Why does sampling take more than one round?
What happens between proto and bulk
Anmol JournalGuide
Guide 3 of 10
- Topic
- Development
- Reading time
- 2 minutes
- Sections
- 05
- Figures
- 02
01The proto: does the idea work?
The proto is the first make-up of a style from its pattern. It tests the silhouette, the construction and the proportions, often before the final fabric is available.
Its comments are about the design: a collar that sits wrong, a skirt that needs more volume, a pocket that should move.
Fig. 01The sampling stages, reference to bulk
- 01
Reference
- 02
Pattern
- 03
Proto
- 04
Fit
- 05
Revision
- 06
Salesman sample
- 07
Approval
- 08
Bulk
02Fit: does it work on a body?
A fit sample is made in the base size and checked on a model or a form against the measurement chart. Ease, balance and length are judged here, point by point.
Fit is usually the stage that repeats. Each round of comments goes back into the pattern, and the next sample shows whether the correction worked.
03Grading and the salesman sample
When fit is settled, the pattern is graded across the size range. Salesman samples, used to sell a style in before orders are final, are made in the look the buyer will present.
Salesman samples are often needed in several colourways at once, so the fabric and trims for them are planned early rather than ordered after fit.
Fit is usually the stage that repeats.
04The counter sample
The counter sample is the style as it will be produced, made for final approval. Once the buyer signs it off, it becomes the reference that bulk fabric, production and inspection are all measured against.
If the counter sample still shows a problem, another round costs less than a lot that fails inspection, which is why the cycle repeats until the sample is right.
05Pre-production
Between approval and cutting, everything else is confirmed: bulk fabric against the approved sample, trims, embroidery or print artwork, the packing specification and the inspection plan.
This is the cheapest moment to find a problem. After cutting, every correction is multiplied by the quantity.
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