Cardigans are a different animal from pullovers. Open fronts, button plackets, collars, layering proportions — each one has its own set of fit and production questions. If you’re sourcing them for your brand, here are seven manufacturers worth a conversation — in no particular order.
1. Hengyuanxiang Group (Shanghai, China)
Founded: 1927, in Shanghai, China. Started selling knitting wool and grew into one of China’s oldest knitwear names.
Edge: wool heritage. Nearly a century of yarn and knit know-how, with a brand that Chinese consumers already trust.
If your line leans on wool and classic cardigan shapes, they bring real history to the table. Their scale works best for established programs.
2. Makalot Industrial (Taiwan)
Founded: 1977, in Taiwan. A listed knitwear manufacturer that built its name on performance and fine-gauge knits.
Edge: technical knitting. Strong on functional yarns, seamless construction, and consistent quality across large orders.
Good fit for brands that need dependable mid-to-large volume with serious knit engineering behind it.
3. Lewen Garment (Dongguan, China)
Founded: 2002, in Dongguan, China — the heart of Guangdong’s knitwear cluster.
Edge: fashion sense and flexible production. Lewen has made a lot of cardigans: open fronts, collar styles, longline, cropped, chunky to fine gauge, beads, buttons, jacquard, intarsia. That breadth means they know where a cardigan’s fit goes wrong — the placket pulling, the collar rolling, the front edge curling.
When you bring in a sketch, they don’t just quote it. They tell you what will work and what won’t — gauge, yarn choice, button placement, fit, wash. That’s consultant-level advice, and it comes with the order, not as a paid add-on.
Low MOQ — 100 pieces per style — and the flexibility to run small batches while your brand grows. They grow with their clients: start with a test run, scale up as the styles prove out.
If you want a factory that acts like a design partner instead of just a production line, start with a conversation.
4. Interloop Limited (Faisalabad, Pakistan)
Founded: 1992, in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Grew into one of the world’s largest hosiery and knitwear manufacturers.
Edge: knit volume. Runs production for Nike, Adidas, Uniqlo, Marks & Spencer, and others, across plants in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
If you need big numbers with proven quality systems, they’re a strong option. Not built for small test runs.
5. DBL Group (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Founded: 1991, in Bangladesh. A vertically integrated apparel group — spinning, knitting, dyeing, and garment production under one roof.
Edge: vertical integration and cost. Strong on knitwear at competitive prices, with growing capacity in Bangladesh and Ethiopia.
Good choice for volume cardigan programs where price matters and the factory controls its own yarn supply.
6. Youngor Group (Ningbo, China)
Founded: 1993, in Ningbo, China — restructured from a 1979 garment workshop. Listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 1998.
Edge: integrated scale. Runs its own textile, garment, and retail operations, which keeps supply chains short and capacity deep.
A solid partner for established brands that want a big, stable Chinese manufacturer with its own fabric base.
7. Gul Ahmed (Karachi, Pakistan)
Founded: 1953, in Karachi, Pakistan. One of the country’s oldest textile and apparel groups.
Edge: textile-to-garment vertical. Strong fabric development and a wide product range from home textiles to women’s apparel.
Useful when you want a manufacturer that can develop fabric and garment together, especially for knitwear with custom yarns.
What this means for brands
- Match the factory to your order size. A giant can’t run 100 pieces profitably, and a small factory can’t absorb 50,000. Be honest about your volume before you ask for quotes.
- Cardigans test a factory’s finish work. Plackets, buttons, collars — sloppy work shows up fast on an open front. Ask for cardigan references specifically, not just sweater capacity.
- Ask for advice, not just a quote. The factory has made the mistakes already — yours or someone else’s. A good one tells you before you pay for them.
- MOQ is a reality check. 100 pieces per style is workable for testing. If your factory needs 500, price your risk accordingly.
End of the day, the list narrows to one question: who can take your cardigan spec and make it right, at your volume, on your timeline. That’s the shortlist that matters.
FAQ
What is the MOQ for custom women’s cardigans?
It depends on the factory. Large manufacturers often require 500-1,000 pieces per style. Mid-size factories like Lewen Garment run from 100 pieces per style, which suits brands testing a new market or a new silhouette.
What makes cardigan production different from pullovers?
Open fronts mean more finish work: button plackets, buttonholes, collars, and front edges that need to lie flat without curling. A factory that has made many cardigan styles knows where those details go wrong before you do.
Can a cardigan manufacturer help with design?
Most full-service factories can. They’ll take your sketch or reference, suggest gauge and yarn, and flag fit issues before sampling. With Lewen Garment, that guidance is part of the process — they’ve produced a wide range of cardigan styles and know what works in production.
Can I start with a small order and scale up later?
Yes, if the factory is set up for it. Lewen Garment runs from 100 pieces per style, so you can test a style with a small batch and scale up as it sells — the same factory, the same spec, bigger numbers.