Apparel Production
PLM for kids apparel brands has to manage three things an adult-focused setup can mostly skip. First, federal safety rules that apply only to specific size ranges. Second, a size grading system that splits into several unrelated age bands. Third, licensing or collaboration approvals that can block a style until…
The Top of Production Sample (TOP) serves as the final approval gate before bulk production commences, ensuring that all key aspects of the garment meet the established standards. The top sample must be meticulously examined to verify color accuracy, fabric quality, and overall craftsmanship. Relying solely on photographs for approval…
Cut order planning is the process of deciding how to group a purchase order’s sizes, colors, and quantities into fabric lays before cutting begins. Each lay follows one marker, the layout of pattern pieces arranged across the fabric width. Get that grouping wrong, and problems compound quickly. A factory either…
A restricted substances list (RSL) sets maximum allowed limits, or outright bans, on specific chemicals in finished apparel and footwear. Brands use a restricted substances list to confirm that fabric, trims, dyes, and coatings do not contain substances linked to health or environmental harm. In other words, it is the…
Landed cost is the total cost to get one unit of product from the factory to your warehouse door. It includes the product price, freight, insurance, customs duty, and clearance fees. In other words, it is the real cost of the garment, not just the price your factory quotes. For…
So what is a colorway, exactly? A colorway is the specific combination of colors applied to one version of a garment — including the base fabric, trim, thread, print, and hardware. While “color” describes a single hue, a colorway defines the complete color identity of a style. A jacket design,…
Search “supplier portal software” and you find SAP Ariba, Coupa, and GEP SMART at the top. These are enterprise procurement platforms. They process thousands of vendor invoices per month for Fortune 500 companies. If you run an apparel brand with 30–80 active styles per season, those tools solve a different…
Fabric lead times from overseas mills typically run 8 to 24 weeks. That means the fabric for your Fall collection needs to be confirmed before your Spring samples are even finished. For a growing apparel brand, fabric sourcing is not a task you do once at the start of a…
Fabric alone accounts for 60–70% of the total cost of a basic garment. Yet many apparel brands still build their cost sheets in spreadsheets. These break the moment a supplier changes a price, sending the entire pricing structure out of date. In fact, garment costing is not just an accounting…
