How to check and approve a sample
Approving a sample is a decision about the whole order. A few minutes with a checklist, and clear notes, often save a correction round.
Sample approval
Specimen| Item | OK | Change | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit | Take in waist 1 cm | ||
| Measurements | Length −2 cm | ||
| Fabric | |||
| Trims | |||
| Workmanship | |||
| Colour |
Before you start
Have the confirmed measurement chart, your sketch or reference garment, and any fabric and trim swatches next to you. Check the sample against these, not against memory.
Fit
Try it on a person or a dress form in the base size. Look at how it hangs from the shoulders, where the waist sits, the length, and whether you can walk, sit and lift your arms. For a wrap dress, check that the front stays closed when you sit.
Measurements
Lay the sample flat and measure it against the chart, point by point. Write down each difference in centimetres.
Fabric, trims and colour
Fabric weight and hand, buttons, zips, labels. If the sample was made in a substitute fabric, say so on the sheet and approve the bulk fabric separately.
Workmanship
Turn the garment inside out: seams, finishing, hems, and how the tie and the wrap are attached. With the sample review you receive detail photos of the front, the back and the inside.
Writing corrections
For each change: what, where and by how much. “Take in the waist 1 cm” can be acted on; “make it more fitted” cannot. The specimen above shows the format — one line per item, OK or change, and a comment.
First sample and pre-production sample
The first sample is there to be corrected. The pre-production sample is the garment the whole order is held to: what you approve here, together with the measurement chart and the agreed tolerances, is what bulk is checked against. Nothing is cut in bulk until you approve it. More in How sampling works.
Questions
How many correction rounds are normal?
It depends on the style. Clear, specific comments usually mean one round instead of several.
Can I approve from photos?
Photos are good for workmanship and details. Fit is best judged with the garment on a person or a dress form.
What happens after I approve?
We make the pre-production sample. Once you approve it, bulk production starts and takes 20–25 days.