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The word “jobber” is a common term in the fashion industry. Very little fabric, apart from quilting prints, is actually made for retail sale; most fabric is produced for garment manufacturers, and wholesale fabric means fabric sold at the prices manufacturers pay. When garment manufacturers finish cutting and sewing, they invariably end up with surplus fabric, because orders are placed many months in advance and needs cannot be estimated accurately. Manufacturers sell that surplus to middlemen called fabric jobbers, who are typically expected to make large purchases — often the manufacturer’s entire fabric surplus — at a fraction of wholesale prices.
Jobbers : Textile Jobbers, Fabric Jobbers, Clothing Jobbers - Fashion Terms of Interest to the Fashion Industry
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The word "jobber" is a common term in the fashion industry. Although there are similar, but varying definitions according to different sources, Apparel Search credits Denverfabrics.com with a clear definition that truly describes the role of a jobber. According to the site, very little fabric, apart from quilting prints, is actually made for retail sale. Most fabric is produced for garment manufacturers. When people refer to wholesale fabric, what they are talking about is fabric sold at prices that manufacturers pay.
When garment manufacturers finish cutting and sewing, they invariably end up with surplus fabric. They place orders for their fabrics many months in advance of production, and it is simply impossible for them to accurately estimate their needs. Their estimates can be over or under�but are usually under.
Manufacturers sell their surplus fabric to middlemen called fabric jobbers. These jobbers are typically expected to make large purchases�often the manufacturer's entire fabric surplus. The jobber is willing to make this kind of purchase, even though it is likely to include some fabric that is not very desirable, because it is buying it for a fraction of the original wholesale fabric prices.
When the jobbers sell to retailers, they put their markup on the below-wholesale price paid to the garment manufacturer. The retailer then puts a markup on the jobber�s price. Even with these two markups, the price to the consumer can still be near or even below the original wholesale fabric price paid by the garment manufacturer.
Other common words that are often used to describe a jobber include middleman or wholesaler. According to Dictionary.com, a jobber is a manufacturer, tradesman, or wholesaler who deals in small lots of goods or "jobs" or acts as an agent, middleman (intermediary), or a sub-contractor, and usually does not deal directly with the principal customer.
A jobbing house is a type of wholesale business.
Written for Apparel Search by Regina Cooper
Read the discussion at the Fashion Industry Network regarding, "What is a jobber?".
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I assume textile jobbers can help reduce the amount of textile waste. If they can sell the small yardage of fabric left over from fabric manufacturers, that small amount of fabric does not go to waste..
The economics explain why jobbers exist. A jobber buys surplus at a fraction of the wholesale fabric price, accepting that some of the yardage will not be very desirable in exchange for the low overall price. When the jobber sells to a retailer, a markup goes on the below-wholesale price the jobber paid; the retailer then adds a second markup. Even with two markups, the price to the consumer can still be near or even below the wholesale fabric price the garment manufacturer originally paid — which is why jobber fabric is a staple source for smaller retailers and independent makers who cannot meet mill minimums.
Other common words used to describe a jobber include middleman and wholesaler, and textile jobbers can also be considered brokers. In general dictionary terms, a jobber is a manufacturer, tradesman or wholesaler who deals in small lots of goods or “jobs”, or acts as an agent, middleman, intermediary or sub-contractor, and usually does not deal directly with the principal customer; a jobbing house is a type of wholesale business. The fashion industry use is narrower: the jobber’s defining transaction is taking surplus goods off a producer’s hands.
Jobbers also play a practical role in reducing textile waste. The small yardage left over from fabric manufacturers and garment production runs is too little for another full production run, but it is perfectly usable fabric. If a jobber can sell that small yardage onward to retailers and makers, that fabric is used instead of going to waste — one reason surplus trading is a durable part of the textile business rather than a side channel.
A middleman or wholesaler. In fabric, a jobber buys surplus fabric from garment manufacturers — typically large purchases, often the entire surplus — at a fraction of the wholesale price, then sells to retailers with a markup added to that below-wholesale price.
Because fabric orders are placed many months in advance of production, and it is impossible to estimate needs accurately. Estimates can be over or under — usually over orders happen on the fabric side, leaving leftover yardage after cutting and sewing are finished.
No. A jobber deals in goods, not jobs. Companies that help the fashion industry find work are fashion employment agencies, and job seekers should use the fashion job search resources instead.