Proto, fit, size set, PP and TOP samples: what each one is for

Garment samples are approved in a fixed order: a proto sample to prove the idea, fit samples to settle the shape, a size set to check the grading, a pre-production (PP) sample in the real fabric and trims, and a top of production (TOP) sample pulled from the line to prove bulk matches what was approved. Each stage answers one question, and each sign-off is the standard the next stage is measured against. Skip one, and the question it should have answered is answered by your finished stock instead.

The approval ladder at a glance

The names vary a little between factories and brands, but the sequence is stable. This table shows the usual order for a new style.

Two further kinds, salesman samples and photo samples, sit beside the ladder rather than on it. They are covered below.

Proto sample: can it be made?

The proto, or development, sample is the first physical version of your idea. It is built from your tech pack, sketch or reference garment, usually in whatever fabric of a similar weight the sample room has, with substitute trims. It is not meant to be perfect. Its job is to show that the design works as a garment, that the proportions are in the right territory, and that the construction you described is possible.

Judge a proto on shape, proportion and construction, not on colour or fabric. If the proto is far from what you pictured, the fault is often in the brief rather than the sewing. That is the moment to tighten the tech pack, not to start fit rounds. The tech pack guide explains which fields remove most of that doubt.

Fit sample: does it fit?

The fit sample is made in your base size to your size chart, in a fabric with the right weight and stretch. Fit depends on how the fabric behaves, so a fit sample in the wrong weight can mislead you. The fabric and GSM guide explains why a 180 GSM jersey and a 240 GSM jersey hang differently on the same pattern.

A good fit session has three parts:

• Measure every point of measure flat and compare it with the spec and its tolerance.
• Try it on a fit model or mannequin in your base size, and look at it moving, not only standing.
• Write comments as numbers the pattern maker can apply, with photographs.

Most styles need one or two fit rounds; tailored or technical garments often need more. Each round should close the gap. If the third round is no closer than the first, stop and check that the factory has your latest measurements, and that its sample room is working from the current version of your tech pack rather than an earlier file.

Keep your comments on one sheet per round, numbered, so the factory can reply point by point. A comment that says what to change and by how much, such as “reduce chest width by 2 cm, keep length”, is worth ten that describe a feeling.

Size set: does it grade?

Once the base size is approved, the pattern is graded to the other sizes. The size set is a sample in each size, sometimes more than one per size, made to check that grading. A pattern can fit perfectly in medium and still produce an extra small with a neckline that will not go over a head, or an extra large with sleeves that run past the fingertips.

Measure every size against the graded spec, and try the smallest and largest on real people if you can. Skipping the size set is common on small runs because it multiplies the sample count, but on a range of five sizes it is the cheapest insurance you will buy.

Lab dips, strike-offs and trim approvals: the parallel track

Colour, print and trims are approved alongside the fit rounds, so they do not hold up production:

• Lab dips are small swatches dyed to match your colour standard. Approve them under the light source you agreed, because colours can shift between daylight and shop lighting.
• Strike-offs are test prints on the real fabric, showing the ink, the colour and the hand feel of the print.
• Trim cards show the actual labels, threads, buttons, zips and drawcords that will go into bulk.

These are cheap compared with a full garment, and approving them early means the PP sample can be made in final materials first time.

Pre-production sample: the contract in fabric

The PP sample is the most important sample of all. It is made in the bulk fabric with the approved trims, labels and decoration, to the approved pattern and measurements. It is the garment the whole order will be measured against.

When you approve it, do it in writing, and keep a sealed sample: one approved PP sample tagged, signed and sealed so that neither side can alter it, with a matching one held by the factory. That sealed sample becomes the reference for inline checks and for the final inspection. Inspection firms describe checking colour, style, construction, artwork and labels against the approved sample and the specification, so an inspector without a sealed sample is checking against memory.

If the PP sample needs changes, ask for a second PP sample before production starts. Approving a PP sample “with comments” and letting bulk begin is a common way for a problem to reach 1,000 finished garments. If time is short, agree in writing which comments are cosmetic and can be corrected on the line, and which ones must be seen on a new sample first.

TOP and shipment samples: does bulk match?

The top of production (TOP) sample is taken from the first garments off the production line. It proves that the line, working at speed with bulk fabric, is making what the sample room made. It is compared with the sealed PP sample. An early production check is usually done in this window: one inspection firm defines its initial production check as running from before production up to the point where 20% is complete.

The shipment sample is taken from finished, packed goods and shows what you will actually receive, folded, tagged and bagged. It often travels with the final inspection, which the same firm describes as done when production is 80 to 100% complete. The quality control page explains how inline checks and the final AQL inspection fit around these samples.

Salesman, photo and counter samples

Salesman samples are made in the approved style, usually in final fabric, for wholesale appointments and trade shows. A retailer may want several per style. They are expensive to produce: CBI, the Dutch government’s centre for promoting imports from developing countries, advises suppliers who are not paid for them to price them at 1.5 to 2 times FOB.

Photo samples are made for your lookbook and website, in the sizes your models wear. Order them early if your launch date depends on the pictures.

Counter sample is used in two ways, so define it when you use it. It can mean the factory’s own copy of a sample it sent you, kept so both sides are looking at the same garment. It can also mean the factory’s reproduction of a garment you supplied, sent back for approval. Either way, the point is that both sides hold an identical reference.

What goes wrong when a stage is skipped

Every stage also needs a record, because a sample only protects you if both sides can prove what was approved. For each sample, keep a short approval note: the style number, the sample stage and round, the date received, the measurements taken against the spec, the decision (approved, approved with the listed changes, or rejected), and the name of the person who decided. Photograph the sample front, back and at any detail that was discussed. Send the note to the factory in one message and ask for a written acknowledgement. When a dispute comes up months later at the final inspection, this file, and the sealed PP sample, settle it in minutes instead of weeks.

What to do next

Write the ladder into your plan before you ask for quotes: which samples you want, how many of each, and who signs. The tech pack template has space for every approval. To see how our sample room runs the stages from pattern to sealed PP sample, read about sampling and product development, or send us your style and we will reply within one working day.