Most Canadian knitwear brands still run 80–100% of production through one Chinese supplier. Here's what a second source actually solves — and an honest look at what it costs.
"China+1" means keeping your core China programme in place while qualifying a second factory, in a different country, for part of your range — not a China exit, but a hedge against a factory closure, a shipping bottleneck, or a compliance document you suddenly can't produce. Turkey, and specifically a flat-knit cluster like Gaziantep, is a practical second source for knitwear because the construction skillset overlaps with what Chinese factories already do — WHOLEGARMENT and fully-fashioned knit, not cut-and-sew. Here's why Canadian brands are adding it, what actually changes at the Canadian border, and which styles to pilot first.
Brands that route all knitwear through a single Chinese supplier learned in 2020–2022 what happens when that node stops. A second qualified factory doesn't need to carry volume day-to-day; it needs to exist so a disruption is an inconvenience, not a lost season.
Canada prohibits importing goods made with forced labour, and Bill S-211 now requires many importers to report annually on forced labour and child labour risk in their supply chains — far simpler with a short, single-site, visitable supply chain than a multi-tier one you've never audited.
Elevated US tariffs on Chinese goods since 2025 have pushed some factories to prioritize orders that still pencil out for them, so Canadian mid-size orders can slip down the queue. Add in that many China relationships run through one agent or contact — when that person leaves, pricing and quality can shift overnight — and a second, direct relationship becomes real insurance.
Canada has no preferential trade agreement with Turkey or with China. Both origins clear customs under the same Most Favoured Nation tariff schedule for knitted apparel — there's no duty arbitrage here the way there is for a UK or EU buyer using Turkey's FTA. So the case for Turkey rests on something other than duty savings.
| Factor | Turkey | China |
|---|---|---|
| Import duty into Canada (HS 61, knitwear) | MFN rate — same schedule as China | MFN rate — no FTA advantage either way |
| Typical MOQ | 250 per colour/size | 500–1,000+ per style |
| Ocean routing to Canada | Mediterranean → Atlantic, no Suez transit needed westbound | Trans-Pacific to Vancouver, or Panama routing to Eastern Canada |
| Supply chain visibility | Single site, visitable, direct with founder | Often multi-tier, subcontracted, harder to audit |
| Unit price, flat-knit programmes | Between China and EU pricing | Generally the lower end at volume |
Indicative — confirm current HS classification and MFN rates with a licensed customs broker before quoting landed cost.
Don't move your whole range at once. A China+1 pilot works best on styles where a new factory can prove itself quickly and the downside of a slow first run is small.
Styles a Turkish flat-knit factory runs every day. Fewer construction variables to re-approve, and benchmarking against your existing China spec is straightforward — you're comparing like-for-like against a familiar silhouette.
If part of your range is seamless or fully-fashioned, this is worth testing specifically — a technical strength some Chinese suppliers subcontract out, run in-house at a Turkish flat-knit factory. Worth asking your current supplier who actually makes this.
If your range depends on very high-volume, highly complex multi-colour patterning, don't make that your pilot. Prove the relationship on simpler construction first, then layer in complexity once delivery and quality are established.
A second source is a hedge, not a universal upgrade. For a Canadian brand, China often still wins on:
On a basic acrylic or cotton-blend crewneck at 5,000+ units in a single style, Chinese pricing is frequently lower than Turkey's, even before duty — because duty doesn't differentiate the two here. If price per unit at scale is your only variable, run the numbers on both before committing.
China's factory scale suits big-box and mass-retail volume in a way most Turkish flat-knit factories, built around 250-unit MOQs and mid-volume work, aren't set up to match.
Silk and certain technical performance fibres have deeper supplier networks in China. If a yarn isn't readily sourced through Turkish spinners, that's a real constraint to check before committing a style to a Turkey pilot.
No. Turkish flat-knit pricing generally sits between China and EU manufacturers. The case for adding Turkey is diversification, transparency and speed of communication — not a lower unit price. If cost-per-unit at volume is your only criterion, China usually still wins.
No. Most Canadian brands running China+1 keep the bulk of volume with China and route one capsule through the second source. It's additive, not a replacement.
250 units per colour, per size. One style in three colours and five sizes is 3,750 units total — the real minimum for a first order, not 250 flat.
Sampling runs several weeks, then production once specs are approved. Transit to Eastern Canada via the Mediterranean and Atlantic is generally faster than trans-Pacific routing to the West Coast. Confirm exact lead times against your own style and quantity.
Send us your current China spec and the style you'd want to pilot. We'll quote ex-works on a 250/colour capsule so you can compare it directly against your existing programme — no agency, no minimum beyond what's on the quote.