What minimum orders mean for the range

Short answer: A factory does not set up a machine for a few hundred metres of fabric. That is why there is a lower limit per colour, and that limit decides how many colours can be made. It explains much about why the range looks the way it does.

What a minimum order is

A minimum order is the smallest quantity a factory will produce at one time. The limit can apply to pieces or to metres of fabric. The reason is simple: setting up machines and dye baths takes time, and that time has to be spread over enough fabric to be worthwhile.

The limit sits on the colour

Each colour needs its own dye bath. If five colours are to be made, there are five minimum quantities, not just one. That means a wide colour range quickly becomes a large commitment, even if each colour is only needed in a few sizes.

The sizes share the quantity

The minimum often applies per colour, not per size. So it is spread across the sizes, with few pieces of the outermost and more of the best sellers. That way the same quantity can offer many sizes, and a few colours go further.

Small brands hit the limit first

A small brand cannot sell a thousand pieces of one colour. So it sticks to few colours and many sizes. If a colour risks staying on the shelf, it is better to drop it than to tie up money in a quantity that does not sell. See our bestsellers for men.

That is why the same colours return year after year

Black, white and navy sell in every season. They reach the minimum without risk because there are always customers for them. So you see them again and again, while more unusual colours come and go. See also the brands Resteröds and Moodies.

New colours are a risk

A new colour is a risk for the whole minimum quantity. If it does not sell, the rest sits in stock and the money is tied up. So new colours are tried in small doses while the safe ones are kept, as buyers watch how customers react to the new.

Sometimes the quantity can be shared

Some factories allow two customers to order the same colour at once and share the minimum. That requires both to want exactly the same colour in the same quality at the same time, which is rare. You cannot count on it to solve the problem.

What it means for you as a customer

For you as a customer, minimum orders mean the range is easier to overview, but also that the good colours stay. You get fewer choices, but the ones that exist are the ones that sell well. That can make it easier to find pieces that go together.

Sold out does not always mean more is coming

If a colour is sold out, more is not necessarily ordered. If the factory must set up the dye bath again, the minimum must be reached again. So it can be right to buy a colour you like while it exists, rather than wait for it to return.

Frequently asked questions

How large is a typical minimum order

Often several hundred kilos of fabric or several hundred pieces per colour. The exact limit depends on the factory and can vary from season to season.