Eight fields that turn a vague request into a price and a sample date.
Most delays in fabric development start with the first email. A mill that receives "soft cotton jersey, good price" has to guess, and every guess costs a sampling round of one to three weeks.
A good brief removes the guessing. It doesn't need to be long; it needs to be complete.
The eight fields that matter
- Composition, with percentages: 95% cotton, 5% elastane, not "cotton stretch".
- Construction: single jersey, 2×1 rib, 40s poplin, 3×1 twill.
- Weight in g/m², with a tolerance, usually ±5%.
- Usable width in centimetres.
- Finish and hand feel, ideally with a physical reference.
- The test standard the buyer will use for shrinkage, colour fastness and pilling.
- Quantity per colour and the number of colours.
- Target price, the Incoterm, and the date you need bulk.
What happens when one field is missing
Leave out the test standard and the mill samples to its own. The sample passes in the mill's lab and fails in the buyer's, and the round starts again. Leave out quantity and the price you receive is for a minimum the programme may never reach.
Ten minutes spent on the brief usually saves a sampling round. That is the cheapest time in the whole programme.
