MOQ, Lead Times & Pricing — A Straight Answer

Three questions come up on almost every first call: what is your MOQ, how long does production take, and how much will this cost? Most websites answer vaguely. Here are the honest numbers, the trade-offs behind them, and the handful of situations where we genuinely bend the rules.

MOQ — the real number

Our standard MOQ for private label is 200 pieces per style. That is not a marketing number, it is the quantity at which our sample-to-bulk economics stop losing money for you and for us. Below 200 pieces, your per-piece cost balloons because the fixed costs (pattern, marker, sample rounds, setup) are spread across too few units.

• Base woven styles (dresses, shirts, tops): 200 pcs / style.
• Knit styles (tees, jersey): 300 pcs / style — knit lines run more efficiently at higher volumes.
• Co-ord sets (two pieces): 150 sets / style, split across the two pieces.
• Bespoke embroidery or print: 300 pcs / style / colourway.

Lead times — honestly

From a signed tech pack to the first shipment, expect 10 to 14 weeks. That breaks down roughly as: 2 weeks for sampling, 1 week for fabric receipt, 4-6 weeks for production, 1 week for QC and finishing, and 1-2 weeks buffer for anything unexpected. The buffer is the most important line in that list.

Pricing — how we build a quote

A MILAY quote has five line items: fabric, trims, making cost (CMT), finishing, and overheads. We share the breakdown with our partners — we do not hide behind a single number. The CMT (cut, make, trim) charge depends on the style complexity; a simple tee runs ₹80-120, a tailored dress with a lining and button placket runs ₹350-550.

• Fabric: billed at the rate we paid the mill plus a small sourcing margin.
• Trims: at cost, with a transparent markup for bulk buying.
• CMT: fixed per style, quoted after sampling.
• Finishing: pressing, folding, polybag, hangtag — per piece.
• Overheads: a small line for QC, documentation and line management.

When we flex

We do make exceptions when the math works. A well-prepared founder with a finished tech pack, a clear fabric brief and a realistic timeline is a very different customer than one asking for 50 pieces of a never-made-before silhouette in three weeks. Tell us the full picture and we will tell you, honestly, whether it fits our floor this month.

The best partnerships start with a straight conversation, not a negotiation.