Fabric check
Stretch, GSM, opacity and hand feel are reviewed before sampling feedback is treated as final.
SMALL-BATCH SAMPLING
Activewear Sampling — 1 Piece · from USD 45 · 5 / 12 Working Days
From tech-pack or sketch to a finished sample with measurement sheet, lab-dip swatch, and fabric test report. Sample fee waived on your first production order.
SAMPLE APPROVAL FILE
A sample should answer production questions, not just show a nice garment.
Small-batch sampling is used to verify what the bulk line must repeat: measurement tolerance, fabric recovery, seam behavior, decoration position and packing instructions. The sample file becomes the reference for the next quote or PO.
- Measurement sheet and fit comments are recorded with front, back and detail photos.
- Lab-dip or fabric swatch status is separated from garment approval so color issues are not hidden in fit comments.
- Sample changes are logged as revision notes before the file moves to pre-production.
Measurement file
POM comments and tolerance risks are captured while the sample is still easy to revise.
Finish preview
Label, tag and bag options can be mocked up during sampling to avoid late packing changes.
FROM REQUEST TO DELIVERY
How Sampling Works
Five steps from your request to a shipped sample.
1
Day 0
Submit Your Request
Send your tech-pack, sketch, or reference photo. Include fabric and color preferences.
2
Day 1–2
Fabric Selection
We confirm fabric type, weight, and Pantone color from stock inventory or source to order.
3
Day 2–3
Pattern and Cut
Our pattern team drafts the pattern from your spec — or uses your existing pattern — and cuts the sample piece.
4
Day 3–4
Sew and Finish
Single-piece sewing with any specified print or embroidery. Garment washed, pressed, and inspected.
5
Day 5
Ship Sample
Finished sample packed with lab-dip swatch, per-piece measurement sheet, and fabric test report. Shipped express to your address.
DELIVERABLES
What Arrives with Every Sample
Finished Garment
Sewn, printed or embroidered, washed, pressed, and tagged per your spec.
Lab-Dip Swatch
Dyed fabric swatch matched to your Pantone reference for color sign-off before bulk.
Per-Piece Measurement Sheet
Every critical measurement point recorded against your size spec.
Fabric Test Report
Weight, stretch recovery, pilling resistance, and colorfastness results from our in-house lab.
SIDE BY SIDE
Sample Order vs Bulk Order
| Dimension | Sample | Bulk |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity | 1 piece | MOQ 100 per SKU (varies by product) |
| Timeline | 5 working days stock fabric / 12 working days custom fabric | 35–42 days stock / 48–58 days custom |
| Fee | from USD 45 / piece (varies with custom fabric or complex decoration) | Per-piece quote based on fabric, quantity and print method |
Sample fee is waived when you place your first production order. Full MOQ-by-SKU policy: see FAQ.
Sample order key numbers
1
Piece per sample
5
Working days
Included
Lab-dip swatch
Waived
Fee after first PO
SAMPLE-TO-BULK GATING
5 Gates — When to Sample, How Many Rounds, Who Approves, When to Enter Bulk
A single sample is rarely the whole sampling spend on a real program. Use this gate matrix at quotation to decide which gates the project will need and where the fee waiver lands.
| Gate | Trigger | Sample Form & Count | Approver & Form | Pass-Gate Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0. Pre-sample | Tech-pack, sketch or reference garment submitted; fabric direction listed | n/a (file review only) | Berun sales engineer in RFQ conversation | Spec gaps catalogued; fabric availability confirmed (stock or to-order); fee terms confirmed (from USD 45, waived on first PO) |
| 1. Round 1 sample | Pre-sample gate pass + sample fee deposited | 1 piece + lab-dip swatch + per-piece measurement sheet + fabric test report | Buyer reviews physical piece: fit on body, 5 home wash cycles, measurement vs spec, written revision list with front/back/detail photos | All dimensions pass → advance to Gate 3 (PPS); or list of minor adjustments only → advance to Gate 2 (Round 2) |
| 2. Round 2 sample (optional) |
Round 1 surfaced major changes (pattern rebuild, fabric swap, new decoration method) | 1 piece covering the revised scope | Buyer written sign-off comparing revisions against Round 1 photos | All revisions verified against revised spec → advance to Gate 3 |
| 3. PPS (Pre-Production Sample) |
Bulk fabric arrived at factory; final pattern locked | 1 piece in bulk fabric, final pattern, real production decoration line | Buyer written sign-off; comparison against approved Round 1/2 sample | PPS matches approved sample on measurement, shade band (lab-dip ΔE within tolerance) and construction |
| 4. Bulk start | PPS signed off + deposit settled + bulk fabric stock confirmed in cutting room | — | Production scheduling system takes over (7:45 morning board) | Bulk lead time starts: 35-42 days stock fabric / 48-58 days custom — see OEM service page for bulk gating |
The Round 1 sample fee covers the first round; Round 2 (when triggered by major scope changes) and the PPS run at the same per-piece cost from USD 45. The full sample-stage spend is waived against your first production order — pattern bench time, one-piece cutting work, senior machinist hours and lab/documentation effort documented during sampling transfer forward into bulk production setup. Need to verify the spec before sampling? Start at Tech-Pack & Pattern.
FEE ANATOMY
Where the forty-five dollars actually goes
A single garment made once costs the factory far more than its bulk twin. The four cost blocks below explain where the USD 45 lands, and why the fee is waived on your first production order.
Pattern Bench Time
A pattern-maker interprets your reference into a cuttable file — the same skilled hours whether one piece or ten thousand follow. On a single sample, those hours dominate the cost.
One-Piece Cutting Waste
Bulk markers nest dozens of pieces to squeeze yield from a roll. A lone garment cuts at terrible fabric efficiency, and the offcuts are the price of answering your question early.
Senior Machinist Assembly
Samples are sewn by experienced operators working from a new pattern with no line rhythm to lean on — slower, more deliberate work than production sewing will ever be.
Lab & Documentation Block
The swatch dyeing, fabric testing and measurement recording that travel with the garment are real lab hours. They are also why the package is waived against your first bulk order — the work transfers forward.
APPROVE CAREFULLY
Approval shortcuts that come back as bulk defects
Approving from Photos
Pictures cannot convey recovery, weight or hand feel — the three properties activewear lives on. Wait for the physical piece; sample shipping time costs days, but bulk rejected at PI inspection costs weeks plus rework.
Never Washing It
Run the sample through five home launderings before sign-off. Shade shift, twisting and shrink all announce themselves in the first washes — better in your machine than your customer’s.
One Body, One Verdict
A sample fitted on a single person validates a single point on your size curve. Put it on two or three builds, and tell us which body the comments came from — fit feedback without that context misleads grading.
Silent Substitutions
Approving a sample in one fabric and ordering bulk in another voids the approval. If economics force a change, we re-sample the affected construction points rather than carrying assumptions across fabrics.
ORDER OF OPERATIONS
Sample now, or build the spec first?
| Your starting point | Recommended first move | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Garment to replicate | Sample directly | The physical piece already encodes the spec; sampling against it answers fastest. |
| Sketch only | Spec first | A sketch cannot be measured. The tech-pack route creates the POM file a meaningful sample needs. |
| Library style spotted | Sample directly | ODM blocks are pre-engineered; the sample only confirms fabric and fit on your audience. |
First-time DTC founders most often sample a library legging while their own design is still in pattern development — two tracks, one decision date. Whichever route you take, insist on receiving the measurement sheet with the garment; a sample without its numbers is only half delivered.