A UK tailor shop's first sample brief should be one page covering the client ref, the measurement unit, the cloth, the construction, the style details and posture photos, so the factory never has to guess your house style. Decide first whether this is one client's suit on the made-to-measure track (MTM from 1 piece) or a house style you will later run in sizes (bulk from 50 per style). The sample takes 7–14 days and production 14–21 days, and both clocks start only once measurements, cloth and construction are locked; production days are not delivery days, because courier time to the UK comes on top.
Where is it made? In our own factory: Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi District, Tianjin.
The sewing line in our Baodi workshop.
Picture a tailor in a UK market town testing a China maker with one suit for a regular client. The shop sends a photo and the words "navy two-piece, usual fit". The sample comes back in a sensible navy, the wrong length, and with a lapel nobody asked for. The factory did what it could with the words it had. Capability facts for UK shops sit on the UK tailor shop fact card; this page is about the brief itself.
What does the factory publish, and what is settled on the brief?
| Item | Published here | Settled on your order thread |
|---|---|---|
| Order tracks | MTM from 1 piece; bulk from 50 per style | Which track this style belongs on |
| Sample and production | Sample 7–14 days; production 14–21 days | The start date, confirmed in writing |
| When the clock starts | After measurements, cloth and construction are locked | Which open item is still holding it |
| Delivery | Production days are not delivery days | Courier route and who pays it |
| Price | Not published | Quoted on WhatsApp after the brief, so you can set your own retail price |
| Who it serves | Overseas tailor shops, MTM boutiques, private-label brands; no retail shop, no consumer web store | Your client stays your client |
| Who it is | Legal name and factory address above | Named contact on the thread |
Which units and size terms should the sheet use?
Write the unit at the top of the sheet and keep every line in it. Most UK shops measure in inches, so say "Unit: inches" once and never mix in centimetres. Size labels differ between the UK, US and EU, so give finished garment measurements as well as any label; the size labels note shows how they map.
What else goes on the one page?
- Cloth: the mill card line plus a swatch photo. It decides handle, weight and how the jacket presses.
- Construction: fused, half canvas or full canvas, written out in words.
- Style details: lapel, pockets, vents and buttons, ideally with a photo of a reference garment from your own rail.
- Fit notes: posture in plain words, for example "right shoulder slightly lower" or "forward head".
- Finish: label text and a trim card for lining and buttons.
How should you send client photos?
Front, side and back, in plain light, with the client standing relaxed. The cutter reads them beside the sheet to see posture the numbers miss. Photos explain the sheet; they do not replace it. If the client has not agreed to share their face or name, crop it and use a client ref such as A-12.
What does a worked first-sample note look like?
"Client ref A-12. Unit: inches. Navy worsted as on the mill card. Two-button single-breasted, half canvas, notch lapel, flap pockets, double vent. Right shoulder slightly lower, photos attached. Reference garment photo attached. Lining and buttons as on the trim card."
Seven lines, no adjectives, nothing left to a default.
What happens after you send the brief?
- Open questions come back first. Anything unclear on the sheet, such as a missing sleeve note or an unnamed lining, is asked before cutting, not guessed.
- The lock is confirmed. Once measurements, cloth and construction are agreed, the start of the sample clock is confirmed in writing on the thread.
- The quote follows the brief. Price depends on cloth and construction, so it is given after the brief, not before.
- Remake terms are written down. What counts as a remake and what counts as an alteration is agreed in advance; see remake versus alteration terms.
- The sample ships to your shop. The sample route is set out on the sample policy page.
What should you check when the sample arrives?
- Measure the finished garment against your sheet, in the same unit.
- Try it on the client, or on a fit model of the same size.
- Check lapel, vents and pockets against the reference photo.
- Write each change as a measured difference, with a photo.
- Mark the sample approved, approved with comments, or sent back.
Once one client's suit is right, the same sheet format carries over to the next order. If you later want a house style in sizes, the made to measure and private label page explains how a base size is sealed before a run.
Send your first brief
Message WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 with five things: your shop name and town, the unit you measure in, the style and cloth reference, whether it is one client's suit or a house-style trial, and the client or reference-garment photos.
FAQ
Does a UK shop need to visit the factory before the first sample? No. Most shops start with one sample and a clear brief, and decide on a visit once they have seen the work.
Can I keep using inches? Yes. State the unit at the top of the sheet and keep every line in it.
Will the factory contact my clients? No. It works only with the shop; your client relationship stays with you.
Why is there no price on the website? Cloth and construction change the cost of each suit, so the quote comes after the brief, on WhatsApp.
What if the first sample needs changes? Send measured differences with photos. Whether it is an alteration or a remake follows the terms agreed before the clock started.
Who makes this: Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi District, Tianjin, trading as Shi Yuan Suit Factory; export site acumenwear.com; WhatsApp +65 8013 8838; houzhenying226@gmail.com. Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd. (Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi) was founded in 2009 and supplies overseas custom tailor shops, MTM boutiques and private-label brands, not retail consumers. Not affiliated with Tianjin Shiyuan Clothing Co., Ltd. (Baokang Road).
