Mac Leather is a family-run leather garment manufacturer in Karachi, Pakistan. We’ve been cutting leather in our own factory since 1998, and three generations of the family work in the business now. We make around 25,000 pieces a year for brands and boutiques in the UK and Europe. Most of it is jackets, but we also make shirts, shackets, gilets, skirts, trousers and coats.
If you’re looking for a leather garments manufacturer in Pakistan, or any leather clothing manufacturer that will take a small first order seriously, this page covers what we make, the leathers, the 20-piece minimum and how an order runs.
Send us a tech pack or a few reference photos and we’ll quote within 48 hours.
What we make
A lot of factories in Pakistan make jackets and nothing else. We make the other pieces too, so a brand can put a whole leather capsule through one factory and hold it to one standard.
- Jackets: biker, bomber, shearling aviator, trucker, hooded, suede. Mostly sheepskin, some cowhide and goatskin.
- Leather shirts and suede overshirts, western styles included.
- Shackets with patch pockets, lined or unlined.
- Gilets (vests, if you’re in the US) with zip or snap fronts, shearling gilets, waistcoats.
- Skirts from mini to midi, usually A-line, pencil or wrap.
- Trousers, straight, wide or slim.
- Coats: trench, car coat, three-quarter length, shearling.
There’s more detail by style on our leather jacket manufacturer in Pakistan page, and if you’re buying for a shop, look at wholesale leather jackets. Recent overshirts and skirts are in our portfolio.
The same factory makes bags, from totes to holdalls, along with belts and gloves. That side is on the leather bags manufacturer in Pakistan page.
Construction details
Leather garments usually go wrong in the details. Things that come through our floor all the time: quilted or fixed linings, detachable shearling collars, two-way zips, asymmetric zips, press studs, panelled or pieced bodies, bound or turned edges, belted waists, storm flaps. Standard hardware finishes are antique brass, gunmetal, black or nickel, or we source to your spec.
We like complicated garments. If another factory has turned a design down for too many panels or an awkward seam, send it over. We’ll tell you straight whether we can make it well and what it will cost.
Leathers we cut
The leather decides how a garment hangs and how heavy it feels on the hanger, and it’s a big part of your retail price. Talk to us before you sample, because changing leather after approval usually means sampling again.
Sheepskin
This is what we know best and what most of our garments are cut from. It’s light and soft, and it drapes, which makes it the obvious choice for a shirt, a skirt or a jacket cut close to the body. It scuffs more easily than cowhide, so think of it as a fashion leather rather than a workwear one. No two hides are quite the same thickness or shade, so we cut the panels for each garment from the same or closely matched skins.
Cowhide
Heavier and stiffer. It holds its shape, which suits a classic biker, a heavy coat or a skirt that needs a clean line. It takes a while to break in and adds weight. We’d rarely put it into a shirt or trousers.
Goatskin and suede
Goatskin sits between the two, with a tighter, pebbled grain and good strength for its weight. Suede, from sheep or goat, gives the brushed matte surface people want for overshirts and shackets.
Two things to know about suede. It marks more easily than grain leather, which matters in pale colours. And the shade moves from hide to hide more than smooth leather does, so we sort skins by shade before cutting a bulk order.
Shearling
Shearling is sheepskin tanned with the wool left on. Most of ours goes into aviator jackets and coats, with some gilets and collars. It’s warm and heavy and slow to sew, because both faces show and there’s nowhere to hide a bad seam. Good skins are seasonal, so if shearling is in your AW range, start early.
All the leather we use is a by-product of the meat industry. Nobody raises animals for the hides alone.
Who we make for
Fashion brands and independent boutiques in the UK and Europe. Some run a leather capsule every season. Others are placing their first production order with us.
We’ve also supplied into the UK high street, so we’re used to the paperwork and inspections a big retailer asks for, and to delivery dates that can’t slip. We kept the habits. Measurements are checked against a written size spec, not by eye. Colour is approved against a physical standard before we cut. Labels and composition wording are checked against your approved artwork before packing, and cartons are marked the way your warehouse wants them.
Most of what we make carries our clients’ names. Our private label leather jackets page covers woven labels, care labels, hang tags, branded hardware and packaging, and the same applies to every garment here. If you have your own design, custom leather jackets explains how we work from a tech pack, a sketch or a garment you already own.
MOQ of 20 pieces, mixable across styles
The minimum is 20 pieces per order, and they don’t have to be one style. You don’t need 20 of one jacket in one colour.
A first order from a boutique often looks something like this:
- 8 sheepskin biker jackets across a size run
- 6 suede shackets
- 6 leather totes
That’s one order. It’s sampled and made together and goes out in one shipment, so you get to try three products and reorder the one that sells.
The catch is price. A style cut in a run of 20 costs more per piece than the same style at 100 or 500, because the pattern work and the setup on the cutting table and the sewing line are shared over fewer pieces. Your quote shows the price at each quantity, so you can decide. Our low MOQ leather manufacturer page goes into this properly.
From tech pack to delivery
Nothing goes into bulk until you’ve approved a physical sample. This is the order things happen in:
- You send a tech pack, sketch, photos or a reference garment, with rough quantities and the leather you want. We quote within 48 hours.
- Our pattern cutter drafts the pattern and we make the sample in your leather. That takes about 2 weeks for a simple garment and up to 8 for a complicated one.
- You check the fit and the finish. If something’s off, we change it and sample again.
- We grade the approved pattern across your sizes. A jacket that fits well in a 10 can go wrong in an 18, so graded measurements are checked against your spec before anything is cut.
- For bulk we match hides for colour and thickness, then cut and sew here in Karachi. It usually takes 30 to 45 days after sample approval.
- QC checks happen at cutting, at stitching and on the finished piece, which is compared with the approved sample.
- We label and pack to your instructions and do the export paperwork.
What to put in your brief
A fuller brief means a closer quote and fewer sample rounds. Useful things to send:
- Sketches, flats or photos of the front and back
- Leather type and colour, or a swatch
- Your size range with a measurement chart, or a garment that fits the way you want
- Lining and hardware preferences
- Labels and packaging
- Quantities per style and when you need them
If you haven’t got all that, send what you have. A reference garment and a chat about your price point gets us most of the way.
Third-party inspection before shipment is fine by us, whether that’s SGS, Bureau Veritas, QIMA or your own inspector. REACH and AZO tests at an accredited lab can be arranged if you need them. The rest is on our services page.
Duty-free into the UK (DCTS) and EU (GSP+)
Qualifying leather goods made in Pakistan can enter the UK at 0% duty under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). For the EU, Pakistan’s GSP+ status gives similar preferential access. Many sourcing countries don’t get that, and on landed cost it goes straight to your margin.
The preference only applies if the goods meet the rules of origin and are declared correctly, so check the commodity codes for your products with your customs broker before you order. We prepare the export paperwork they need to make the claim. Our guide to GSP+ and the UK DCTS for leather from Pakistan explains how it works in practice.
Capacity and lead times
About 25,000 pieces a year. Enough for repeat seasonal orders, and small enough that a 20-piece order from a new label still gets looked at by the people running the floor.
| Stage | Typical timing |
|---|---|
| Quote | Within 48 hours of your brief |
| Sampling | 2 to 8 weeks, depending on the style |
| Bulk production | 30 to 45 days after sample approval |
| Minimum order | 20 pieces, mixable across styles |
| Annual capacity | Around 25,000 pieces |
Shearling and heavily detailed styles take longer. The floor also fills up ahead of autumn and winter, so if you’re sampling for AW, start early in the year.
Why Karachi
Pakistan’s leather trade is spread over three cities, and they aren’t interchangeable.
Karachi is the main port, and Korangi has a large tannery cluster. Being close to both shortens the trip from hide to container, and colour matching is easier while a style is in development.
Sialkot is best known for sportswear and gloves, with a lot of work going through smaller workshops. Lahore has a long history in leather garments.
Against China, Pakistan’s case is the duty position above and long experience with sheepskin garments.
How to check any leather garment manufacturer
Ask these before you order from anyone, us included:
- Does the company you’re talking to own the factory, or does the work go out to subcontractors?
- Is the minimum per order, or per style and colour?
- Will they sample in your actual leather before bulk, and what happens if the sample is wrong?
- Can they send photos or video of the factory floor and of garments like yours? Ours are in the portfolio, and we’ll send video if you ask.
- Will they accept a third-party inspection before shipment?
- Can they give your broker the export documents needed to claim DCTS or GSP+?
If the answers come back clearly and in writing, you’ve probably found someone you can work with.
Frequently asked questions
What is your minimum order quantity for leather garments?
20 pieces per order, and you can mix styles. Eight biker jackets, six shackets and six totes is one order. The price per piece is higher at 20 than on bigger runs, and the quote shows both.
What leather garments do you manufacture?
Jackets mostly, plus leather shirts and overshirts, shackets, gilets, skirts, trousers and coats. We make bags and small leather goods too, so a whole collection can come from one factory.
Which leathers do you work with?
Mostly sheepskin. Cowhide where a garment needs structure, goatskin or suede for overshirts, shearling for aviators and coats. We’ll suggest a leather for each piece before you sample.
How long do sampling and bulk production take?
A sample takes about 2 weeks for a simple garment and up to 8 weeks for a complicated one, once the brief is agreed. Bulk is usually 30 to 45 days after you approve it. Shearling, complicated styles and peak season can push that out, and we put dates in writing with the quote.
Can you work from a sketch or reference garment instead of a tech pack?
Yes, we do it all the time. Our pattern cutters draft from what you send and you approve a sample before bulk.
Is there import duty on leather garments from Pakistan to the UK or EU?
Qualifying leather goods from Pakistan enter the UK at 0% duty under the DCTS, and the EU under GSP+. It depends on rules of origin and the right commodity code, so confirm the codes with your customs broker.
Do you hold certifications, and can we inspect orders?
We don’t claim any certifications on this site, but you can inspect any order. SGS, Bureau Veritas, QIMA or your own inspector are all welcome, and REACH and AZO tests at an accredited lab can be arranged on request.
Can you add our own labels and packaging?
Yes. Most of what we make sells under our clients’ names. Woven labels, care labels, hang tags, branded hardware and packaging are all priced into the quote.
More on payment and shipping is on our FAQ page.
Get a quote for your leather collection
Tell us what you want to make, which leather and roughly how many. Within 48 hours you’ll have prices at 20 pieces and at larger quantities, a sampling timeline and any questions we have about construction.
Get a quote for your leather garments
Or send photos on WhatsApp if you’d rather talk it through first.