What is Contract Sewing?

From Idea to Production: How Contract Sewing Brings Products to Life

Have you ever had an idea that you knew could be really successful but lacked the technical ability to pull it off? In the world of soft goods, contract sewing fulfills this role. Contract sewing companies take a prototype or an existing product and produce it on a mass scale. There are thousands of products that are made using cut-and-sew shops.

So, what is contract sewing? A company designs a product. They have a prototype, a sketch, or a CAD design. A contract sewing manufacturer produces it, providing manufacturing expertise. The customer continues to own the design; the sewing contractor merely provides the manufacturing expertise.

Industries That Use Contract Sewing

Contract sewing companies serve many industries, including:

Military

• Government subcontracting is a major part of contract sewing. Products include uniforms, MOLLE pouches, tactical bags, rucksacks, equipment covers, ammunition pouches, protective cases, and other mission-specific sewn gear.

Medical

• Medical kits, first aid kits, equipment covers, transport bags, protective cases, instrument pouches, patient support products, and other specialized fabric goods.

Industrial

• Industrial sewing supports a wide range of applications, including filter bags, equipment cases, machine covers, protective sleeves, tool bags, straps, material handling totes, and custom fabric components.

OEM

• OEM products are sewn components that become part of another company’s final product. Examples include drill bags, power tool bags, protective covers, carrying cases, storage pouches, and custom accessories designed for specific equipment.

Outdoor

• Outdoor products require durable materials and construction. Contract sewing companies produce bear-proof bags, backpacks, rucksacks, tents, camping equipment bags, protective covers, and other rugged outdoor gear.

Safety

• Safety products include high-visibility gear, protective covers, waste disposal bags, safety equipment bags, protective sleeves, work gear, and other sewn products designed for demanding environments.

Automotive

• Automotive manufacturers use sewn products for applications such as tool bags, cargo organizers, protective covers, luggage straps, storage pouches, seat components, and other interior textile components.

Aerospace

• Aerospace sewing applications include aircraft equipment covers, storage bags, maintenance tool bags, cargo restraints, protective covers, insulation blankets, and other specialized sewn components.

Sporting Goods

• Contract sewing companies manufacture sporting goods such as tennis bags, golf bags, gym bags, equipment cases, weight belts, protective gear bags, and carrying cases for recreational equipment.

How Does the Contract Sewing Process Work?

Let’s say you come up with the idea for a bag that has a special pocket in it that perfectly fits your multitool. Since it will be used outdoors, it needs to be durable in a way a rookie sewer would not be able to replicate without an industrial sewing machine and, frankly, design knowledge that only comes from experience. It needs premium materials—maybe Cordura, or even Kevlar. Each piece needs to look identical, with neat seams and straight zippers. So, when you lack the knowledge to produce your great idea, where do you go?
The first step would be to reach out to a contract sewing company. Contract sewing companies like Bearse USA have the infrastructure already in place to bring your custom sewn product into reality.

What is the next step after reaching out to a contract sewer? After the initial conversation, the drawings and samples are reviewed. Material like Cordura, canvas, ballistic nylon, ripstop nylon, mesh, webbing, hook & loop and foam are all are selected, and if needed, a prototype is made and sent to the customer for approval. After the contractor determines the amount of labor that goes into making the piece and adds up the total cost of the materials they will need to purchase to make the product, a price is provided to the customer. Once production is approved, manufacturing begins.

The customer brings the concept, the design, and the vision to the sewing contractor, and the sewing contractor handles the production of the product.

Why Do Companies Use Contract Sewing?

Why would a business contract another company instead of building its own factory? The overhead of starting a sewing factory can be enormous, from purchasing sewing equipment and specialty cutting equipment to finding enough skilled labor to bring your vision to life. That’s not even touching on building vendor relationships or being able to order the minimum order quantity for a fabric that doesn’t have multiple uses in your product lineup. Even if you do have your own workshop, sometimes it is more cost-effective to outsource. Maybe your machines are already occupied with other orders. Maybe you have a rush job that just needs to get done. From the entrepreneur just starting out to the established manufacturer, contract sewing serves a variety of needs.

Specialized Equipment Used in Contract Sewing

At Bearse USA, we have been in the cut-and-sew business for over one hundred years. In our factory, we have all the specialty sewing equipment you could want, including electronic single-needle, double-needle, long-arm, cylinder-arm, bar tacker, and programmable tacker machines. These machines allow us to reinforce seams, sew complex shapes, and produce a premium product far beyond what is possible for the average sewer at home.

One relatively standard feature that cut-and-sew shops have that makes them a go-to choice is their industrial grommet machines. While it is possible to place a grommet by hand, it can take a couple of minutes for a novice maker, meaning only 40–150 pieces can be placed in an hour. With our grommet machines, we are able to place 450–1,000 grommets an hour with just one machine.

But before sewing, before punching grommets, the fabric must be cut. Panels of fabric are sewn together to make a finished good, but how do you get the panels? Certainly, you can take a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife and carefully lay out each pattern piece and hope for the best as you repeat this action for fifty or one hundred bags. But even before your hand gets tired, you’re going to run into issues of waste and consistency. Wastage is the scourge of mass production, no matter the industry, and if you are using specialty or premium fabric, inefficient cutting can get costly quickly.

Each sewing contractor approaches cutting differently, and different materials have different cutting requirements. At Bearse USA, we have multiple cutting options. We have strip-cutters, for webbing and velcro rolls. Our two Gerber GTxL machines allow for multiple sheets of material to be cut quickly. Our Autometrix Radium cutter handles thicker material like a dream for precise cuts. Instead of just one layer of fabric, these cutters can cut 30, 50, or 100 layers simultaneously.

Our flagship cutters are our laser cutters, offering unparalleled consistency and detail on items like MOLLE packs and custom backpacks. All of these machines ensure consistency across every cut so that each finished product stays identical to the first.

Bringing Your Product to Market

Bringing a sewn product to market requires much more than knowing how to operate a sewing machine. It involves engineering, material sourcing, specialized equipment, quality control, and efficient production processes. Whether you’re an entrepreneur with your first prototype or an established manufacturer looking to expand production capacity, partnering with an experienced contract sewing manufacturer allows you to focus on your product while experts handle the manufacturing.

With more than 100 years of experience, Bearse USA combines specialized equipment, skilled operators, and domestic manufacturing to help customers bring custom sewn products from concept to production. If you’re ready to discuss your next project, contact us to see how we can help.