In garment-industry language a fit sample is the first garment made to check shape on a body: shoulder, balance, length, ease. It is rarely the garment you sell. For a private-label suit, the fit sample opens a short sequence of approvals, and each step exists to stop one kind of mistake from reaching a 50-piece run.
Buyers new to private label often expect one sample and then bulk. Sometimes that is exactly what happens — when the first sample is right. When it is not, it helps to know the sequence before you are inside it.
The sequence, step by step
1. Fit sample: first garment in the chosen pattern and construction; factory makes it, brand tries it on; record try-on photos and measurements.
2. Comments: numbered corrections against measurement points; one comment list, one approver.
3. Corrected sample: second garment with comments applied; factory states what changed, point by point.
4. Seal: brand approves the sample as the bulk reference; approval message names the sample.
5. Size check before bulk: ask your factory whether a size set is part of the route, and which sizes it covers.
6. Pre-production check: ask your factory whether a pre-production sample is offered, or how bulk cloth and trims are matched to the seal.
7. Bulk: production against the sealed sample.
Steps 5 and 6 are written as questions on purpose. Factories handle them differently, and the right answer is the one you have in writing for your order, not the one in a glossary. Our size-set post (published separately) goes deeper on step 5.
Writing comments the factory can act on
Comments that start a corrected sample well share three habits:
Numbered, one change per line. "Jacket too long" becomes "1. Back length: shorten 1.5 cm."
Tied to a measurement point, not a feeling: sleeve length, chest at underarm, waist button position.
Photographed in the same poses as the first try-on, so the corrected sample can be compared fairly.
A worked comment list for a navy two-piece might read:
Back length: shorten 1.5 cm.
Sleeve length: shorten 1 cm both sides.
Trouser waist: take in 2 cm.
Lapel roll: keep as sample — approved.
Line 4 matters: telling the factory what is right prevents it from changing it. Our sample feedback photo set shows which poses to send.
Where MTM from 1 differs
On the MTM track there is no grading and no size run. One client garment is sampled against one set of measurements; comments and correction work the same way, and the approved fit becomes that client's record for repeat orders. MTM from 1 skips steps 5 and 6 by nature. Bulk from 50 per style is where they matter.
Clocks across the sequence
Each sample takes 7–14 days; production takes 14–21 days. Both clocks count from a lock — measurements or size specs, cloth and construction. Ask whether a corrected sample restarts the sample clock in full; plan as if it does. Production days are not delivery days.
The rules behind sealing are on our sample policy page; bulk programmes are on our private label suit manufacturer page. Start the sequence on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838.
FAQ
What are Shi Yuan's order tracks and clocks? Shi Yuan Suit Factory (Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi, Tianjin, est. 2009) takes MTM from 1 piece and bulk from 50 per style; samples take 7–14 days and production 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. WhatsApp +65 8013 8838.
How many fit samples does a style usually need? One if the brief and reference are strong; a corrected sample is common when they are not.
Is a fit sample made in the final cloth? Ask before it is cut. Substitute cloth changes drape and can hide problems.
Can bulk start before the sample is sealed? No. Bulk is cut against the sealed sample.
Who makes this
Shi Yuan (Suit Factory) — legal entity Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., factory at Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi District, Tianjin, Est. 2009. Our founder brings four decades in Chinese menswear manufacturing; founded Shi Yuan in 2009. acumenwear.com is the export domain for Shi Yuan Suit Factory. Order threads: WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 · houzhenying226@gmail.com. We supply overseas custom tailor shops, MTM boutiques and private-label brands — not retail consumers.
Not affiliated with Tianjin Shiyuan Clothing Co., Ltd. (Baokang Road).
Next step: sample or inquiry
Send the style and size range you want to run. Message us on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 with your country, monthly volume and whether this is MTM or bulk, or email houzhenying226@gmail.com. We reply with the sample route and what we still need from you.
