From reference to sealed sample.
Sampling is where a design becomes a product, and where most of the cost of a bad first run is avoided. This guide covers each sample stage, what to check at each one, and how to write feedback a factory can act on.
Sampling is not a formality before production. It is the production decision, taken while it is still cheap to change your mind. Every issue you catch on a sample costs days; the same issue caught after bulk cutting costs the run.
Sample lead time runs 10–22 days depending on the product, and most new styles need two to three rounds. Plan the calendar around that rather than hoping for one perfect sample.
See the full-package process →At a glance
1. Start from a reference, not a description
The fastest route to a good first sample is a physical reference garment plus a list of what you want changed. Words like boxy, relaxed and heavyweight mean different things to different people; a garment on a table means one thing to everybody.
If you cannot send a reference, send the closest thing you own with measurements taken from it, plus photographs on a body. State what you like about it and, more importantly, what you want different. A reference with five precise changes is a better brief than three pages of adjectives.
- Send a physical reference where possible
- List the intentional differences, point by point
- Include photographs on a body, not just flat
- Say which details are non-negotiable
2. The proto sample
The proto, sometimes called the first or development sample, exists to test the pattern and the construction. It may be made in an available fabric rather than your final one, and in whatever colour is to hand. Judging its colour or its exact hand-feel is a waste of a round.
What you are checking is shape. Does the silhouette read the way you intended. Are the proportions right. Is the construction approach correct. Are the components present and in the right places. If the shape is wrong, nothing later in the process will rescue it.
- Checks pattern, proportion and construction approach
- Often made in substitute fabric and colour
- Do not judge colour or final hand-feel at this stage
- Approve the shape, or state exactly how it must change
3. The fit sample
The fit sample is the round where the garment meets a body. Fit it on a real person in your target size, moving, sitting and reaching, not on a hanger or a mannequin. Take every point of measure with a tape and record the actual figures next to your target figures.
Check the things a photograph hides: where the shoulder seam sits, whether the armhole binds, whether the hem rides, whether the waistband rolls, whether a stretch fabric stays opaque under load. Fit is where most second rounds are spent, and it is the round most worth spending.
- Fit on a real body in your base size
- Measure every point and record actual against target
- Test movement: reach, sit, bend, walk
- Check opacity under stretch on any fitted garment
4. The size set
Once the base size is approved, ask for a size set: one garment in each size, or at least the base plus the extremes. This is how you verify that the grade rules work in the real world rather than only on the spec sheet.
Grade errors show at the edges. A sleeve that is proportionate in the middle size can read short at the largest size and long at the smallest. Measure every size against the graded spec, and check the extremes on bodies if you can. This step is skipped often, and it is the reason many brands receive a run where the middle sizes are perfect and the ends are not.
- One garment per size, or at minimum base plus extremes
- Measure every size against the graded spec sheet
- Fit the extremes on real bodies where possible
- Correct grade rules here, before bulk cutting
5. The pre-production sample
The pre-production sample, or PP sample, is made in the actual bulk fabric, the actual trims, the actual colour and with the actual decoration. It is the first time you see the real garment. Check colour against your reference, check that the decoration sits correctly on the final fabric, and check every label and trim.
Wash test it. Decoration that looks perfect on the table can crack, migrate or shift after washing, and fabric can shrink or twist. A wash test on the PP sample is the cheapest insurance in the whole process. Confirm shrinkage is within the tolerance your measurements assume.
- Made in bulk fabric, trims, colour and decoration
- Check colour against a physical reference under consistent light
- Wash test for shrinkage, twist, crocking and print durability
- Confirm every label, hangtag and packing detail
6. The sealed sample
When the pre-production sample is approved, it is sealed. Sealing means both sides agree that this specific garment is the standard the bulk will be measured against. It is signed, tagged and kept, usually with one copy at the factory and one with you.
From that point the sealed sample outranks the tech pack wherever the two disagree, and it is the reference for inspection to AQL 2.5. Changes after sealing are possible but they affect price and lead time, so this is the moment to be certain rather than agreeable.
- Both parties sign and retain a copy
- Sealed sample becomes the bulk quality standard
- It outranks the tech pack on any conflict
- Changes after sealing affect cost and timeline
7. Write feedback a factory can act on
Useful feedback is specific, measured and prioritised. Name the point of measure, give the current figure and the required figure, and say why if the reason matters. Number your comments so both sides can reference them. Photograph the issue with a tape in frame wherever a measurement is involved.
Separate must-fix from nice-to-have, and send all comments in one consolidated message rather than in a stream. A factory that receives one clear numbered list can fix everything in a single round. A factory that receives six messages over four days will usually fix the last one first.
- Name the point of measure and give both figures
- Number every comment so it can be replied to individually
- Photograph with a tape in frame
- Send one consolidated list, and mark priorities
What to check at each sample
Each round has a job. Checking the wrong thing at the wrong stage is how brands spend four rounds on a two-round problem.
Proto
Silhouette, proportion and construction approach. Not colour, not final fabric, not finishing detail.
Fit sample
Every point of measure on a real body, in movement. Shoulder position, armhole, hem behaviour, waistband.
Size set
Grade rules across the full range, with special attention to the smallest and largest sizes.
Pre-production
Bulk fabric, bulk trims, real colour and real decoration, plus a wash test for shrinkage and durability.
Sealed sample
Signed by both sides and retained. The standard bulk is inspected against, at AQL 2.5.
In-line and final
During and after production: measurements, workmanship, decoration placement and packing, with reports on request.
A sample round costs days. A bulk run cut to an unapproved fit costs the season. Spend the extra round.
Common questions
Two to three for a new style. A proto for shape, a fit sample to correct the body, and a pre-production sample in bulk fabric and trims. A repeat style with an existing sealed sample often needs none.
Sample lead time runs 10–22 days depending on the product and whether fabric and trims are in hand. Complex construction and custom trims sit at the longer end.
The approved sample that both parties sign and retain as the quality standard for bulk. Where it conflicts with the tech pack, the sealed sample wins, and inspection to AQL 2.5 is carried out against it.
A person, in your target size, moving normally. A mannequin will not tell you whether an armhole binds, a hem rides or a waistband rolls, and those are the issues that generate returns.
If you are producing more than a couple of sizes, yes. Grade errors appear at the extremes of the range, and a size set is the only way to catch them before bulk cutting.
Send one consolidated, numbered list of comments with measurements and photographs, marking which items are must-fix. That usually resolves everything in one further round rather than several.
Start with a sample, not a leap of faith.
Send us a reference or a sketch and we will come back with a sampling plan, a timeline and a quote.