Home / Buying guides
Before you order.
Twenty short guides, written by the factory, for brands making their first or next womenswear order. Plain answers, no sales talk.
Getting started
- G–01How to start with a clothing factoryThe first steps of a womenswear order, from the first message to approved sample — what happens, what you decide, and how long each part takes.
- G–02What to send a factory before asking for a quoteThe five things a womenswear factory needs to give you a useful first quote — and what you can safely leave out.
- G–03Do you really need a tech pack?What a tech pack is, when it helps, and how a factory with its own pattern room can start from a sketch or a photo instead.
- G–04OEM or ODM — which one do you need?The difference between OEM and ODM garment manufacturing, what each means for ownership, control and cost, and how NOVA works.
Quantity & cost
- G–05How minimum order quantity worksWhy garment factories set a minimum order, what NOVA's 100-piece minimum covers, and how to plan a first order around it.
- G–06Can you order below the minimum?A straight answer on orders under 100 pieces, and the better ways to keep a first womenswear order small.
- G–07Small-batch production for new brandsHow new womenswear brands can make a first collection in small quantities — planning, sampling, and what to expect from a factory.
- G–08What moves the cost of making a garmentThe main drivers behind the price of a womenswear garment — fabric, consumption, construction, trims, quantity and finishing — and how to control them.
Samples & timing
- G–09How sampling worksThe sampling stage at NOVA step by step — pattern, measurement chart, sample, review and the pre-production sample that bulk is held to.
- G–10How long sampling takes, and whyA sample takes 3–5 days at NOVA. What that clock includes, what usually adds time, and how to avoid a second round.
- G–11How long an order takesNOVA's timeline from first message to delivery — 3–5 days for a sample, 20–25 days for bulk — and what decides the rest.
Production
- G–12How the factory worksWhat happens at NOVA in Panyu, Guangzhou — pattern room, sampling, cutting, sewing, finishing and inspection — and how you stay in touch.
- G–13Choosing fabric for your orderHow fabric is chosen for a womenswear order at NOVA — describing what you want, sourcing in Guangzhou, supplying your own, and checking it before bulk.
- G–14How quality control works on a bulk orderWhat NOVA checks during production and before packing, what standards your order is held to, and what you can agree in advance.
- G–15Reordering with the same qualityWhat to lock in on your first womenswear order so that the second, third and tenth order come out the same.
- G–16Packing and shipping your orderHow finished womenswear orders are packed and shipped from Guangzhou, the main shipping options, and what to tell us in advance.
Categories
- G–17Women's workwear and uniformsMaking women's workwear and uniforms — blouses, blazers, skirts, trousers and dresses for teams — with consistent sizing and easy reorders.
- G–18Women's activewear and yoga wear under your labelMaking women's activewear, yoga and lounge pieces under your own label — fabric, fit, sampling and what to plan for.
Policies
- G–19Privacy policyWhat information NOVA Garment collects through this website and in conversations with customers, how it is used, and how to contact us about it.
- G–20Terms of serviceThe basic terms NOVA Garment works on — quotes, samples, approval, production, inspection, shipping and design ownership.