Validation service
Sampling and fit approval
A sample is not a preview. It is the physical answer to whether the fabric behaves, the fit works and the construction holds — and it becomes the standard every bulk piece is measured against.
What this is
Sampling is the cheapest place to be wrong. A construction problem found on a sample costs a pattern revision; the same problem found after bulk cutting costs the fabric, the labour and the delivery window.
Each round should answer a specific question rather than being a general look at the garment. The first sample establishes fabric behaviour and basic fit. The second corrects the fit and confirms the construction method. The pre-production sample locks the standard that bulk is measured against.
We make samples in-house on the same equipment that will run the bulk, which is why a sample that is approved here generally reproduces in production.
Who it is for
This is the right route if…
Brands approving a style before committing to bulk
The standard commercial route — validate the garment before the fabric is booked.
Brands testing a factory before a season
One sample is a low-cost way to judge a facility's pattern work, communication and finish quality.
Brands with a recurring fit problem
If the same complaint keeps returning, the fit approval process is usually the cause rather than the production.
What you receive
Deliverables, not promises
- A physical sample made to your specification, in the intended fabric
- A written note of every deviation from the brief and the reason for it
- Fit comments incorporated into a corrected pattern
- A pre-production sample that becomes the bulk standard, retained for reference
How the process works
Stage by stage
- Sample brief
The tech pack, reference or approved style plus the fabric and trim to be used.
- Pattern and make
The pattern is drafted or adapted, the sample is cut and made in-house, and deviations are recorded as they happen.
- Review and comment
You assess fit, proportion and hand. On-body photographs with marked corrections are far more useful than written description alone.
- Revision round
The pattern is corrected and a revised sample is made. Most styles converge in one or two rounds when comments are specific.
- Approval and lock
The approved sample is retained as the physical standard for bulk measurement and inspection.
Typical requirements
What the work depends on
- Complete specificationFabric, trims, measurements and labelling. An incomplete brief produces a sample that cannot be approved.
- A decision-makerSample rounds stall when comments come from several directions without a single approver.
- Specific comments"Doesn't fit" cannot be acted on. "Waist sits 2 cm high at centre back" can.
- Realistic timelineSample rounds take time. A compressed schedule reduces how many corrections are possible.
What to send us
Your briefing checklist
- Tech pack, reference or approved style
- Fabric and trims, or approval to source them
- Your fit model's measurements, if the fit is being judged on a specific body
- Structured comments with photographs and marked corrections
- Confirmation of who has final approval
Commercial terms
What we can publish now
Verified figures are stated. Anything that depends on your specification is confirmed against it rather than quoted as a headline number.
| Facility | Intertek-verified manufacturing facility |
|---|---|
| Quotation response | within 24 hours |
| Minimum order quantity | 300 pieces per design (100–200 pieces per colour) |
| Sample lead time | 7–10 days |
| Sample fee | Confirmed at quotation |
| Bulk production lead time | 4–6 weeks after sample approval |
| Inspection standard | Confirmed at quotation |
How to request a quotation
Send the specification and your fit model's measurements. If you have an existing sample you are trying to match, send that too — it shortens the first round considerably.
Related services
Usually used together
Product Development
The stage between an idea and a producible garment: construction decisions, material selection, pattern drafting, sample rounds and a locked specification you can repeat.
Quality Control
Checks at cutting, sewing and finishing — because a defect found at the end of a run has already been repeated across the whole run.
Fabric Sourcing
Sourcing to a specification rather than to a price list — weight, stretch, recovery and hand checked against what the garment actually has to do.
Custom Clothing
Take an existing style and change what matters to you — the fabric, the colour, the length, the neckline, the size range, the trims — without commissioning a new design from zero.
Start a project
Ready to brief us?
Send what you have. We will tell you what is missing, what it will cost and how long it will take.