Activewear & Gym Wear Manufacturer for Startup Brands

How a startup activewear brand orders from ZipaSports

A startup activewear brand orders from ZipaSports in four steps: brief, mockup, sample, bulk. You send a logo, a sketch or a reference photo for each piece, and the in-house studio in Sialkot, Pakistan returns a free digital mockup within 24 hours, then revises it free of charge until you approve it.

The physical sample follows in 5–7 days. It is charged at sample cost, and that cost is credited against your bulk order, so a founder who samples three pieces and then orders all three is not paying twice. Bulk production takes 15–25 business days after design approval, or 7–12 days on the express service at additional cost.

The minimum order is 20–25 pieces per design, and those pieces can be split across sizes. Whether a second colourway counts as a separate design depends on the fabric and decoration, and is confirmed with your quote. A range of one legging, one sports bra and one gym tee is therefore a first order of roughly 60–75 pieces. Lower quantities are possible on request for a test run, and once your brand is trading there is no MOQ limit: reorders of any quantity are accepted. The full sequence is on how it works.

Fabric and GSM for each piece in the range

Each garment in an activewear range uses a different fabric weight, and the choice decides how the piece feels, whether it can carry an all-over print, and whether it stays opaque in a squat. The table lists the options ZipaSports runs for startup ranges; you choose the exact weight and elastane percentage within each band.

Nylon-spandex has the softer hand-feel and is supplied in solid dyed colours; polyester-spandex is the choice when a legging needs an all-over sublimated print. GRS-certified recycled polyester is available on request for brands that want a recycled line. The whole reference is in the fabric GSM chart.

Sublimation, embroidery or DTF: matching the method to the garment

Decoration on activewear is limited by fibre and by stretch. Sublimation only bonds to polyester, embroidery needs a fabric that holds stitches without puckering, and DTF transfers sit on the surface of any fibre. All of these run in-house at ZipaSports, so one order can mix methods across pieces.

A typical startup range therefore uses sublimation on polyester-spandex leggings and tees, DTF or a small embroidered logo on nylon-spandex and seamless pieces, and embroidery or puff print on fleece. The three main methods are compared in sublimation vs DTF vs embroidery.

First range planner: what to launch with

A first activewear range does not need twenty styles. Three to five pieces that sell together, each in one or two colourways, keeps the order near the minimum, keeps the mockup round short and leaves money for a reorder of whatever sells first. The planner below is the structure most startups sample with ZipaSports.

Ordering the legging and bra from the same dye lot is the single most useful thing a founder can specify, because matched sets photographed together are what customers buy. See leggings and shorts, sports bras and seamless, gym tops and hoodies and jackets for each product.

Sizing: women's XS–4XL, your own size chart, a fit sample

ZipaSports grades women's activewear from XS to 4XL and men's or unisex pieces from XS to 5XL, with youth sizes available for junior lines. A startup can use the factory's standard chart or send its own; computerised pattern making and size grading mean a custom chart is built once and reused on every reorder, so a size M legging ordered in year two measures the same as the one from the launch.

The fit sample is where sizing gets settled. Measure it against your specification at the points that matter for activewear: waist rise, inseam, leg opening and hip on leggings; underband, chest and strap length on bras; body length and chest on tees and hoodies. Ask for changes before approving, because the approved sample and its measurement spec become the reference the bulk run is checked against. Measurement tolerance within the approved chart is ±1–1.5 cm.

Seamless garments size by stretch band (S/M, L/XL) rather than by individual size, because the tube is knitted to a width and stretches to fit. Plan a seamless range around fewer, wider bands. The size chart guide covers how to write a spec, and the tech pack guide shows what a factory needs from it.

Labels, tags and packaging for a private-label launch

Every piece leaves Sialkot carrying the brand's own identity, not the factory's. Woven neck labels or tagless printed neck labels by heat transfer, printed size tags, care labels, hang tags, branded polybags and boxes are all made in-house as part of a private-label order, so a startup does not need a separate labels supplier before its first run.

Care labels matter more than founders expect. The UK, EU, USA, Canada and Australia all require fibre content and country of origin on the garment, and a retailer or marketplace will ask for it. Send the fibre composition you approved on the sample, the care symbols you want and your company name or RN-style identifier where your market uses one, and the label is printed to match.

Hang tags and polybags are where a small brand looks like a large one on the unboxing photo. A single hang tag design with a size sticker covers the whole range; a printed polybag or a folded box is quoted with the order and can be added on the reorder rather than the launch. Details are on labels, tags and packaging and private label manufacturing.

Lead times and shipping to the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe

From first message to stock in hand, a startup activewear order runs through the stages below. The times are the factory's standard commitments; the sample stage repeats only if you ask for a second round.

First orders almost always go by courier because the volume is small and the founder wants stock for a launch date. Sea freight starts to make sense on reorders of hoodies and joggers, which are bulky. Export documents (commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin) are prepared here; you are the importer of record and pay duty in your own country, which the duties and shipping guide explains market by market. Country detail is on the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and EuropeIrelandNew ZealandUAESaudi Arabia pages.

What you need to send us, and the Quality Guarantee

A startup does not need a finished tech pack; the studio builds the mockup from whatever you have. The table shows what each stage needs.

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. Send photos and the order reference on WhatsApp or email within 7 days of delivery; we confirm within 24 hours in business hours and ship the replacements at no charge, or credit the pieces if you prefer. Made-to-order garments carrying your labels cannot be returned for change of mind. Full terms are on the Quality Guarantee and return policy pages.