White label means you pick one of our existing styles and we add your branding; private label means we build the garment to your own design. Print on demand is a third model, where each piece is printed after a shopper orders it, and it is a different business from bulk manufacturing like ours.
The question of white label vs private label dresses comes up in most first enquiries we receive. The right answer depends on how much of the design you want to own, how much stock you can hold, and how soon you want to sell. This post sets out the three options plainly.
The three models side by side
| White label | Private label | Print on demand | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who designs the garment | Our existing styles | You, through a design or tech pack | The supplier’s blank garment |
| What you choose | Style, fabric, colour, branding | Pattern, fabric, trims, fit, branding | Print artwork only |
| Branding | Your labels, tags, print or embroidery, packaging | Your labels, tags, print or embroidery, packaging | Usually a print, with limited label options |
| Order size | Minimum quantity per style | Minimum quantity per style, confirmed case by case | One piece at a time |
| Stock | You hold it | You hold it | No stock held |
| Sample | Of our style in your fabric and colour | Of your design, which may take more rounds | Usually a single printed proof |
White label: our styles, your brand
With white label, you choose from our range of shirts, blouses, tunics, casual dresses and skirts. You pick the fabric from cotton, rayon, viscose or linen blend, choose the colour or printed fabric from the options, and we add your neck label, wash-care label, hang tag, embroidery or screen print, and packaging.
The minimum for our white label women’s tops, shirts and dresses is 50 pieces per style, with sizes mixed from XS to 3XL. Because the pattern already exists, sampling is simpler: you are checking fit, fabric and how your label looks, not developing a garment from nothing.
Small changes such as sleeve length, hem length or neckline can often be made to an existing style. If the change is larger, it moves into private label.
Private label: your design
Private label means the garment is built to your own design or tech pack. You decide the cut, the details and the fit. This suits a brand with a clear design identity, or one that wants a piece no one else can stock.
We look at private label requests case by case, and what is possible is confirmed at quotation. Expect more back and forth at the sample stage, because a new pattern may need adjusting before it fits the way you want.
Print on demand
Print on demand services hold blank garments and print your artwork on each one after a shopper orders. You hold no stock, but you also have little control over the fabric, the cut or the label, and most of the brand sits in the print.
Our orders are bulk runs with a minimum quantity per style, so print on demand is a different model from ours. Some sellers test a design idea through print on demand, then move to white label once they want their own labels, a woven fabric and a lower cost per piece at volume.
Which one fits you
Use these questions to decide:
- Do you have your own designs ready, with measurements? If yes, private label may suit you. If not, start with white label.
- Can you hold 50 pieces of each style? If not yet, print on demand lets you test without stock.
- Does your brand live in the cut and fabric, or in a graphic? Woven tops and dresses sell on fabric, drape and fit, which white label and private label control and print on demand does not.
- How fast do you want to start? White label usually moves quickest of the two bulk options, as the pattern is already made. Lead time is confirmed in the quotation.
There is also the question of what a shopper notices. In a woven top or dress, the first thing a shopper feels is the fabric, and the first thing she sees inside is the neck label. With white label and private label, both carry your brand: the fabric is sourced to your approved swatch, and the label, tag and packing are yours. That consistency is what turns a single sale into a returning customer.
Many brands use more than one model over time. A boutique might start with white label shirts and dresses, then add one private label piece once the core range sells.
How a white label order runs
Every order follows the same steps: enquiry, quotation, sample, advance payment, production, quality check and dispatch. The advance starts production and the balance is paid before dispatch. Our page on how white label works explains each stage in more detail.
Send us the styles you are interested in, or your design if you are considering private label, along with fabric, colours, sizes and quantities. We will tell you which route fits and prepare a quotation.