How to comment on a fit sample so the next one is right

Every round of sampling costs about two weeks and a courier. The quality of your fit comments decides whether you need one round or three. Here is how to give comments our pattern room can act on directly.

Try the sample on a person, not a hanger, ideally someone who wears your base size, and in the underwear or base layer your customer would wear. Look at it standing, then with arms raised and while sitting. Wash one sample if you can, because fit changes after the first wash.

Measure before you comment. Lay the garment flat and measure the points in your size chart, in centimetres, and write the measurement next to the target. “Chest 52 cm, target 54” is far more useful than “a little tight”. If the issue is shape rather than size, such as a collar that stands away from the neck or a sleeve that twists, describe where it happens and take a photo.

Photograph front, back and side on the person, in daylight, with the problem area marked. Then list comments in order of importance, and say which ones must be fixed and which are preferences. Put all comments in one document, from one person, rather than in a long email thread with three colleagues. Our pattern master, Raghu, reads every comment sheet and replies within a day with what he will change and how. If a comment conflicts with the tech pack, we will ask before cutting the next sample.