Garment sample making is the process of creating physical prototypes of a clothing design before full-scale production. These samples help confirm fit, materials, and construction – preventing any costly mistakes.

In this article, I’ll walk you through each step of the sample-making process based on my 15+ years of experience in the industry, and getting hundreds (or thousands!) of garments into production. You’ll get practical tips and examples (+ an intro to 3D sampling!) to help you feel confident requesting your first sample.

Garment Sample Making Process: Step-by-Step

1. Create the Tech Pack

Creative and technical designers collaborate to create the initial tech pack containing the design specifications, graded specs, colorways, and other important details about the garment. When the tech pack is ready, the buyer forwards the tech pack to a suitable manufacturer. 

Pro Tip: When starting out, it’s common practice to send out tech packs to two or more manufacturers to compare their production capabilities, MOQs, and prices.

2. Select the Fabric and Materials

If you haven’t decided on materials for your design yet, you can ask your supplier for some fabric samples and swatches. The designers and merchandisers then work together to pick the right fabric and trims for the garment.

Pro Tip: Initial samples aren’t always made using the actual fabrics, especially if the fabric is expensive or not in stock. Sample makers can use similar fabrics that are cheaper or readily available to save money and speed up the sample creation. 

3. Request the Initial Sample

An initial proto sample is created based on the tech pack and selected materials. If you’re working with an outsourced manufacturer, they likely have their own team of sample makers. I’ve also worked for fashion brands with in-house sample makers who just send their final samples to the manufacturers to try and replicate before production. 

If you’re in the middle of looking for a garment sample maker, you can check out my guide on how to find a garment sample maker.

4. Review the Initial Sample

During sample review, the technical designer evaluates the garment’s measurements, fit, and function based on the tech pack and design intention. I’ve included a quick guide on how to review fit samples below, but if you want to know more, I also have a comprehensive guide on how to review garment samples and how to fit garment samples. This step is repeated until a final sample is approved.

1. Measure the garment sample 
2. Check the garment construction and stitching 
3. Assess the materials and finishing 
4. Check the fit and functionality 
5. Document your feedback and changes in the tech pack

Pro Tip: Your first prototype won’t be perfect – and that’s okay! It’s common to go through a couple rounds of revisions before getting the garment right. In my experience, it usually takes 2-3 samples to get it right.

5. Request Size Set Samples

Once the initial (or second, third, etc.) sample meets the requirements, the next step is to request a size set sample. This involves ordering the garment across its entire size range, or in cases with numerous sizes, opting for jump sizes. For example, if your sizing ranges from XXS to XXL, you can choose to fit XS, M, and XL.

Fitting a range of sizes is crucial to ensure the garment looks good and is graded proportionally across all sizes. If everything checks out, the samples can be approved for production (or undergo another round of revisions until sizing aligns perfectly).

6. Request Pre-Production Samples

Before official production begins, a final set of samples, known as Pre-Production Samples, are ordered. These serve as a test run by manufacturers in the production line, using all the final approved materials. Keeping Pre-Production Samples is important, as they are used as counter samples for fashion brands to compare with the actual production batch. Essentially, they should match 100% unless minor changes were requested.set of samples, known as Pre-Production Samples, are ordered. These serve as a test run by manufacturers in the production line, using all the final approved materials. Keeping Pre-Production Samples is vital, as they act as counter samples for fashion brands to compare with the actual production batch. Essentially, they should match 100% unless minor changes were requested.

While I’ve covered a few sample types in this guide, there are many more during the sample-making stage, like the salesman sample (SMS), garment performance test sample (GPT), and more. You don’t necessarily need all of them, but understanding the types and recognizing which ones you might need is important. Check out my guide on the 12 Types of Garment Samples During Apparel Production for more insights, including tips on how to scale down your samples if you’re on a tight budget!

Importance of Garment Sample Making in Fashion

Sample making helps fashion brands save time and money by potentially sparing them from unexpected errors and costly revisions in the production process. Here are reasons why you shouldn’t skip garment sample making before production:

Garment sample making helps brands:

• Verify that the garment aligns with the initial concept and vision (and looks good IRL).
• Examine a garment’s fit, materials, construction, and overall quality.
• Make any necessary adjustments before mass production based on fitting sessions.
• Evaluate the capabilities of potential manufacturers and select the right one to produce the garment. 
• Assist manufacturers in making estimations on necessary materials and providing accurate cost quotations.

Pro Tip: Not every garment makes it past the sampling process. Sometimes, what looks great in our minds doesn’t quite cut it in reality. Merchandisers and designers need to make sure that only saleable designs move forward to full-scale production.

3D Design and Virtual Garment Sampling

There are great 3D fashion design apps like CLO, Browzwear, and TUKAcad where fashion designers can create their designs, fit them virtually, and tweak their designs in real time. If you can imagine, it can potentially save fashion brands tons of money and time by fast tracking the early stage of sample making. No need for a bunch of physical samples that just take up space and cost heaps of $$. 

Here’s a sample garment by Kristen Anderson (LinkedIn), a 3D Intimates + Swimwear Designer. I had to do a double take because it’s sooo accurate – but the actual garment is on the left (on a dress form) and the 3D render is on the right side. 

You can check more of Kristen’s work on her website. 

If you’re a fashion designer (especially if you’re working freelance) and haven’t started learning 3D design yet, it’s a skill worth picking up. It’s in demand now, and I’m now considering it a required skill to work in fashion (as of early 2024, when I’m writing this article).

There’s more to explore on this topic, but let’s save that for another day! In the meantime, check out my article on the Best 3D Design Software for more on the design apps I just mentioned!