ERP Software for Textiles & Apparel
Textiles and apparel manufacturers face unique ERP challenges driven by seasonal collections, massive SKU proliferation from size-color-style matrices, global sourcing and production networks, and accelerating fast-fashion timelines. ERP systems must handle product lifecycle management from design through production, multi-attribute inventory management, cut-make-trim (CMT) costing, and end-to-end supply chain visibility across contract manufacturers in multiple countries.
Compare ERP Systems for Textiles & Apparel
Select up to 4 ERP vendors to compare side by side. Filtered to show systems with strong textiles & apparel capabilities.
Key Challenges for Textiles & Apparel
Managing SKU proliferation from size, color, fit, and style combinations that create thousands of variants per collection
Coordinating global supply chains spanning fabric mills, trim suppliers, CMT factories, and logistics providers across multiple countries
Accelerating design-to-delivery timelines to meet fast-fashion and direct-to-consumer demand cycles
Tracking fabric yield, consumption, and waste across cutting, sewing, and finishing operations
Managing pre-season buying, allocation, and replenishment across wholesale, retail, and e-commerce channels
Maintaining compliance with social responsibility, sustainability, and supply chain transparency requirements
Handling complex costing across landed cost, duty, quota, and multi-currency sourcing scenarios
Best Textiles & Apparel ERP for SMBs
Recommended for companies with $10M–$250M revenue and 10–200 employees.
Infor CloudSuite Fashion
mid-rangePurpose-built for fashion and apparel with native size-color matrix, collection management, PLM integration, global sourcing, and multi-channel distribution capabilities.
Best for: Mid-size fashion brands and apparel manufacturers
BlueCherry ERP (CGS)
mid-rangeIndustry-specific ERP for apparel and fashion with PLM, supply chain management, shop-floor control, and omnichannel order management designed by apparel industry veterans.
Best for: Apparel brands managing design through distribution
Exenta (A Coats Digital Company)
mid-rangeFashion-focused ERP with strong production planning, CMT costing, material management, and quality control built specifically for garment manufacturers and apparel brands.
Best for: Garment manufacturers and private-label apparel producers
ApparelMagic
budgetCloud-based ERP designed specifically for fashion brands with collection management, size-color-style matrix, wholesale and DTC order management, and integrated PLM.
Best for: Small to mid-size fashion brands seeking cloud-native, industry-specific ERP
Sage X3 (Fashion & Apparel)
mid-rangeMid-market ERP with apparel extensions for size-color matrix management, multi-attribute inventory, and international operations with multi-currency and multi-language support.
Best for: Mid-size apparel companies with international sourcing and distribution
Acumatica (Fashion Edition)
mid-rangeCloud-native ERP with fashion and apparel extensions providing matrix inventory, style-color-size management, and strong e-commerce integration for growing brands.
Best for: Growing fashion brands seeking scalable cloud ERP with e-commerce integration
Best Textiles & Apparel ERP for Enterprise
Recommended for companies with $250M+ revenue and complex multi-site operations.
SAP S/4HANA Fashion Management
enterpriseEnterprise platform with purpose-built fashion solution including collection management, grid processing, material management, global sourcing, and omnichannel capabilities for large fashion companies.
Best for: Global fashion and apparel brands with multi-country operations
Infor CloudSuite Fashion (Enterprise)
enterpriseDeep fashion industry ERP with proven deployments at major brands, supporting design-to-delivery, global sourcing, multi-channel distribution, and sustainability tracking at enterprise scale.
Best for: Large fashion and apparel enterprises with complex global supply chains
Oracle Cloud ERP (Retail/Fashion)
enterpriseEnterprise cloud platform with fashion industry extensions, demand sensing, global trade management, and supply chain orchestration for large fashion and retail enterprises.
Best for: Large fashion enterprises seeking full cloud transformation
Microsoft Dynamics 365 (Fashion ISV)
enterpriseEnterprise platform with fashion ISV solutions (e.g., K3 Fashion, To-Increase) providing collection management, size-color matrix, and supply chain visibility on the Dynamics 365 stack.
Best for: Fashion enterprises standardizing on the Microsoft ecosystem
Essential ERP Capabilities for Textiles & Apparel
Size-color-style matrix management with grid-based order entry and allocation
Product lifecycle management (PLM) from concept and design through production
Collection and season management with line planning and assortment tools
Cut-make-trim (CMT) costing with fabric yield and consumption tracking
Global sourcing and purchase order management with multi-currency and landed cost
Quality management with AQL inspection, fabric testing, and garment measurement specs
Multi-channel order management across wholesale, retail, and e-commerce
Fabric and trim inventory management with roll tracking and shade-lot matching
Compliance management for sustainability, social responsibility, and trade regulations
Pre-season allocation, in-season replenishment, and markdown optimization
Textiles & Apparel ERP Cost Ranges
SMB
$50,000 – $200,000
10–40 users
Implementation: $40,000 – $150,000
Mid-Market
$200,000 – $750,000
40–150 users
Implementation: $150,000 – $600,000
Enterprise
$800,000 – $4,000,000+
150–2,000+ users
Implementation: $700,000 – $3,500,000+
Implementation Considerations
Ensure the ERP natively supports your size-color-style matrix structure — retrofitting a generic ERP for apparel matrix inventory is extremely difficult and error-prone
Plan PLM integration (Centric, Gerber YuniquePLM, Lectra) early as design data feeds product master data and BOM structures in ERP
Map your sourcing workflows across countries, including landed cost, duty, quota, and trade preference calculations, before ERP configuration
Evaluate omnichannel order management requirements including wholesale EDI, retail POS, and e-commerce platform integration needs
Define sustainability and supply chain transparency reporting requirements (Higg Index, OEKO-TEX, GOTS) as these increasingly influence ERP data structures
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do apparel companies need industry-specific ERP?
Apparel ERP must handle size-color-style matrix inventory, seasonal collection management, cut-make-trim costing, fabric yield calculations, global sourcing with landed cost, and multi-channel distribution. Generic ERPs cannot manage the massive SKU proliferation or grid-based workflows fundamental to apparel operations.
What is a size-color matrix and why is it critical?
A size-color matrix (or style grid) is the foundational data structure in apparel ERP that represents all size and color combinations for each style. A single style in 8 sizes and 6 colors creates 48 SKUs. Without native matrix support, inventory management, order entry, and allocation become unmanageable at scale.
How does ERP support global sourcing for apparel?
Apparel ERP manages purchase orders to factories across multiple countries, tracks production milestones (fabric booking, cutting, sewing, packing, shipping), calculates landed cost with duty and freight, manages trade compliance (tariff classification, preferential trade agreements), and provides visibility into offshore WIP and transit inventory.
What is cut-make-trim (CMT) costing?
CMT costing breaks garment production cost into three components: cut (fabric cutting based on marker efficiency and yield), make (sewing labor based on SAM — standard allowed minutes), and trim (buttons, zippers, labels, packaging). ERP calculates product cost by combining CMT with fabric cost, overhead, and landed cost factors.
How important is PLM integration for fashion ERP?
PLM integration is essential for fashion companies. PLM manages the creative and development process (design, tech packs, sampling, fit sessions), and ERP manages production and distribution. Integration ensures product specifications, BOMs, and costing data flow automatically from PLM to ERP without manual re-entry or errors.
Can ERP help with sustainability and supply chain transparency?
Yes. Modern fashion ERPs track supplier certifications (GOTS, OEKO-TEX, Fair Trade), material composition and origin, carbon footprint data, water usage metrics, and chemical compliance. This data supports sustainability reporting, consumer transparency initiatives, and compliance with emerging regulations like the EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles.
How does ERP handle omnichannel distribution for apparel?
Apparel ERP manages inventory allocation and available-to-promise across wholesale accounts, retail stores, and e-commerce channels. It supports EDI with major retailers, integrates with e-commerce platforms (Shopify, Magento), enables drop-ship and marketplace fulfillment, and provides unified inventory visibility to prevent overselling.
What is the typical implementation timeline for apparel ERP?
Small to mid-size apparel companies can implement in 6–12 months with a focused scope. Mid-market implementations with global sourcing and multi-channel distribution typically take 9–15 months. Enterprise implementations for large fashion brands with multiple brands, regions, and channels can span 12–24 months.
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