Home studio lingerie maker for indie labels

Independent lingerie and loungewear labels, new designers who need samples, and small online brands that are not ready for a large overseas factory.

A price per piece for production runs, plus a separate fee for samples, pattern corrections and small test batches. Rates usually rise with the complexity of the garment.

• Sewing stretch fabrics, lace and elastics on industrial machines
• Reading patterns and tech packs
• Consistent quality and fit checking
• Planning your time around deadlines

• Check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence and allows light manufacturing at home
• Check that your home insurance covers business equipment and stock, and consider commercial general liability insurance
• Check Canadian textile labelling rules (fibre content, care labels, dealer identification) and who is responsible, you or the brand
• Specialist elastics, lace and notions can be hard to source in small amounts, so confirm suppliers early
• Piece-rate work is slow at first, so be careful not to underprice your time

Estimated startup costs are typically around $3,000 to $12,000, depending on the machines, tools and materials you buy. Specialist elastics, lace and notions can be hard to source in small amounts, so confirm suppliers early.

Check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence and allows light manufacturing at home. Also check that your home insurance covers business equipment and stock, and Canadian textile labelling rules covering fibre content, care labels and dealer identification.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue typically around $1,500 to $6,000, depending on how many samples and small runs you take on. Piece-rate work is slow at first, so be careful not to underprice your time. Plan on at least about 15 hours a week.