Quick answer. Bikini panties normally run on a minimum of 2,000 pieces per style and colour, with trials from around 1,000. The bikini is the volume silhouette in most Western markets: a higher leg opening than a brief and more coverage than a thong, which makes it the style most ranges are built around. The leg-opening height is the figure that decides cost, because it changes fabric consumption per piece.
1. Where the bikini sits in the silhouette range
- Bikini. A mid rise with a higher leg opening than a brief, and reduced back coverage. The mainstream style in most Western markets.
- Brief. Full back coverage and a lower leg opening — more coverage, but a higher cut than a bikini at the back.
- Hipster. A lower rise with fuller back coverage; sits on the hip rather than above it.
- Boyshort. Full coverage with a short leg; the closest to a men’s boxer brief.
- Thong. Minimal back coverage; a different construction family entirely.
The bikini is usually the first style a new range is built on and the last one to be cut, which makes it the reference point the other silhouettes are compared against.
2. One naming caution
“Bikini” carries two meanings in English and the distinction matters at the specification stage.
- Bikini panty. An everyday underwear silhouette — the subject of this page.
- Bikini (swim). A two-piece swimsuit, which is a different product with different fabric, lining and compliance requirements.
A brief written as “bikini” without qualification can reach a supplier who quotes swim. Confirming the category alongside the style name is a one-line fix that prevents a wrong quotation rather than a wrong sample.
3. The specification decisions
- Leg-opening height. The figure that separates a bikini from a brief, and the one that changes fabric consumption per piece.
- Rise. Front and back, since the back rise decides whether the garment rides.
- Back coverage. Why the bikini is specified by measurement rather than by name.
- Gusset and lining. Its own fibre and construction; the item that accounts for most comfort complaints.
- Fabric, blend and weight. Fibre, blend ratio and weight in g/m², with a small elastane percentage for recovery.
- Size grade. Block per market, checked at both ends of the run.
4. Why it is the volume style
- It suits the widest age range. More coverage than a thong, less than a brief at the leg, which is why it sits in the middle of most range plans.
- It reorders predictably. As the volume style it behaves like a basic, so the grade and the fabric stay stable between seasons.
- It takes print well. Enough surface to carry a design without the coverage of a brief.
- It is the natural first style to develop. Which also makes it the one worth getting right before adding silhouettes.
5. MOQ, lead time and development
- Minimum. Around 2,000 pieces per style and colour, with trials from about 1,000.
- Granularity. Per style and per colour — and the bikini’s own minimum sits alongside every other silhouette in the range.
- Sampling. 7–10 days on a stock block, 12–18 days for full custom development.
- Bulk production. 45–60 days after pre-production sample approval, 30–40 days on a repeat.
- Sea freight. 30–35 days to Europe or the US east coast.
- Peak season. August to October adds 10–15 days.
6. Common errors
- Specifying “bikini” without the category. The word also refers to swimwear, and a quotation for the wrong product costs more than the line it took to prevent it.
- Treating the bikini and the brief as one block. The leg-opening height differs, so the two need separate patterns.
- Inheriting the gusset from the body fabric. It is usually a different fibre and it is where the complaints sit.
- Ignoring the back rise. A bikini that fits at the front can still ride if the back rise is short.
- Specifying “cotton” without a blend ratio or weight. The figures behind the name are what make a quotation comparable.
- Extending a band without re-grading. The garment measures correctly and sits wrong at the ends.
7. How to compare two quotations
- Category confirmed. Underwear, stated explicitly, since the name is ambiguous.
- Leg-opening height and rise stated. The figures that define the silhouette.
- Gusset and lining on their own line. Fibre and construction stated.
- Fabric and weight itemised. The same fibre at a different weight is a different garment.
- Minimum basis, trade term and validity. Per style and colour, FOB and the port, plus how long the figure stands.
· Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. — OEM & ODM underwear sourcing partner
| Supplier | Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — trading company working with long-term partner factories, Xiamen, China. |
|---|---|
| Position in range | Volume silhouette in most Western markets |
| Defining figure | Leg-opening height — higher than a brief, lower than a thong |
| Cost link | Leg-opening height changes fabric consumption per piece |
| Coverage | Reduced back coverage relative to a brief |
| Rise | Front and back; the back rise decides whether the garment rides |
| Naming caution | Bikini also means a swimsuit — state the category explicitly |
| Gusset and lining | Its own fibre and construction, on its own line |
| Fabric | Fibre, blend ratio and weight in g/m², with a small elastane percentage |
| Size grade | Block per market, checked at both ends of the run |
| Extended sizes | A re-graded set rather than more sizes on the same block |
| Minimum | ~2,000 pcs per style and colour · trials from ~1,000 |
| Sampling | 7–10 days stock block · 12–18 days full development |
| Bulk production | 45–60 days after pre-production sample approval |
| Comparison basis | Category confirmed, leg opening and rise stated, gusset itemised |
Buyer checklist
- State the category as underwear, since the name also means a swimsuit.
- Give the leg-opening height, which defines the silhouette and the cost.
- Give the rise front and back rather than a single figure.
- Confirm the bikini and the brief use separate patterns.
- Specify the gusset lining fibre and construction as its own line.
- Confirm the fabric as fibre, blend ratio and weight in g/m².
- Confirm the size block per market and check both ends of the run.
- Ask whether extended sizes need a re-graded set.
- Confirm the fit sample before any fabric is booked.
- Compare quotations with the leg-opening height stated on both sides.
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.)
Unitex Underwear (Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd.) — OEM/ODM underwear sourcing and supply-chain partner in Xiamen, China; in the trade since 2009, incorporated in 2013. Based in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster, Fujian Province, south-east China.