Your Sample Just Arrived: The Factory’s Own 15-Point Approval Checklist

The sample stage turns a design into an approval standard. What you accept can move toward bulk production. What you miss may be repeated.

A useful review has two parts: inspect the garment, then communicate every decision in a form the factory can execute.

Trying it on and saying “looks good” is not approval control. Sending twenty chat messages and unnumbered photos is not revision control.

Here is the 15-point inspection we use, followed by a practical sample-feedback sheet and approval workflow.

At Jiashun, samples typically take 10–15 working days. Pricing and delivery are confirmed after project review.

Bulk typically takes 20–30 working days after sample approval.

Before inspection: identify the sample

Confirm the style code, sample type, revision, size, colorway, material status, and date before reviewing anything.

A proto, fit, size-set, PP, and TOP sample answer different questions. Our sample-types guide explains what each gate can and cannot approve.

Keep the tech pack, previous comment sheet, approved artwork, color reference, and measuring method beside the garment.

If the package contains an undocumented substitution, record it before judging the result. A sample using substitute fabric cannot approve every property of the final fabric.

Fabric (the foundation — check it first)

1. Weight and hand. Compare the sample with the approved swatch, sourced specification, or reference garment. Record whether weight, structure, drape, surface, and inside feel match the intended direction.

2. Face and interior. Check the right side and reverse. Confirm loop-back or brushed construction, lining, backing, coating, pile, and any secondary material that may not appear in front-view photos.

3. Color under controlled conditions. Compare against the approved reference under consistent lighting. Record the reference ID and whether the issue concerns hue, depth, undertone, wash variation, or panel matching.

Fit (the money check)

4. Measure before judging. Lay the garment flat and follow the agreed points of measure. Compare the actual value, target, tolerance, and difference for every required POM.

5. Fit the target body. Measurements test conformance. A fit model or target body tests whether the intended silhouette, proportion, balance, and ease are correct.

6. Test movement. Sit, reach, raise the arms, bend, and use closures or pockets. Record pulling, twisting, restriction, riding, gaping, or balance problems that appear only in motion.

Decoration

7. Placement and scale. Measure artwork from the agreed origin point. Record width, height, distance from seams, alignment, and whether placement remains correct while worn.

8. Surface execution. Inspect edges, coverage, registration, texture, expansion, stitch density, thread ends, puckering, scorch marks, adhesive, and unwanted shine.

9. Behavior on the garment. Gently flex or stretch the decorated area when the fabric is meant to move. Check whether the result distorts, lifts, flakes, cracks, puckers, or restricts the garment.

Construction

10. Inside construction. Turn the garment inside out. Check seam type, allowance, stitch consistency, skipped stitches, raw edges, loose threads, reinforcement, and high-stress joins.

11. Hardware in use. Operate zippers, snaps, buttons, cords, adjusters, and pockets repeatedly. Check alignment, attachment, smooth movement, end stops, sharp edges, and component finish.

12. Rib and elastic recovery. Stretch cuffs, hem, waistband, and elastic only as normal use requires. Check recovery, twisting, uneven tension, attachment, and comfort.

Branding

13. Labels, tags, and packing. Confirm content, spelling, size, color, position, orientation, attachment, barcode or sticker data, folding, polybag, and carton instructions against the approved files.

The two sample checks people always skip

14. Run the agreed care or performance check. When wash performance matters, record measurements and appearance before and after the agreed method.

Do not improvise a test and present it as a standard result. State the method, temperature or cycle where relevant, drying method, date, and what acceptance question it answers.

15. Photograph and document every decision. Link each issue to a numbered image, measurement, requested change, owner, and status.

The written comments and approved physical sample should agree. Later inspection needs a defined standard, not a memory of the fitting call.

Keep sample approval separate from lot inspection. ISO 2859-1:2026 describes acceptance-sampling schemes indexed by AQL for lot-by-lot inspection.

This checklist addresses a different gate: whether a development or pre-production sample proves the decisions assigned to that sample type.

Turn observations into executable comments

“The sleeve looks wrong” describes a reaction. It does not tell the pattern maker what changed, where it changed, or how the next sample will be judged.

Write each comment with six parts:

1. Location: name the panel, seam, POM, artwork, trim, or packing component.
2. Current state: record what the sample measures or shows now.
3. Approved target: cite the tech-pack value, reference, artwork, or expected result.
4. Requested action: state one measurable change or ask the factory to propose a solution.
5. Evidence: link a numbered photo, measurement, drawing, video, or file.
6. Disposition: approve, revise, reject, hold, or request clarification.

Use verbs that describe the action: increase, reduce, move, align, replace, remove, reinforce, reopen, confirm, or propose.

Avoid emotional adjectives without a target. “More premium,” “better fit,” “nicer black,” and “fix the quality” force the factory to guess what success means.

Use one revision sheet

Put every comment from the review into one controlled table.

ID	Area	Current sample	Target or issue	Requested action	Evidence	Priority	Status
F-01	Chest width, size L	64.0 cm	Spec 66.0 cm	Increase half chest by 2.0 cm; preserve hem width	IMG-03, POM B	Must fix	Revise
D-01	Front artwork	Top edge 5.0 cm below seam	Approved placement 7.0 cm	Move artwork down 2.0 cm; retain width	IMG-07, artwork v3	Must fix	Revise
C-01	Inside neck seam	Loose thread at left end	Clean finish required	Trim and secure; confirm production method	IMG-11	Must fix	Revise
P-01	Polybag sticker	Position not specified	Need scannable placement	Factory to propose standard position with photo	IMG-14	Clarify	Open

The numbers above demonstrate comment structure. They are not universal garment specifications.

One issue gets one ID. If a photo shows three problems, create three rows and reference the same image.

Keep requests atomic. “Make body wider, shorter, and improve shoulder” should be separate comments because each change has a different target and verification method.

Mark photos so nobody has to interpret them

Use the same sample ID and revision in the photo folder and comment sheet. Name images in sequence, such as ST104-FIT2-IMG-01.

Place an arrow or circle on the exact issue. Add a scale or tape measure when the comment depends on distance.

Show context before detail. One full-garment image establishes location; a close-up proves the defect or measurement.

Do not rely on markup alone. The table carries the instruction, while the photo proves what the instruction refers to.

Keep original, unmarked photos with the annotated copies. Markup can cover an edge, stitch, or measurement that becomes important later.

Control versions and conflicting feedback

Return one consolidated file per sample round. Do not make the factory reconcile separate decisions from email, chat, shared documents, and calls.

Use a clear chain:

Tech pack: ST104-TP-R03
Sample: ST104-FIT2
Comments: ST104-FIT2-COMMENTS-R01
Decision: REVISE
Supersedes: ST104-FIT1-COMMENTS-R02
Next expected sample: ST104-FIT3

Record who can approve the sample. A group chat reaction is not the same as authorization from the named decision owner.

After a call, update the controlled sheet and send it back for acknowledgement. The document should capture the decision; the call should not become a second hidden version.

Choose an explicit disposition

End every sample review with one status:

Disposition	Meaning	Next action
Approve	The sample meets the stated gate	Record approval owner and date; proceed only to the authorized next step
Approve with conditions	Named items can close without another full sample if both sides agree	List conditions, evidence required, owner, and deadline
Revise	The design remains active but needs another controlled iteration	Issue the consolidated revision sheet and next-sample scope
Reject	The sample cannot satisfy the intended direction or standard	State the failed gate and whether development stops or restarts
Hold	A source, test, material, artwork, or business decision is missing	Name the blocker and who will resolve it

Approval should say what is approved. Fit approval does not automatically approve final color, trims, packing, or bulk execution.

If something on the sample is wrong

Classify the cause before prescribing the fix. The issue may come from the specification, interpretation, material, pattern, process, workmanship, handling, or an undocumented substitution.

Ask for a corrective proposal when you know the result but not the safest technical method. Do not invent a construction solution simply to make the comment sound decisive.

If a change affects fabric, pattern, construction, artwork, wash, trims, packaging, quantity, or another priced assumption, request the cost and timing impact before approval.

Iteration is the sample stage doing its job. Polite silence followed by a bulk complaint is not approval control.

Copyable sample-feedback header

Project / brand:
Style code:
Tech-pack revision:
Sample type and number:
Sample size and colorway:
Material status: final / substitute / partly final / TBD
Date received:
Review date:
Decision owner:
Disposition: approve / approve with conditions / revise / reject / hold
Superseded comment sheet:
Next authorized step:

Open comments:
- ID
- area or POM
- current sample
- approved target or issue
- requested action
- evidence filename
- priority
- owner
- status

FAQ

How long should I spend evaluating a sample? Long enough to complete the agreed measurements, fitting, movement, construction, decoration, hardware, branding, and required performance checks without rushing.

The review may span more than one session when washing, testing, another approver, or a fit model is required.

What tolerance is normal on measurements? There is no useful universal value for every POM and garment. Agree the tolerance by measurement, material, construction, process, and quality requirement before bulk.

Should I order one sample or several sizes? The required sample set depends on the garment, fit risk, grade, size range, material, buyer requirements, and what the current gate must prove.

One base size cannot by itself prove the full graded range. Use the sample-types guide to define the approval question.

What if I approved something and only noticed a problem at bulk? Compare the bulk issue with the approved specification, sealed sample, comment history, purchase terms, and inspection agreement. Responsibility depends on the evidence.

Can I send sample feedback through WhatsApp or email? Discuss questions in chat or email, but consolidate decisions in one versioned comment sheet. Ask the factory to acknowledge it before the next step.

Can I approve from factory photos or video? Photos and video can close selected visual questions when both sides agree. They cannot prove every measurement, material, handfeel, movement, wash result, or physical construction detail.

References

• This checklist reflects Jiashun's factory-side sample review workflow. The example measurements and revision IDs are illustrative, not universal garment specifications.
• Inspection reference: ISO, ISO 2859-1:2026, retrieved 2026-07-21.