FAQs
Read some of our client’s most Frequently Asked Questions and Watch The included Videos.
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Watch our Baxter House Business Model Video
- We give you an estimated quote for the quantity and product specifications you supply in the quote form.
- Once you’ve approved the quote, we generate a 50% advance invoice, so we can start working on your order.
- Along with the invoice, you’ll receive a supplier contract (stating everything that’s included in the invoice) and an NDA (non-disclosure) contract, so you know your designs are safe with us.
- We begin developing your patterns and samples. With the samples we’ll send fabric swatches to choose from (perhaps another weight, or feel of the fabric), maybe different colours or textures you might like better.
- Once the samples are approved, we hit the ground running with production, and can give you an exact delivery date.
- We require the remaining 50% before delivery.
- Once you’ve received your order, you have to check it within 14 days, and give us the A-ok that everything was as expected.
- We can start planning the next drop.
In a nutshell, we’re a one-stop-shop for everything you might need whether you’re starting a brand or are an established brand. After we receive all the information about your project, we handle it all – from tech packs to samples, fabric sourcing, prints, labels, to the end product delivered to your door.
We take a lot of time on your quote and want it to be as accurate as possible. To do this, we need you to fill out your quote form as thoroughly as possible. Here’s what information you’ll need to enter about your project:
- product descriptions – clothing type, fit, features
- technical details
- sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL, one-size)
- quantity for each size i.e. 65 S, 75 M, 100 L, etc. (see our minimums section) Our form will automatically tally the quantities for your project
- colours & how many
- personalization – embroidery, printing, etc.
- composition
- photo references & mood-boards
- any other supporting pieces of information you can offer us, to make sure we come close to that envisioned product.
Our business model is pretty straight forward – we quote based on the exact product and quantity, we calculate the amount of time/units, and fixed costs from suppliers, and then we follow-up with a quote for production.
We don’t require you to have tech-packs or clothing samples! That’s our job, and they’re included in the manufacturing quote.
We don’t aim to compete with far east manufacturers, as we’re focused on offering great quality products (offering a 14-day window to check your order), made in ethical and compliant European facilities, and with an account manager for each order, to make sure we have recurring customers.
Watch our ‘What’s Included in Your Quote‘ Video
We send you one invoice that includes every step of the process and the end-product delivered to your door. Included in the quote is a designated account manager, to walk you through the production process
Here’s what we include in the quote:
- one sample set + express shipping for you to approve (with the samples, we’ll send additional fabric cards, so maybe you see something else you like, perhaps a different colour from the sample, or different thickness), any alterations to the samples can be made pre-production. Additional sample sets can be provided, and quoted separately (together with express shipping).
- the graded patterns (can be reused) – we don’t need you to send the tech-packs, we’ll develop them
- finished products
- any prints or embroidery you need
- care labels, composition labels, origin labels, brand labels + cardboard tag
- individual packaging in biodegradable poly bags
- express shipping of samples for approval- express shipping of production + insurance
- we offer our brands (working with over 100 start-ups) supplier contracts, NDAs and 14 days window to check your order after receiving it.
There are no additional costs. We’re basically delivering the products ready for you to ship to your customers. Delivery date for production to be confirmed after sample approval.
All quotes are exclusive of VAT. All UK based clients will have VAT added to their final invoice.
Watch our Baxter House Minimum Order Quantities (MOQ’s) Video
While every project is unique, we look at the overall quantity of products within each project. Here are some basic Baxter House MOQ guidelines.
If your project contains:
- 1 SKU or design the MOQ for that 1 design is 200 (with at least 50 units per colour)
- 3-4 SKUs or designs the MOQ is 100 for each design.
- 10 SKUs or designs the MOQ is 100 for each design but we can give some slight flexibility with 1 or 2 designs within the collection. MOQs (i.e. these could have under 100 pieces)
- Basics (pre-made t-shirts, hoodies, etc. that we customize for you) the MOQ is 300
Knitwear, swimwear, denim, activewear, sportswear, underwear: Please enquire as these more technical products can have significantly higher minimums.
Our Fabric Suppliers: We work with fabric suppliers that have over 200,000 styles in stock, so we have a huge selection.
Custom Fabrics: Based on your project requirements and quantities, we can make custom fabrics in specific Pantone codes. However, when producing fabrics like these the minimums are quite high, making the producing of fabrics unfeasible for many projects.
Organic Cotton Products: The minimum organic-cotton-fabric order requirement is much too large for most orders. This is why if you are looking for organic cotton t-shirts and hoodies we recommend using basics or pre-made organic cotton products that we then customize for you.
And when we say “common”, we mean very common.
It is more often than not to receive projects for a quote from people that have no idea what they’re looking for, and not realistic expectations when it comes to the cost of starting a brand.
- We see a lot of “fast fashion” references sent to us with the expectation of having the same design developed from scratch, and produced in 100 units with your label on it, at the same retail price with a company that sells tens of thousands of units of the same design.
- Wanting to produce a category like sportswear, denim, knitwear, lingerie, any technical wear, in very few pieces. There are many articles available with costs, and implications for these categories. Most of them need special machinery and processes that are not in any small atelier. We need to buy fabrics from our wholesalers, and put production in designated line factories, that specialize in making these particular products. Unfortunately the minimum quantities to make them viable are much higher, and the initial costs as well.
- Sending a Pantone code for a few units per design – We work with suppliers with over 100.000 fabric styles in stock, and are always looking to get as close as possible to your reference, in the mood board, or description. However, to find a particular colour shade, in a specific fiber can be close to impossible. We can produce any print on any fabric on any thickness, but this comes back to minimum viable quantities per style and per print. And realistic expectations in terms of costs to have this personalized.
- Changing the project after receiving the quote – Once again – the quotes are calculated based on the quantity, amount of details, fixed costs (fabrics, trims, accessories, samples, shipping etc.) and the average time calculated per product. So going from 500 units per product, after we calculated the quote, to 100 units per product, and splitting them into two colour ways, won’t have the same price per project. That means going back to the drawing board, and calculating the quote for the amended quantity once again.
- Not being straight forward with having a fixed budget, and going back and forth to try and “negotiate” the quote – Once again – the quotes are calculated based on the quantity, amount of details, fixed costs (fabrics, trims, accessories, samples, shipping etc) and the average time calculated per product. All these are personalized to each project and there are no ball park numbers.
It helps both us and yourself to know from the get-go if we can work on the project, and work with the budget, or not. If not, we can come up with cost-saving solutions, find alternative for the fabrics, or perhaps look at a lower amount of units than initially planned. However, going back and forth, and changing things along the way, both quantity and styles, is very time consuming.
Here are some of the things you should not expect from (any) manufacturer:
- “Here’s an ASOS dress I like. Can you make 10 of this in pink at the same price as this one”
- “I want 50 pairs of jeans identical to Levis 501”
- “Can you copy this?”
- “I want this style made in organic fabrics but at the same price”
- “I want this dress in this Pantone code, for 30 units”
Why would you want to compete with something that’s already out there? Identify your USP and figure out who’s your “competition” without trying to do the exact same thing, perhaps with lower resources.
When we have a project with multiple products, we quote the overall project rather than the individual products, so we average the less costly products, with the more complex, as they share a lot of the development costs, shipping from suppliers, shipping to client etc.
We think that this way is more accurate, to consider the total amount of units for the whole project. This way, if you have multiple styles you want to develop, we encourage you to submit them together, and get an overall lower quote for the project.
Think about it –
An order for 100 units of one style, and an order for 50 units of 10 styles have the same fixed costs for:
- Shipping from suppliers
- Shipping of the sample to-from you to the factory
- Shipping of production
But the higher amount of styles per project has significantly better quotes for
- Fabrics from our wholesale suppliers
- Labes and tags
- Development and tech packs
- Sampling rates
- Printing and embroidery
On the invoice you’ll have an average breakdown with the total amount of units, and all the things we include in the project quote.
Again, in the quote we include everything from tech packs, samples, sourcing, manufacturing, fabrcis and trims, labels and tags, shipping and insurance.
You’re receive one invoice, and the finished production delivered to your door.
While we’re a UK based company, and London’s where we operate from, have our account management, and head of departments, we don’t manufacture in the UK (other than development), as we would be looking at very different price point for our business, and that’s not our goal.
We work with our own, and family-owned factories and ateliers in Europe, mostly in Romania, where a lot of high-street and premium brands manufacture their products, including your well known ethical brands.
Baxter House takes full responsibility, as the supplier, for the accuracy and transparency of the supply chain, trying to make it as transparent as possible, sending photos along the production process.
The ateliers we work with are fully compliant to the European Union’s laws regarding safety and wellbeing of the employees, offer above average working conditions, and only work with hiring contracts that stipulate the daily hours, breaks, holidays, and social security coverage.
This is answered in our Baxter House Minimum Order Quantities (MOQ’s) Video
Again, as we get asked this a lot, there’s no ball park number for how much a product costs.
Depending on composition, personalisation, size and colour split, technical details, and more importantly, the number of units we’re quoting, and overall number of units for all the styles in the project. project.
Watch our Baxter House Minimum Order Quantities (MOQ’s) Video
This is the most frequently asked question, of course!
We always try to explain that minimums vary –
While a premium jacket can be made in just 30-50 units, it does not make sense to develop a tech pack, source fabrics per meter, etc. for such a small order. This small quantity wouldn’t be able to absorb a lot of the fixed costs. We would be looking at tailoring prices, rather than production – which is not really what we want to do. For that reason, we either try to give you a viable quote or decline the project for the time being.
If you’re a start-up, we want to do our best to help you achieve margins and help you start without a huge stock. It’s obviously a catch 22, getting great margins, and not getting stuck with a lot of stock before testing the market. It takes a lot of research to find the right manufacturing partner and getting the right product range to start a brand.
Digital textile printing is excellent for short delivery times, design flexibility, high image quality, unlimited colors, speed, flexibility to bring ideas faster to the market and the possibility to print precision geometrics.
All our DTG inks are water-based and CE certified.
This question is answered in our Baxter House Minimum Order Quantities (MOQ’s) Video
Again, there’s no ball park number.
We have about 10,000 different basics in stock, ranging from cheap entry-price, to premium organic cotton, depending on the quantity, size split, size fit, details and thickness, desired price point, reference photo, personalisation – the price for a basic can vary, so until we have the project breakdown to look over, I wouldn’t be able to come back with an accurate cost.
To start with, the minimum viable quantity for basics would be over 50-100 units per colour (of course, depending on the overall quantity of the overall project as well – and how many styles you have), depending on the complexity of the product, and personalisation – print size or embroidery (which we need to calculate the size for, in order to come up with a price).
This is answered in our Baxter House Minimum Order Quantities (MOQ’s) Video
We love your optimism. There is nothing we like more than reorders and recurring customers!
Once we’ve sent you a quote for your order then you’re all set.
But, if you then need to change your quantities, we’ll need to go back to the drawing board and adjust the quote accordingly.
Sample alterations are absolutely no problem because we want to make sure your product is as close to your vision as possible before putting everything into production.
If you need to change fit, length, or colour (from the fabrics swatches) that you like better, that’s fine. We’ll make all necessary amendments on the patterns before proceeding with production.
Keep in mind that when you choose a broader range in colours and sizes it means a higher price per unit. Reducing your selections by even one size or by one colour can improve your project’s overall cost because it means there are more pieces per the other sizes/colours/styles.
Example: 20 red shirts each in XS, S, M, L & XL (total of 100 shirts) would be more expensive than 25 red shirts each in S, M, L & XL (total of 100 shirts). One less size can result in reduced set-up time and lower production cost.
Just like we would never show your work to other clients we cannot show you their work due to our NDA’s (non-disclosure agreements) but you can see a selection of our designs on our references page.
Our large client base and repeat business speak for our comprehensive and highly professional process. You, just like our past clients, will receive personalized attention, a supplier contract, an NDA and the opportunity to approve high-quality samples, before moving into production.
The answer is ‘Yes’.
Often start-ups with restricted initial investment are discouraged from using “eco” fabrics becasue they have higher minimums from wholesalers than stock fabrics, and involve higher initial quantities for a first production run.
Anything from rayon, tencel, organic cotton, recycled polyester, etc. will require at least 50-300 metres per color depending on the suppliers, in order to get wholesale prices. Of course, we can buy smaller quantities but at retail prices which means a much higher price per product.
On top of using more sustainable fabrics, we’re focused on offering great quality products, made in ethical and compliant European facilities and family-owned ateliers, where we offer great work conditions for our seamstresses.
We’ll confirm the exact delivery time after you’ve received the samples and have approved them. We check the production schedule and fast-track priority orders. As a general rule, we try to deliver small-to-medium sized orders between 1-2 months. Pretty cool, right?
Watch our Baxter House Business Model Video
We hold the deposit in escrow, and offer a service contract, that gives you a clear list of the products and services that we’re invoicing you for and what you’ll be receiving.
You have a 14-day window to check your order after receiving it, to make sure it aligns with the provided and approved samples, and quantity.
When we move forward, after order confirmation, we’ll supply you with an NDA (non-disclosure agreement), and a contract, to put your mind at ease, so you know you’re in safe hands.