How to find a reliable clothing manufacturer in Egypt
Know your product, fabric and quantity per colour before you search. Build a shortlist from the Apparel Export Council of Egypt, trade shows, B2B directories or a sourcing agent. Before you order, confirm which factory will make the goods, that it is QIZ-registered if you sell in the US, and that its audits are current, then approve samples.
Decide what you need before you search
Egyptian factories specialise. A knitter making t-shirts and hoodies is rarely the right factory for denim, and the first question any serious factory asks is what you want made, in what fabric and in what quantity.
- The category and fabric: knit (jersey, fleece) or woven (denim, twill, canvas)
- How many pieces per style, per colour
- Where you sell: the US needs a QIZ factory for duty-free entry, the EU needs Egyptian-made fabric for a EUR.1
- The model you want: CMT, FOB or full package
- A tech pack, or at least a reference sample
Where to find Egyptian clothing manufacturers
- The Apparel Export Council of Egypt (AECE), the industry's export body, which hosts the Destination Africa trade show in Cairo
- European trade fairs with Egyptian exhibitors, such as Première Vision in Paris
- B2B directories such as Fibre2Fashion and Kompass. Useful for names, but listings are self-reported
- Alibaba, filtered to Egypt. Check whether you are talking to the factory or a trader
- A sourcing agent in Egypt, who already knows which factories are QIZ-registered and what their real minimums are
Where the factories are
Egypt's Qualifying Industrial Zones cover Greater Cairo, Alexandria, the Suez Canal, the Central Delta, Beni Suef and Al Minya. Garment factories cluster in the industrial cities around Cairo and Alexandria, and the Delta city of El Mahalla El Kubra is the country's historic spinning and weaving centre. Where a factory sits matters less than whether it is registered in a zone.
Questions to ask on the first call
- Which factory will make my order, and is it registered in a QIZ?
- Is the fabric made in Egypt, so the goods qualify for a EUR.1?
- What is the minimum per style and per colour, on stock fabric and on custom-dyed fabric?
- How much capacity is free in the month I need it? Not total capacity
- Which audits and certificates are current, and what are their numbers?
- Can you document the cotton back to the spinner and the gin?
- Will you accept third-party inspection before shipment?
- What does a sample cost, and how long does it take?
Red flags
- Won't name the factory that will make your order
- Shows a certificate logo but no number you can check on the issuer's website
- Promises US duty-free entry without naming a QIZ factory
- Refuses third-party inspection
- Quotes a firm price before seeing a tech pack or sample
Factory direct or through an agent
Large export factories usually set minimums well above what a new brand needs, and expect buyers to bring their own technical team. If your runs are small or you can't visit Egypt, an agent who knows which factories qualify, runs sampling and inspects before shipment is usually cheaper than a failed first order. If you order big volumes and have staff on the ground, going direct can make sense.
How we do it
We are a sourcing agent in Egypt: we only source from factories that meet QIZ requirements, and we name the producing factory on your order. We start at 50 pieces per style, per colour, on stock fabrics. Sample fee: $20 per sample, which covers shipping it to you. We quote FOB and supply the export document pack, including the QIZ paperwork for the US and the EUR.1 for the EU.
Questions
Are there clothing manufacturers in Egypt that take small orders?
Yes, though many export factories set higher minimums. We start at 50 pieces per style, per colour, on stock fabrics. Custom-dyed or printed fabric carries the mill's own minimum, which we confirm before quoting.
How do I know a factory is QIZ-registered?
Ask for the factory's name and which zone it is in, and for the QIZ documentation that will ship with your goods. Have your customs broker confirm the treatment for your HS code before the first shipment.
How long does production take in Egypt?
Plan on a 45–65 day critical path to ex-factory for 2,000–10,000 pieces, covering samples, fabric booking and production.
Can one Egyptian factory supply both the US and the EU?
Yes, if it is a QIZ factory and the fabric is made in Egypt. The same run can then enter the US duty-free and the EU at 0% with a EUR.1.