Private But Not Peculiar

And, for those wondering about the cost of private-label apparel when matched up against standard branded apparel, Barreca said, “When a distributor or client chooses to label with their own name, then they have more control over the price and margin since it’s basically a blind sale.”

Kunitz agreed, saying the costs are comparable. “[Private labeling] can be done without a major investment because the merchandise can be obtained at costs not much different than branded goods, if planned right and supplied by flexible manufacturers,” he said.

Speaking of being flexible, Barreca further urged distributors to be fair and honest when it comes to selling private-label apparel. “When creating a private-label line for a company, it’s important to keep the level of quality equal across the products,” she said. “You wouldn’t want to mix lower quality garments with higher-end products and market them under the same label.”

Private-label apparel continues to make inroads in the industry. There is a small but growing list of suppliers that offer the service, and oth distributors and their clients can benefit from this unique form of self promotion.