What is "dress material" in Indian wholesale? How does it differ from ready-to-wear?

Dress material (also called "unstitched fabric" or "suit material") is fabric sold by the set — pre-measured lengths for a specific garment — but not yet stitched. The buyer takes it to a tailor who stitches it to their personal measurements.

Typical dress material set (salwar suit):

• Top (kameez) fabric: 2.5 meters
• Bottom (salwar/pant) fabric: 2.5 meters (or pre-cut piece)
• Dupatta fabric: 2.25–2.5 meters

Ready-to-wear = same garment already stitched in standard sizes (S/M/L/XL/XXL).

Market fit:

• Dress material has lower returns (no sizing issues) but requires end customer to arrange tailoring
• Ready-to-wear sells faster in urban markets
• Dress material remains strong in smaller towns and semi-urban areas where tailoring culture is active