Clothing factory in Bali might be different to what you imagine. Read these essential facts and find the real high quality ethical clothing factory Bali.
Looking for a Clothing Factory in Bali?
Here are some general characteristics about a clothing factory in Bali that you need to know
1. The Location & The Term
There are a lot of Bali based clothing manufacturers. You can easily find a clothing factory in Denpasar (the capital of Bali); where most of the textile suppliers are located. And, it is closer to the airport.
But you can also find some Bali based clothing manufacturers in popular tourist destinations like Canggu, Ubud, Jimbaran, etc. Clothing factories located in these areas are more suited for those who want to mix business and pleasure (but mostly pleasure because those areas are far from textile suppliers).
The term “clothing factory in Bali” itself might lead one to imagine a business enterprise occupying a big production space. But in fact, most Bali based clothing manufacturers are either medium or small sized. Naturally, such clothing manufacturers can accept low Minimum Order Quantity; which is actually perfect for start-ups or exclusive brands!
As for big work orders that they cannot handle themselves, those medium & small factories would normally subcontract the work orders to freelance tailors or seamstresses working as home industries. The locals call this system of subcontracting to freelancers as “Pasuh”.
2. The Work Quality of Bali Based Clothing Manufacturers
Naturally, some Bali based clothing manufacturers produce good quality clothes, while others produce bad quality ones.
Often (not always), the bad quality is due to the lack of quality control within the Pasuh system. In Pasuh system, the freelance seamstresses are getting paid per piece. So, to make more money, they try to make as many clothes as they can (work quality be damned!).
The freelancers would rather have their pay deducted to compensate the bad quality products (rejects) than having to redo the work. This in turn will create a lot of waste and hurt your budget! The factory might also miss the deadline because it needs more time to replace the rejects.
However, other Bali based clothing manufacturers who conduct the works in house could also deliver bad results themselves. This happens especially if they are unprofessional.
So, the best practice would be to have your own Quality Control to inspect your order in the clothing factory’s premises before they get packed and shipped. While any clothing factory in Bali SHOULD do the quality control properly, your quality control inspection could be done randomly.
3. The Type of Services Offered by Clothing Manufacturer for Small Business
In general, there are two types of service that a clothing factory in Bali can offer:
3.1 CMT (Cut, Make, Trim)
The factory does not make the patterns, samples and do not pack your orders. It doesn’t do quality control either.
A clothing factory in Bali that offers CMT service might offer you cheaper cost. But you still have to do a lot of other works, and they all cost you more money and effort. CMT service is more suitable for established brands that have their own pattern makers, quality control, and posses good supply chain management.
3.2 FPP (Full Production Package)
A clothing factory in Bali that provides FPP service manages everything related to the Complete Garment Production Process; from product development to shipping your completed orders.
If you are looking for a Reliable Clothing Manufacturer for small business, then you should choose the one that offers FPP service. This kind of service frees you from a lot of works, so you can focus more on designing and marketing.
4. The Local Labor Law
By Indonesian law, the minimum wage in Bali as per 2024 is equivalent to around USD200 – 210 per month (on 40 work hours per week; not including over time).
Who will work for USD200 per month in America, Europe or Australia? But in Bali, that amount of money is enough for a family of 2 kids to live a decent life by local standards.
Let’s be honest; this “cheap” labour is one of the main attraction for international brands to have their production in Bali. The “cheapness” derives from the currency exchange. That’s just how it is.
So, even if you pay “cheap” service fees to a clothing factory in Bali, it does not mean that you are participating in “modern day slavery” because you are not! You just have to find out if the clothing factory is following the local labour law.
Apart from minimum wage, Indonesian law also rules that a clothing factory in Bali (actually all registered business entities) have to provide insurances for their employees. These insurances are run by the state and called “BPJS Kesehatan” (Health Care) and “BPJS Ketenagakerjaan” (coverage for work related injuries and also pension fund).
Bali based clothing manufacturers that offer very cheap service for local standards are likely to not following the rules of minimum wage and do not provided insurance coverages for their employees.
5. The Causes Supported
If you are looking for a clothing factory with a cause, then Bali is THE place. Some clothing factories in Bali state that they are supporting causes like ethical fashion, sustainability, eco friendly, inclusivity, etc. You can choose which one suits your views/taste/belief. They are all good, but only if they are evidently true.
The statements of “ethical”, “sustainable”, “eco friendly”, etc could be misleading. The factories’ definition of those statements might be different to yours. So, if you are looking for a sustainable clothing manufacturer in Bali, it’d be best to find out yourself whether the clothing factory could actually back the claim. Just remember that it is not realistic to expect such things as “ethical”, “sustainable”, or “eco friendly” but cheap.
Or, you can focus on the business side (cause or no cause); as long as the factory follow the rules and does not commit anything harmful to people, animals and the planet.