Start an abaya brand with one or two styles in two or three colours, under your own label, and grow the range once you see what your buyers reorder. That is the simplest answer to how to start an abaya brand: with white label, you choose a finished style from our range, pick the fabric and colour, and we add your label, tags and packaging, so you can launch without a design team or your own production.
Decide who you are dressing
A clear buyer makes every later choice easier: fabric, colours, sizes, price and packaging. Before you choose styles, write down a short answer to each of these:
- Who is she? A student, a working woman, a mother who wants easy everyday wear, or a buyer looking for occasion pieces.
- Where will she wear it? Daily errands, the office, family visits, travel or events.
- What does she already own? If she has plenty of black everyday abayas, a softer colour or a lighter fabric may be what she is missing.
- How does she shop? Through Instagram, a marketplace, your own website, or a boutique rail.
Two or three sentences are enough. Keep them in front of you when you choose your first order.
Choose your first styles
We make five styles in this range. Each suits a slightly different buyer.
| Style | Typical use | Fabric options |
|---|---|---|
| Closed abaya | Everyday wear, a complete outer layer | Nida, crepe or linen blend |
| Open abaya | Layered over a dress or trousers | Nida, crepe or chiffon |
| Kaftan | Relaxed wear, home and occasions | Crepe, chiffon or linen blend |
| Maxi dress | Modest dress worn on its own | Crepe, chiffon or linen blend |
| Prayer set | Simple, comfortable set for prayer | Nida, crepe or linen blend |
Most new brands start with a closed or open abaya, because they are the pieces customers buy most often and reorder in new colours. A kaftan or prayer set makes a good second style, since it widens your range without needing a new size chart.
Pick fabrics and colours
Fabric is a large part of how an abaya feels and hangs. Nida is soft and matte, with a smooth drape, and is easy to care for, which makes it a common choice for everyday abayas. Crepe has a little more body, so it suits structured cuts and kaftans. Chiffon is sheer and light, usually worn over an inner dress. Linen blend feels relaxed and suits warm weather.
For colours, a starting set often looks like this:
- Black, the steady seller in most markets
- One neutral, such as beige, taupe or grey
- One seasonal colour, to test interest and give your social posts some variety
The minimum is 50 pieces per style, and you can split a style across colours. The colour split is confirmed at quotation, as it depends on fabric availability.
Make the brand your own
White label means the garment is ours and the brand is yours. Your brand shows in several places:
- A woven or printed neck label with your brand name. Printed labels suit chiffon, where a woven label can feel heavy.
- A wash-care label, with content confirmed for the country where you sell
- A hang tag with your name, the style, the size and a barcode if you need one
- Discreet embroidery on a sleeve or the front, if you want a visible signature
- Packaging, from a simple polybag to a folded piece with your branded sticker
Small, consistent touches, such as the same tag on every piece and a neatly folded garment, make a new brand look established from its first order.
Sample, order and launch
Order a sample before committing to bulk. Check the drape, the length, the finish of the seams and hems, and how your label looks inside. If you are unsure about a fabric, a sample in each of two fabrics can settle it.
Once you approve the sample, the order follows our usual path: quotation, sample, advance payment, production, our quality check, and dispatch once the balance is paid. Lead time is confirmed in the quotation. We take enquiries from buyers worldwide. Shipping method, terms and documents are confirmed in the quotation.
While production runs, prepare your launch: photographs of the sample, a size chart, product descriptions that explain the fabric and fit, and a plan for your first posts or listings.
After the first collection
Watch which colours and sizes sell first, and read what customers say about length and fabric. Use that to shape your second order: more of the colour that sold out, a new length option if many customers asked for it, or a second style such as a kaftan. Our page on how white label works walks through each step in more detail, and the full range is on our white label abayas page.
When you are ready, send us your chosen styles, fabrics, colours, sizes or lengths and your logo, and we will prepare a quotation for your first collection.