Custom Sportswear Manufacturer for the United Kingdom
- Est. 2005 · Sialkot, Pakistan
- MOQ 20–25 pcs per design · no limit for brands
- Free 24h digital mockup
- Sample 5–7 days, credited on bulk
- Bulk 15–25 business days · express 7–12
- DHL/FedEx/UPS 5–10 days
- 🛡️ Free remake within 3 days
Why UK clubs and brands manufacture in Sialkot
UK buyers come to ZipaSports for sportswear made from scratch: match kit, training wear, gym ranges and workwear cut, printed, stitched and labelled in one factory in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan, and quoted as a single delivered figure.
What DCTS Enhanced Preferences means for a UK sportswear order
DCTS Enhanced Preferences is the UK trade scheme under which apparel manufactured in Pakistan enters the United Kingdom at 0% import duty. According to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan's DCTS note, the scheme gives 0% duty on 92% of product lines including apparel, and a single-stage transformation such as cutting and sewing in Pakistan qualifies most garments. That is the position as of mid-2026; confirm the current rate with your customs broker. UK import VAT still applies, and ZipaSports builds it into the delivered price so nothing is collected from you when the parcel arrives.
The factory has run since 2005 with around 162 staff, so a Sunday league order of 25 shirts and a gym brand's 2,000-piece drop go through the same lines. Disclosure: this page is published by ZipaSports, itself a Sialkot manufacturer.
What UK buyers order most
The table lists the garments UK buyers order most often from ZipaSports, grouped by buyer type, with the fabric options and decoration method that usually suit each one. Every row is made to the buyer's own design; there is no stock catalogue.
| Buyer type | Typical garments | Fabric / GSM options | Decoration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday league clubs, grassroots sides and academies | Match jerseys, shorts, socks, junior kits, presentation tracksuits | Polyester interlock or pin-dot mesh 140–180 GSM graded across age sizes; fleece 280–350 GSM | Full sublimation with names, numbers and sponsors; embroidered crest on tracksuits |
| Rugby union and rugby league clubs | Rugby jerseys, league jerseys, shorts, club hoodies | Interlock or mesh 140–180 GSM; fleece 280–350 GSM | Sublimation; embroidery on hoodies and polos |
| Cricket clubs | T20 coloured kits, team polos, practice shirts, hoodies | Interlock 140–180 GSM; piqué 160–200 or 200–240 GSM | Sublimation for coloured kit; embroidered crests on polos |
| Netball clubs and leagues | Netball dresses, position bibs, skorts | Polyester-spandex 4-way stretch 180–220 GSM | Sublimation |
| Boxing and MMA gyms | Boxing shorts, rash guards, fight shorts, gym hoodies | Satin 120–160 GSM; polyester-spandex 180–220 GSM; fleece 280–350 GSM | Sublimation; embroidery on satin; screen print on fleece |
| CrossFit boxes and gym brands | Leggings, seamless sets, oversized tees, heavyweight hoodies | Nylon-spandex 240–300 GSM; seamless knit 180–260 GSM; fleece 280–350 GSM | Screen print, puff print, DTF, embroidery; own labels |
| Schools and PE departments | PE polos, shorts, quarter-zips, training bibs | Piqué 160–200 GSM; interlock 140–180 GSM | Embroidered school badge; sublimated house colours |
| Corporate and site buyers | Hi-vis polos, hi-vis vests, work polos | Hi-vis fabric; poly-cotton piqué 200–240 GSM | Embroidery; screen print |
Hi-vis garments are designed to EN ISO 20471 visibility requirements. School orders follow the same 20–25 piece minimum per design, with youth sizes graded from the school's own chart; see the school sports uniform guide.
Duty, delivery and paperwork for the UK
A UK order from ZipaSports is quoted delivered to your door: product, freight, import duty and UK VAT in one figure per item, so the parcel is not held by the courier waiting for a customs payment.
| Item | How it works for the UK |
|---|---|
| Import duty | 0% on apparel made in Pakistan under DCTS Enhanced Preferences (as of mid-2026; confirm the current rate with your customs broker) |
| VAT | UK import VAT is included in the delivered price; nothing is collected from you on arrival |
| Who deals with customs | ZipaSports and its courier; you receive the goods, not a customs invoice |
| Courier | DHL, FedEx or UPS, 5–10 days from Sialkot to any UK postcode, tracked |
| Sea freight | 3–6 weeks for bulk programmes, released at the UK port to your forwarder or delivered on |
| Documents | Commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin issued in Sialkot with every shipment; the origin paperwork the forwarder needs for the DCTS rate is prepared here |
| Payment routes | Bank transfer (SWIFT), Wise, Remitly, Ria Money Transfer or Xoom; terms confirmed with the quotation |
How duty schemes, HS codes and freight modes interact is covered in the import duties and shipping guide and the shipping policy.
Timeline from enquiry to delivery
A UK club that approves its mockup in the first week of June usually has kit in hand before August pre-season, allowing 15–25 business days for production and 5–10 days for the courier. The stages are fixed; the total depends on how quickly artwork and sizes are signed off.
| Stage | Time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry to digital mockup | Within 24 hours | Send a crest, colours and a garment list on WhatsApp or email; the studio returns a free mockup with unlimited revisions |
| Physical sample (optional) | 5–7 days plus courier | Charged at sample cost and credited against the bulk order |
| Bulk production | 15–25 business days after design approval | Cutting, sublimation or print, stitching, in-line and final QC, labelling, packing |
| Express production | 7–12 days at additional cost | For fixture deadlines; agreed before the order is confirmed |
| Courier delivery | 5–10 days | DHL, FedEx or UPS to your address, duty and VAT already paid |
| Sea freight | 3–6 weeks | Bulk programmes on pallets for a distributor or a multi-team club |
UK buyers usually plan autumn football and rugby kit between May and July, so approving artwork early in that window leaves room for the standard 15–25 business days of production; month-by-month planning is in lead times by season.
ZipaSports compared with a UK printer and a UK teamwear supplier
A UK buyer has three realistic routes to custom kit, and each suits a different job. The comparison is honest about where a local decorator or a domestic supplier is the better choice.
| Criterion | Local printer or embroiderer | UK teamwear supplier (stock ranges) | ZipaSports (Sialkot factory) |
|---|---|---|---|
| What they do | Decorate blank garments bought in from a wholesaler | Sell a branded catalogue of stock kit, decorated to order | Manufacture the garment from fabric to label, to your own design |
| Suits | Fewer than 10 pieces, 3-day deadlines, one-off events | Clubs that want a known catalogue style in stock sizes, dispatched quickly | Fully custom designs, private-label brands, one colour standard across a whole club |
| Minimum | Often a single piece | Set by the range | 20–25 pieces per design; lower on request; no MOQ limit for sportswear brands |
| Design freedom | Limited to the blank's colours and cut | Limited to the catalogue's patterns and colourways | Any colourway, all-over sublimation, custom size chart, own labels and packaging |
| Private label | Rarely | No, the garment carries the range's brand | Yes: woven neck labels, printed size tags, hang tags, branded polybags |
| Duty and delivery | Not applicable | Not applicable | 0% UK duty under DCTS (as of mid-2026; confirm the current rate with your customs broker); delivered price includes freight and VAT |
Eight hoodies by Friday is a job for a local printer; a club's full kit in one colour standard, or a brand's first collection under its own labels, is factory work. See factory vs trading company vs marketplace.
Sizing and cuts for UK teams
UK club orders are graded to the club's own size chart, not a generic one. Adult sizes run XS–5XL, women's XS–4XL, and youth sizes are cut from age-banded charts, which suits junior sections that collect sizes as 5–6, 7–8, 9–10 and so on. Men's, women's and youth blocks are separate patterns, so women's fit training tops and men's match shirts run together as one order with two blocks.
If you are replacing kit from another supplier, send one garment you like and the pattern room measures it; finished garments are checked to ±1–1.5 cm against the approved chart. For collecting sizes from a squad, use the team size collection guide; for choosing between blocks, read men's, women's and youth cuts explained.
Quality Guarantee: if any garment arrives with a manufacturing defect, we remake it free of charge — the remake goes into production within 3 days of your report. Wrong size against the approved specification counts as a defect; a size chosen wrongly by the buyer does not, which is why the approved chart is filed with the order before cutting starts.
How to contact the factory from the UK
WhatsApp +92 300 7019281 is the fastest route from the UK: messages in business hours are answered within 2 hours, and email to zipasports@gmail.com within 24 hours. Pakistan runs on PKT, which is GMT+5 in winter and BST+4 in summer, so the Monday-to-Saturday working day of 9:00–18:00 PKT falls between 04:00 and 13:00 GMT, or 05:00 and 14:00 BST. A message sent from Manchester at 8:00 reaches the desk around midday in Sialkot and is answered the same working day.
Umer looks after export sales and business development and is the contact for UK buyers on both channels. Saturday is a working day in Sialkot, which helps club secretaries who deal with kit at the weekend.
To get a quotation, send a garment list with quantities, a size breakdown if you have it, your crest or logo (vector preferred), colours or Pantone references and the UK delivery postcode. The delivered quotation and the free design mockup come back within 24 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I pay import duty in the UK on sportswear from Pakistan?
No. Apparel manufactured in Pakistan enters the United Kingdom at 0% import duty under the DCTS Enhanced Preferences scheme, as of mid-2026; confirm the current rate with your customs broker. UK import VAT still applies, and ZipaSports includes it in the delivered price, so there is no customs bill when the parcel arrives.
How long does delivery to the UK take from Sialkot?
Courier delivery by DHL, FedEx or UPS takes 5–10 days from Sialkot to any UK address. Add 15–25 business days of production after design approval, so a typical UK order arrives four to seven weeks after sign-off of the mockup. By sea, allow 3–6 weeks.
Can a Sunday league team order 20 shirts?
Yes. The minimum is 20–25 pieces per design, and mixed sizes count inside one design, so a squad of 20 across five sizes is a single order. Lower quantities are possible on request for small sides, and names and numbers print as part of the sublimation.
Can you make school PE kit for a UK school?
Yes. PE polos, shorts, quarter-zips and training bibs are made from 20–25 pieces per design, graded to the school's own youth chart, with the badge embroidered or sublimated. The school's colours are matched to a Pantone reference and kept on file for the next intake.
Do you make hi-vis workwear for UK companies?
Yes. Hi-vis polos, vests, hoodies and jackets are made to order and designed to EN ISO 20471 visibility requirements, with your logo embroidered or screen printed. We state that visibility specification only and make no further protective-performance claims. Workwear takes the same DCTS duty treatment as teamwear.
How do I pay a Pakistani factory from the UK?
Buyers pay by bank transfer (SWIFT), Wise, Remitly, Ria Money Transfer or Xoom; Remitly is the fastest card route for a first sample payment. Payment terms and a full quotation are confirmed with your enquiry — contact us on WhatsApp for a same-day quote.
Will my kit arrive before the season starts in September?
It will if the mockup is approved by early July. Production takes 15–25 business days after approval and the courier 5–10 days. For later approvals, express production in 7–12 days at additional cost can still land kit before the first fixture; confirm dates on WhatsApp before ordering.
What happens if a shirt arrives in the UK with a print fault?
Send photos and your order reference on WhatsApp or email within 7 days of delivery. We confirm within 24 hours during business hours, remake the affected pieces under the Quality Guarantee at no cost to you, and ship the replacements to the UK carriage paid. A credit against your next order is available instead if you prefer.