What a colorway is
A colorway is the colour version you want made. A black body and a white body can share one measurement chart. A light inner-leg panel is a different colorway, not an automatic part of every colour. Keep colorways on one measurement chart so the fit does not change when the colour does.
Start with solid core colours. Every colour is a separate fabric lot. A stripe, a check or a print is a separate fabric approval, not a note added after the solid is agreed.
The colour reference is something you supply
Supply colour references (Pantone numbers or fabric swatches). A Pantone number is a reference you send, in the same way a swatch is. It is not a result from this site, and it is not proof that a dyed fabric already matches it. Judge the dyed cloth or the printed sample, not the file and not the screen.
Which approval to ask for
| Colour work | Approve | What that approval is not |
|---|---|---|
| Solid core colour | A lab dip against the colour reference you supplied | A catalog photo or a colour on a screen |
| Stripe, check or print | A strike-off on the fabric you selected | Approval of the fit sample |
| Contrast panel or trim | Its own colour reference and its own approval | Proof that every other colour includes that panel |
| A later dye lot | A shade band or a lot-to-lot comparison with the approved sample | Proof that the first order’s terms still apply |
Approve a lab dip for each core colour and a strike-off for any stripe or print. Fabric, colour and print are later checked against the approved sample and the lab dip or strike-off.
Lab dip for solid colours
A lab dip is the dyed fabric you compare with your colour reference before bulk. Deep colours need a colourfastness check. The ISO 105 colourfastness series is the usual reference, for example ISO 105-C06 for washing and ISO 105-X12 for rubbing. Ask your lab which method suits your market and write it into the purchase order. This page does not state a pass or fail figure.
Strike-off for prints, stripes and checks
A strike-off approves colour and artwork. A fit sample approves measurements. Say which one you are looking at. Yarn-dyed checks and stripes need pattern matching at the side seams and fly. Printed fabrics need print-repeat and shade approval. Sublimation, screen print and other methods behave differently on different cloths. Approve a strike-off on the fabric you selected.
Send the artwork or colour references, the fabric you want sampled, and the measurements. The catalog photograph is one reference, not your color standard.
A catalog photo is not the colour standard
The shades in a photograph are not the shades you have approved. Write the colours you sell, not only the shades in a photo. A row of colours is not a pack. Lettering in a photo is not your logo. If a light inner-leg panel appears in one frame, say whether that panel is required, and on which colorway.
Shade between dye lots
Ask how shade differences between dye lots are controlled, and approve a shade band or a lot-to-lot standard. A basic colorway has to be reorderable. Identify the fabric and the band artwork version, and keep the approved sample as the reference for every reorder.
What to send before a colour is approved
- Name each colorway: a solid, a stripe or check, a print, or a contrast panel.
- Send colour references (Pantone numbers or fabric swatches) and the fabric you want sampled.
- Approve a lab dip for each core colour and a strike-off for any stripe or print.
- Record which physical sample is the shade reference for later lots.
- Keep those colorways on one measurement chart.
Price, the way a minimum is counted, and timing are quoted against that brief. This page does not publish them.
Common questions
Does a Pantone number prove the fabric matches?
No. A Pantone number or a fabric swatch is a colour reference you supply. Approve a lab dip for a solid, or a strike-off for a print, on the cloth you selected. This page does not publish a match tolerance or a laboratory result.
Is the catalog photograph the colour standard?
No. The catalog photograph is one reference, not your color standard. Write the colours you want sampled, and approve them on a lab dip or a strike-off.
Do solids and prints use the same approval?
No. Approve a lab dip for each core colour and a strike-off for any stripe or print. A strike-off approves colour and artwork. A fit sample approves measurements.
Ready to brief a style?
Send a reference garment or sketch, the quantities you are considering and your destination. The quotation will state what is included and how minimums are counted.