OEM turtleneck and mock turtleneck sweaters for Kenyan brands — extra-fine merino, cashmere blends, flat-knit and WHOLEGARMENT seamless. English-language partner in Gaziantep, shipping to Mombasa. The neck detail done right, from collar construction to finished hand.
The turtleneck is a wardrobe staple that lives and dies by the collar. Too short and it doesn't fold properly; too stiff and it doesn't sit; too scratchy and the customer returns it. We produce turtleneck and mock-turtleneck sweaters with collar proportions that are spec'd correctly from the tech pack stage — the fold-height, the rib tension, the seam or seam-free construction — so the finished garment wears the way your Kenyan customer expects. Everything is handled in English, by people who answer the phone and read your tech pack the same day.
Full rollneck (fold-over, 10–15cm), mock turtleneck (standing, 5–8cm), polo neck (structured longer fold). All in rib — 1×1, 2×2, 3×3 depending on collar hand and structure required.
Integral seamless collar with no neck-seam — the cleanest construction for a fine-gauge turtleneck. Available at 12gg and 14gg in merino and cashmere blends, on our Shima Seiki machines.
Extra-fine merino, cashmere-merino blend, cashmere-modal, cotton (for lighter, transitional turtlenecks). We'll recommend the fibre based on gauge and retail price-point.
7gg for structured mid-weight, 10–12gg for fine knit layering, 14gg for ultra-fine. Plain, rib body or textured-body turtlenecks all available.
The most common quality complaint on turtleneck sweaters is the neck seam — a bulk point where the collar meets the body, especially noticeable in fine-gauge pieces. WHOLEGARMENT knitting eliminates this: the collar and body are knitted as one continuous piece on a Shima Seiki machine, with no seam, no linking join, no weak point. The collar folds or stands cleanly with natural tension and no bulk.
For Kenyan brands targeting the Nairobi premium segment — and for those building a regional presence across the East African Community — a WHOLEGARMENT turtleneck in extra-fine merino or cashmere blend is one of the strongest value propositions in a cool-season collection. Quality customers can feel the difference and it reduces return rates. This is where a Turkish flat-knit partner adds value Kenya's own EPZ and AGOA-oriented factories don't typically cover — we complement local capacity rather than compete with it.
| Style | Gauge | Indicative FOB |
|---|---|---|
| Mock turtleneck, extra-fine merino | 12gg | $30–42 |
| Rollneck turtleneck, extra-fine merino | 12gg | $32–45 |
| WHOLEGARMENT turtleneck, merino | 12gg | $42–58 |
| Cashmere-merino blend turtleneck | 12–14gg | $55–85 |
Indicative FOB Mersin at 250–500 pcs MOQ, in USD. To estimate your landed cost in KES, add EAC Common External Tariff (typically 25% on knitwear), 16% VAT, plus IDF, PVoC inspection and Mombasa clearing fees — there is no Turkey–Kenya FTA, so Turkish and Chinese knitwear face the same CET.
We want Kenyan buyers to plan with accurate numbers, so here is the straight version. Turkey and Kenya have no free trade agreement. Turkish turtleneck sweaters enter Kenya under the EAC Common External Tariff — typically 25% on textiles and apparel — plus 16% VAT. Chinese knitwear enters under exactly the same EAC CET, so there is no tariff advantage over China. We don't pretend otherwise.
What we do offer is a different value equation: genuine flat-knit quality, WHOLEGARMENT seamless capability, an English-language business relationship, and China+1 supply-chain resilience so you are not single-sourced on one origin. For Kenyan brands that have outgrown the lowest-price tier and want a dependable premium partner, that combination is the reason to work with Gaziantep rather than the freight-and-duty maths.
On the practical side: clearance runs through KRA with an Import Declaration Form (IDF), and Kenya requires a KEBS Certificate of Conformity under the PVoC programme — inspection takes place in Turkey before shipment, so it sits inside your lead time, not after it. Goods land at Mombasa; transit from Mersin runs roughly 18–25 days via Suez, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. From Mombasa you also reach the wider EAC market of around 300 million people — Nairobi, plus onward distribution into the region — making Kenya a natural East Africa hub for a knitwear programme.
Send a tech pack or reference style to our Kenya enquiry desk. We'll spec the collar construction, recommend fibre and gauge, and return indicative pricing within one business day. New to knit sourcing? Start with our OEM knitwear overview or the Kiwi Giyim homepage.
No. Turkey and Kenya do not have a free trade agreement, so Turkish knitwear enters under the EAC Common External Tariff — typically 25% on textiles and apparel — plus 16% VAT. Chinese goods enter under the same EAC CET rate, so there is no tariff advantage over China. We are honest about this: the reason Kenyan brands work with us is quality, WHOLEGARMENT capability, China+1 supply-chain resilience and an English-language partner, not customs savings. Budget your landed cost with the 25% CET, 16% VAT, IDF and PVoC fees in mind.
Kenyan apparel imports require an Import Declaration Form (IDF) lodged with KRA, and a Certificate of Conformity (CoC) issued under the KEBS Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) programme — inspection happens in Turkey before shipment, so plan it into your lead time. KEBS standards apply on arrival and KRA assesses the EAC Common External Tariff plus 16% VAT at clearance through Mombasa. We supply the commercial documentation, packing lists and fibre-composition declarations your clearing agent and the PVoC inspection require.
Yes. WHOLEGARMENT seamless turtlenecks are one of our most requested constructions. The collar is knitted integrally with the body — no seam, no linking, just the garment as a single piece — on our Shima Seiki machines. Available at 12gg and 14gg in merino, cashmere blends and extra-fine merino. The result is a collar that sits perfectly and doesn't create bulk at the neck-body join, ideal for premium Nairobi retail and East African brands building a quality reputation.