The approved sample is the rule.
How we check every garment before it reaches your brand.
Quality control doesn't start at the end, when production is already sewn. It starts with the fabric, continues with the sample and ends with a final sampling inspection under AQL criteria. All along there is one standard: the sample you approved. We inspect against it and we answer for it. Every sample review and every order's quality receiving are logged in our system with date, owner and verdict.
From fabric to shipment
Fabric analysis
Before pattern making we check how the fabric behaves: shrinkage, stretch and recovery. A pattern that doesn't know its fabric can't come out consistent.
Sample review
Every sample is checked against thirteen points: measurements, proportions, fabric, seams, stitching, finishes, symmetry, labels and appearance, among others.
Two sign-offs
The sample is signed separately by quality and by the pattern maker who made the pattern. It passes only if both sign that it passes.
In-line control
During sewing there is inspection at every workstation, to catch a defect at the operation that causes it rather than at the end of the lot.
Quality receiving
Every finished order goes through quality before shipping, by size, with a record of who received it and when.
Final AQL inspection
A sample is drawn from the finished lot and the decision is made under AQL criteria. What doesn't pass is set aside and doesn't ship with good production.
What AQL is, in plain words
AQL stands for Acceptable Quality Level. It's the method the apparel industry uses worldwide to decide whether a lot is accepted or rejected without checking every garment one by one. It works like this: depending on lot size, a standard table says how many garments are inspected and the maximum number of defects allowed in that sample. If there are more, the lot fails. It isn't the inspector's opinion: it's a rule agreed before production.
- It's based on international sampling standards such as ISO 2859-1.
- Sample size depends on lot size.
- Each defect type has its own acceptance limit.
- The criteria are agreed before production, not argued at delivery.
Critical, major and minor defects
Not all defects weigh the same, and AQL recognizes it: each category has its own limit. Classifying them well is half of quality control.
- Critical: makes the garment unsafe or unsellable. A forgotten needle, a sharp edge. Tolerance is zero.
- Major: the end customer notices and will likely return the garment. An open seam, an out-of-spec size, a visible stain.
- Minor: an imperfection that doesn't affect use or sale. An untrimmed thread, an irregular stitch in a hidden area.
What we check on every sample
The sample is the cheapest moment to find a problem. That's why looking at it isn't enough: it's checked against a fixed list, the same for every style.
- Client requirements
- Measurements and proportions
- Design seams and elements
- Fabric and fabric behavior
- Construction seams and stitching
- Finishes and symmetry
- Labels and overall appearance
A sample doesn't pass on one signature
Sewing seeing no issues doesn't mean the sample is right. That's why two people review it separately: quality, who looks at the garment, and the pattern maker who made the pattern, who knows what it was supposed to be. The sample passes only if both sign that it passes. One no is enough to repeat it, and the repeat stays linked to the original sample with the reason in writing.
What doesn't pass is set aside
A garment that doesn't comply is set aside and logged by order and size. It doesn't travel mixed with good production or get discovered once it's in your warehouse. Every sample review with its two sign-offs, quality receiving and set-aside garments live in the same system we run the plant on, so if something comes out different you can tell at which step it happened and who reviewed it.
Our guarantee
Our guarantee is clear: production must match what was approved in the sample. That is the standard we answer for. We have a complete guarantee policy that accounts for the particulars of each project, and we review it directly in a meeting.
What we get asked about quality
Shall we talk about your collection's quality?
Tell us what you're going to produce and how you check it today. We'll explain what quality control would look like for your project, from fabric to shipment.