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08/25/2026Private Label Hoodie Manufacturer: Building an Exclusive Hoodie Programme in 2026
TL;DR: A private label hoodie manufacturer develops a pattern that belongs to your brand rather than selling you a blank that competitors can also order. TaiDe produces private label hoodies from Dongguan, China at a 50-piece minimum per colourway, with custom Pantone dyeing, a full branding set and pattern files released on request.
Most brands searching for a private label hoodie manufacturer are actually being offered white label blanks with a woven label swapped in. The two are priced differently, take different amounts of time, and produce fundamentally different competitive positions — but suppliers use the terms loosely enough that buyers frequently order one believing they bought the other.
TaiDe Streetwear Manufacturing has produced private label programmes from Dongguan, China since 2006. This page covers the commercial model — what exclusivity actually includes, what it costs, and what to confirm before the deposit. Construction specification is covered separately on our oversized hoodie production page and, for the American market, the custom hoodie USA specification guide.
What a Private Label Hoodie Manufacturer Actually Provides
The distinction is the pattern. A white label supplier sells a hoodie that already exists to whoever orders it. A private label hoodie manufacturer builds a pattern that exists because of your brief and does not offer it to anyone else.
| Element | White label blank | Private label programme |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern | Factory catalogue style | Developed to your brief |
| Exclusivity | None | Pattern not offered to others |
| Fabric | Factory stock only | Stock or developed |
| Colour | Available colours only | Custom Pantone lab dip |
| Fit adjustment | Not possible | Full control |
| Branding | Label swap | Full set including trims and packaging |
| Pattern files | Not applicable | Released on request |
| Lead time, first order | 3-5 weeks | 8-12 weeks |
A useful test when evaluating any private label hoodie manufacturer: ask whether you can change the body length by two centimetres. A genuine private label operation says yes and quotes the pattern adjustment. A white label supplier explains why the current length is optimal.
Specification Decisions in a Private Label Hoodie Manufacturer Programme
Exclusivity is only worth paying for if you use it. These are the decisions that make a private label hoodie recognisably yours rather than a blank with a different label.
| Decision | Range available | Effect on the finished garment |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric weight | 320-550gsm loop-back fleece | Defines drape, structure and perceived value |
| Fibre blend | 100% cotton, 80/20, 70/30 | Affects print method options and shrinkage |
| Body silhouette | Regular, oversized, boxy cropped | The most visible signature decision |
| Hood structure | Two panel, three panel, lined | Three panel stands upright when down |
| Rib specification | 280-380gsm, 2×2 or 1×1 | Recovery and cuff appearance over time |
| Dye method | Piece dyed, garment dyed, pigment | Garment dye gives depth and slight irregularity |
| Colour | Stock range or custom Pantone | Custom colour is genuine differentiation |
Custom colour is the most underused option. Two brands can order the same silhouette at the same weight, and the one with a colour nobody else holds will look proprietary on a shelf. We run lab dips against your Pantone reference and hold the recipe as a standing colour so reorders match.
The Full Branding Set
Label swapping is the minimum. A complete private label hoodie manufacturer programme covers every touchpoint a customer sees.
| Component | Options | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Main label | Woven, printed satin, leather patch | 50 units, blank stock branded |
| Neck branding | Printed inner neck, heat transfer | 50 units |
| Care and size labels | Market-specific text and symbols | 50 units |
| Drawcord | Flat or round, custom tips | 50 units |
| Hangtag | Card, cord, custom die cut | 100 units |
| Polybag | Printed, recyclable | 500 units |
| Carton marking | Printed or stencilled | Per shipment |
Decoration on the garment itself runs across every method documented on the mens print programme hub — screen print on the screen print hoodie page, raised graphics on the puff print hoodie page, tonal work on the embroidery hoodie page and patch application on the chenille patch hoodie page.
Pattern Ownership: Confirm It Before the Deposit
This is the clause that decides whether you are building an asset or renting one, and it is the question buyers most often forget to ask a private label hoodie manufacturer.
If a factory develops a pattern at your cost, three arrangements exist. The factory retains it, meaning you cannot move production without redeveloping from scratch. The buyer owns it, meaning digitised files are released on request. Or nobody wrote it down, which in practice resolves in the factory’s favour when you try to leave.
Our position is that a pattern developed at a brand’s cost belongs to that brand, and we release digitised files on request. We state this in writing before the deposit rather than waiting to be asked, because a factory that will only keep you by holding your pattern hostage is not competing on service.
Cost and Timeline for a Private Label Hoodie Programme
Development costs sit outside the unit price and are one-off per style.
| Item | Typical cost | Recurring |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern making | USD 45-95 per style | One-off |
| Grading S-XXXL | USD 35-65 per style | One-off |
| Sampling, first round | 3-8x unit price | Credited against bulk |
| Revision round | Same per round | Usually chargeable |
| Custom Pantone lab dip | USD 40-80 per colour | One-off, recipe held |
| Screen setup per colour | USD 25-45 | Frames retained for reorders |
| Embroidery digitising | USD 30-60 | File retained, reused free |
| Quantity per colourway | FOB, 400gsm (USD) | FOB, 500gsm (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 pcs | 16.20 – 19.50 | 21.00 – 24.50 |
| 150 pcs | 14.60 – 17.60 | 19.00 – 22.10 |
| 300 pcs | 13.50 – 16.30 | 17.60 – 20.50 |
| 800 pcs | 12.30 – 14.80 | 16.00 – 18.60 |
Full cost component breakdown is on our cost to manufacture clothing guide, and short-run economics on the small quantities production guide. Minimum is 50 pieces per colourway as described on the 50-piece minimum production page.
Compliance Under a Private Label Programme
Under private label the brand on the label is the responsible party, which means compliance obligations attach to you rather than to the factory. This surprises brands moving over from buying blanks through a distributor.
| Market | Obligation | Handled at source by TaiDe |
|---|---|---|
| United States | FTC care labelling, RN identity | Written English care labels, RN field |
| European Union | Fibre content in local language | Local-language labels, GINETEX symbols |
| France | Triman mark, Refashion declaration | Triman printed, per-style data |
| Germany | LUCID packaging registration | Packaging weight split supplied |
| Netherlands | UPV Textiel reporting | Per-style garment weights supplied |
Market detail sits on the USA production guide, France guide, Germany guide and Netherlands guide. Chemical documentation is on the OEKO-TEX certified streetwear page, verifiable through the OEKO-TEX label check tool.
When You Should Buy Blanks Instead
Private label is not automatically the better choice and we would rather say so than sell you development you do not need.
If your brand’s value sits in the artwork rather than the garment, a good blank plus excellent printing beats a mediocre bespoke pattern. If you need stock in under six weeks, private label cannot meet that timeline from a standing start. If you are testing whether an audience exists at all, spending on pattern development before you know is inefficient. And if you will order one run and never reorder, development cost never amortises.
The pattern we most often recommend for a first programme is a split — blanks for the supporting pieces, one private label hero style where silhouette or weight is the selling point. Market context is tracked in Business of Fashion reports.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum order for a private label hoodie manufacturer?
Fifty pieces per colourway at TaiDe, applying to private label and stock-pattern programmes alike. Development costs for pattern making and grading are separate one-off charges per style.
What is the difference between private label and white label hoodies?
A white label hoodie is an existing factory garment with your label added, sold to multiple buyers. A private label hoodie is built from a pattern developed for your brand and not offered to others. The test is whether you can change the body length by two centimetres.
Can I get a custom colour rather than choosing from stock?
Yes. We run lab dips against your Pantone reference at USD 40-80 per colour and hold the recipe as a standing colour so reorders match. Custom colour is one of the most visible forms of differentiation available at low volume.
Do I own the pattern you develop for my brand?
Yes. A pattern developed at your cost belongs to you and we release the digitised files on request. We put this in writing before the deposit rather than waiting to be asked.
I currently buy blanks and print them myself — at what point does moving to private label actually make sense?
The trigger is usually reorder frequency rather than volume. If you are reordering the same blank three or four times a year, you are paying a margin on somebody else’s pattern indefinitely and competitors can order the identical garment. Development for one style costs roughly USD 100-160 plus sampling, which across a few hundred pieces is well under a dollar a unit and disappears entirely on the reorder. The other trigger is a fit complaint you cannot fix — the moment customers are telling you the sleeves are wrong and you have no ability to change them, blanks have become the constraint rather than the shortcut.
Ready to develop an exclusive hoodie? Send a reference garment or sketch with your target weight and we will return a costed quotation with a development schedule inside 48 hours.
