Sportswear buyer resources

These guides help you prepare a custom sportswear order, settle a technical question or decide what to approve next. You can start with the information you have: Voyager Sportswear can develop an incomplete design or fabric brief with you.

For a first order, the sourcing guide is the place to start. If your order is already in development, go to the stage below that matches it. The guides explain the decisions and the evidence behind them, while the quotation confirms the scope, feasible quantity and timing of your order.

Starting an order and comparing offers

• A buyer’s guide to sourcing custom sportswearPlan each step from first idea to order confirmation.
• How to request a sportswear quotationAn example RFQ and the information a quotation needs.
• What affects sportswear price and landed costWhat drives the manufacturing price and how to compare landed cost.
• What decides the price of bulk sublimated jerseysWhich jersey specification choices move the unit price of a bulk order.
• Minimum order quantities in sportswear manufacturingHow the minimum applies to your product and its variants.
• Qualifying a sportswear manufacturerCheck whether a factory suits your product, what evidence to ask for and what capacity is available.
• Understanding in-house production and subcontractingWhich operation happens where, who is responsible and how it is checked.
• OEM, ODM, private label and full-package sportswearWho is responsible for design input, branding and material sourcing.
• Comparing sportswear suppliers in China and TurkeyCompare Chinese and Turkish suppliers on the same scope.
• Comparing sportswear suppliers in Portugal and TurkeyCompare Portuguese and Turkish suppliers and their supply routes.
• Comparing bulk teamwear suppliers in Pakistan and TurkeyCompare Pakistani and Turkish teamwear suppliers on the same order.
• Sportswear manufacturer in TurkeyWhat Voyager Sportswear makes in Turkey, what is done in house, the minimum and how an order runs.

Develop fabric, fit and construction

• Sportswear production from brief to dispatchThe production stages and the decisions needed at each one.
• Preparing a sportswear tech packBuild a specification from references, measurements and revisions.
• Choosing and specifying sportswear fabricCompare fabric structures and prepare a practical material brief.
• Polyester and polyamide for sportswearJudge polyester and polyamide as finished fabrics rather than as fibre names.
• Fabric GSM, coverage and garment appearanceRead GSM alongside coverage, colour, stretch and drape.
• Specifying stretch and recovery in activewearDefine extension, recovery and garment movement.
• Seams and construction for sportswearSeam placement, stitch types, finishes and comfort.
• Approving sportswear fit, measurements and gradingApprove measurement methods, fit and the size range.
• Cut-and-sew and seamless sportswear productionCompare cut-and-sew with seamless construction.

Prepare artwork and numbering

• What is a sublimated jersey?What makes a jersey sublimated, how to recognise one and what the fabric needs.
• How a custom sublimated jersey is madeHow cut-panel sublimation works and how repeat prints on the roll differ.
• Choosing sublimation, DTF, heat transfer or embroideryChoose between sublimation, DTF, other transfers and embroidery.
• Approving colour from artwork to sportswearLink colour references to fabric and garment approvals.
• Preparing sponsor logos and jersey artworkPrepare usable logo files, placement instructions and approvals.
• Size breakdowns and numbering for bulk jersey ordersAn example size breakdown, and how to reconcile sizes, quantities and any numbers.

Approve and evaluate the product

• Sampling and approving sportswear for productionPlan each sample around the question it has to answer.
• Specifying sportswear washing and durabilityDefine care and durability checks that suit the garment.
• Planning a sportswear quality inspectionSet inspection scope, sampling, defect classes and reporting.
• Checking recycled-material and certification claimsCheck evidence for recycled content and certification claims.
• Understanding wicking, drying and breathabilityTell wicking, drying, air flow and vapour transfer apart.
• Finding and resolving sportswear production problemsRecord a fault, investigate possible causes and check the correction.

Plan quantities, packing and receipt

• Preparing garment labels for destination marketsGarment information and label approvals for each destination market.
• Specifying sportswear packing, barcodes and cartonsHow to pack individual garments and matched sets, and how to specify barcodes and cartons.
• Planning backwards from a sportswear delivery dateBuild the schedule back from the date the goods must arrive.
• Reordering teamwear across seasonsPrepare a repeat order with references and clearly stated changes.
• Planning sizes for wholesale and retail sportswearBuild a size assortment and work out prepack quantities.

Glossary and reference

• Sportswear manufacturing glossaryFabric, construction, printing, sampling, quality and purchasing terms, each with the question to confirm with your supplier.

Choose by sport

• Football teamwear manufacturingFootball jerseys, shorts and goalkeeper garments, specified by kit design, size breakdown and fit.
• Basketball teamwear manufacturingBasketball jerseys and shorts developed together, with agreed length, armholes, numbers and size distribution.
• Cycling apparel manufacturingCycling jerseys specified by riding fit, front zip, rear pockets, trims and sponsor placement.
• Running singlet and athletics apparel manufacturingRunning singlets and event apparel developed around armholes, fabric, race artwork and size allocation.
• Volleyball teamwear manufacturingA volleyball jersey is worn with the arms overhead more than in any other court sport, and the fit decisions all come back to that.
• Handball teamwear: what a club settles before the sampleFor handball jerseys, choose the sleeve cut around arm movement and sponsor placement before approving fit and artwork.
• Rugby teamwear: specifying playing and training kitRugby playing and training kits with separately agreed fit, fabric, seam construction and artwork.
• Tennis and padel apparel: club collections and retail assortmentsClub orders and retail orders need different size and stock planning, even when they use the same sportswear garment.
• Gym and training apparel: planning a private-label collectionA training collection reads as one range when the colours match across garments and the fits are drafted to be worn together.
• Yoga and Pilates activewear: what the sample has to proveStudio leggings need worn fit checks for coverage, waistband hold, seam placement and recovery before the collection is approved.
• American football teamwearGame jerseys and training apparel are specified separately. If a jersey is worn over shoulder pads, state the measurements needed, together with sleeve shape, number positions, colours and a size breakdown.
• Combat sports apparelFor boxing and other combat sports, state the discipline and intended use, describe the top, shorts or training jacket (waistband, leg opening, seams and artwork positions) and include any competition rules.
• Swimming and aquatics team apparelFor swim clubs and aquatic events, define poolside tops, shorts, tracksuits and presentation layers. Describe any in-water garment separately so its fabric and construction can be assessed.
• Ice hockey jerseys and teamwearSublimated hockey jerseys sized over equipment, with lace-up neck or fight strap on request, crests and numbers.
• Esports jerseys and team apparelSublimated esports jerseys with sponsor logos, plus hoodies and jackets for staff and events.
• Baseball and softball jerseys and team apparelButton-front and sublimated jerseys, baseball pants and team apparel, with one size breakdown per team.
• Cricket kit and teamwearColoured kit and whites, playing shirts and trousers, with sponsors and numbers.

Choose by garment family

• Custom sublimated jerseys made in bulkFull-print sublimated polyester jerseys made in series from 100 pieces per style, the order run from brief to packing, and which decoration suits which mark.
• Training sets and tracksuitsTracksuits and coordinated sets: specify the cut, fabric, trims, sizes and packing of each garment before you request a production quote.
• Performance T-shirts and training topsThe T-shirt is the highest-volume garment in most programmes and the one most often under-specified.
• Sports shorts and skortsSpecify shorts by waistband, inseam, pockets, inner layer and hem so the sample can be checked against a clear brief.
• Leggings and training tightsLeggings need a worn fit test for coverage, recovery and waistband hold, and the fabric and construction should be defined before sampling.
• Sports jackets and outer layersA jacket quote needs more than a colour: define the zip, hood, pockets, cuffs, hem finish and artwork before sampling.

Plan for your organisation

• Teamwear for clubs, teams and academiesMatch kits, training garments and numbers on request, organised by team, size and season.
• Private label teamwear for teamwear dealersTeam kits made under the dealer's own label, with numbers on request, from 100 pieces per style.
• Private label production for sportswear brandsOwn-label sportswear developed from a tech pack or reference, with agreed fit, labels and sampling.
• Sportswear manufacturing for new brandsA first collection developed from your design and produced under your label, from 100 pieces per style.
• Sportswear for merchandising and event companiesBranded sportswear for resale and events, with size assortments, retail labels, individual packing and agreed client approvals.
• Race shirts and event sportswear for organisersFull-print participant, finisher and staff shirts in bulk, planned around the event date.
• Sports shirts for companiesShirts in company colours for company runs, sports days and staff teams, from 100 pieces per style.
• From concept to production for branding and design agenciesArtwork, colours and logo placement reviewed for production before the client approves the final design.
• Bulk sublimated jerseys and sportswear for wholesalers and distributorsRepeatable styles for resale from stock, with size assortments and carton plans.
• Own-label sportswear programmes for retail chainsRetail collections with SKU labels, barcodes, store allocations and agreed packing requirements.
• Working with sourcing companies and intermediariesOne controlled specification and one approval route between the end buyer, the sourcing team and the factory.

Discuss your product

The manufacturing pages describe the work Voyager Sportswear does in house. To start an order, send your product idea or reference with an approximate quantity, any artwork you have, the destination and the required date. Mark the decisions you would like help with. You do not need a complete tech pack for a first enquiry.