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The samples are the most critical tool for sales and require time and effort to perfect. Emerging designers spend as much as $80,000 for one season‘s sample collection. Each sample can easily cost $1,000. Most young designers have a bad habit of oversampling. Keep your eye on the budget and limit the number of styles in the collection.

Who should make the samples? A designer does not need to sew. Many of the biggest names in the

fashion business would be lost behind a sewing machine. However, while you aren‘t expected make your own garments, basic sewing skills are vital to understanding construction and fit and will help you pinpoint the problem with a sample that doesn‘t look right. Perhaps more importantly, basic sewing skills help a designer communicate better with the factory and sample maker.

Making your own samples will save you money and allow more control over the product and production schedule. Some new designers are extremely talented with a sewing machine and produce immaculate samples. But generally, it‘s easy to spot samples made by a designer because they lack the quality and expert finish of a professional. Whether it‘s an issue of skill or just equipment, be honest with yourself. If your in-house samples aren‘t as good as they could be, outsource.

The same criteria you use for hiring a patternmaker applies to a sample maker. Inquire about expertise in the type of product you design, see examples of past work, and ask about turnaround time. Sample price is affected by the number of pattern pieces; the complexity of the garment; and the extra details of lining, topstitching, buttonholes, and finishing.

the factory you have found for production may off er sample-making services. If the factory makes the first sample, it will better understand the garment and give a more accurate estimate of production lead time and cost. However, the cost of that first sample may be quite high. Sometimes, especially in New York, a factory will inflate the sample price considerably because it is concerned that after the designer receives the sample, it will be given, along with the entire production job, to a cheap factory overseas. To counter this, the factory prices the sample high and then makes up for it in a cheaper production price as an incentive for the designer to keep the work there. Many overseas factories produce samples as part of their production package and then ship them to you for approval. Some even visit New York each season during the sample-making process to create samples or review them in person with the designer.

Be a perfectionist. Terry Gillis, owner of the store TG-170 in New York, says when working with

new designers, she finds the biggest problem is usually the fit.3_{A designer should do everything to}

ensure proper fit. Test each sample on a fit model who accurately represents the proportions of the target customer. The fit model will give movement to a garment and show whether it hangs correctly or if it pulls or sags. A model can also tell you about comfort and ease. Most likely, at least one round of alterations will be needed after trying the sample on the model, and the sample should be redone until it‘s right.

Some designers act as their own fit model, but with clothing, it‘s very difficult to get a full perspective of a garment on your own body and to pinpoint where it needs alteration. Before you finalize the collection, try the samples on a few ―real‖ people to hear feedback and see how the samples hang on different bodies. I have seen shock on designer‘s faces when after creating all their samples and perfecting them on a model, they realize how different the garment looks on a ―real‖ body.

In addition to fit, check the sewing and construction details of the item. For clothing, do a wash test of the first sample to alert you to any shrinkage, fading, and stretching that result from care and cleaning.

The first cost estimate. Throughout the entire design and development process, it‘s important to keep

track of every cost associated with the design and development of the first samples and be aware of how the costs of production will aff ect the final retail price. You don‘t want to create a product that no one can afford to buy.

The first sample will allow you to create the first production cost estimate for the item and to verify that you can actually afford to produce and sell it at the appropriate price point. Designers roughly guess that the production cost for each item will be half the price of the sample, but as you price out different quantities with suppliers and factories, your estimate will become more accurate.

Production costs will change based on the orders you receive. The larger the orders, the less things cost because of volume discounts for materials and sewing. Small orders of each style can lead to production and material surcharges, even if the overall sales figures are impressive. Wholesale pricing should be based on the costs of goods sold using quantity estimates.

Costs of goods sold (COGs) includes all the materials and labor specifically required to produce the actual items ordered by the stores. It covers materials such as fabric, trimmings, zippers and buttons, handles, lining, fusing, thread, labels, and hangtags, as well as the labor costs for production patterns, marking, grading, cutting, sewing, and packing. Don‘t forget the costs of the specific hangers, ticketing, and shipping required by the retailers. Create a cost sheet to track the costs and redo the sheet for each new item (see figure 6.2).

If the actual costs of the fabrics, trims, and design details of each sample are too high to result in a realistic and profitable wholesale price, the design will need to be altered to bring the cost down. When starting out, the designers of menwear line Morgan D‘Alessandro designed a great trouser with lots of funky button and D-ring embellishments. But they realized that because their production quantities were small, the cost of adding just those elements was more than $20 for each pair of pants. They had to cut back on the details to keep the pants at a reasonable retail price.