Guides
Sourcing guides, from the factory floor
Straight answers to the questions buyers ask before choosing a manufacturer — written by ZipaSports, a sportswear factory in Sialkot, Pakistan (Est. 2005). Real GSM numbers, real lead times, no sales copy.
Collar & Neckline Options for Custom Jerseys, Polos and Tees
Custom jerseys, polos and tees are built with a small set of standard neckline constructions: crew, round, V-neck, polo collar in…
Custom Jersey Design Guide: Artwork, Files & Colour Matching
A custom jersey design needs six things from the buyer: a vector logo, Pantone colour references, every sponsor logo, the name-and-number…
How to Collect Team Sizes for a Kit Order (with Size Sheet)
Team sizes are collected on one dated sheet with one row per player, measured in centimetres against the factory's size chart for the…
How to Start a Fightwear Brand (BJJ, MMA & Boxing) with a Manufacturer
To start a fightwear brand, plan a range of four to six pieces (gi, rash guard, spats, shorts, tee, hoodie), fix the fabric and GSM for…
How to Start a Teamwear or Custom Jersey Brand
To start a teamwear or custom jersey brand, choose a business model (clubs, esports organisations, schools or online drops), have a factory…
Men's, Women's & Youth Cuts Explained for Team Kit and Activewear
A cut is the pattern block a garment is built on: men's, women's, unisex or youth, each with its own proportions and size range.…
Pantone Colour Matching for Custom Sportswear: How It Works
Pantone colour matching in sportswear means a printed or dyed fabric is proofed against a numbered Pantone reference until it reads as the…
Sportswear Lead Times by Season: When to Order Kit for Every Sport
Custom sportswear from ZipaSports in Sialkot, Pakistan takes 15–25 business days to produce after design approval, or 7–12 days on express,…
What a Quality Guarantee Means in Apparel Manufacturing (and What to Ask For)
A quality guarantee in apparel manufacturing is a written promise that garments with a manufacturing defect will be remade or credited at…
The Academy Kit Guide: How Academies & Schools Order Team Kit
Academies and schools order team kit by age group, collecting sizes on one sheet before the order is placed, fixing a single deadline…
How to Choose a Football Kit Manufacturer for Your Club (2026)
A football club should choose a kit manufacturer on five things: whether it owns the factory, the minimum per design (ZipaSports in…
Best Sportswear Manufacturers for Startup Brands (2026 Guide)
The best sportswear manufacturer for a startup brand is the one that will make 20–25 pieces per design, show a free mockup before you pay,…
Factory vs Trading Company vs Marketplace: Where to Make Custom Sportswear
Custom sportswear can be made through a direct factory, a trading company or a B2B marketplace listing, and the route decides who controls…
How to Choose a Sportswear Manufacturer: 12-Point Checklist
To choose a sportswear manufacturer, run twelve checks: confirm it is a factory rather than a trader, get the MOQ, mockup and sample terms…
School Sports Uniform & PE Kit Guide for Schools
A school PE kit is usually a polo or tee, shorts or skort, socks and a midlayer for outdoor lessons, made in piqué or polyester interlock…
What GSM Should a Football Jersey Be?
A football jersey should be 140-180 GSM in 100% polyester interlock or mesh. Match jerseys sit at the lighter end, 140-160 GSM, for heat rel…
Sublimation vs Screen Printing for Teamwear
Sublimation dyes the polyester fibre itself at around 200 degrees Celsius, giving unlimited colours and all-over designs that cannot fade, c…
What Are Rash Guards Made Of?
Rash guards are made of polyester-spandex or nylon-spandex knit, typically 180-220 GSM, sewn with flatlock seams. The spandex (elastane) con…
BJJ Gi Fabric Guide: Weaves, GSM & Construction
BJJ gi jackets are woven from cotton or poly-cotton in pearl weave or single weave, typically 350-550 GSM; trousers are cut from 8-12 oz cot…
How Much Does a Custom Jersey Cost?
The cost of a custom jersey is set by five factors: fabric and GSM, decoration method, order quantity, design complexity and shipping mode. …
How to Source Custom Sportswear From Pakistan
Sourcing custom sportswear from Pakistan follows five stages: define your specification, shortlist and verify Sialkot manufacturers, approve…
MOQ Explained for Apparel Startups
MOQ — minimum order quantity — is the smallest number of pieces a factory will produce of one design. Minimums exist because fabric is sold …
Tech Pack Guide for Custom Sportswear
A tech pack is the specification document a factory manufactures from: technical drawings, a measurement chart with tolerances, fabric and t…
Pakistan vs China for Sportswear Manufacturing
Pakistan and China both manufacture custom sportswear to export standard; they differ in scale, minimums, cost structure and tariff treatmen…
Sportswear Size Chart Guide
Standard adult sportswear sizing runs XS to 5XL, graded in roughly 6 cm chest steps for tops and 6 cm waist steps for bottoms, measured in c…
Fabric GSM Chart for Every Sportswear Garment
Jerseys run 140–180 GSM polyester, leggings and compression 240–300 GSM nylon- or poly-spandex, hoodies 280–350 GSM fleece, rash guards 180–…
How Long Does Custom Sportswear Take?
From enquiry to delivered order, a typical custom sportswear order takes 3–7 weeks: a free digital mockup within 24 hours, an optional physi…
The Team Kit Buying Guide for Clubs
Ordering kit for a whole club comes down to five decisions: what range to order (match, training, presentation), how to collect sizes proper…
How to Start an Activewear Brand with a Manufacturer
A first activewear range of three to five styles can go into production with just 20–25 pieces per design — roughly 60–125 garments in total…
OEM vs Private Label vs White Label Sportswear, Explained
OEM manufacturing builds your own design from your specification; private label puts your brand, labels and packaging on factory-developed o…
Sublimation vs DTF vs Embroidery: Which Method for Which Job?
Dye sublimation turns the design into part of the polyester fibre, so it is the only method that cannot crack or peel and the only route to …
Import Duties & Shipping from Pakistan: What Buyers Actually Pay
Pakistan-origin garments enter the EU under GSP+ and the UK under the DCTS scheme with reduced or zero duty on many apparel lines; the USA, …
Pakistan vs China vs Bangladesh vs Vietnam: Where Should You Make Custom Sportswear?
Sialkot in Pakistan is the strongest match for low-MOQ custom sublimated teamwear, fightwear and gis; China covers the broadest product rang…
Why Does Sialkot, Pakistan Make So Much of the World's Sportswear?
Sialkot, in Pakistan's Punjab province, is widely reported to produce a large share of the world's hand-stitched footballs and a broad range…
10 Custom Sportswear Manufacturers in Pakistan (2026)
Pakistan — and Sialkot in particular — is one of the world's main custom sportswear production hubs. This shortlist covers ten manufacturers…
Reference
Ready to manufacture? Get a free mockup.
MOQ 20–25 pieces per design · lower on request · no MOQ limit for sportswear brands