MOQ (minimum order quantity) is the smallest number of units a manufacturer will produce per style. It exists because production has real fixed costs. A low MOQ is not always better — the right MOQ is the one that fits the garment, the fabric and the production route.
The first question most new brands ask is: what is your minimum order? It is usually the wrong first question.
After working with brands across a range of scales, we have found that MOQ anxiety leads to bad decisions more often than high minimums do. Here is what actually matters.
Why MOQ exists
Minimum order quantities exist because production has fixed costs that do not scale down proportionally: setting up machinery, cutting patterns, sourcing fabric in minimum bolt quantities, allocating skilled operator time. Below a certain quantity, those fixed costs make a production run economically unviable for the manufacturer — or they get passed directly to the unit price.
MOQ is not a negotiating position. It reflects real production economics.
Why a low MOQ is not always the right goal
A manufacturer advertising a 30-unit minimum for a fully constructed tailored jacket should raise questions. Either the unit cost will reflect the complexity, or the quality will, or both. There is no production economics that makes a complex garment genuinely cheap at very low quantities.
From our experience: We evaluate MOQ per project — by garment type, fabric and construction complexity. A simple cut-and-sew jersey piece can run at genuinely low minimums with reasonable unit economics. A constructed outerwear piece cannot, and we will tell you that upfront rather than promise a number that does not work.
The questions to ask instead
– What is the minimum for this specific garment type and construction?
– Does the MOQ change depending on fabric choice or construction complexity?
– What happens to unit price above and below the minimum?
– Is the minimum per colourway, per style, or per fabric?
– What is included in the minimum — fabric, trims, labels?
MOQ and risk — the real relationship
For a new brand or a new category, the most important function of a low MOQ is not cost saving. It is risk reduction. A smaller first run means you are testing the market with limited capital at stake. You are not committing to 300 units of something that might not fit, might not sell, or might need iteration.
The brands that ask us for the lowest possible minimum are often the brands that most need to hear: produce what you can confidently sell, not what gets you the best unit price.
From our experience: We have seen brands regret large first runs far more often than small ones. A sell-through of 95% on 80 units is a better outcome than 60% on 300.
A MOQ that actually fits your project is worth more than a low number that sounds good before you have done the maths.