Short answer for startups: Linked Sourcing is a private label activewear manufacturer in China with two clearly separated routes for a first collection. Request a private ready-style Excel catalogue from 50 pcs per style when a standard product and approved branding fit your plan, or use full custom manufacturing from 200 pcs per color and style for your own fabric, color, fit, pattern, construction and trims. We provide English-speaking sourcing support through a 40-year China OEM and ODM group running six owned, vertically integrated factories (~515,000 pcs/month from owned lines, 30M+ garments/year across the group), ~1,200 in-house workers, shipping to 80+ countries.
Private label vs white label vs OEM/ODM
These terms get used interchangeably, but they mean different things for your margins and your brand:
| Term | What it means | Customisation | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| White label | An existing standard product sold with approved branding | Approved logo, hangtag and packaging; standard offered colors | Fast launch, minimal product development |
| Private label | A product built to your specification | Fabric, fit, trims, branding, packaging | Brands that need a distinct, owned product |
| OEM | We manufacture to your tech pack and approved sample | You drive design | Brands with a design team |
| ODM | We design the product from concept using our in-house library | We drive design with you | New labels without a tech pack |
Private label is the umbrella; OEM and ODM are how the private label gets made. Most new brands start with ODM (we develop fabric, fit and styling from a reference or moodboard) and move to OEM as their tech packs mature. Read our OEM vs ODM guide for the full breakdown before you brief us.
If you are still defining the product thesis, use the 2026 emerging activewear brand strategy review to study public positioning and product-system patterns without copying another brand or implying a manufacturing relationship.
What’s customisable in Full Custom Manufacturing
In the Full Custom route, the approved product specification can control:
- Fabric - 60%+ recycled and eco constructions, PFAS-free, from buttery 78% Nylon / 22% Spandex compression knits to modal and poly-cotton-rayon tri-blends. See live fabric examples on active & yoga wear and seamless.
- Fit and construction - your fit blocks, high-rise or mid-rise, gusset and panel layouts, buyer-defined stretch-opacity targets, bonded or flatlock seams, four-needle six-thread stitching, engineered compression zones. Use the opacity and squat-proof testing guide to define the claim rather than attributing it to one construction detail.
- Trims and hardware - drawcords, zippers, elastic, reflective tape, custom waistband jacquard.
- Branding - woven main labels, heat-transfer logos, silicone or sublimated branding, custom care labels. Use the labels, logos and packaging guide to define artwork, placement, component minimums and approvals.
- Packaging - polybags, hang tags, branded boxes, retail-ready or DTC mailer packing. Quote the setup, component MOQ and surplus plan separately from the garment quantity.
Construction and technology
Our owned lines cover seamless knitting on Santoni and Shima Seiki machines (knitted-to-shape leggings, bras and sets with no side seams), four-needle six-thread sewing for second-skin leggings, plus laser and thermal bonding and sublimation printing. That range lets one supplier cover a full collection - yoga, seamless, swim, outerwear - so your brand stays consistent across categories instead of being split across vendors.
MOQ, sampling and lead times
We keep the entry point low so new labels can launch without over-committing inventory:
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| MOQ | Ready styles from 50 pcs/style; full custom from 200 pcs/color/style |
| New-brand offer | Sample cost deducted from your bulk order |
| Sampling | 7-10 working days |
| Bulk production | 30-45 days after sample approval |
| Trade terms | FOB, CIF, DDP |
| Payment | T/T, L/C, open account |
Quality and certifications
Quality uses three in-house control stages — IQC on incoming materials, IPQC during production and FQC before shipment — with third-party SGS, BV or Intertek inspection available on request. A final acceptance plan can use AQL 2.5 where the buyer specifies it, but it must also define the lot, defect classes, inspection level and current standard edition. See the AQL 2.5 activewear inspection checklist before issuing the quality instruction. Compliance documentation is reviewed separately from the sampling result:
- BSCI and Sedex - social and ethical compliance
- OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 - skin-contact safety, essential for stretch activewear
- bluesign - cleaner dye and finish chemistry
- GRS - verified recycled content for sustainability claims
For a deeper look at which certificate proves what, see our certifications guide.
How a new label launches a collection
A first-time brand typically moves through five steps with us:
- Brief - send a tech pack (OEM) or a reference sample and moodboard (ODM), plus target FOB and quantities.
- Development - we propose fabrics, construction and costing. Indicative FOB ranges are US$4-13 for yoga/active and US$6-16 for seamless (general ranges, not exact quotes).
- Sampling - 7-10 working days; iterate on fit, hand-feel and branding until approved.
- Pre-production - confirm trims, labels, packaging, size set and PP sample.
- Bulk - 30-45 days production, three-stage QC, then FOB/CIF/DDP shipment.
Because we own the mills and cut-and-sew lines, your fit and quality stay under one roof rather than passing through a trading-company middleman - which protects both your margin and your consistency reorder to reorder.
Start your private label program
Linked Sourcing has produced for brands including Alo Yoga, Gymshark, The North Face and SKIMS, with Jerry (English-speaking) and five in-house teams handling overseas accounts directly. Send your tech pack or a reference sample and we’ll come back with a same-week sample plan and indicative pricing.
