The timeline from a sketch to a storefront is what most brands underestimate. A production run is not a single step — it is a sequence of decisions, samples, corrections, and a bulk run, followed by freight and customs. The timeline is the shape of the season.
The phases of a run
1. **Concept and tech pack** — the spec is written, the materials are chosen, and the construction is defined before a sample is cut. This is where most of the cost and quality decisions are fixed. 2. **First sample** — the first physical answer to the tech pack, reviewed for fit, construction, hand-feel and workmanship. 3. **Correction and counter-sample** — changes captured on the make-sheet so the next sample is a controlled revision. This is where the bulk instruction is written. 4. **Pre-production** — the approved build before full bulk, confirming the standard, the documentation and the delivery. 5. **Bulk production** — the full run against the approved spec and make-sheet. 6. **Inspection** — the agreed AQL inspection, with the report and the loaded or rejected lot. 7. **Freight and customs** — from the factory to the port, through customs at the import side, to the DC or store.
The realistic durations
A single style, from a clean tech pack to a container arriving at the DC, typically runs several weeks from sampling to delivery, depending on the style, the quantity, the season and the lane. A re-order against an existing make-sheet is faster, but it is still a run, not a click.
The timeline risk
The biggest timeline risk is a late decision — a late tech pack, a late sample approval, a late bulk release. Each one compresses the run and the freight window, and each one raises the cost and the risk of the order.
The OEM timeline is a sequence, not a rush. The earlier the spec is set and the earlier the decision is made, the more time the factory and the freight have to deliver the season on time.
How to plan it
Work backward from the store or DC arrival date. Set the container departure date from the freight time and customs time. Set the bulk release date from the production time. Set the sign-off date from the bulk release time. Set the sample date from the sign-off time. Set the tech pack date from the sample time. The tech pack is the first domino — if it is late, everything after it is late.