For woven streetwear such as cargo pants, jackets, overshirts and denim, print-on-demand barely applies, so the real choice is between white label and private label. White label gives you our styles finished with your fabric choice, trims and branding; private label gives you your own pattern, at the cost of more development.
The white label vs private label streetwear decision usually comes down to one question: is the cut itself your selling point, or is it the brand, colourway and details? This post compares the three routes for woven streetwear and explains how we handle each.
White label streetwear
With white label, you choose a style from our white label streetwear range, pick the fabric and colour from our options, and we add your labels, tags, trims, embroidery or print, and packaging.
What you decide:
- the style: cargo pants, jacket, overshirt or denim;
- fabric: cotton twill, denim or nylon, depending on style;
- colour or denim shade, and wash or finish where the style allows;
- trims: buttons, zips and pullers, rivets, drawcords or toggles, and which ones carry your logo;
- pocket layout on cargos, from a reference you send, confirmed at quotation;
- labels, woven patches, embroidery, screen print and packing.
Because the base pattern is ours and already graded across S to 3XL, the sample is a known garment and the path to bulk is shorter. You are choosing and finishing a proven piece, not developing a new one, so there are fewer things that can change between the sample and the bulk order. The minimum is 300 pieces per style, with sizes mixed.
Private label streetwear
Private label means a garment built to your own design or tech pack: a jacket with a construction we do not offer, a particular cargo silhouette, a specific panel layout or a denim cut of your own. We review the design first and confirm case by case whether we can make it and on what terms.
What it involves:
- A tech pack or detailed reference with measurements.
- Pattern work for your style.
- One or more sample rounds.
- Grading across your size range.
- Sourcing any special trims or fabrics to your approved swatch.
- Production to the approved sample.
The minimum, sample terms and lead time for private label are confirmed in the quotation once we have seen the design.
Print-on-demand
Print-on-demand works by printing a graphic on a stocked blank when an order comes in. It suits tees and hoodies. For woven outerwear, it is very limited: the blank range is narrow, trims cannot be branded, pocket layouts cannot be changed, and wash and fabric are fixed. It can test a graphic idea on a jacket, but it cannot give you a streetwear piece that is recognisably your own.
Side by side
| White label | Private label | Print-on-demand | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pattern | Ours, graded S to 3XL | Yours | The blank’s |
| Fabric | Twill, denim or nylon from our options | Agreed case by case | The blank’s |
| Trims | Your choice, can be branded | Your choice | Usually fixed |
| Pocket layout | Confirmed at quotation | Yours | Fixed |
| Wash or finish | Confirmed at quotation | Agreed case by case | Fixed |
| Minimum | 300 pieces per style | Confirmed at quotation | Usually none |
| Sampling | Before bulk | Before bulk, often several rounds | A test order |
| Stock | You hold it | You hold it | None |
How to choose
Ask yourself:
- Would a buyer recognise my piece without the logo? If yes, because of a distinctive cut, you may need private label. If the colourway, trims and branding carry it, white label is enough.
- Do I have a tech pack? Private label needs one, or at least detailed measurements and references.
- Can I hold 300 pieces of one style? Both white label and private label mean holding stock.
- How soon do I need it? White label usually has fewer sample rounds.
Many streetwear brands use both. White label cargos and overshirts act as the steady core, reordered with the same approved spec, while one private label jacket each season carries the design story. The steps are the same either way: enquiry, quotation, sample, advance payment, production, quality check and dispatch. Our page on how white label works sets them out.
A note on references
Whichever route you choose, references help. For white label, a photo of a piece you like tells us the look; we then match it to our closest style and confirm what we can change. For private label, references support the tech pack but do not replace it. Send only references for the look you want, and describe in your own words what you like about each.
If you are not sure which route your idea needs, send us the reference photos or sketch and tell us who it is for. We will say whether it fits our white label styles or needs private label, and quote it either way.