Nine brands. Two years. Fourteen combined collections. We have been close enough to see what actually costs what.
This is not a motivational piece about chasing your dream. This is a line-by-line breakdown of what it costs to launch an independent clothing brand in Kuala Lumpur in 2025, based on what our vendors have actually spent.
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
A tech pack — the document a factory needs to cut your garment — costs between RM 300 and RM 800 per SKU if you hire a freelancer, or RM 150–400 per SKU through CCC's design pipeline, which uses AI-assisted tooling. If you are doing three SKUs for a first collection, budget RM 900–2,400 for tech packs alone.
Sampling costs RM 80–200 per sample unit at most KL-adjacent factories. You will go through two to three rounds of samples for each SKU before the fit is right. Budget RM 500–1,500 per SKU in sampling costs.
PRODUCTION
The Impresion in Shah Alam is the factory CCC works with for most of its brands. Minimum order quantity: 10 units per SKU. At that MOQ, cutting and making (CM) costs approximately RM 45–90 per unit depending on complexity. Fabric is additional: a standard 220GSM cotton tee blank costs RM 12–18 per unit at low MOQ. A structured jacket blank is RM 35–65 per unit.
A first run of 30 units of a single tee (CM + fabric) will cost approximately RM 1,800–2,500. A first run of 30 units of a hoodie will cost RM 2,800–4,200.
BRANDING
Woven labels: RM 0.50–1.20 each at minimum order of 200 units. Heat transfer labels: RM 0.30–0.80 each. Hang tags: RM 0.40–0.80 each including string. Custom tissue paper: RM 0.60–1.00 per sheet at 500 units minimum.
Budget RM 600–1,200 for basic branding assets for a first run.
LOGISTICS AND PLATFORM
CCC takes 20% of sales revenue in exchange for storefront listing, fulfilment coordination, and marketing. This is the cost you pay when you sell, not before. There is no listing fee, no monthly fee.
SSM registration (Sole Proprietor): RM 30 online via MySSM. This is the legal minimum to operate as a business.
WHAT FOUNDERS ACTUALLY SPEND
Across our nine vendors, first-season budgets ranged from RM 4,800 to RM 18,000. The average was RM 9,200. The brands that spent less were not worse — they were more disciplined about SKU count and colourways.
The most common mistake: spending too much on branding before confirming the product fits and sells.
If you want to start: two SKUs, one colourway each, 20 units per SKU. Total budget: approximately RM 6,000–8,500. That is the number we tell every founder who walks through our process.