1. What
does FesslerUSA do? |
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| FesslerUSA provides design support services and
production services to the private label fashion knitwear
industry. |
|
| 2.
What are Design Support Services? |
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At FesslerUSA,
we make your prototypes and salesmen samples quickly
and professionally. Some customers
need more support than others. You may have an
internal design staff, while other customers rely on
FesslerUSA to bring them creative ideas.
All customers
look for some level of support in bringing new styles
to market.
Product lifecyle management begins with
the creative concept. Our design
support cuts your front end design and development time. So,
if speed to market is important to you, try FesslerUSA. |
|
3.
What are Production Services? |
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FesslerUSA is a vertical producer of garments, from
the knitting of your fabric to the shipping of your garments.
As
a 100% made-in-the-USA vertical manufacturer of knitwear garments,
we recognize that no two customers have exactly the same production
needs. We can provide pfd blanks
or full package, retail-ready garments.
This means we buy
the yarn, knit it into fabric at our in-house knitting facility,
then cut and sew it into garments. We
then ship bulk pfd or dye, print, press, fold, tag and bag
to your specifications. No more than you want. And
no less. |
|
| 4.
Why is FesslerUSA 100% made-in-the-USA? |
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Larger retailers
who import have long lead times and must commit to styles
and colors early in the season.
The typical FesslerUSA customer serves the ever-changing
high-end fashion tee market. Our customers want to
bring new styles to market quickly and in small lots, so
they can change colors quickly, increase production of hot
styles and colors with big sell-throughs, and drop styles
and colors that don’t
take off.
Combining made-in-the-USA with design support and
the technology of Gerber integrated patternmaking and cutting,
FesslerUSA has defined speed to market. |
|
| 5.
So where does FesslerUSA produce? |
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FesslerUSA
owns and operates a state-of-the-art knitting and cutting
facility and four sewing facilities, all in Pennsylvania. Our
corporate offices also house our design support services
group.
We currently employ over 250 hardworking individuals,
providing full benefits in a sweatshop-free environment. |
|
| 6.
How big is FesslerUSA? |
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We currently produce about 60,000 garments each week,
and have the capability to hit peak production of up to 100,000
per week.
But our average order size is about 1,200 units
of a style. So
we cut and sew about 60 different styles each week, across
an average of 15 different fabrics.
Most apparel producers
quiver at the thought of small lot production. At FesslerUSA,
we embrace diversity. |
|
| 7.
What markets do you serve? |
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| Mostly the Contemporary
and Junior markets. Quite a bit for the Children’s
and Missy markets as well. Less than 5% for the Men’s
and Boy’s
markets. |
|
| 8.
Who are your key customers? |
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Each of our more
than 100 active customers is a key customer. They
include designers, specialty stores and high-end department
stores. But one of the reasons you come to FesslerUSA
is the fact that we do not disclose our customer list nor
do we share your designs.
Our commitment to jealously guard
your confidentiality has won us the support and trust of
our customers. |
|
| 9.
What kinds of garments do you make? |
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| Mostly fashion tops and tanks, and some shorts, skirts,
and leggings, in a number of different fabrics, with
many different trims. |
|
| 10.
Where can I see the FesslerUSA line? |
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Part of our commitment to our customers is to remain
100% private label, so we have no label, we have no line.
We
do, however, offer pfd in-stock basics
with a care/content label. You may purchase these,
then dye and embellish them and add your own label. Or
we can sew your label in these garments either during or
after production, and can garment dye them to your custom
colors. |
|
| 11.
Why does FesslerUSA only produce Private Label? |
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We
produce garments for many different labels and different
designers. Almost
every style we make is a custom style, made to order. We
feel that producing our own label might put us in competition
with some of our customers. |
|
| 12.
Does FesslerUSA make basic tee shirts? |
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| We
sure do. We offer pre-made basic tees and tanks in
our in-stock program for women and
children. However, if you want a Hanes tee, or Hanes
pricing, you should probably go to Hanes. If you want
to make your basics unique with better fabrics, come to FesslerUSA. If
you are looking for a custom spec’d tee, a basic tee
made from high-end cotton, or a garment dyeable tee, you
have come to the right place. |
|
| 13.
Does FesslerUSA cut and sew? |
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| FesslerUSA is
not a cut and sew contractor. We are vertical. Soup
to nuts. We do it all—design support, prototypes,
salesmen samples, make our own fabric, bleach, dye, print,
cut, sew, wash, press, package, and ship. |
|
| 14.
What kind of fabrics does FesslerUSA knit? |
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| FesslerUSA produces a wide range of knit fabrics—1x1
ribs, 2x1 ribs, thermals – in 100% Cotton, Cotton blends,
Supimas®, Modals, needle outs, variegated ribs,
thermals, double knits. We do jersey knits in a full range
of weights as well. French terry and fleece. If you need
it, we will make it or source it. |
|
| 15.
What grades of cotton does FesslerUSA use? |
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As
a private label manufacturer, we make the fabric you want with
the grade of cotton you want.
Because we serve the high end
of the fashion tee market, most FesslerUSA customers request
100% American grown Supima® cotton, Upland ring
spun combed cotton as well as other high quality blends. We
are one of the largest users of Supima® cotton
in the USA.
In our quest to continually bring new and different
fabrics to market, we make fabrics from many different grades
of yarn. If
you want a low-priced open end carded fabric, no problem. |
|
| 16.
Will FesslerUSA source fabrics for me or do I have
to use fabrics knit by FesslerUSA? |
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| FesserUSA customers
request in-house-knit fabrics over 95 per cent of the time. For
established customers who use in-house-knit fabrics, however,
we cheerfully source fabrics that we don’t make. |
|
| 17.
Does FesslerUSA do tubular knitting? |
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We sure
do. Tubular knit fabrics permit garments without
sideseams. FesslerUSA has a full range of rib and jersey
machines, from children’s to adult sizes.
If
you want tubular garments to help you hit price points, we
can provide them. If your styles dictate side seaming, our
tubular fabrics knitting guarantees that fabric waste will
be at a minimum. |
|
| 18.
Does FesslerUSA stock garments/fabric in colors? |
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Sorry,
but no. We feel that this limits our customer’s
options. Most FesslerUSA customers prefer to have their
own colors. They’ll send in a swatch of fabric,
yarn or a Pantone number and we’ll match it. We lab
dip fast and accurate. Usually takes
about a week for most customers.
We do, however, have a
library of over 1,000 pre-engineered colors. So we
have a head-start in matching your custom colors. |
|
| 19.
So, what makes FesslerUSA different? |
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In a word, speed-to-market.
Certainly our ability to
make custom garments is key. Knitting
our own fabric is another reason. Our menu-driven production – from
blanks to “retail ready” – is also
key. But two things make us really different – our
design support services and our strength in garment dye. |
|
| 20.
What’s so special about FesslerUSA’s
Design Support Services? |
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At FesslerUSA, we embrace
design support services. Some
manufacturers make samples, but not as their business. Our
Design Support
Services Group is set up like a separate business
with its own production floor.
For starters, we have 5 Gerber
Silhouette pattern and marker making workstations. To
produce the sample lines for dozens of customers, we have
a dedicated staff of 20 employees (including 4 pattern makers,
a sewing construction engineer, an artist, dedicated sample
cutters and sewers). Our
sample cutting and sewing rooms are the size of some of our
competitor’s production facilities. |
|
| 21.
What’s so special about Garment Dye? |
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| Many
companies produce garment dye apparel, but few do it as their
primarly business, and no one has done it longer than FesslerUSA. We
are one of the few manufacturers who really understand it.
We built our design support, knitting, production and quality
systems around garment dyeing and have worked with most garment
dyers all over the country. |
|
| 22. What makes FesslerUSA’s ability to garment
dye special? |
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Garment dyeing requires a lot of experience – in
the making fabric, finishing fabric, and sewing. The fabric must
be knit and prepared for dye consistently – inside
each lot and from lot-to-lot.
This requires more careful knitting,
specs, special finishing, shrink testing fabric before cutting,
pattern adjustments, and the use of special threads when
sewing. FesslerUSA
garments are made with special care from the yarn to the
shipping carton. |
|
| 23. Where does FesslerUSA garment dye? |
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| We partner with dye houses in Pensylvania and New Jersey
who dye a full range of quantities, from small to very large.
We also use specialty dyers for things like pigment dye and
tie-dye. |
|
| 24. What if I want to do my own garment dye? |
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| Many
of our customers buy undyed blanks that are prepared-for-dye
(pfd). They often want to dye their tops with other garments
in their line, so they are the same color. They always
want to minimize inventory of unsold, dyed garments, which
is the beauty of garment dye. |
|
| 25. What if I want piece-dyed goods? |
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| No problem.
FesslerUSA does piece dye for a number of customers – and
we do it well. |
|
| 26. So, FesslerUSA makes blanks and dyed goods? |
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| You’ve
got it. Every customer has different needs. If you want blanks
to embellish, no problem. We will dye your goods, press them,
hang tag, bag, box, and ship, just about anything. Tell us
what works best for you, and we take it from there. |
|
| 27. What kind of embellishing does FesslerUSA do? |
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| We do many different trims and treatments. We also do
fabric printing, and screen printing, as well as contrast stitching.
Not everything, but always ask. We rarely, but occasionally
say no. |
|
| 28. Will FesslerUSA carry stock for me in a custom
style? |
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| FesslerUSA is a made-to-order company,
so for custom styles, we only make what you order and purchase. However,
if it is a recurring style, we often make and stock the fabric
for that style. For some larger customers, we do bill – and – hold
blanks, then dye them to your colors as you need them. |
|
| 29. Tell me more about FesslerUSA’s screenprinting
and embroidery capabilities – do you do this in-house? |
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| FesslerUSA
uses a few dedicated screen print and embroidery contractors
who can do most prints and embroideries. If
you want something wild and crazy, we have several other
specialty contractors that we turn to. |
|
| 30. What about designing screen prints? |
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| We work
three ways. Because we have an in-house artist,
we can do whatever is best for you. You can (1) give
us your finished artwork and separations, (2) give
us artwork or pictures, and we will clean them up and create
the separations, (3) give us a concept and we will develop
and propose artwork for you to select from (for a nominal
fee). |
|
| 31. How do most customers work with FesslerUSA? |
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| Most customers have us develop a first sample for approval,
make salesman samples, then place production orders based
on customer demand. |
|
| 32. Ok, what is the best way to get started with FesslerUSA? |
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| First,
let us make a sample or quote a price, or both. Send us a
sample of the garment, or a set of specs, a picture, or a drawing.
We will then quote
or create a sample based on this. |
|
| 33. What if I like an existing FesslerUSA body? |
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| No problem. We will send a sample and you can tell us
how to modify it to meet your specs. |
|
| 34. How long does the sample process take? |
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| Usually it takes about two weeks for the first sample
and pattern. If there are no revisions, a production approval
form and a price will be sent to you to sign off on. If revisions
are necessary and another sample is needed, plan on another
two weeks. If another sample is not needed, we can proceed
to production. (Prior to major shows, sample lead times might
be extended if necessary.) |
|
| 35. How do I place a production order with FesslerUSA? |
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For
most customers, the process is relatively simple. Once
you approve the sample, you may send, fax, or email an order,
either directly to the company or through your sales representative.
We
in turn will review the production schedule and send an order
confirmation, confirming the ship date, order details, and
price. When you sign the confirmation, we will
schedule the order. We, of course, will tailor our
process to meet the needs of larger customers with more sophisticated
purchase order systems. |
|
| 36. Tell me about terms and the credit approval process. |
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| FesslerUSA
is a private label manufacturer that does not value price.
So our terms for most customers are 30 days. Net
30 payment terms are available to customers who meet the
credit requirements of our credit insurance carrier. We generally
ask you to submit a credit application when
you request a sample. Until your credit application is approved,
we may ask you to pre-pay for samples. |
|
| 37. Who will I work with at
FesslerUSA? |
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| At FesslerUSA, we have two major departments. If
you are ordering dyed goods, you will be ultimately be working
with the Retail Department. If you are ordering pfgd blanks,
you will work with our Wholesale Department. Each department
has a Design Support Services Coordinator, to guide you through
the design/sample process, and a production coordinator,
to monitor your order through the production process.
In any event, you may be assigned a sales representative
or you may work directly with the FesslerUSA staff. |
|
| 38.
How close will the production garments match the sample
garments and specifications? |
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|
Of course, our goal is that
they will match 100% of the time.
Because we work with knitted fabrics made from mostly
natural fibers that are garment dyed after the manufacturing
of the garment, there will be some variation
from original samples. Our production tolerances
are consistent within commercially acceptable
industry standards. It is suggested that each customer
discusses production tolerances with Design
Support Services prior
to submitting production orders. |
|
| 39.
If I want to receive 1,000 garments, how many garments
need I order? |
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If you are purchasing retail ready garments, you should
order exactly the number of garments that you need.
You should know, however, that FesslerUSA will produce
more garments than you order to provide for normal
working losses. Our customer service representative
will establish a level of overproduction for your garments
and orders depending on the fabric, complexity of the
garment, and your expectations. If working losses are
less than expected, FesslerUSA generally reserves the
right to overship the quantities ordered.
If you are purchasing PFD blanks for garment dye,
we strongly urge you to purchase more than the number
of garments you ultimately need to fill your customers’ orders
in order to provide for working losses that you will
experience after purchase as part of the garment dye
and screenprinting processes. Most customers generally
purchase an extra 5% for each process. |
|
| 40.
What is Organic cotton? |
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| Organic cotton
is grown without the use of any harmful fertilizers or
pesticides. Conventional cotton farming uses a
high volume of both fertilizers and pesticides that can
be harmful to the environment. |
|
| 41.
What is Bamboo fabric? |
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| Bamboo is
a renewable fiber made from bamboo trees which grow
widely throughout Asian countries. It is a natural
textile with its own unique advantages: breathable
and cool, with a nice luster, natural antibacterial
properties and fast water absorption performance. Bamboo
fabrics are also biodegradable. |
