Where do clothing stores get their clothes?

Most clothing stores are the primary means of distribution for clothing manufacturers. The clothing stores get their stock shipped to them, either directly from the clothing manufacturer (warehouse), or from an initial distributor that acts for the manufacturer to disperse the product to stores nationally or globally.

In the case of clothing lines/stores like The Gap, the manufacturer is always in direct control of movement and distribution of the product. In this case, the clothing my pass from the production warehouse to each national distribution office, which then distributes it to each store within its district.