Three days. That is what we quote for a sample when the tech pack is complete and the fabric is in our stock room. It is fast, and it only works when nothing is missing. Here is what actually happens on those three days, and where it usually breaks.
Day one: pattern and cutting
The pattern team opens your tech pack first thing in the morning. A five-pocket jean with a complete spec takes two to three hours to pattern. Cutting takes another hour. By the end of day one, the pieces are stacked and the sample line has its ticket.
If your tech pack is not complete, day one stops here. The most common gap is a missing measurement. We cannot guess the back rise, because two centimeters there changes the whole fit. We will email you, and the clock restarts when you answer. The second most common gap: the reference garment arrives with a size chart that doesn’t match the actual garment. That happens more than you’d think, especially with older reference samples. We measure the garment and go with the real numbers, but we always confirm first.
Day two: sewing and first wash
Sewing a sample takes about three hours on the sample line. Then it goes to the wash house. A standard enzyme and stone wash cycle runs most of the day: wash, dry, dry again, rest. Laser files get prepared the day before, because setting up a laser pattern for the first time takes longer than people expect — the file needs to be mapped to the pocket shapes and seam lines of your exact pattern.
Day three: finishing, checking, shipping
Day three is finishing — buttons, rivets, hem, pressing — and the spec check. The sample gets measured against your chart, photographed in daylight, and shipped. If the color needs a second approval round, add a day.
What goes wrong, in order of frequency
Shrinkage surprises. Every fabric shrinks differently in the wash, and a sample made before the fabric’s shrinkage test is finished can come out two sizes off. We test shrinkage before cutting when the fabric is new to us; when the client supplies fabric, we test it on arrival.
Color approval loops. Buyers approve colors from photos on different screens, and indigo looks different on every one of them. If exact color matters, ask for a physical swatch before approving bulk.
Missing trims. Buttons and zippers arriving late is the number one reason a three-day sample becomes a five-day sample. Send trims with the tech pack, or let us source them from our regular suppliers.
How to actually get three-day samples
Send a complete tech pack or a reference garment plus measurements. Answer confirmation emails the same day. Approve in one round. And if you are in a real hurry, tell us before you send anything — we can usually hold fabric and a line slot while your package is in the air.