Women’s Stretch and Rigid Denim Shorts in Bulk

Denim shorts sell by city here in a way a t-shirt does not. They move fast in Lagos and the south with young buyers who shop Instagram before they reach a stall, and far slower in the north.

Description

These are women's denim shorts cut in a range of washes and rises, made for bulk buyers rather than for a single shop counter. The range runs from rigid non-stretch denim through elastane blends, and from light frayed washes to solid black, with the same block graded across all of them, so a mixed order still arrives with consistent sizing.

Denim is bought by weight in ounces rather than by GSM, and that single figure decides more than the wash does. Lighter denim is cooler and frays at the hem sooner, while heavier denim holds a crease and survives a season on a market stall. Stretch content sits alongside it, because elastane makes a pair comfortable at first fitting and baggy at the knee by evening when the percentage is wrong.

Two groups buy this style in volume. Market traders take the light washes and the distressed pairs, which sell on appearance to a young walk-up customer. Instagram resellers take the darker washes and the higher rises, because a photograph flatters a clean wash and a pair returned after one wearing costs them the whole margin.

Specification

These are the points that decide what actually arrives in the container. Every one of them is confirmed against the specific supplier and against an approved sample before we quote.

Style	Women's denim shorts on a five-pocket body, with a zip fly or a button front and a frayed, cuffed or clean hem depending on the model.
Denim weight	Commonly 8 to 12 ounces for a summer short. Lighter cloth is cooler and cheaper to ship; heavier cloth keeps its shape through a season on a stall. Ask for the figure in ounces in writing, because a photograph will not tell you.
Composition	Rigid 100 per cent cotton denim and cotton blends carrying 1 to 3 per cent elastane are both standard in this range. Rigid holds its shape and is unforgiving about fit. Stretch is comfortable on the first wearing and goes slack at the knee by evening when the elastane sits too high.
Rise	High rise, mid rise and low rise are all cut here, and each one sells to a different customer. High rise carries the larger share of the market now, so a split weighted to low rise leaves half the order sitting unsold.
Wash and finish	Light, medium, dark and black washes, with distressing, ripping and fraying applied as separate operations. Every extra operation adds cost per piece and adds one more point where two pairs stop matching.
Hardware	Zips, rivets and shank buttons in nickel or antique brass. Ask what the plating is, because cheap hardware rusts in coastal humidity and a rust mark on the fly makes the pair unsellable.
Minimum order	1,000 pieces across the whole order, not per colour. Washes, rises and sizes are mixed freely within that figure.
Size range	Typically S to 3XL on the Asian grade. Ask for the waist and hip measurements in centimetres rather than relying on the letters. Denim does not forgive a size error the way a knit does, and this is the single most common complaint on a first denim order.
Fit grading	Ask how far the waist steps between one size and the next, commonly around 4 centimetres. A grade that jumps too far leaves the middle sizes fitting nobody, and the middle sizes are where most of your order sits.
Colour control	The wash is approved against a signed reference panel before bulk production. Dye lots and wash cycles both shift, so a repeat order placed without a reference will not match your first one.
Branding	Woven back patch, branded shank button, woven neck label and printed care label are all possible on a factory order. Stock purchases arrive with whatever the mill already applied.
Packing	Individually polybagged or bulk packed, with the size assortment set per carton. This decides how much sorting you do before the first piece can be sold.

We do not publish prices, because the landed figure depends on the specification, the Customs valuation and the exchange rate on the day you pay.

Minimum order

1,000 pieces across the whole order. Not 1,000 of each wash. Washes, rises and sizes are mixed freely within that 1,000, so a first order can carry four or five washes instead of tying you to one.

That is worth checking against any other quotation you hold. Minimums in this trade are usually counted per colour, which is where buyers lose money: four washes on a per-colour minimum of 1,000 is a 4,000-piece commitment and four times the cash. Ask every supplier whether their figure is per style, per wash or per size run, and get the answer in writing.

Custom labels, custom hardware and non-standard washes each tend to carry their own minimum on top. A first order is nearly always better placed on stock washes in a standard size run.

Download the datasheet

What decides the right one

Denim weight against climate comes first. A 12-ounce pair feels like quality in the hand and sits unsold in Lagos in March, because nobody wears heavy denim in that heat. The lighter cloth moves, and you accept that the hem frays sooner than the buyer expects.

Then rise against customer. High rise sells to the woman buying for herself and low rise sells to a younger and narrower market, and getting that ratio wrong leaves half the order on the shelf while the other half sells out in a month.

Then the regional split, which settles quantity before it settles anything else. Lagos and the south carry this style, and modesty norms in the north cut the market sharply, so a trader shipping into Kano orders a fraction of what the same trader moves in Yaba.

Then the sample, which is the one part of this worth being slow about. Approve a physical pair before bulk production starts, measured at the waist and the hip, and keep it in your office. It settles every argument afterwards, and without one you have no position at all when the goods do not match the conversation.

Common questions

What is the minimum order for denim shorts?

1,000 pieces across the whole order, not 1,000 of each wash. You can mix washes, rises and sizes within that 1,000, so a first order can carry four or five variations rather than committing you to a single one.

Can I mix washes and sizes within the minimum?

Yes. The 1,000 pieces is counted across the order, so you choose the wash split and the size run inside it. Tell us the breakdown you want and we build it into the quotation.

What denim weight should I ask for?

Summer shorts commonly run 8 to 12 ounces. Lighter denim is cooler and cheaper, heavier denim holds its shape longer. Without an ounce figure on the order you will be sent the lightest cloth that matches the photograph.

Can the shorts carry my own label?

Yes, by woven back patch, branded shank button and printed care label on a factory order. Each of those carries its own minimum on top of the 1,000, so a first order is usually better placed unbranded.

Why do the sizes come up small?

The grade is Asian rather than European. Ask for the waist and hip chart in centimetres instead of relying on the size letters, because denim shows a size error at the waist where a knit simply stretches over it.

Are prices shown in the catalogue?

No. The catalogue is images only. What a pair of shorts costs you depends on quantity, specification and the exchange rate on the day, so we quote per order with every line itemised.

Tell us the washes and the quantity

Send the reference numbers from the catalogue, or just describe what you want. Tell us the wash and rise split you have in mind across the thousand and whether you want rigid denim or stretch. We will come back with the specification to insist on and what it lands at in Naira with every line itemised.

There is no charge for it and it commits you to nothing. If the quantity you have in mind sits below the minimum, we will say so and suggest the version that works.

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