Why Chicago brands choose Tulum
Air freight Medellín → ORD in 24 hours. Direct integration with Midwest distribution centers and brand HQs.
01
Colombia apparel imports carry a flat 10% tariff under Section 122 (effective Feb 24, 2026) — competitive against China at 30–70% effective rates and aligned with Mexico and Vietnam.
02
Air freight Medellín → Chicago IL. Fast enough for restocks. Reliable enough to plan a season around.
03
Development, patternmaking, cutting, sewing, finishing, QC and shipping coordinated from our Medellín plant. Digital print, sublimation, screen print and embroidery handled through a curated network of specialized partners — single point of accountability, scaled capacity per category.
04
Native English-speaking team. Slack, Zoom, email — same tools and time zones as your in-house team.
By the numbers
50,000 garments per month. 12+ years in production. Full-package operation: in-house development, cutting, sewing and QC, with strategic partners for sublimation, digital print, screen print and embroidery — and allied factories for scaled capacity by category.
— Tulum Fashions · Medellín, Colombia
Chicago Industries We Serve
We specialize in athleisure, performance wear, midwest premium brands, uniforms. Whether you're emerging DTC, established wholesale, or scaling production — we adapt to fit.
Performance fabrics, sublimation, custom prints, bonded seams.
Linen, gauze, premium cotton, signature drape and finish.
Compression, 4-way stretch, performance jersey, technical knits.
Tees, polos, button-downs, shorts — premium executions on classic silhouettes.
Your brand, our production. Full OEM and white-label capabilities.
Hospitality, medical scrubs, branded uniform programs.
Sample runs from 50 units. Production MOQ from 100 units per style and colorway.
Chicago, IL
Chicago is a serious fashion city with serious infrastructure, anchored by the Magnificent Mile, the showrooms and trade activity at the Merchandise Mart, and the design pipeline coming out of the School of the Art Institute and Columbia College. It is a market built on retail scale, athletic and outerwear brands suited to a real four-season climate, and a deep streetwear and sneaker culture in neighborhoods like Wicker Park and Pilsen. Chicago labels range from established midwestern retailers to a strong layer of independent designers, and most of them need production that balances quality with realistic minimums.
Nearshore Colombia fits that mix well. Tulum Fashions produces in Medellin and ships to Chicago in 3 to 4 days by air, with goods entering under a flat 10% tariff through Section 122 that makes landed cost easy to plan. We work English-first and share Central time zone business hours with Chicago, so approvals and problem-solving happen during your workday rather than across a twelve-hour gap.
The Chicago brands we serve include activewear and athleisure lines, cold-weather and outerwear-adjacent casualwear, streetwear and graphic apparel makers, uniforms and medical scrubs for the city's large healthcare and hospitality sectors, and emerging designers building direct-to-consumer labels out of the local creative scene.
Chicago respects work that is built to last and delivered on time. A nearshore partner with industrial capacity, clear communication and a fast shipping lane gives Chicago brands the reliability this market expects.
Who we are
Tulum Fashions is a full-package apparel manufacturer in Medellin, Colombia, with 12+ years of experience, 60+ skilled employees, and capacity for 50,000+ garments per month. We exhibit at MAGIC Las Vegas and serve brands across the USA, Canada and beyond, and we are proud to employ and empower single mothers in our community.
For Chicago brands, that means one partner from first sketch to final delivery, with English-first communication and the same business hours.
We produce swimwear (our flagship), resort wear, activewear and sportswear, casual wear, uniforms and medical scrubs, for both men and women. MOQ is 120 units per style, with 6-8 week lead times.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Tulum Fashions produces in Medellín, Colombia, and ships full-package orders to Chicago in 6-8 business days. Under Section 122 (effective Feb 24, 2026), Colombia apparel imports carry a flat 10% tariff — competitive against China at 30–70% effective rates.
Focus areas for Chicago: athleisure, performance wear, midwest premium brands, uniforms. We also produce uniforms, medical scrubs, casual wear, and sportswear. Both men's and women's lines.
Standard production MOQ is 100 units per style and colorway. Sample runs from 50 units. For Chicago indie and DTC brands, we offer flexibility on first production runs.
Air freight from Medellín to Chicago, IL in 6-8 business days. Flat 10% tariff under Section 122 (Feb 2026), vs 30–70% effective on Chinese apparel. Full customs documentation included. Door-to-door logistics available on request.
We own and operate the production plant in Medellín — development, cutting, sewing, QC and shipping run in-house. For specialized finishing (digital print, sublimation, screen print, embroidery) and to scale capacity per category, we coordinate a curated network of long-standing manufacturing partners. Single point of accountability, full quality control, IP protection, and a relationship that compounds over multiple seasons.
Nationwide
Tulum Fashions ships full-package production from Medellín to fashion brands in every major US market. Find apparel manufacturing for your city:
Book a 30-minute Zoom with Jose Olarte, founder, or send your tech packs. We reply within 24 hours, in English, with concrete next steps.
Prefer to message? Reach Giuseppe, Client Coordinator, on WhatsApp +57 319 265 1926 or email internationalsales@tulumfashions.co
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