Cut and sew manufacturing is a serious undertaking for any brand — especially when first starting out. The importance of selecting a professional cut and sew contractor to produce your garments cannot be understated. By choosing Custom Apparel Source, not only are you guaranteeing the smoothest possible manufacturing process, you’re also choosing a professional contractor who will ensure the construction and creation of your custom cut and sew apparel is of the highest quality — from your very first sample, all the way through to large-scale production.
Types of Cut and Sew Garment Samples
Sampling is a complex procedure. Leaping from a pattern to cutting and sewing a large-run order is one excellent way to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. Although the sampling process may seem long and complicated, sampling process is just as important — if not more so — than actual production.
Phase One: Garment Concept Development
Before a prototype sample is made, our experienced pattern makers and seamstresses inspect a provided pattern. Before we begin make a single cut or sew a single stitch, our highly-trained sewing professionals determine any issues which may arise from the pattern. In this way, Custom Apparel Source saves money and time — if we know there’s something wrong with a pattern, we’ll work to correct it before creating a sample. We create a Sample Production detailed document PDF to send to the designer, then develop a Tech Pack for manufacturer.
Prototype and Fit Garment Samples
Cut and sew manufacturing is a complicated process — but the end result is a completely unique, customized-to-your-design garment.
Prototype samples are as their name suggests — simple, primitive samples intended to display the most simplistic version of the garment intended to inspect the garment’s intended construction, measurements, and style. Prototype samples are meant to communicate the essential structure of a garment. Prototype samples are never fitted, and they may be constructed of similar analog fabric instead of the final fabric selection (this is especially true when fabric sourcing has not yet been completed).
Phase Two: Fabric Sourcing
Sales Samples
Sale samples are produced in a single size, and are provided to the brand. From there, the designer or brand passes the samples along to actual brand ambassadors, sales team or buyers. They then show, post or send the samples to different end-users.
Size Set Samples
The purpose of a size set sample is to test the garment’s construction and measurements in all sizes. What works on an XS garment may not work on a 2XL garment — more stitches or reinforcement may be necessary on the larger garment. Producing a set of samples to size helps Custom Apparel Source determine any issues which may arise from sizing concerns.
Phase Three: Garment Production Development
Pre-Production Garment Samples
Pre-production samples are the garment exactly as it is going to be constructed on large-scale production. Pre-production samples are created in the exact same way as the garment will eventually be produced. Pre-production samples are created using the source fabric, trimmings, and all other materials.
Top of Production Garment Samples
TOP samples aren’t very important to the customer — buyers and designers rarely, if ever, see these samples. Nonetheless, TOP samples are extremely important for the garment manufacturing process. TOP samples ensure the garments can be produced at a large scale rather than the small, individual sample piece scale. Additionally, TOP samples ensure the manufacturer can meet quality expectations when producing on a larger scale.
Cut and Sew Garment Sampling
Custom Apparel Source can bring any pattern or tech pack into life with a showroom-quality sample of your custom-created garment.