MakeMine is a managed t-shirt manufacturer for founder-led brands, producing cut-and-sew programs of 1,000 units and up in China and Peru. We are not a factory, a sourcing agent or a blanks supplier. We run the program: fabric sourcing, sampling, production, third-party inspection and delivery, on one dashboard, with one point of contact.
Who we produce for
Scaling streetwear and lifestyle brands
You sell tees already, and the blank you started on is now the ceiling. The fit is not yours, the fabric is whatever the blank supplier had, and the print sits on top of the garment instead of feeling like part of it. Your next order is 1,000 units or more across styles, and you want your own body, your own fabric weight and print that survives fifty washes. This is the core of our tee work, and most of it comes from streetwear, men’s lifestyle and kids brands running several tee styles at once.
Heritage and relaunching brands
You have a tee your customers reorder by name, and the supply behind it has changed. A mill discontinued the fabric, a domestic cut-and-sew shop closed, or a factory raised minimums past your run size. We reverse-engineer from a reference garment, match yarn, weight and hand feel through swatching, and wash test against the original. The goal is a reorder your customer does not notice.
Founder-led startups with a real first order
We will be direct, because it saves both of us time. If you are looking for blanks to print on, print-on-demand, or a first run under 1,000 units, we are not the right fit, and we will say so on the first call. There are good options for that stage, and we keep an honest guide to them at /clothing-manufacturer-for-startups. If you are already selling, have a first PO of 1,000 units across styles and want custom fabric, custom fit and production-grade print, get a quote.
What t-shirts actually require
Fabric weight and yarn
A tee is fabric first. We source cotton jersey from 180 to 240gsm, and the yarn matters as much as the weight. Ringspun cotton is smoother and stronger than open-end. Combed cotton removes short fibers for a cleaner surface, which prints better and pills less. Pima, which we produce in Peru, is longer-staple still, and it is why a premium tee feels different at the first touch. Organic cotton adds documentation on the fiber side. Performance programs run on polyester and blends, including UPF-rated fabric for kids and athletic tees. All of it is swatched and approved before cutting, using the standard in our fabric sourcing guide.
Shrinkage and wash testing
Cotton jersey shrinks. Heavier and more open knits shrink more. A tee cut to spec on unwashed fabric arrives a size small after the first wash, and the return rate tells you before the factory does. We wash test fabric at sample stage, measure shrinkage in length and width, and build the allowance into the pattern. Washed and garment dyed tees, where the shrink happens at the factory, are measured after treatment and graded from there.
Print method and hand feel
The right print method depends on the fabric, the artwork and how the tee should feel. Plastisol screen print sits on the surface and holds bright color on dark garments. Water-based and discharge inks sink into cotton and leave almost no hand. All-over screen print needs a factory with the right bed size and registration control. Puff print, embroidery and applique add dimension and cost. Combination stacks, like a spray wash under a screen print, are sequenced and approved on the golden sample so production copies rather than interprets.
Neck rib and shoulder construction
A tee fails at the neck before anywhere else. Rib weight, spandex content and the stretch-and-recovery of the neckband decide whether it holds shape or bacon-curls after a month. Shoulder-to-shoulder tape, coverstitch or flatlock at the hem, and side-seamed versus tubular bodies all show up in the tech pack and in the unit price. We specify these rather than accept a factory default, because the default is what the blank you are leaving already has. Our tech pack guide shows the level of detail we build to.
Factory-country fit
China is the right home for most tee programs: ringspun and combed cotton, performance poly, wash treatments and all-over print, at 100 units per colorway. Peru fits brands built around premium pima cotton, at higher minimums. We match style by style, so a brand can run its core cotton tees in one country and a pima capsule in the other. Duties differ by fiber content and origin, and our China tariff guide covers what to expect.
How a scaling brand works with us
A tee program starts with tech packs or reference garments. We review them for what breaks at the factory: unspecified yarn, missing shrinkage allowance, print methods that will not survive the fabric. Fabric sourcing follows, usually 20 to 30 days, then 2 to 3 sample rounds, then PO, production, QIMA inspection and shipping. Every stage is visible in your dashboard, and one point of contact manages the factory so you are not. Brands that want inventory received, stored and shipped from our Charlotte warehouse add fulfillment as a bundle. Programs that pair tees with hoodies and hats run on the same calendar and the same contact.
Anonymized client snapshots
Charlotte streetwear brand. Built a tee line on a 200gsm micro tee (546 units) and expanded into spray washed tees (455), crown back tees (370), all-over patterned tees (306), premium tees (312), signature logo tees (500) and all-over screen printed tees. Each style ran on its own fabric and print stack, and the brand added styles without adding suppliers. The same program produced the brand’s hoodie and fleece line.
Kids performance brand. Ran long sleeve UPF performance tees at 18,005 units alongside short sleeve performance tees. Volume at that level puts pressure on fabric consistency across dye lots and on sizing across a wide kids range. The fabric was approved once, held across the run, and inspected by QIMA against the golden sample before shipping.
Men’s lifestyle brand. Produced henleys at 5,500 and 3,150 units across two orders. A henley is a tee with a placket, buttons and a second construction standard to hold, and it is where a factory that is good at plain tees gets exposed. Both runs held the same spec, which is what a reorder is supposed to do.
What it actually costs
Every quote is line-item. You see the FOB price per style, the sample fees and the logistics estimate before you commit to anything. A small margin is built in, based on the discounted rates we get from the factory. The components of a landed tee cost:
- FOB per unit. Driven by fabric weight and yarn, construction details and decoration. A 240gsm combed cotton tee with an all-over print is a different number than a 180gsm jersey tee with one chest print. Pima in Peru prices above cotton in China.
- Sample fees. At factory cost, typically $50 to $100 per sample. Budget for 2 to 3 rounds on a new style.
- Duties. Set by the tariff schedule for the fiber content and country of origin. Cotton and polyester tees carry different rates. Our China tariff guide walks through current numbers. To look up the code and duty for your tee, use our apparel HTS code finder.
- Shipping and logistics. Air at 5 to 10 days or ocean at 45 to 60 days. Tees pack dense, so air is sometimes justified for a launch. Ocean is the default for reorders.
The process
1. Submit tech packs or reference samples
Send what you have. Finished tech packs, a tee you want to match, or a sample from your current supplier. We review fabric, yarn, fit and print and tell you what will and will not work at your quantity.
2. Get matched with the right factory
We place each style with a factory in China or Peru based on the fabric, wash and decoration it needs, at minimums your order clears. You are not choosing from a directory. We are choosing for the garment.
3. Review pricing, MOQs and lead times
You receive a line-item quote per style with FOB pricing, sample fees, minimums per colorway and a dated calendar from sourcing to delivery. Nothing starts until you approve it.
4. Approve fabric, fit and golden samples
Fabric swatches and wash tests come first. Then fit samples, usually 2 to 3 rounds. Then a golden sample with every print, stitch and trim in place. The golden sample is the contract with the factory.
5. Place your PO and track production
Production runs against the golden sample over 45 to 60 days. QIMA inspects before shipping. You see progress, photos and inspection reports in your dashboard as they happen.
6. Scale
Reorders on approved fabric skip sourcing. New colorways drop in at 100 units each. New styles, and adjacent categories like hoodies and hats, run on the same process with the same point of contact, and fulfillment from Charlotte is there when inventory outgrows your floor.