 1: Powerful Production Capacity
Turkey excels in the production of yarn and woven fabric. This production is due in large part to huge investments that were made in the mid 1900s. Between the early and late 1900s, production of just yarn grew from 670,000 tonnes to a whopping 1.92 million tonnes. Similar growth spurts occurred with wool, cotton yawn and synthetic yawn (polyester, acrylics, viscose, etc.)
Turkey also keeps a very abundant supply of raw materials handy. For instance, it’s the sixth largest producer of common. It falls behind only the U.S., China, India, Uzbekistan and Pakistan.
The point is that a Turkish clothing manufacturer is not apt to ever run out of raw materials and fabrics!
Reason 2: Cheap Labor
According to Werner International, average wage rates in the Turkish clothing industry hover around £1.47 per hour. This is admittedly significantly higher than rates in China (£0.26), India (£0.29) and elsewhere. However, it is still much cheaper than hiring UK employees.
The point is that you would save bundles of money by outsourcing your manufacturing to a manufacturer in Turkey.
Reason 3: Fast Transportation
Turkey’s geographic location lends itself toward relatively fast transportation times. This means you wind up spending less to get your goods transported all the way from Turkey to your office or retail outlet in the United Kingdom. In fact, Turkey’s lead times are significantly shorter than those for its competitors from other countries. Based on our own experiences, the average lead time is 60 days, including 10 days of freight travel.
The point is that you’ll save time and money on transportation costs if you rely on a Turkish clothing manufacturers.
Reason 4: National Focus (Passion)
In Turkey, the textile industry makes up a very large chuck of its economy. In fact, the country employers almost 1 million workers throughout tens and thousands of textile companies. Furthermore, textiles make up almost a quarter of all its exports.
The point is that the Turkish people are very passionate about textiles, and passion should count when looking for a manufacturer.
Reason 5: Environmental Safety
Turkey is one of a select few countries that mandates that all its textile manufacturers comply with internationally accepted environmental standards. As an example, unlike many Far East and Asian countries, Turkey bans the use of carcinogenic dyes. This results in more environmentally safe products.
The point is that Turkey is serious about protecting the environment, and this is a definite talking point that you can use in your sales copy.
Reason 6: Low MOQ’s
When you’re first starting out in the business, you’re not really interested in buying in bulk quantities of 1000, 10,000 or even 100,000. Not only is it not feasible on your budget, but it’s also full of risk. It’s much better to take the time to slowly build your way up to those levels. Along the way, you’ll find out if the manufacturer is able to maintain quality with the quantity.
It just so happens that Turkish clothing manufacturers offer some of the lowest ‘minimum order quantity’ (MOQ) rates in the world. We’re talking MOQ’s as low as 100 to 300, which is pretty amazing for this industry!
The point is that Turkey is much better suited for fashion designers and artists who are just starting out and thus not interested in bulk orders.
Reason 7: Plenty Of Options
Turkey manufacturers rank higher than many of its admittedly cheaper Far East competitors because they offer a wider selection of goods. In particular, Turkish clothing manufacturers can make t-shirts, sweaters, dress shirts, jackets, jeans, knitwear and more. Furthermore, these goods are offered at very reasonable rates.
The point is that Turkey is equipped to handle the type of ‘fancy’ gear people are accustomed to in first world countries.
Reason 8: Unified Monetary Policies
Some countries suffer from a severe case of divided government. Take Australia for instance. Each of its individual states and territories abide by a plethora of different rules and regulations. This makes conducting business with Australia a genuine pain in the you know what.
Turkey, on the other hand, utilizes monetary policies and banking systems that are uniform throughout the whole nation. This means that it doesn’t matter where in Turkey a manufacturer is located, because the rules will still remain the exact same.
The point is that dealing with Turkey is much easier than dealing with countries where each province, state or territory hosts its own rules.
Final Thoughts: Choose Turkish Clothing Manufacturers
We realize that some of you might still be stuck on the wages. They are admittedly higher than the wages in many Far East countries. However, please keep all the other benefits in mind:
- An exemplary production capacity.
- Short lead times.
- Environmental standards.
- Low minimum order quantities.
- Diverse options.
- Unified financial policies.
Overall, you are going to be much better off if you choose Turkey. If you’re outsourcing, you’re already taking a big risk by putting your trust in entities that exist outside of your border and thus outside of your government’s jurisdiction. So if you are going to take a risk, why not minimize your risk by going with a country that ranks miles ahead of its competitors?