The process at a glance
- Brief. Styles, size runs, color direction, branding level, pack format, market and channel.
- Shortlist. The desk shortlists partner plants per line and fabric family, with audits where the program needs them.
- Color card. Palette agreed, lab dips and swatches pulled, one retained swatch filed per color.
- Sample. Catalog or branded samples, one comment round at a time, until fit and make are right.
- Approval. Sealed sample signed by both sides; the spec sheet frozen with it.
- Grade documents. Size chart with tolerances, bill of materials, label files, packaging dieline.
- Production. Batch scheduled; fabric and trim readiness confirmed; inline checks during making.
- Inspection. Lot sampled per the agreed plan; record written against the sealed sample.
- Shipment. Carton marks, loading plan and customs set; mode booked per the shipment plan.
- After-sales. Claim window honored, lot records kept, refills planned against sell-through.
Steps one to three decide most of what follows. A program that briefs clearly, shortlists on evidence and freezes a color card rarely meets a surprise at inspection; a program that rushes those three spends its calendar at the other end. What the shortlist checks, plant by plant, is on the factory audit page.
Brief, shortlist and color card: the foundation
The brief is not a formality. Styles and volumes decide which plants are candidates at all - a molded-cup program and a seamless program do not shortlist the same way. Branding level decides which trims sit on the critical path before a single sample is cut. Pack format decides whether a box dieline runs parallel to sampling or waits and pays for it later. The desk turns the brief into a shortlist of named plants with evidence: certificates on file, similar constructions run, capacity honest for the calendar. The color card then turns intent into a physical reference: lab dips under a lamp, swatches retained per color, and a decision on which colors anchor the range and which stay seasonal.
Samples, approval and grade documents
| Stage | You provide | You receive |
|---|---|---|
| Sample rounds | Comments on fit, make and color, one group at a time | Counter sample per round, inside the windows on the lead time page |
| Approval | Sign-off on the final sample | Sealed sample and a frozen spec sheet |
| Grade documents | Size strategy and label artwork | Measurement chart with tolerances, bill of materials, label files, dieline |
| Pre-production | Confirmation of fabric and trims | Pre-production sample made from batch materials |
Grade documents are what make a program portable. With a measurement chart, a bill of materials and label files on record, the same style can be quoted, audited or moved between plants without starting from a garment on a desk. That portability is also leverage: a plant knows its work can be checked against documents, not memory.
Production and inspection
Production starts when fabric and trims are on the floor, which is why the calendar is counted from readiness rather than from the order date. The desk keeps inline checks in the plan - elastics, stitching, and color against the retained swatch - so problems surface mid-batch while they are still cheap. Inspection then samples the packed lot against the sealed sample and the agreed plan, and writes the record that travels with the goods. The methods sit on the quality control page and the laboratory side on testing and inspection.
Shipment and after-sales
Shipment hands the program to carriers: carton marks checked against the packing list, the loading plan followed, the customs set assembled for the lane and its broker. After-sales closes the loop. A claim window is honored against the lot records; the retained swatches and sealed samples stay filed so a refill a season later matches the range it joins; and refills are planned against sell-through instead of forecasts alone. Reorder quantities and windows sit on the MOQ and lead time page.
Where programs stall, and the fix
- Slow comments. A sample waits days for a decision. Fix: one decision owner on the buyer side, named at the brief.
- A palette that drifts after lab dips. Fix: freeze the card before sampling; new colors join as new colors, not as edits.
- Documents after production. Labels and boxes ordered late. Fix: grade documents at approval, dieline parallel to sampling.
- Skipping pre-production. The batch becomes the test run. Fix: hold the pre-production stage even on fast programs.
Start the ten steps with a written brief through the quote form; the desk returns a shortlist and a calendar with the applicable ranges filled in. The OEM and private label page details the branding layers, and sourcing intimates from China gives the cluster background behind the shortlist.