Import Clothing from China or Vietnam

Build Your Clothing Brand with Sourcing You Can Trust

Importing clothing from China and Vietnam is one of the most competitive and nuanced categories in product sourcing. The right factory can help you build a brand. The wrong one can leave you with inconsistent sizing, poor stitching, delayed shipments, and a customs headache at the Auckland port.

Epic Sourcing works with NZ fashion brands, activewear labels, uniform suppliers, and retail importers to find the right clothing manufacturers — and manage the full process from sample to shipment.

What Sets Clothing Sourcing Apart?

Clothing isn't like sourcing hardware or homeware. Every order involves fit, sizing, colourways, fabric specs, labels, hangtags, and compliance requirements. Communication gaps between your design brief and the factory floor are where most clothing imports go wrong.

That's why having a bilingual team on the ground — Mandarin-speaking in China, Vietnamese-speaking in Vietnam — makes such a difference. We don't just forward your emails. We're in the factories.

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Key Considerations When Importing Clothing to NZ

1. Fabric & Quality Specifications

Thread count, GSM, shrinkage rates, colour fastness — these need to be locked in writing before production starts. We help you build a proper tech pack so the factory produces exactly what you briefed, not what they assumed.

2. Sizing & Fit

Asian sizing standards differ from NZ/AU sizing. We coordinate fit samples and graded size sets before bulk production to catch sizing issues before they become returns.

3. Labelling & NZ Compliance

Clothing imported into New Zealand must comply with the Country of Origin labelling requirements under the Fair Trading Act. Care labels must meet Australian/NZ Standards (AS/NZS 1957). We check labelling compliance as part of pre-shipment inspection.

4. MPI & Biosecurity

Clothing made from natural fibres — wool, cotton, down, leather — may be subject to MPI biosecurity requirements. Some materials require treatment or documentation on arrival. We flag these before your order ships, not after it lands at the port.

5. MOQ Negotiation

Most clothing factories have MOQs of 300–500 units per style or per colourway. For new brands or smaller orders, we negotiate lower minimums and can consolidate across multiple factories where needed.

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Popular Clothing Categories We Source

• Activewear & athleisure (leggings, sports bras, training tees, shorts)
• Casual & everyday apparel (T-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, denim)
• Workwear & uniforms (hospitality, healthcare, corporate)
• Outerwear (jackets, puffer vests, rainwear)
• Swimwear & beachwear
• Underwear & socks
• Dresses, skirts & woven garments
• Private label & white label clothing ranges

China vs Vietnam for Clothing — Which Is Right for You?

China (Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang) is the world's largest clothing manufacturer. Best for: complex garments, high-volume orders, wide fabric selection, competitive pricing.

Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi) has grown rapidly as a clothing manufacturing hub — especially strong in activewear, basic knitwear, and woven garments. Best for: brands wanting supply chain diversification, CPTPP preferential duty rates, and competitive labour costs.

We source from both markets and will recommend the right one based on your product, volume, and timeline.

How Epic Sourcing Helps

We manage the full clothing sourcing process — from factory identification and supplier vetting through to sample review, pre-shipment inspection, and freight coordination. Our Mandarin and Vietnamese-speaking team communicates directly with factories, so your brief doesn't get lost in translation.

We work on a flat project rate. No commission on your order value, no incentive to push you toward a more expensive factory than you need.

"Like a secret you don't want to share. Epic has made importing too easy. Simple billing packages, qualified staff to make the complications disappear." — Tom Law

Ready to Source Your Clothing Range?

Whether you're launching your first private label line, scaling an existing range, or switching from a supplier that's letting you down — we can help. Book a free discovery call and let's talk through your product.