Textile and Apparel Outsourcing

Last updated: November 11, 2026

Textile and apparel outsourcing means that textile mills, garment manufacturers, private-label exporters and fashion brands hand over defined operations to an external team: technical design and product data support, sample and order follow-up, buyer compliance documentation, e-commerce and marketplace operations, warehouse and inventory counts, customer service, ERP and PLM support, and sustainability data. The sector works in seasons and drops; a late tech pack or a missing certificate can cost an order. Outsourcing helps companies keep pace without carrying peak headcount all year.

360 Soft provides teams from Istanbul, at the heart of one of Europe’s main sourcing regions. Teams work remotely, at your factory or warehouse, or in a hybrid model. This page covers typical pressures, the work that can be handed over, buyer and regulatory requirements, engagement models, SLAs and pricing factors.

Why outsourcing in textile and apparel

Seasonal peaks: collection development, sampling and order confirmation cluster into a few weeks.
Buyer requirements: brands ask for certificates, chemical test reports, social audit results and traceability data for each order.
Own-brand growth: exporters launching their own brands need e-commerce, content and customer service skills.
New EU rules: the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, digital product passports and extended producer responsibility for textiles are coming.
Data fragmentation: product data is spread across PLM, ERP, spreadsheets and marketplaces.

Work and roles suitable for outsourcing

Area	Typical tasks	Roles
Product development support	Tech pack preparation, size charts, BOM entry, sample tracking	Technical design assistant, product data specialist
Order and merchandising follow-up	PO entry, T&A calendars, buyer portal updates, shipment documents	Merchandising assistant, export operations specialist
Compliance documentation	Certificate tracking (OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS), test report filing, supplier declarations	Compliance documentation specialist
E-commerce and marketplaces	Product content, listings on several marketplaces, order and return operations	E-commerce operations team
Content and design	Product photo retouching, banners, social content	Graphic designers, content editors
Warehouse and counts	Receiving, picking, returns, RFID or barcode inventory counts	Warehouse team, inventory counters
IT and data	ERP and PLM support, dashboards, carbon and material data	ERP consultants, BI and sustainability analysts

Technology scope: from design to shelf

We work in your tools: PLM systems, ERP (SAP, Logo, Netsis, Microsoft Dynamics, sector-specific textile ERPs), buyer portals, marketplace seller centres, e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce or Magento, product information management tools, RFID and barcode systems, and design tools. We can also build integrations, for example between ERP and marketplaces, as part of the service.

Standards, buyer requirements and regulation

Most requirements come from buyers rather than laws: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, GOTS, GRS and RCS for materials; ZDHC and restricted substance lists for chemicals; amfori BSCI, SMETA or WRAP for social compliance; and Higg Index modules for environmental performance. In the EU, REACH restricts substances, the textile labelling regulation sets fibre labelling rules, and the ESPR and digital product passport will add data duties. Due diligence laws, such as Germany’s Supply Chain Act and the EU CSDDD, push buyers to request more supplier data.

Our team prepares and organises data and documents; certificates are issued by accredited bodies, and compliance decisions stay with you. Turkish rules apply where the team operates, and local rules in your buyers’ countries also apply.

Engagement models

Model	How it works	Best for
Dedicated team	Named team members work only for you, under our team lead	Product data, merchandising follow-up, compliance files
Managed service with SLA	We own an outcome, such as listing time or ticket response	Marketplace operations, customer service
Seasonal capacity	Team size follows your collection calendar	Sampling, content production, warehouse
Project-based	Fixed scope, such as a product data clean-up or passport readiness	Migrations, launches, audits

Process and typical timelines

Discovery: collection calendar, systems, volumes and buyer requirements are reviewed.
Contract: scope, KPIs and pricing model are agreed.
Recruitment and training (typical start 1–2 weeks): you can interview key roles.
Handover (2–4 weeks): the team works alongside your staff for one cycle.
Stable operation: monthly reports and planning before each season.

SLA and KPI table

KPI	What it measures	Example target type
Tech pack turnaround	Time from brief to complete tech pack	Working days, by complexity
T&A on-time rate	Milestones updated and met	Percentage per order
Listing time	Time from product approval to live listing	Hours or days, per channel
Certificate validity	Suppliers and materials with valid documents	Percentage of active items
Return processing time	Returned items checked and restocked	Days
Count accuracy	Difference between system and physical stock	Agreed tolerance

Pricing models and cost factors

We quote per scope rather than publishing price lists. Typical models are a monthly fee per FTE, a managed-service fee by volume and SLA, seasonal capacity, or a fixed project price.

Factor	Effect on cost
Number of channels	More marketplaces and stores need more operators
Content volume	SKU count per season drives design and editing hours
Languages	Listings and support in English, German or Arabic
Seasonality	Flexible capacity needs backup staff
On-site work	Factory or warehouse presence adds logistics

In-house staff, freelancers or outsourcing

Criterion	In-house	Freelancer	Outsourcing (360 Soft)
Seasonal flexibility	Low	Medium	High, from 1 to 200+ people
Confidentiality of collections	Full control	Hard to enforce	NDA, managed access
Speed to start	Slow	Fast	Typically 1–2 weeks
Continuity	Depends on retention	Low	Replacement process included

Textile and Apparel Outsourcing — overview

Risks and safeguards

Leaked designs: NDA, restricted folders, watermarking and access logs.
Missed buyer deadlines: shared T&A calendars and escalation rules.
Wrong product data: templates, validation rules and sample checks.
Seasonal turnover: backup staff trained before peaks.
Regulatory change: regular review of buyer manuals and new EU rules with your team.

Data security, GDPR, KVKK, NDA and IP

Unreleased collections, patterns and buyer prices are confidential. Files are kept in your systems or in restricted areas, and access ends with the engagement. Customer data from online stores is processed only on your instructions.

Contract and legal note

We work under a B2B service agreement that defines scope, service levels, deliverables and acceptance. It comes with a mutual NDA and a clause that assigns intellectual property in all work products (documents, data sets, code, designs) to you. Where our team processes personal data on your behalf, we sign a GDPR data processing agreement (DPA) with the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or the UK IDTA/Addendum for UK data; our own processing in Turkey follows KVKK (Law No. 6698). All designs, patterns, photos and content created by our team are assigned to you.

360 Soft employs its team members under Turkish labour law and remains responsible for their payroll, social security and supervision. The engagement is a service, not the hiring-out of workers: you define the outcomes and priorities, and we manage the people. Local rules in your country, such as worker classification or agency-work rules, should be checked with your own legal adviser before signing.

Illustrative scenario: an exporting garment maker launches its own brand

Illustrative scenario. This is not a client case; it shows how such an engagement could be set up. A garment manufacturer that has produced private-label goods for European retailers for years decides to launch its own brand online. It knows production well, but not marketplaces, product content or customer service. An outsourced team of five is set up: a product data specialist builds size charts and attributes from the existing tech packs, a designer retouches photos and prepares banners, two e-commerce operators list products on the company’s web store and three marketplaces and process orders and returns, and a customer service agent answers messages in Turkish and English. In parallel, a compliance specialist organises material certificates so they can be shown to both buyers and consumers.

Supplier selection checklist

Does the supplier understand tech packs, T&A calendars and buyer portals?
Can it run several marketplaces and your own store at once?
How are unreleased designs protected?
Can it scale for seasons and drops?
Can it prepare certificate and material data for buyers and digital product passports?
Are KPIs and reporting defined in the contract?
Are NDA, IP assignment and a GDPR DPA included?
Is there a replacement and backup process?

Frequently asked questions

Which work can textile companies outsource?

Product data and tech pack support, order follow-up, compliance documentation, e-commerce and marketplace operations, content, warehouse and counts, ERP support and sustainability data.

Can the team grow quickly at the start of a season?

Yes. Seasonal capacity is planned ahead, and backup staff are trained before peaks.

How many marketplaces can you manage at once?

There is no fixed limit; team size is planned according to channels and SKU volume.

Do you help us obtain OEKO-TEX or GOTS certification?

We prepare and organise documents and data; certificates are issued by accredited bodies.

Do we need to prepare now for the digital product passport?

It is sensible to start structuring material and supplier data now, since EU rules are being phased in.

Do you calculate the emission data buyers ask for?

We collect activity data and prepare calculations using your chosen method; responsibility for reported figures stays with you.

Can the warehouse and counting team work at our location?

Yes. On-site and hybrid models are available.

How are unreleased collection images protected?

Through NDA, restricted folders, managed access and logging.

How is pricing calculated?

By FTE per month, by managed-service volume and SLA, by seasonal capacity, or as a fixed project price.

How quickly can we start?

A typical start is within 1–2 weeks after the contract.

Is this temporary agency work?

No. It is a B2B service; 360 Soft employs and manages the team.

Contact us

Tell us about your collections, channels and buyer requirements, and we will propose a team and a model. Call or WhatsApp us on +90 850 335 10 87, write to info@360-soft.com, message us directly on WhatsApp, or use the form on our contact page. 360 Soft Marketing Yazılım ve Danışmanlık Ltd. Şti., Nidakule Ataşehir Batı, Barbaros Mah. Begonya Sk. No:1 D:2, 34746 Ataşehir/İstanbul.

Türkçe: Türkçe sürüm