Custom Underwear Manufacturer

What underwear do we manufacture?

We are a cut-and-sew underwear manufacturer, not a seamless knitting mill — every style is drafted, cut from knitted fabric and sewn. As a lingerie manufacturer for everyday programs, our range covers:

• Men's briefs, boxer briefs, trunks and woven boxers — with contour pouch construction and jacquard waistband options
• Women's briefs, bikinis, hipsters and high-waist styles — with lined gussets and picot or folded edges
• Bralettes and soft-crop tops — wire-free, with adjustable straps and underband elastic
• Loungewear-adjacent basics — the same fabrics and blocks extend into sleep and lounge pieces

Private label underwear is the default way brands work with us: your waistband branding, labels, care content and packaging on every piece, ready for retail or e-commerce on arrival. Our private label page explains how the trim and packaging system works across a whole collection.

Which fabrics and construction methods do we use for underwear?

Underwear jersey typically sits between 150 and 220 GSM. Cotton jersey at 160–190 GSM with 5–10% spandex is the baseline for everyday briefs and boxers — the spandex is what makes the garment recover after washing, and it is the number buyers most often leave unspecified. Modal and cotton/modal blends read softer and more premium at similar weights. Microfibre knits at 150–180 GSM suit smooth, no-show styles. Our fabric sourcing team will swatch options against your target price point.

Seams are flatlock where they touch skin and coverstitch at hems and leg openings, so nothing chafes and edges recover after washing. Women's styles get a gusset lined in cotton jersey as standard — a hygiene and comfort decision, not a place to save cost. Waistbands are either exposed jacquard elastic with your brand name woven in (a separate tooling step, so send vector artwork with your tech pack) or covered elastic for a softer finish. Edge finishes — picot, raw-edge or folded and coverstitched — are the detail that most visibly separates a budget pair from a premium one. Thread is matched to fabric stretch, so seams extend with the garment instead of cutting in.

How does production work from tech pack to bulk order?

You send a tech pack, or a reference pair plus your target market, quantity and price point — roughly half of new programs start from a reference garment. We draft the pattern and produce a prototype in 8–15 days; on underwear this is where pouch shape, rise, leg opening and gusset width get settled, so expect one or two rounds. The approved sample goes through sample development sign-off and becomes the reference for bulk, which runs 24–30 days after approval.

Size grading matters more on underwear than on almost any other garment, because the wearing ease is negative — the garment is smaller than the body. We grade from the approved block across XS–XXL on US, UK, EU or AU charts, or to your own chart, keeping waistband tension and leg-opening stretch proportional at every size. The graded nest is supplied as a measurement table you can reuse as your public size guide. MOQ is 50 pieces per style with sizes mixed freely.

What quality control and hygiene standards apply?

The failure that kills first underwear runs is not visible at inspection: a waistband that still looks fine but no longer recovers after ten washes. Before bulk cutting we test stretch and recovery on the actual production fabric and elastic, and we verify shrinkage after laundering. Measurements are checked against the approved chart with a ±1 cm tolerance on critical points, every batch carries an AZO-free dye report to EN ISO 14362-1, and in-line QC on the sewing lines is followed by a final inspection before packing.

Underwear is handled as a hygiene product through production and packing: finished pieces are inspected, folded and sealed in individual poly bags in the finishing section, never shipped loose in cartons. Finished garments are not tried on during production, and any piece soiled on the line is pulled at final inspection rather than cleaned and shipped. For US-bound orders we sew your labels exactly as supplied — fiber content, country of origin and care instructions are your legal responsibility under 16 CFR Part 303, including elastic-content disclosure, and the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 page explains the chemical-safety certification many retailers ask for.

Frequently asked questions about underwear manufacturing

What is your MOQ for custom underwear?

50 pieces per style, with sizes split freely inside that quantity. Many brands start with one or two core styles in a full size range, prove the fit and sell-through, then extend the range on reorder.

Can you make seamless underwear?

No. Seamless underwear is knitted on circular seamless machines, a different production technology from cut-and-sew. If seamless construction is central to your product we are not the right factory, and it is better you know that before paying for sampling rounds.

Can you put my logo on the waistband?

Yes, as a custom jacquard elastic waistband with your brand name woven along it, or as covered elastic with a printed or heat-transfer mark for a softer finish. Jacquard requires its own tooling, so send vector artwork together with your tech pack.

Which fabric should I choose: cotton, modal or microfibre?

Cotton/spandex jersey is the everyday baseline. Modal blends feel softer and more premium at similar weight. Microfibre gives a smooth no-show finish. Tell us your target retail price and hand-feel and we will swatch the options — the fabric decision drives everything downstream.

How do you handle size grading for underwear?

We grade from your approved fit sample across XS–XXL on US, UK, EU or AU charts, or to your own chart. Because underwear fits with negative ease, waistband tension and leg openings are graded proportionally, not just scaled — approve fit on your best-selling size first.

How do you handle hygiene during production and packing?

Finished garments are inspected and folded in the finishing section, then sealed in individual poly bags. Bulk cartons contain only bagged product. If your market requires additional hygienic labeling on the packaging, we apply it exactly as you specify.

How long do samples and bulk production take?

Samples take 8–15 days depending on style and fabric sourcing. Bulk production takes 24–30 days after you approve the sample. Custom jacquard waistbands have their own tooling lead time, so decide the waistband early rather than adding it at the end.

Will my labels meet US requirements?

We print and sew labels exactly as you supply them. US rules under 16 CFR Part 303 require fiber content, country of origin and the manufacturer or RN identity on the label — get that wording right at artwork stage, including the disclosure of elastic content where it applies.

Do you offer organic cotton or bamboo-fabric options?

Organic cotton and bamboo-derived viscose options are available through fabric sourcing on request. Note that US labeling rules require bamboo-derived fabrics to be described as viscose or rayon from bamboo rather than simply bamboo — we print labels exactly as you supply them, so get the wording right at artwork stage.

How do you ship underwear orders?

Samples and small orders ship by DHL, FedEx or UPS; bulk orders go by air or sea freight depending on your deadline and budget. We handle export documentation, and every piece arrives bagged, labeled and retail-ready.