There are four real clothing manufacturers in Seattle, not ten, and any page that says otherwise is selling you something. King County, the whole county around Seattle, had just 44 private apparel manufacturing establishments in 2024. Between them they employed 780 people (BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, NAICS 315, private ownership). That count sweeps in sample rooms, accessory sewers, and shops that mostly do alterations.
So this is a list of four: the Seattle sewing shops we could check on their own websites or in a local maker directory, with what each one publishes about minimums, fees and lead times. Then a section on development and pattern work, which is what this city is truly good at. Then a plain answer to the question everyone arrives with, which is what to do when four shops don't cover your volume.
About us: OneAim places and manages production with documented clothing factories in the United States. The companies below are independent Seattle businesses listed on public sources, not members of our group. What OneAim does instead: we place your production with a documented factory in our group built for your product.
The short list
- Four, not ten. Seattle has four sewing shops we could check on their own sites or in the Seattle Made directory. A name on a "top 10" list is not proof that a factory exists.
- Published minimums are real but small. Sewn Goods quotes 25 to 300 pieces, Satsuma Designs 200 per style, and Pham Sewing 250 units for bags and accessories.
- The base is shrinking. King County apparel employment fell from 1,046 jobs in 2020 to 780 in 2024, a 25.4% decline in four years (BLS QCEW).
- Seattle is where technical outerwear is designed, not where it's sewn. Seattle's outdoor apparel cluster is a brand cluster. It is not available factory capacity.
- What Seattle is good at: development. Patterns, grading, samples, tech packs, and small runs up to roughly 1,000 units. That's a real strength.
- Domestic costs money for a reason. King County apparel manufacturing pays an average of $68,216 a year (BLS QCEW). That wage sits inside your unit price.
Free estimate: calculate your landed cost with our garment cost calculator in about a minute. No email needed.
How many clothing manufacturers does Seattle actually have?
Four that we can verify as cut-and-sew production shops. The federal count is bigger but tells the same story: 44 private apparel establishments across all of King County in 2024, down from 55 in 2022. Statewide, Washington had 93 establishments and 1,124 apparel jobs, with employment down 6.0% year over year.
Why NAICS 315 is a wide net
Read that number with care, because NAICS 315 is a wide net. It counts sample rooms, accessory sewers, one-person shops, and stores whose real trade is alterations. So 44 is the ceiling on apparel firms of any kind here. The number that will take a production order from an outside brand is a small slice of it. Four isn't a gap in the research. Four is the market.
What King County jobs have done
Bottom line: King County, Washington, which contains Seattle, had 44 private apparel manufacturing establishments and 780 apparel manufacturing jobs in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (NAICS 315). Employment fell 25.4% from 1,046 jobs in 2020. That establishment count includes sample rooms and accessory sewers, not only garment factories.
How did we choose these manufacturers?
We listed only companies with proof they exist and sew for other brands in or near Seattle. That means a live company website that spells out cut-and-sew work, or an entry in Seattle Made, the local maker directory run by the Seattle Good Business Network, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
What we refused to count: names that appear only on "top 10 clothing manufacturers in Seattle" articles. Many of those pages exist to collect sourcing leads, and a name on one of those lists is not proof a factory exists. We also left out brands that sew their own products in-house. A brand's own sewing room is not capacity you can book.
Who are the real clothing manufacturers in Seattle?
Four shops. Sewn Goods and Satsuma Designs are the closest thing Seattle has to development-to-production factories. JH Sewing is a contract sewer with independent local-directory verification. Pham Sewing is real but leans heavily toward bags and accessories.
Sewn Goods (1913 E Alder St, Seattle, WA 98122)
The most complete address in the city. Sewn Goods describes itself as a Seattle apparel service offering pattern making, grading, design development and sample making for menswear, womenswear, bags and soft luggage. It also runs cut-and-sew manufacturing in what it calls its own U.S. factory, with a published micro and low MOQ of 25 to 300 pieces. Both halves under one roof is rare here, and it matters. The other route is to pay one company for your patterns, then explain the garment all over again to a second company that has to sew it.
The product list is specific. On the knit side, Sewn Goods names sweatshirts, hoodies, joggers and sweatpants, T-shirts, technical base and mid layer thermals, leggings and activewear, sewn on flat seam machines for fabrics from light spandex to heavy fleece. On the woven side it names five-pocket jeans, chinos, double front work pants, button-up shirts, coveralls, jackets and coats.
Its rates page is just as plain. Pattern making, markers, design development, sample making, sourcing and tech packs are billed at $125 an hour with a two-hour minimum. Grading is $100 per size for styles with 5 pieces or less. Booking a project takes 50% of the estimated total, and card payments carry a 4% processing fee. To quote, it asks for a tech pack, or at least sketches, reference products and fabric and trim details, and it says email is the best way to reach it because it cannot return every call.
Satsuma Designs (Seattle, WA)
The only Seattle shop here that prints real numbers. Satsuma runs full-service sewn product work, from pattern making through cutting, sewing, and production runs. It also sells its own products, including school uniforms, baby clothes, pet beds and French terry loungewear. The stated minimum is 200 units depending on style, including three sizes and two thread changes, and units outside that range cost 10% more. Sample fees start at $400 per style, orders take a 50% deposit, and turnaround is typically 4 to 8 weeks from the time all materials arrive and samples are approved. One limit to know before you ship: fabric must come on rolls no heavier than 30 lbs.
The fine print matters more here than anywhere else in the city. Satsuma bills communication time: its hourly rate is $200, billed in 6-minute increments, and changes after the sample are additional billed time. Per-piece prices are valid for 30 days from sample to purchase order. Every style needs a pattern and a tech pack that includes sewing operations. If you run short of fabric or trims, it charges its hourly rate plus a $100 minimum charge on the purchase order, and card payments carry a 3% fee.
It is also a social enterprise with a no-waste model. Offcuts get shredded to fill its pet bed liners, and to work with Satsuma you agree to consider promoting those pet beds to your audience. If that does not fit your brand, know it going in.
JH Sewing (Seattle, WA)
The best-verified shop in this list. JH Sewing is listed in Seattle Made, the local maker directory run by the Seattle Good Business Network. A curated directory entry is better proof than an SEO listing. It does contract sewing and garment work: pattern design, marker making, laser and clicker cutting. It sews pants, shorts, jackets, shirts, and luggage, plus embroidery, alterations, and zipper repair. Its range runs from prototypes up to 1,000-plus units, the highest stated ceiling we found in Seattle. The catch: its listing says it works using your fabrics and trims, so plan to buy and deliver materials yourself.
Pham Sewing (Seattle, WA)
Real, but narrower. Pham Sewing describes itself as a cut-and-sew manufacturer for established brands and start-ups, specializing in bags and accessories, and says it was established in 1992. Its capabilities are described only on its own website, so treat the detail as self-reported, and the soft-goods bias means it isn't a general apparel factory. If your product is a tote, a pack, or a pouch, call it first. If it's a graded size run of dresses, call someone else.
Unlike most shops here, Pham publishes its numbers. It states a low minimum order of 250 units, a typical sample turnaround of 5 to 10 business days, and a typical lead time of 4 to 6 weeks depending on sewing requirements, quantity and materials. It says a pre-production sample is always provided for approval, that its team inspects 100% of the products it makes, and that it offers barcoding, hang tags and poly bagging. Its listed materials include leather, waxed canvas, nylons and recycled materials.
| Company | Location | Type | Published MOQ | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sewn Goods | E Alder St, Seattle | Development + cut-and-sew | 25 to 300 pieces | Company website |
| Satsuma Designs | Seattle | Development + cut-and-sew | 200 units, depending on style | Company website, published terms |
| JH Sewing | Seattle | Contract sewing | Prototype to 1,000+ units | Seattle Made directory |
| Pham Sewing | Seattle | Cut-and-sew, bags and accessories | 250 units | Company website only |
| MADE Apparel Services | Renton (Seattle metro) | Development studio, not a factory | N/A, development work | Company website |
Source: company websites and the Seattle Made manufacturer directory (Seattle Good Business Network), 2024 to 2026. MOQ, capacity, and turnaround figures are the companies' own published statements and were not independently audited. MADE Apparel Services is listed as a development resource and is not counted among the four manufacturers.
Where should you go for patterns, samples, and tech packs?
To a development studio, and Seattle has a good one. MADE Apparel Services in Renton, inside the Seattle metro, is a sewn product development studio. Founded in 2020, it covers pattern making in CLO3D on Alvanon digital forms, sewn samples, pattern grading, tech packs and ongoing consulting through manufacturing. Heather Zager is its owner and founder; she says she has over 10 years of experience in apparel product development and now teaches at Seattle Central College.
Read this line twice
Read this line twice, because the SEO pages get it wrong all the time. MADE is not a factory. It gets a product ready to be made, then hands it to an outside factory. That is a real service and it belongs in your plan, but not in a factory count. Sewn Goods offers the same development work next to its own sewing line if you would rather keep both under one roof. Either way, show up with a tech pack, or expect to pay someone to build one.
Our take: Cities that are long on development and short on sewing lines set one costly trap. A brand pays a local studio for lovely patterns and a perfect sample. Then it learns that nobody nearby will sew a full production run, and the pattern may need rework for whichever factory takes the order. Decide where the sewing will happen before the pattern is cut, not after, and share the factory's construction notes with your pattern maker.
Isn't Seattle a technical apparel hub?
It is a technical apparel brand hub, which is not the same thing, and the gap will cost you months if you get it wrong. The Seattle area is home to the head offices of well-known outdoor apparel brands. But that is a design, marketing, and buying cluster.
We could not verify any Seattle contract factory that sews for outside brands at technical-outerwear scale. Put plainly: Seattle is where technical outerwear gets designed. It is almost never where it gets sewn. A brand with its head office here is not a factory here. A local label sewing its own product in its own back room is not capacity you can book. If a directory page hints otherwise, that is the tell that you are reading a content mill.
What does the establishment count really look like?
Small, and getting smaller. Even the high point of 55 in 2022 was a thin market, and remember what sits inside that number: accessory sewers, sample rooms, and shops that are alterations businesses in practice.
How does Seattle compare with Los Angeles and Portland?
On the same federal data, Seattle is a rounding error next to Los Angeles. Los Angeles County had 1,369 private apparel manufacturing establishments and 19,264 apparel jobs in 2024, about 25 times King County's 780 jobs. Multnomah County, which contains Portland, had 34 establishments and 437 jobs, and the whole of Oregon had 84 establishments and 809 jobs. Portland is not the volume answer for a Seattle brand; it is a smaller version of the same market.
That gap is why the ladder further down sends larger runs south to Los Angeles and not to Portland. Density means more shops to quote, more specialists for one operation, and more backup capacity when a shop's calendar fills.
Shops you will only find in listings
Search long enough and you will meet more names: sewing businesses that appear only on review sites and business listings, with no website of their own and no directory entry we could check. Some of them may well be working shops. We did not count any of them among the four. If you find one, ask for photos of the sewing floor, a paid sample and a brand you can call before you plan a run around it.
What does Seattle production actually cost?
More than you think, and the wage data explains why. Average annual pay in King County apparel manufacturing was $68,216 in 2024, or roughly $1,312 a week. That is not a factory being greedy. It sits inside every unit price you will be quoted. It is also just under half of the $137,389 average annual pay across all private industries in King County, which tells you what a Seattle sewing shop is up against when it hires: every skilled operator has better-paid options nearby.
For comparison, apparel manufacturing pay averaged $62,242 in Los Angeles County and $54,255 in Multnomah County in 2024. Seattle labor costs more than either, on a far smaller base. Add the shop terms above, from $125 to $200 an hour for development time and $400 sample minimums, and the Seattle budget for a first style is set long before the first bulk order.
When Seattle earns the premium
Seattle earns that premium when the story is worth it: short runs, fast reorders, a made-in-USA claim you will really market, or a product where standing at the cutting table is worth real money. It makes far less sense when you are chasing a low price. Our guide on where to manufacture clothing lays out the trade-offs by region.
Our take: In a thin factory market, the line item brands forget is their own time. Two shops that fit your product means two quotes. If neither works, you can lose a month learning that. In a dense market you can collect several quotes in the same time. That gap never shows up on an invoice, but it belongs in the plan.
What if four shops don't cover your volume?
Widen the map, and do it on purpose rather than after three months of dead ends. Here is the honest ladder.
Under 200 units, or a prototype. Stay in Seattle. Use a development studio for the pattern and sample, then JH Sewing or Sewn Goods, whose published MOQ starts at 25 pieces, for a small batch. You get to stand in the room, and that is worth a lot on a first run.
200 to 1,000 units. Seattle can still work. Satsuma states 200 units depending on style, Pham Sewing 250 units for bags and accessories, and JH Sewing states runs up to 1,000-plus. Past that you are pushing the top of what this metro can do, and you will feel it in lead times.
Above roughly 1,000 units
Above roughly 1,000 units. Look elsewhere. The nearest true US sewing hub is Los Angeles, which has the cut-and-sew density Seattle simply lacks. Portland's apparel base is smaller than King County's, so heading south to Oregon rarely fixes it. Our Los Angeles clothing manufacturers guide and USA apparel manufacturers guide are the next stops.
Where OneAim fits
Where OneAim fits. We place production with documented factories in our group. For Seattle brands, the split that tends to work is simple. Keep development close, where you can check fit in person, and send volume sewing to a factory built for that product and that quantity. Flat fees, no markups. Whatever route you take, quality control is your job, not the factory's.
Skip the cold emails: Browse our factory directory for $49, or get in contact and we'll place your production with the domestic factory built for it, usually within 24 hours. Flat fee, no markups.
Bottom line: Seattle's apparel sector is strong in development and weak in volume production. Four verifiable cut-and-sew shops operate in the city: Sewn Goods, Satsuma Designs, JH Sewing, and Pham Sewing. Published minimums run from 25 to 300 pieces at Sewn Goods, 200 units at Satsuma Designs and 250 units at Pham Sewing, and published capacity tops out around 1,000-plus units at JH Sewing. For larger runs, the nearest dense US hub is Los Angeles, with 19,264 apparel manufacturing jobs in 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions About Clothing Manufacturers in Seattle
Are there really clothing manufacturers in Seattle?
Yes, but only a handful. Four cut-and-sew production shops are verifiable: Sewn Goods, Satsuma Designs, JH Sewing, and Pham Sewing. Federal data confirms how thin the market is. King County had 44 private apparel manufacturing establishments in total in 2024, and that count includes sample rooms and accessory sewers, not just garment factories.
What is the minimum order for clothing manufacturing in Seattle?
It depends on the shop. Sewn Goods publishes 25 to 300 pieces. Satsuma Designs states 200 units depending on style, covering three sizes and two thread changes, with sample fees from $400 and a 50% deposit on purchase orders. Pham Sewing states 250 units for bags and accessories. JH Sewing takes work from prototypes up to 1,000-plus units.
Can Seattle factories make technical outerwear?
Not at brand scale, as far as we could verify. The Seattle area hosts the head offices of outdoor and technical apparel brands, but that's a design and headquarters cluster, not a factory cluster. Seattle is where technical outerwear is designed; it is overwhelmingly not where it's sewn. Local brand presence doesn't mean local production capacity.
Why do "top 10 Seattle manufacturers" lists exist if there are only four?
Because many of those pages are written to collect sourcing leads, not to document factories. Federal data is the check: a county with 44 apparel establishments across all categories, including sample rooms, cannot support ten genuine garment factories.
How much does it cost to manufacture clothing in Seattle?
More than most domestic alternatives, and the wage data explains it. Average annual pay in King County apparel manufacturing was $68,216 in 2024, about $1,312 per week (BLS QCEW). That labor cost sits inside every quote. Seattle pays off for short runs, fast reorders, and a made-in-USA story, not for chasing a low price.
Is MADE Apparel Services a clothing factory?
No, and this trips up a lot of brands. MADE Apparel Services in Renton is a sewn product development studio: pattern making, sewn samples, grading, tech packs and consulting. It prepares products for manufacture and hands off to outside factories. Founded by Heather Zager in 2020, it's a development resource, not production capacity.
OneAim places and manages production with 80 documented clothing manufacturers in the United States. Send the product, the quantity and your target date. Within 24 hours we reply, and we place the order with the US factory in our group that already makes it. Production, invoicing and shipping run directly between you and the factory. Flat fee, no mark-up.
Start my brief US factory directory ($49)References and data
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, King County WA (area 53033), NAICS 315, private ownership, 2024. Source of: 44 establishments; 780 average annual jobs; the fall from 1,046 jobs in 2020 to 780 in 2024 (-25.4%); $68,216 average annual pay and $1,312 average weekly wage; and both chart series (establishments 49/52/55/48/44 and employment 1,046/970/889/855/780, 2020 to 2024).
- BLS QCEW, Washington State (area 53000), NAICS 315, private ownership, 2024. Source of the 93 statewide establishments, 1,124 statewide apparel jobs, and 6.0% year-over-year employment decline.
- BLS QCEW, Los Angeles County CA (area 06037), Multnomah County OR (area 41051) and Oregon (area 41000), NAICS 315, private ownership, 2024. Source of the county comparison chart and pay comparison.
- Sewn Goods, cut and sew manufacturing and rates, accessed November 2026. Source of the 25 to 300 piece MOQ, product list, hourly rates, grading fee and payment terms. Company-published.
- Satsuma Designs, sewn product development and production, 2024 to 2026. Source of the 200-unit MOQ, $400 sample fees, $200 hourly rate, 50% deposit, 4 to 8 week turnaround, 30 lb fabric-roll limit, and no-waste pet bed model. Company-published.
- JH Sewing, in the Seattle Made manufacturer directory (Seattle Good Business Network), 2024 to 2026. Source of the contract sewing capability, laser and clicker cutting, and prototype-to-1,000+ unit range. Works with client-supplied materials.
- Pham Sewing, services and about us, accessed November 2026. Source of the 250-unit minimum, sample and lead times, materials and the 1992 founding date. Self-reported.
- MADE Apparel Services, about, Renton, WA, accessed November 2026. Development studio founded in 2020 by Heather Zager. Explicitly not counted as a factory.
Every company named above appears in this source list. Minimums, turnaround times, capacity ranges, and founding dates are the companies' own published statements, labelled as such in the text, and we did not independently audit them. No factory in this article is a OneAim group member, and none paid to appear. Reviewed and updated 8 November 2026 by Will Godax.
