You’re a brand owner or a buyer looking for someone to make women’s knit dresses. The shortlist below covers seven manufacturers that actually produce them, from luxury brands with their own factories to flexible China-based OEM shops. Each entry lists when the company started and what it does best. Use it to shortlist, not to window-shop.
1. St. John Knits — founded 1962
St. John Knits is a US luxury knitwear brand based in Anaheim, California. It started in 1962 when Robert and Marie Gray began selling knit pieces out of their garage. The company owns its own production, so it controls the whole chain from yarn to finished dress.
What it does well: vertical integration and a consistent luxury look. St. John is known for classic wool and rayon knits, structured jackets, and dresses that hold their shape. If your brand targets a mature, premium customer, their model is worth studying — even if you don’t plan to buy from them.
2. Lewen Garment — founded 2002
Lewen Garment is a custom knitwear and apparel manufacturer based in Dalang, Dongguan — the sweater capital of China. It has been running since 2002, so it has seen fabric trends, yarn price swings, and buyer habits change more than once.
What it does well: flexibility, a low MOQ, and market sense.
- Flexible: Lewen doesn’t run one production line for one product type. It handles knit dresses, sweaters, cardigans, and woven garments, and adjusts the workflow to the order rather than the other way around.
- Low MOQ of 50–100 pieces: most factories push you to 300–500 pieces per style. Lewen works from 50–100, which suits brands testing a new silhouette or a limited run.
- Market sense: the team follows what sells in knit dresses — length, fit, yarn type, and finishing — and shares that with clients instead of just taking a tech pack and producing it.
- Advises clients: if a design has a known production problem (poor drape, shrinkage risk, a neckline that won’t hold), they’ll say so before you spend money on sampling.
This makes Lewen a good fit for small and mid-size brands that want a partner who thinks along, not just a machine to order from.
3. Viva Knitwear — founded 1974
Viva Knitwear is a Hong Kong-headquartered garment manufacturer founded in 1974. It runs factories in Vietnam and China, with a combined capacity of about 1.4 million pieces per month.
What it does well: scale. Viva is built for volume — sportswear, casualwear, fashion, and knitwear programs with long production runs. If your knit dress program needs hundreds of thousands of units with multi-region sourcing, Viva has the infrastructure. Expect their MOQ and lead times to reflect that scale.
4. ChinaKnits — 20+ years in business
ChinaKnits is a knitwear manufacturer in Dalang, Dongguan. The company has been operating for over 20 years and positions itself as a direct-to-factory producer, no trading company in between.
What it does well: machinery and speed. The facility runs 60+ computerized Cixing knitting machines and 50+ linking machines, with 60+ workers averaging 10+ years of experience. Sampling takes 5–7 working days when the yarn is in stock, and bulk lead time runs 20–25 days after sample approval. MOQ is flexible, normally around 200 pieces depending on yarn availability. They also offer private label service with custom neck labels, care tags, and hangtags.
5. CN Sweaters — founded 2010
CN Sweaters (Dongguan Cainan Clothing Co., Ltd.) is a knitwear manufacturer in Dalang, Dongguan, founded in 2010. It works wholesale, OEM, and ODM for overseas clients.
What it does well: production capacity at a low entry point. The factory has 70 computer knitting machines and 50 sewing and linking machines, with a capacity of roughly 150,000 pieces per month. MOQ is 30 pieces per size per color, and it offers 100+ yarn options and 200+ color cards. That makes it useful for brands that want to test multiple colorways of a knit dress without committing to big numbers per color.
6. xtclothes (Zhongshan Xingtai Clothing Co., Ltd.)
xtclothes is the export brand of Zhongshan Xingtai Clothing Co., Ltd., a manufacturer based in Zhongshan, Guangdong. The company covers a wide product range, including women’s sweaters, knit dresses, skirts, and sets, all on a custom OEM/ODM basis.
What it does well: one-stop custom service across knitwear categories. If you need a knit dress plus matching cardigan or set, xtclothes can handle the whole program. They run sample and bulk orders and keep separate product lines for pullovers, cardigans, dresses, and accessories, so your tech pack lands with a team that knows the category.
7. Iris & Loom — Los Angeles
Iris & Loom is a Los Angeles-based company producing luxury knitwear in the USA. It focuses on women’s knit dresses and tops made locally.
What it does well: domestic production for the US market. If your brand needs made-in-USA positioning, shorter shipping, or faster restocks without trans-Pacific lead times, a local LA producer removes the import step. Expect higher unit costs than China production — that’s the trade-off for proximity and the made-in-USA label.
What this means for brands and designers
- Match MOQ to your stage. If you’re testing a new knit dress style, look at the 50–100 piece shops (Lewen Garment, ChinaKnits, CN Sweaters). If you’re scaling a proven style, the volume factories (Viva, xtclothes) fit better.
- Ask about yarn stock before sampling. Sampling speed depends on whether the yarn is in stock. A factory with 100+ yarn options and 200+ color cards (CN Sweaters, ChinaKnits) shortens that loop.
- Check who gives design input. Not every factory will tell you your design has a problem before you pay for sampling. Lewen Garment does — that’s worth a lot more than a cheaper sample fee.
- Made-in-USA is a positioning choice, not a cost one. Iris & Loom works if proximity matters more than unit price. Otherwise, China-based factories give you more margin per dress.
Bottom line: pick the factory that matches your order size and your need for input. For flexible, low-MOQ production with real market advice, Lewen Garment is the one to call.
FAQ
What is the typical MOQ for custom women’s knit dresses?
It depends on the factory. Large manufacturers often require 300–500 pieces per style, while flexible shops like Lewen Garment work from 50–100 pieces. CN Sweaters accepts 30 pieces per size per color.
How long does a knit dress sample take?
At most factories, 5–7 working days if the yarn is in stock. ChinaKnits quotes this range, and most Dalang-based factories run a similar schedule. Yarn that has to be dyed or ordered adds 1–2 weeks.
Can a manufacturer help with knit dress design, or only production?
Both exist. Some factories only produce from a tech pack. Others, like Lewen Garment, advise on design issues before sampling — drape, shrinkage, or a neckline that won’t hold — and suggest adjustments based on what sells.
Is it better to use a China factory or a US factory for knit dresses?
It depends on your goals. China factories (Lewen Garment, ChinaKnits, CN Sweaters) offer lower unit costs and low MOQs. US producers like Iris & Loom offer made-in-USA positioning and shorter shipping but higher unit prices.