Prototypes are a necessity in fashion, but is there a better way to visualize the final product?
Swimsuit samples are disposable items sent from manufacturers to designers. They represent the size, appearance, and quality of the product you receive in a full order. Samples are essential before mass-producing any swimsuit, and they help reduce risk by enabling you to see exactly what payment you will receive.
No matter how many books you read, your first season will be chaotic, especially as a beginner. There are many different steps and terms to learn: technical package, pattern, prototype, pattern revision, example, more revision, second example. This is the process of developing a sample with the desired results. Swimsuit samples are unique products that manufacturers send to designers, including fabrics, descriptions, zippers, buttons, ingredients, sizes, quantities, looks, color specifications, product styles, embroidery details, reference numbers, etc. Therefore, swimsuit samples serve as a bridge between producers and buyers.
Throughout the sampling phase, it's easy to feel like you're losing control (and quite a bit of money). Here I explain different types of samples and how some samples can be used for multiple purposes to save time and cost
How do you make swimsuit samples?
When you provide the factory with all the correct and necessary information, they will produce samples according to your wishes. It all starts with initial sample creation and goes all the way to production. A model designed according to the patterns and requirements you provide to the manufacturer. There may be errors in the prototype. However, you must check it correctly and accurately to keep it concise. Pre-production samples are approved samples and you are satisfied with them. The factory makes two samples for each size of swimsuit you plan to produce. You will receive these samples to check each measurement. The production sample is the final sample you receive. When you place an order with a factory for mass production. Extracting some completed samples from the process will give you what you want. If it does not meet your requirements, either the factory bears the cost or you pay the cost. Details of bikini factory samples can be found here.
1.Muslin (aka dummy, model, prototype)
- Fit sample (aka first sample, original sample, test swimsuit sample, development sample)
- Sewing samples (also known as costing samples, pre-production)
- Sales sample (aka counter sample, copy)
- Photo sample (also known as model size, plane sample, edit sample)
- Size run (also known as size set, size sample)
- TOP Production (aka TOP)
Why multiple samples?
There are many reasons why it is advisable to make multiple samples. You don't have to cut them all at once. When you work with a designer, you may only need a prototype, but when you add another person to the chain, you may order a new sample.
Sample elimination errors, samples allow you to minimize problems before production begins. Samples save time, if you only have one sample, then each other partner will have to wait until they receive samples from others. Only one sample will slow down the already long process. Real scenarios, your patternmaker needs samples to modify patterns, your potential manufacturer needs to use your samples for quotation and procurement, and you have a buyer interested in your collection who needs to evaluate samples. With only one sample at hand, each stakeholder must wait their turn.
Is it worth making swimsuit samples before production?
There is growing concern in the industry about fashion waste. Many fashion professionals wonder if there is a better way. In the United States, consumers throw away tens of millions of tons of textile waste each year. In New York, for example, consumers throw away 20,000 tons of accessories, clothes, sheets, and shoes each year, and only about 15 percent of unwanted clothing is recycled, with the remaining 85 percent burned or discarded in local landfills. More and more fashion junk is putting pressure on the environment. As a result, you may want to rethink how you manage pre-production swimsuit samples.
