How to start a women's clothing brand in Pakistan

Written by the Dot Apparel team, a women's wear factory in Lahore, Pakistan. Published 8 October 2026. About 6 minutes to read.

The eight steps

1. Decide who you sell to
2. Start with one or two styles
3. Pick the fabric and the season
4. Make a tech pack, or a clear sketch
5. Get a sample made
6. Check the sample, then approve it
7. Plan your first run
8. Choose a manufacturer you can check

Also in this guide: five common mistakes and questions new brands ask.

Decide who you sell to

Write down one customer: age, city, budget and the occasions they dress for. A clear customer makes every later choice easier. Fabric, fit, price and colour all follow from it.

Look at the brands your customer already buys. Note their prices, fabrics and fit. You are not copying them. You are learning what your customer expects.

Then set a price band. Work backwards: what will your customer pay, and what is left after your costs and your margin? That number limits every other choice.

Start with one or two styles

One or two styles is a sensible first collection. Each extra style needs its own pattern and sample. Many factories also set a minimum order per style.

Styles that share a fabric or a base pattern can be quicker and cheaper to sample. Start small and learn what sells. Add styles once you know.

Pick the fabric and the season

Fabric decides how a garment feels, falls and washes. It also decides much of the price. Lawn fabric and cotton suit warm months. Khaddar suits winter. Chiffon, organza and silk suit formal and festive wear.

Ask for swatches before you decide. Then test them. Wash and dry a swatch the way your customer will. Check three things:

• how much it shrinks
• whether the colour runs
• how it takes the stitching and the embroidery you plan

Work back from your launch date. Fabric, sampling and production all take time. A spring collection starts months before spring. See the fabrics we work with.

Make a tech pack, or a clear sketch

A tech pack tells a factory exactly what to make. The clearer it is, the fewer sample rounds you need. Here is what goes in it.

• Drawings

  The front and the back, and any detail you want seen up close.

• Measurements

  Every size, point by point, with the allowed tolerance.

• Fabric and colour

  The fabric, its weight and the exact colour you want.

• Stitching details

  Seams, hems, finishing and any embroidery.

• Labels and trims

  Brand and care labels, buttons, zips and where each one sits.

• Packing

  How each piece is folded, tagged and bagged.

No tech pack yet? A sketch and a photo of something similar is enough to start. A good development team will help you build the rest.

Get a sample made

A sample is your first real garment. It shows whether the design works on a body. Plan for changes.

Names differ between factories. Many use a first sample, a fit sample and a pre-production sample before bulk. Ask which stages are included and what each one costs.

Ask what a sample costs and how long it takes. Ask whether the fee comes off your first order. Get the answers in writing. Explore product development.

Check the sample, then approve it

Try it on a fit model or a mannequin. Check each measurement against your tech pack. Wash it. Pull the seams. Look at the inside as well as the outside.

Write down every change. When you are happy, approve the sample in writing and keep it. Every garment in your run should match it.

Plan your first run

Decide how many pieces, in which sizes and colours. Start with what you can sell. Then check it against the factory's minimum order.

Add up the full cost of each piece: fabric, making, embroidery, labels, packing and delivery. Then add your own costs, such as photography, your website, marketing and returns.

Before you pay, agree these in writing:

• a delivery date, and what happens if it slips
• how quality is checked, and what counts as a defect
• what happens to faulty pieces
• the payment terms

Decide on brand labels, care labels, hang tags and polybags before the run, not after. Each one needs design time.

Choose a manufacturer you can check

Ask every factory the same questions:

• What is your minimum order per style?
• What does a sample cost, and how long does it take?
• Who owns my patterns and designs, and who sees them?
• How and when do you check quality? Can I see a report?
• Can I visit, or see the floor on a video call?
• Who answers my messages, and how fast?
• Can I speak to a brand you already work for?

Be careful with a quote far cheaper than the rest. Be careful with replies that skip your questions. Be careful with any factory that will not show you its floor.

Visit if you can. If you cannot, ask for a video walk through the floor.

Five common mistakes

• Too many styles in a first collection.
• Approving a sample in a chat message, not in writing.
• Skipping the wash test on the fabric.
• Starting labels and packaging after the run has begun.
• Ordering the factory's minimum, not what you can sell.