A guide for wholesalers, retail chains and brands
How to choose a private label duvet and pillow manufacturer
Building your own line of duvets and pillows, or looking for a new supplier for your brand? The manufacturer you choose will shape quality, margin and lead times for years. In this guide we have gathered the questions worth asking before you place a first order. We write from a manufacturer’s point of view – at AMW Nawrot in Poland we have been making duvets and pillows since 1915.
At a glance
Six things worth checking
Before you send your first request for quotation, go through this list. It will save you months and a lot of stress.
Who manufactures and where
Ask which stages the supplier carries out in-house – and whether you can visit the plant.
Certificate numbers
OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, RDS, GOTS – check the numbers in the issuers’ databases.
Social audit
Sedex SMETA and the option of running your own factory audit.
MOQ, lead times, samples
Agree them in writing before you place an order.
Delivered cost
What counts is the cost in your warehouse, not just the unit price.
Confidentiality
Your design, quilting pattern and packaging stay yours.
Who manufactures and who distributes
Factory and wholesaler – two roles, both needed
Manufacturers and wholesalers both work in the bedding trade. Each brings something different – it helps to know when to talk to which.
When the factory, when the wholesaler?
The manufacturer designs, sews and fills the products. If you are building your own brand, ordering large runs or need a non-standard specification, talk directly to the factory – that is where you influence filling, fabric and packaging.
The wholesaler combines the ranges of many suppliers, holds stock and delivers quickly. For smaller quantities of many different products, it is often the more convenient partner.
Everything is made in our two plants in Pyrzowice and Czeladź, Poland. We wash feathers and down, dry them at 110°C and sort them in our own sorting plant (about 4 tonnes a day), so we state the exact filling composition and always distinguish goose from duck raw material.
Certificates
Certificates that matter
A logo without a number says little. Ask for the number, check the scope and the expiry date. Read more in our guide Certificates on duvets and pillows.
OEKO-TEX® Standard 100
The finished product is free of harmful substances.
Ask about: certificate number and product class (I = safe for babies).
OEKO-TEX® STeP
A responsible site: chemicals, environment, health and safety.
Ask about: whether it covers the whole site.
RDS
Down and feathers with respect for animals, traceable origin.
Ask about: certificate number and whether it covers your product.
GOTS
Fabrics made from organic fibres.
Ask about: scope of the certificate.
Sedex / SMETA
Ethical audit: labour rights, health and safety, environment, ethics.
Ask about: results of the latest audit.
How to check it?
Enter the number from the label in the issuer’s database (OEKO-TEX, Textile Exchange for RDS, GOTS). You will see who and which products the certificate covers and whether it is valid.
We hold OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 (product class I), OEKO-TEX® STeP (no. 23000847), RDS (CU 853597) and GOTS (CU 1000237), and as a Sedex member we undergo SMETA audits. Current certificates are available on request.
Cooperation model
Private label or white label?
Both models end with your brand on the shelf. They differ in how much you design yourself and how fast you can start.
Private label
A product designed from scratch: filling, fabric, quilting pattern, size, piping and packaging. You get a collection nobody else has.
White label
The manufacturer’s proven duvets and pillows with your sewn-in label and in your packaging. A faster start and shorter lead times.
Confidentiality
Your design stays yours
Good private label cooperation is built on trust. Before you start, agree a few simple rules with the manufacturer.
This is how we have worked with wholesalers, retail chains and brands for years – we do not name our customers or the brands we make for them.
- We do not disclose customersWe do not say who we produce for.
- NDA on requestWe sign a non-disclosure agreement before the project starts.
- Exclusive designYour quilting pattern and packaging are not offered to other customers.
MOQ, lead times and samples
How long does it take and from how many pieces?
Lead times depend on whether you choose a product from our range or a design under your own brand.
Minimum order and samples
The MOQ is agreed individually – it depends on the product, fabric, filling and packaging. Products from our range can also be shipped in smaller quantities. Samples: with a first order you always approve a sample before production starts.
Logistics
Compare delivered cost, not just price
When comparing offers, calculate the cost of goods delivered to your warehouse. From Poland, deliveries to most European countries take a few days.
Checklist
Before your first order
Print or copy it – with this list, the first call with a manufacturer takes fifteen minutes and the quote arrives faster.
- Specification: product (duvet, pillow), filling, fill weight, fabric, size, quilting.
- Target market and its sizes (e.g. 135×200, 155×220 or 140×220 cm).
- Certificates to appear on the packaging.
- Packaging, insert card, sewn-in label and EAN – who prepares the artwork.
- MOQ, price, payment and delivery terms in writing.
- An approved sample before production starts.
- First delivery date and a plan for the next ones (forecast).
- Confidentiality rules and the option of a factory audit.
For wholesalers, retail chains and brands
Let’s talk about your collection
Tell us which products you are interested in, in what quantities and for which market. We usually reply within one working day.
- Our own plants in PolandPyrzowice and Czeladź – from quilting to packing.
- In-house printing and designLabels, inserts and packaging design for your brand.
- Certificates on your packagingOEKO-TEX® Standard 100, RDS or GOTS.
Questions from buyers
Frequently asked questions
The questions wholesalers, retail chains and brands ask most often before a first order.
Send an enquiryWhat is the minimum order quantity (MOQ)?
The MOQ is agreed individually – it depends on the product, fabric, filling and packaging. Products from our range can also be shipped in smaller quantities.
What are your lead times?
Products from our range ship within 1–3 working days, private label orders take 1–2 weeks depending on quantity, and a first order about a month.
Can I supply my own fabrics or filling?
Yes. We also manufacture using customer-supplied materials, to your specification.
Do you sign a non-disclosure agreement?
Yes, we sign an NDA on request. We do not disclose who we produce for, and a customer’s design is not offered to others.
Can we audit your factory?
Yes. Buyers and auditors are welcome at our plants in Pyrzowice and Czeladź, Poland.
Can certificate labels appear on my packaging?
Yes, if the product is covered by OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, RDS or GOTS certification.
About the author: this guide was prepared by the team at AMW Nawrot sp.k., a family-run manufacturer of duvets, pillows and mattresses from Pyrzowice, Silesia, Poland, with a tradition dating back to 1915. We manufacture under our own brands and under our customers’ brands in our plants in Pyrzowice and Czeladź.