Home / Garment accessories
What garment accessories can one factory actually supply?
One factory can supply five categories — buttons, zippers, drawcords and webbing, labels and metal parts — and the limit is not capability, it is testing: every category needs its own approved reference before bulk. Buttons are made in our own factory; the other four come from partner factories we have worked with for years, inspected against the same reference.
Buttons in-houseOne POOne set of documents11 testing machines
What we supply
Five categories, and what is actually made here
The honest split matters: a buyer who assumes all five are made under one roof will ask a factory-audit question we cannot answer. Buttons are ours. The rest is supplied, inspected and shipped by us — one reference, one date, one supplier to call.
| Category | Made in-house or with partners | Range we actually run | What we test | Typical programme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buttons | In-house, our own factory | 18 families, 14L–48L (larger sizes quoted on request) — resin, urea, natural shell, horn, wood, bamboo, corozo, leather, metal, GRS recycled | Colour ΔE against the approved dip, wash and rub fastness, pull strength, small parts, salt spray on metal | Shirting, denim, outerwear, kidswear, knitwear, uniform |
| Zippers | Two dedicated partner factories (Guangdong, Zhejiang) | Nylon coil, moulded and metal; #3 to #10; slider and puller options | Slider pull strength, lateral strength, reciprocating cycles | Denim, outerwear, bags, outdoor |
| Drawcords & webbing | Partner factories, long-standing | Round and flat cord, tipping, metal and plastic cord ends, woven and knitted webbing, elastic | Tip retention after wash, colour fastness, width tolerance | Hoodies, outdoor, kidswear (EN 14682 cord rules) |
| Labels | Partner factories, long-standing | Woven labels, printed labels, care and content labels, leather patches, hang tags | Legibility after wash, colour fastness, fibre-content accuracy | Every programme that carries a brand name |
| Metal parts | Partner factories, inspected to our reference | Snaps, rivets, eyelets, D-rings, buckles, hooks, cord ends — zinc alloy, brass, steel | Pull-out strength, salt spray (24 h standard, 48 h on request), nickel release by third party | Denim, bags, kidswear, workwear |
Sizes, finishes and test scope are confirmed in writing at quotation. Where a test is outside our in-house scope we say so and arrange third-party testing — nickel release on metal parts is always third party.
One PO
What ships with a multi-category order
The value of one PO is not fewer emails. It is that five categories arrive measured against one approved reference, with documents that tie each carton to its lot.
| Document | What it proves | When it is issued |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice and packing list | What shipped, against which PO and which carton range | Every shipment |
| Per-lot test report, keyed to the bag code | Results for the goods you are buying, not for a catalogue sample | Every lot, on request |
| Approved colour dip record with ΔE | The physical reference the lot was measured against | Per colour |
| Retained sample ID | A physical piece of that lot, kept on file for traceability | Per lot |
| GRS transaction certificate | Recycled content for that PO quantity | GRS programmes |
| Material declaration and RSL statement | Substance compliance for your destination market | On request |
| Nickel release report, EN 1811 / EN 12472 | Skin-contact compliance on metal parts, run by a third party | Metal parts, on request |
Buyer questions
Garment accessories — FAQ
What is the difference between garment accessories, trims and notions?
They describe the same shelf from three directions. Trims and trims & accessories is the factory word — the department is called T&A, the document is a trim card, the claim is a trim chargeback. Accessories is the retail-leaning word, and in the US it often means finished goods such as scarves and bags — apparel accessories is what sourcing platforms file this category under, and clothing accessories is what general merchandisers type into a search bar. Notions is the US sewing-trade word for the small sewn-in parts; UK buyers say haberdashery. The metal subset has its own labels: sourcing platforms file snaps, rivets, eyelets and buckles under apparel hardware. We are a trims manufacturer: buttons made in-house, the rest of the list supplied alongside.
Can one supplier really cover all five categories?
Buttons yes, in our own factory. The other four come from long-standing partner factories — two dedicated for zippers, the rest from factories we have worked with for years — inspected against the same approved reference. If a line on your trim list is not something we make well, we say so at quotation instead of quietly substituting.
What is the MOQ when categories are combined?
Each item keeps its own minimum — combining an order does not lower a per-item MOQ. What combining does change is the number of POs, inspections, delivery dates and document sets you handle: one of each instead of five. Resin button MOQ is set by button size, so a mixed trim list usually has one category setting the schedule.
How does one PO actually work across five categories?
One approved reference per item, signed off before bulk; one trim card listing every item with its size, colour reference and test requirement; one inspection standard at the same AQL; one delivery date; one set of documents. The failure mode this prevents is five suppliers arriving with five slightly different greys.
What documents come with a multi-category shipment?
The table above lists them: invoice and packing list, per-lot test reports keyed to the bag code, the approved colour dips with ΔE, retained sample IDs, GRS transaction certificates where applicable, and material or nickel declarations on request. All of it is issued for your PO, not copied from a catalogue.
Do you supply finished accessories such as scarves, hats or bags?
No. We supply the components sewn into a garment or bag — buttons, zippers, cords, webbing, labels and metal parts. A supplier who answers yes to both is usually a trader, and the answer stops being specific.
Related: apparel components and metal hardware · the 18 button families · how each lot is tested
Send the trim list, get one quotation
One inquiry covering buttons, zippers, cords, labels and metal parts — with the MOQ and test position stated on every line.