The sample: a physical object you sign, and the reference bulk is judged against

1. What the sample is

You approve a physical sample. Bulk then runs to that sample, and a signed copy stays on file against your order number. The sample is not a marketing photograph and it is not a swatch: it is the object the whole order is argued from.

The samples you approve are kept on file against your order number, and the bulk run is checked against them before the cartons close. The same copy is what your own inspector reads on a pre-shipment check.

A sample is a step in an order, not a product we sell: pay for the sample, and the cost comes back off the bulk invoice when the order runs. The fee itself is quoted per style with your quotation, and you cover the courier freight.

2. What the signature binds

1. 01It sets the bulk run. Bulk runs to the sample you approved, and that signed sample is the binding reference.
2. 02It sets the returns baseline. The case the returns page is written for is a bulk run that does not match that approved sample. That is the situation we accept and put right.
3. 03It sets the fit. Fit is approved against a signed sample, one per size band. Measure it at the cuff and along the heel, date it, and the bulk run is checked against that copy.
4. 04It sets the window. Where a bulk run does not match, raise it in writing within 30 days of arrival, with your order number and photographs or an inspector’s report.

3. One sample per size band

Fit is approved against a signed sample, one per size band. Two bands means two signed copies on file. Five bands is ordinary on a unisex style, and each band gets its own line on the specification sheet and its own signed sample.

That is also why the size chart is a production document rather than a marketing one: the bands on it are what the signed samples are filed against, and a chart without the split produces a carton nobody can pick from.

The six fields that make a chart usable: size chart. The clock and the fee: sampling.

4. What a sample does not cover

Custom production is made to the sample you sign off, so a signed-off sample is not returnable for reasons other than a quality fault. A change of mind after the signature is a spec change, not a claim.

A sample also does not travel with a certificate attached to it. The audits behind the floor are site-level files held by the factory entity; they say nothing about the individual pair in the parcel.

• A style change after signature: a new sample round, 3–5 days.
• A colour change on a repeat: a new dye lot and an approval.
• An artwork change: a stitch count check before knitting.

The whole procedure when a run misses the sample: returns and after-sales. The audit files themselves: audit report.