Ultimate Guide to Buyers:
Connecting to Custom Swim Trunks Manufacturer
Table of Contents
Custom Swim Trunks Process
It’s time to custom swim trunks for your brands!
Compared to other clothing items like hats or slippers, custom swim trunks is a longer process. After finding a supplier, check the supplier’s qualifications and abilities first. Then, decide on the fabric, design, and size. Once all of this is confirmed, you should ask the supplier to custom a sample to make sure everything is as expected. Sample is very important and is like a quiz to test the supplier’s capability. After receiving the sample, your design team should check if it meets all the requirements and leave comments. If everything is good, then it’s time to make a decision to place an order. This whole process usually takes more than three months.
Here we show a typical process of custom swim trunks.
Project Planning
Before starting your swim trunks business, the first step is to plan your project. You need to answer the following questions at first:
- How many styles are you planning to order, and in about what quantities?
- Who are your competitors? What is the quality and price range of the swim trunks they are selling?
- Based on your competitors, what level of quality do you require for your swim trunks?
These are the key questions you need to answer first, before moving on to the design details of the trunks.
Design Printings and Details
The next step is to design your own styles and prints.
Unlike fashion clothes, which change every year, swim trunks tend to have more consistent trends in terms of prints. Solid-color swim trunks are always popular, and ocean-themed elements like anchors, octopuses, crabs, and similar motifs are commonly seen in prints.
If you’re unsure about what patterns to choose or the specific details to include, we have a range of successful examples and ready-made prints for you to select from.
Then about details, there are lots of stuff in swim trunks that can be customized, like the key pocket inside, side splits on the bottom, color stripes on the side, etc.
Choose Fabric
The next important step is choosing the fabric. To clearly tell your supplier what fabric you really want, you should state at least those information:
- GSM(grams per square meter), indicating how thick the fabric is
- Composition, like polyester, spandex, or nylon
- Fabric’s name, like Peach Skin, Pongee, Taslan, etc.
The tricky part here is that the touch feel and quality of the fabric are hard to judge through photos and videos. So, after deciding on the material of fabric and its GSM, it’s necessary to ask your supplier to send a fabric swatch or a real swim trunks sample, so you can feel it yourself.
For example, at JinsApparel, once we know the customer’s preferred fabric composition and style, we send at least five samples. This helps the customer compare and feel the fabrics in person, so they can figure out the one they really want.
When choosing solid color fabric, you can ask your supplier to provide color cards like the one shown in the picture below. This will help you easily select the exact shades you want for your swim trunks.
We will discuss fabric in detail in the following sections.
Custom Sample and Review
After finishing the previous steps, the next thing to do is to ask your supplier to make a sample. You will usually need to pay a fee for this and wait about two weeks.
Once the sample is ready, let your supplier send it to you. Then you can check the size, print, fabric quality, and everything else to make sure it meets your expectations.
You can create a tech pack to illustrate your designs and make everything clear.
Bargain with Supplier
Once your supplier finishes the sample, they will be able to give you a very accurate quotation. At this point, you need to think about whether their price fits your budget.
There is usually some room for negotiation on the price. You can politely ask if they can offer a lower price or if you could reduce the cost by changing the design or increasing the order quantity.
The only thing that you should be careful is not to push your supplier too hard on the price.
Place Order, or a New Supplier
Next, you need to discuss the production time, payment terms, and delivery location with your supplier, etc. You’ll also need to contact your local freight forwarder to arrange the shipping.
If there is something you can’t agree on or if you’re not satisfied with the supplier’s quality, finding a new supplier is also an option.
Fabric Choices
The fabric of swim trunks is normally made of polyester, spandex, and nylon, and barely uses cotton. They are waterproof, quick-dry, and comfortable to wear.
Here are the common fabric of swim trunks:
- Peach Skin Fabric. 100% Polyester, GSM 105 g/㎡. Affordable price, firm feel.
- 4-Way Stretch Fabric. 92% Polyester 8% Spandex, GSM 130 g/㎡. Soft, comfortable, and smooth.
- 75D/150D Memory Like Fabric. 100% Polyester, GSM 140 g/㎡. Thick feel, and a nice shape.
- 400T/800T Polyester fabric. 100% polyester, GSM 140 g/㎡. Better drape, more stiffness.
- Other fabrics are also acceptable. If you have samples, we can create an exact match
If you are unsure about the feel of the fabric, please don’t hesitate to contact us for real samples. We highly recommend requesting a sample before placing a bulk order.
Size Chart Guide
In terms of size, buyers should know much more than their final customers.
Basic Size Measurements
There are some key measurements in swim trunks.
- Wasit: the waist can be written as either the full circumference or half of it. For swim trunks, the waistband usually has an elastic band, so the detailed size chart should distinguish between the waist measurement when relaxed and when stretched.
- Hips: typically the circumference measured about 15-20 cm below the waistband.
- Crotch: This value normally doesn’t appear directly on the size chart and is instead split into two values: front rise and back rise. The crotch value can be briefly calculated as (front rise + back rise) / 2.
- Front Rise: the length from the waistband to the bottom connection point of the shorts on the front side. It’s smaller than back rise.
- Back Rise: the length from the waistband to the bottom connection point of the shorts on the backside. The bigger the difference between the back rise and front rise, the roomier the shorts will be in the back. This means the shorts have more space for the backside.
- Inseam: the length from the crotch to the bottom of the shorts.
- Outside Leg/Side Length: waistband to the bottom of leg.
A tip for the size chart is to always specify whether the measurement includes the waistband or not. For example, “Front Rise Length Includes Waistband” provides a more precise description.
With those measurements, factories are able to create a clothing pattern close to your idea.
Advanced Measurements for Swim Trunks
Next step, if you wanna make your size chart more precise, you can add more measures to your size chart. Here are some values for your reference.
- Tight Width: the widest part of the tight
- Bottom Leg Circumference
- Pocket Opening Width: length of the side pocket opening
- Waistband height: height of the waistband
These measurements can help designers create better clothing patterns. They make sure the fit is right and the clothes are the right size for everyone.
Size Chart Template
This is a good size chart template for your reference.
| # | Size in cm | S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | Tolerance +/- cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | 1/2 Waist (relaxed) | your data here | ||||||
| A2 | 1/2 Waist (3 cm below waistband) | |||||||
| A3 | 1/2 Waist (elongated) | |||||||
| B | 1/2 Seat (18 cm below waistband) | |||||||
| C | 1/2 Thigh width | |||||||
| D | 1/2 Bottom | |||||||
| E | Inseam | |||||||
| F | Front rise without waistband | |||||||
| G | Back rise without waistband |
Size Issue with Asian Supplier
Accessories for Swim Trunks
Swim Trunks, besides having the usual accessories like other pants and shorts, also include some unique features.
In China, all the accessories can be customized in a convenient way. If you want to customize accessories, even the most complex ones, the cost in China is generally not very high. For example, in bulk orders, the price of accessories rarely exceeds $0.5 per piece. However, one key feature of accessory production is the high setup cost. Because of this, accessory studios often have minimum order requirements, usually 500 pcs or 1000 pcs or more. Otherwise, the setup cost spread across a small quantity will make the unit price much higher.
For Buyers, you should have an idea whether your brands need them or not, and if needed, how they will look like.
Care Label & Woven Label
Care labels must be included in your clothing and should display the information of the importer or producer, including their name, address, phone numbers, composition, etc. On a separate line, the label should also include symbols for care instructions like dry cleaning, ironing, drying clean, hand washing, and more. For swim trunks, care labels are usually sewn on the inside of the side seam or directly below the back of the waistband. The most common materials for these labels are either paper or satin.
Woven labels are the best stuff to show your logo. It’s placement and material requires some creativity. You can use materials like fabric, leather, rubber, etc, and print your logo or make it embroidered.
Woven labels can be placed almost anywhere. For example, the luxury brand Vilebrequin places its label on the outside of the back waistband, while Sundek places its logo on the back pocket. In addition, some brands put the label at the left bottom corner or even on the outside of the side pocket. There’s plenty of room for creativity when deciding where to place the woven label.
Also, it’s important to note that the care label must indicate the country of origin. Otherwise, there may be issues during customs clearance when importing.
Hang Tag
When customizing hangtags, the most important things to focus on are the material and the weight (gsm). The color and shape can be customized based on your needs.
Usually, one side of the hangtag features a design or logo, while the other side contains text. The text part can display more product details and information about your brand.
Drawstring
Swim Trunks have an elastic waistband, so they come with a drawstring to help secure the fit.
The drawstring is typically made of 100% polyester or mix some cotton. Since swim trunks need to be used with water, cotton is barely selected because cotton absorbs water. The color of the string and the tips can be customized based on your needs, and the cost is usually very affordable.
Inside Mesh
Swim trunks usually come with a built-in mesh for breathability and to help remove sand. This mesh is typically made from 100% polyester. The weight difference between meshes is small, and the quality mainly depends on how tightly the mesh is woven and whether the edges are finished with a hem. Some higher-end brands go a step further, requiring the mesh to be seamless with no connecting lines in the middle to make it look more refined and stylish.
The price difference between different qualities of mesh is quite small. In the image above, the mesh on the left is a very basic type, commonly used in low-cost, mass-produced styles, while the one on the right is a more refined and higher-end mesh. The price difference between them at the factory level is around $0.2 USD.
Why do swim trunks have mesh
Mesh can be seen as a replacement for underwear, making it easier for water to drain and providing better breathability.
The material of the mesh is easy to cut, so for customers who don’t like the mesh, we usually recommend that just cut it out.
Drainage Holes
Drainage holes are often added to the back of swim trunks and the bottom of the pockets to help water drain faster and to stop the fabric from puffing up like a balloon when you get out of the water.
There are two main types of drainage holes. One is made from a fabric ring sewn into the fabric, and the other is made from metal rings. The choice depends on your needs. For example, water park owners prefer fabric rings because metal rings could damage their slides a little bit while brands like to use metal rings and even put their logo on them.
Both types work well, and the choice is mostly based on your brand’s preference.
2 Things You Must Know to Order Swim Trunks
Plan Your Time Well
As you know, swim trunks have a very very strong seasonality.
Here is a sales chart for board shorts on Amazon. The yellow bars represent the sales volume, while the green line shows the revenue. From this, you can see that the peak sales season is from May to September, and by October, the sales volume drops sharply. In retail stores, this seasonality might be even more obvious.
So for brands who will custom their own swim trunks, the time schedule is the thing you must keep in mind. Your stock should be ready by the end of April at the latest. Since sea shipping and domestic transport take about two months, your supplier in China should finish and ship your goods by February. Production usually takes around 25-45 days based on quantity.
However, note that factories in China take a break for the Chinese New Year holiday, which usually lasts about two weeks. This means the best time to place your order would be in December. Ordering in January might be a bit too tight on time.
Therefore, considering the time needed to find a supplier, work through details, and produce samples, you should start preparing each season’s swim trunk orders in September or October. The earlier, the better.
Of course, if you’re running out of time, it’s not too risky. The worst-case scenario is spending a bit more on faster shipping. Fortunately, swim trunks are not bulky items, so the shipping cost is relatively low compared to the value of the goods.
If you are a wholesaler and your order quantity isn’t large, the time pressure is not as strict. You only need to confirm that the supplier has stock early and ensure the goods are in place before the peak sales season.
Understand Minium Order Quantity(MOQ)
Typically, most clothing factories have a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) requirement of 100 pieces per style. If you’re purchasing ready-made stock, the minimum requirement is usually to take one box at a time.
For factories like JinsApparel, we are not very strict about the MOQ and can adjust based on the customer’s actual needs. However, the change is reflected in the pricing—there will be a significant price difference between small orders and large orders.
A very practical reason is that when the order quantity is too small, many things become difficult to manage. For example, one reason our factory can keep swim trunk prices competitive is because we produce our own fabric. If dyeing is needed, we use dye vats, and a small vat can dye about 2000 meters of fabric, which is enough to make around 2500 swim trunks. If a customer requests a custom color but orders a small quantity, the cost of using a dye vat might end up being more expensive than sourcing fabric from the market. In this case, small orders create extra work for us because we have to source matching fabric from the market. Additionally, when dealing with small orders, customizing accessories also becomes more difficult. As a result, the price for small orders is increased.
Let JinsApparel Be Your Swim Trunks Supplier
Jin’s Apparel is a top swim trunks manufacturer in China, and our products have special advantages. These include:
- Skilled team and workers: We only manufacture a very limited range of products, allowing our workers to focus on one or two processes and excel in them. Every aspect of our products has been refined to a high degree of precision, placing us at the forefront within China. We can handle complex custom orders from big brands, and our clients include overseas wholesalers and major brands.
- Access to fabric: Our team has a very long experience in fabric production and we are an actual fabric exporter before this manufacturer. We have cooperated with fabric factories in Shengze town, which is the largest fabric production center in China. We are well-versed in fabrics like polyester and nylon, and can replicate any fabric available in the market. We offer comprehensive customization solutions to meet any specific needs.
- Price: Our price is lower than our peers in China. Our fabrics are made by ourselves, and all processes are carried out in our own factory. Moreover, we operate as direct exporters, eliminating the need for middlemen. This ensures streamlined communication, cost-effectiveness, and greater control over the entire production and export process.
- Full solution: We provide a complete solution for your products, covering everything from garment care labels and hangtags to product packaging, as well as post-production services such as photography. We’ve got you covered at every step.
Catalog
This is a catalog example for your reference to know our style. Please feel free to contact us to get latest catalog.
Printings Collections
We have more than 500 printings for your reference. If you have no idea about the images printed on shorts, please check our files!
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Jin’s Apparel is an amazing apparel manufacturer
We are here to be your business partner!