Journal
Notes from the factory floor.
What we write here is what we would tell you on a call — the numbers behind a fabric decision, the things a decoration method genuinely cannot do, and the checks worth running on any supplier, us included. No trend pieces, no filler.
How to tell a real factory from a reseller
Most "manufacturers" you find online are trading companies. Four checks separate them — and you can run all four before spending anything.
Read itWhat GSM should your hoodie be?
320 GSM drapes, 400 GSM stands up, and past 500 it stops behaving like a hoodie. Here is what each weight does, and the tolerance nobody tells you about.
Read itWhat duty actually costs on apparel into the US, UK and EU
The same hoodie lands duty-free in the UK and carries roughly 26.5% into the US. If your quote does not itemise it, you have not seen your real cost.
Read itWhy sublimation doesn't work on black — and what to use instead
Sublimation ink is transparent. On black, there is nothing for it to do. Here is what actually happens, and the three methods that work on a dark base.
Read itHow we test that leggings are squat-proof
"Squat-proof" is a claim anyone can make. Here is the test that settles it, why we film it, and what we change when a sample fails.
Read it
Every figure in these posts comes from the same fact sheet our quotes are built on. Where something can move — duty rates especially — we say so rather than publishing a number that quietly goes stale.
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