How to Review Your First Clothing Sample

Identify what this sample represents

Before opening a feedback document, confirm the style code, sample version, size and purpose. List the specification and artwork versions it follows. Ask whether the fabric, color, rib, zipper, labels or other trims differ from the intended production materials.

A sample made to check fit may not establish final color or decoration. Record those limits at the start so an approval cannot be misunderstood. Keep the sample label, photographs and comments connected to the same version.

SALATI’s stated development sequence includes brief review, material and technique confirmation, quotation, pattern development, sample making, customer review and an approved reference before production planning. Use each review to resolve specific decisions within that sequence.

Measure before you discuss the fit

Lay the garment consistently and follow the agreed measurement method. Record actual measurements beside the specification, including the points most important to your design. For a hoodie, these might include chest, body length, shoulder, sleeve, cuff, hem and hood dimensions.

Keep measurement accuracy separate from design preference. A sample may match the specification while revealing that the intended silhouette needs to change. Write “revise the specification” when the target changes, rather than calling every disliked dimension a manufacturing error.

Use an agreed tolerance where one exists. If it has not been set, flag it as an open production requirement instead of inventing a general tolerance for every measurement.

Review the garment in a consistent order

Photograph the complete garment before taking close-ups. Use arrows and reference numbers to connect each detail photograph to a comment. Keep lighting and camera position reasonably consistent between sample rounds so visual comparisons remain useful.

Fit it as the customer will wear it

Use a wearer whose measurements relate to the intended sample size. Record those measurements and any layers worn underneath. Ask the wearer to sit, reach and move normally, then check the garment again at rest.

Look at the relationship between parts: shoulder and sleeve, hood and neckline, pocket and body length, or trouser rise and waistband. Avoid adjusting one measurement without considering the silhouette it belongs to. For a set, review both pieces together as well as separately.

A first sample in one size does not demonstrate every size in the proposed range. Agree how remaining sizes and grading will be reviewed before treating the size range as approved.

Agree any wash or performance review

Confirm the intended care conditions and the specimen to be reviewed. Record the garment before and after, including dimensions, seams, surface and decoration. Keep the conditions with the results so a later comparison has context.

For formal dimensional testing, AATCC TM150 addresses garments after home laundering and notes limits for certain stretch fabrics. The appropriate method, scope and acceptance criteria should be agreed for the product. An informal development check should not be described as a laboratory pass.

Return one clear decision record

Group comments by material, fit, construction, decoration and finishing. Give each comment a reference, an observation and the required next action. Distinguish a correction from a new design request, and identify any change that needs another quotation or timing discussion.

For example: “Pocket position is approved. Revise the pocket opening to the dimension marked on drawing B and check hand access in the next sample.” This keeps the approved feature and the requested change clear.

End with a written status: revise and resubmit, approved for a defined next step, or approved as the production reference. List unresolved points and attach the correct specification version. Production authorization should not depend on an ambiguous message such as “looks good.”

Example: write an approval that cannot be misread

Use separate status fields for the sample and for the next permitted action. This prevents a positive fit comment from becoming an unintended instruction to start production. The decision should identify the sample, specification revision, reviewer and date, then state what evidence is still required.

The following example is a drafting aid, not a real SALATI approval or an agreed production release. A buyer has accepted the body fit but still needs to review revised artwork and the intended label. The overall status remains open even though a useful part of the sample has been accepted. Replace these observations with the actual findings for your garment.

Keep a copy of the issued decision beside the sample photographs. When the next evidence arrives, close each open item explicitly and identify any replacement files. If the new work affects an already accepted feature, reopen that feature for review. Approval should describe the current complete reference, not depend on readers reconstructing several rounds of chat messages.

Common questions