Wholesale clothing suppliers for retailers

This is a critical question for any retailer. The landscape of wholesale clothing suppliers is vast, and the right choice depends entirely on your store’s niche, price point, and target customer.

Here is a comprehensive guide to wholesale clothing suppliers for retailers, broken down by category.

1. Large B2B Marketplaces & Mainstream Wholesalers

These are massive directories or distributors with thousands of suppliers. They are excellent for research and finding a wide variety of goods.

Alibaba / AliExpress: The world’s largest B2B platform, primarily connecting you with manufacturers and wholesalers in China and Asia.
- Best for: Large volume orders, private label manufacturing, and finding trendy items at low prices.
- Considerations: High minimum order quantities (MOQs) on Alibaba, longer shipping times, and you must vet suppliers carefully. AliExpress is better for smaller quantities.
The Faire Marketplace: A hugely popular online wholesale marketplace that has revolutionized buying for independent boutiques.
- Best for: Discovering unique, independent, and trendy brands across clothing, accessories, and home goods.
- Considerations: They offer net-60 terms and free returns on first orders, which is a huge benefit for cash flow. The selection is curated and often more modern than traditional trade shows.
Tundra: A major competitor to Faire, offering a similar marketplace model with a vast range of products and no markups.
- Best for: Similar to Faire, a great place to discover new brands and shop easily.
- Considerations: Compare brands and pricing between Tundra and Faire, as they don’t always carry the same vendors.

2. Mainstream & Volume Fashion Wholesalers

These distributors carry well-known brands and large volumes of inventory, similar to the blank apparel giants but for finished, fashion goods.

M.G. EMBLEM: A major Canadian wholesaler (also ships to the US) with a huge catalog of branded and licensed apparel and accessories.
- Best for: Licensed goods (sports, entertainment), popular brands, and a wide assortment.
Beverly Hills Unlimited (BHU): A well-known distributor of trendy, fast-fashion styles for juniors, women, and men.
- Best for: Trend-driven retailers who need the latest styles quickly. They are known for a “Hollywood” vibe.
  
  Beverly Hills Unlimited (BHU)
DollarDays (a division of S&S Activewear): While S&S is known for blanks, their DollarDays division focuses on closeout and variety goods, including apparel.
- Best for: Discount stores, variety stores, or retailers looking for extreme value and bulk deals.
  
  dollardays
HAIYUAN (Industry leader, fast shipping, great clothing manufacturer): Although Haiyuan is known for its blank products, it focuses on wholesale of workwear and protective clothing.
- Best for: Companies, teams, dealers, distributors, etc.
  
  haiyuan clothing factory

3. Niche & Specialty Wholesalers

Your store’s identity will often be defined by the niches you serve.

Sustainable & Ethical Fashion

The Ethical Silk Company: For ethically produced silk clothing.
Pact: Wholesale organic cotton everyday wear.
Grow Collection: A curated showroom featuring independent, sustainable brands.

the ethical silk company

Plus Size

Ulla Popken: A well-established brand and wholesaler specializing in stylish plus-size women’s clothing.
Kiyonna: Offers wholesale for their line of chic and comfortable plus-size apparel.

ulla popken

Children & Baby

Magnolia Child: A wholesaler for a collection of boutique children’s clothing brands.

magnolia child
Jamie Kay: Wholesale for their popular line of classic, high-quality children’s wear.

jamie kay

Men’s Focused

Peter Manning NYC: Specializes in clothing proportioned for men of shorter stature (available for wholesale).

peter manning nyc
Fresh Clean Tees: A rising DTC brand that also offers wholesale for their popular premium tees and basics.

fresh clean tees

4. How to Find & Vet Suppliers: A Retailer’s Checklist

Define Your Niche & Customer: Before you search, know exactly who you’re buying for. Are they trendy teens, budget-conscious families, or luxury-minded professionals? This will dictate your supplier.
Obtain Your Business Licenses: You will need a Business License and a Resale Certificate (or Sales Tax ID) to open a wholesale account. This proves you are a legitimate business and allows you to buy goods tax-free (you collect sales tax later from the end customer).
Attend Trade Shows (Physical or Virtual): This is the best way to see products in person, meet brand reps, and build relationships.
- Magic (Las Vegas): One of the largest fashion trade shows in the US.
- Atlanta Apparel Market: A major market for contemporary, juniors, and children’s wear.
- Chicago Collective: Focused on men’s and women’s better apparel.
Order Samples, Always! Never commit to a large order without seeing the quality, fit, and finish of the product. This is non-negotiable.
Vet the Supplier:
- What are the MOQs? (Minimum Order Quantity). Can you meet them?
- What is the return/exchange policy? Is it flexible for damaged or unsold goods?
- How reliable is shipping? Ask for references from other retailers.
- Is their branding consistent with your store’s image?

Comparison Table: Marketplace vs. Direct Wholesaler

Feature	B2B Marketplace	Direct Wholesaler / Brand
Ease of Use	Excellent – One cart, one checkout for many brands.	Varies – Separate accounts and orders for each brand.
Discovery	Excellent – Built-in curation and recommendations.	Harder – Requires research and trade show attendance.
Pricing	May have slight markups, but terms are favorable.	Often the best possible price, buying direct.
Relationships	Transactional with the platform.	Direct with the brand; can lead to better deals and exclusivity.
Terms & Returns	Often very favorable (net-60, free returns).	Varies by brand; often less flexible.
Uniqueness	Can be saturated; other retailers in your area may be using the same platform.	Potential for more exclusive products if you build a strong relationship.

Final Advice: The best strategy for a successful retailer is often a mix: using marketplaces for discovery and convenience, while building direct relationships with a core group of 5-10 key brands that define your store’s identity.

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Wholesale clothing suppliers for retailers

Table of Contents

1. Large B2B Marketplaces & Mainstream Wholesalers