Process
How a project runs
Six stages, from the first message to the finished parcel. Not every project uses all six — a label that already holds patterns and materials may start at stage five — but the sequence below is the one most projects follow.
Stages 01 – 03
Before anything is made
Share your project
You send what exists: a sketch, a tech pack, a reference garment, a brief, or a single clear question. Attach whatever is closest to finished — we will work with it, and tell you what is missing.
Assess scope and feasibility
We read the material and decide what is realistic: which service the project needs, whether the style suits the craft level, and whether the quantity and the target date work. If something does not, you hear it at this stage rather than later.
Confirm the quote and scope
We set out what is included, what is quoted separately, the revision rounds, who supplies materials, and the payment terms. Work begins when you confirm the scope and the terms in writing.
Stages 04 – 06
Making, checking, delivering
Develop and approve the sample
Patterns are cut, the sample is made and it is sent to you. You test fit, structure and handwork, and the round is revised against what you agreed. The approved sample becomes the reference for everything that follows.
Move into production
Where the project includes a run, it starts once the sample, the specification and the materials are confirmed. Cutting, sewing, finishing and handwork follow the approved reference, and the quantity is fixed at this point.
Check and deliver
Pieces are checked before packing against the sample and the specification you approved. Finished goods ship with tracking, and any digital files are sent by email or a download link.
The clock
What drives the timeline
Most of the waiting happens before production, and most of it is on the client side.
The schedule starts once the information, the fees and the materials are confirmed — not when the first email arrives. A quote is its own stage, and asking for a specific date before the scope exists only produces a date nobody can hold.
The stages a project uses, and how long each one takes, are confirmed with the quote. What actually drives the timeline sets this out in more detail.
Honest limits
What we will not promise
Every project does not include every service, and every stage does not take the same time. We will not describe a fixed calendar, a fixed number of sample rounds or a fixed revision count as though they applied to all work.
Once you have approved a sample or a specification, later changes to design, materials, size or finish are re-assessed — they can affect cost and schedule, and that is discussed before the change is made rather than after.
Questions
About the process
Do I have to start at stage one?
No. If you already hold patterns, materials and a specification, the project can begin at production. If you hold a concept and nothing else, it begins at development.
How long does each stage take?
It depends on the style, the craft, the materials and the quantity. Estimates are given per stage with your quote rather than published as a general table.
What happens if I change my mind after approving the sample?
The change is re-assessed against the approved reference. It can affect cost and timing, so it is discussed before anything is altered. How changes are handled.
Who supplies the materials?
This is agreed per project and written into the quote. We can advise on material selection, and we will confirm which side purchases the fabrics, trims and embellishment.
Start
Begin with the material you already have.
A sketch, a tech pack, a reference garment, or one clear question is enough to begin. We will tell you where in this sequence your project starts.