APPAREL QUALITY

MANAGEMENT
(AM-3O46)

DR. SHAGUFTA RIAZ

GARMENT MANUFACTURING DEPARTMENT

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 WEEK 5

10-03-2025

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 CONTENTS
Sampling
Steps in sampling process
Division of samples

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 LEARNING OUTCOME

At the end of this lecture, the students will

be well aware of the contents of how a
merchandiser go through sampling
procedure for order confirmation and
production go head.

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 SAMPLING
 Sampling is undoubtly the most technical feature of the
Merchandiser's job.
 This involves developing new products or taking some
existing products to the new customer to meet the
customer demands.
 The steps are as follows.

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 SAMPLING
1. Sampling Process:
a) Getting Buyer's Requirements
On reception of the request from the buyer, Merchandiser
evaluates the request. First step is to check the possibility
whether it is possible to develop the comparable product or
not? To check this possibility, Merchandiser analyzes the
specifications.
In case of reception of some sample physically, he also
examines the specifications of that sample.
It is important to do the following after getting the sample
request or sample swatch from the buyer.
•Clarify each and every thing about the sample specification with
the help of R& D Team (If required)
•Check the possibility of doing such sample. In case of no
possibility, buyer should be informed instantly. 6
•In case it is possible to produce the sample, its completion and
dispatch date is to be confirmed to the buyer ASAP keeping in
 SAMPLING
b) Sample Preparation
After doing the necessary calculations,
merchandiser first checks whether he/she has such
sample already in stock or not? In case of sample
already present in finished stocks in the right
quantity and quality (and can be spared for the
sampling), then there will not be any need to
forward sample request to the concerned units.
Merchandiser will just inform the buyer about the
sample dispatch date in this regard.
IF the reference sample is not available then
following steps are done:
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 STEPS IN SAMPLING PROCESS
• Designer draws several sketches in the sketch
book
• No detail at first moment but a number of
sketches
• Analysis and selection of sketches by a panel of
designers
• Flat drawings are made that help pattern makers
in patterns
 Then sample is produced. Merchandiser makes
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sure that each of the production department
 SAMPLING
c) Evaluating Results
Merchandiser gets the results from the Quality
Control Lab and compares it with the standards
specified by the buyers. If the sample results are
consistent with the desired results, then it means it
can be sent to the buyer.
d) Sample Packing & Dispatching
Then sample is packed for its safe arrival at the
destination. For the sample dispatch, the
merchandiser sends the sample via courier (e.g.,
DHL or Fedex etc) and puts complete details along
with the sample for buyer's reference. After the
sample dispatch, Merchandiser forwards the courier9

tracking number to the buyer.

 SAMPLING
e) Seeking buyer's comments
Once the sample reaches the buyer, merchandiser
gets the comments from him/her and keeps record
of it. In the light of customer's comments, the
merchandiser takes the action accordingly. If the
sample is approved, he/she waits till the order is
received to bring this product into bulk production.
In case of rejection, he/she acts according to the
customer comments by doing re-sampling. It may
require reworking on the specs of the sample, so the
cycle of activities restarts, the corrected sample is
re-submitted and the feedback is sought.
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 SAMPLING
This process is continued unless the sample is
approved. If there are several rejections, then
customer might cancel the sampling because of
time-out situation or places the sampling to
somewhere else. In order to save time, the customer
place the initial sampling to more than one suppliers
in order to have a choice.

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 DIVISION OF SAMPLES

Development sample - Initial stage of garment

manufacturing. These samples are made before
production.
Production sample - Last stage of garment
manufacturing. By this, a buyer can know the
bulk production condition of a garment industry.

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DIVISION OF SAMPLES

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DIVISION OF SAMPLES

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 DESIGN/ PROTO SAMPLE

 First sample for garment sampling department.

 Proto is the first stage, where the factory will
transform its design into a product (in 3d form).
 The designer could be able to compare and see
what he/she has envisioned is possible or not in
3d.
 Created by a fashion designer.

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 DESIGN/ PROTO SAMPLE
 Proto sample is made in available similar fabrics
but in the actual measurements and
specifications.
 In one size, as specified by the buyer.
 Not mentioned fit and fabric details in this stage.
 The quantity required depends upon the buyer’s
discretion (01-03 pcs in each style). One piece is
to be kept in the record for future reference.

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 WHY PROTO SAMPLE?

 Ensures manufacturer and apparel brand are

on the same page
 Leads to more accuracy and fewer rejections
 Saves time and money
 Protects against misinterpretation on style
detailing
 Expressively improves efficiency and
productivity 17
 VIRTUAL PROTOTYPING
 It is first stage where only aesthetics are
judged in sample
 Virtual prototyping is a technique used in
the process of product development
through CAD, CAM.
 Virtual prototyping is effective and time
saving way to communicate with buyer
without sending physical sample.
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 FIT SAMPLE
 For making a fit sample, fashion designers
are using dummy.
 Fit samples are prepared by buyer order
sheet measurement.
 They are according to exact size
specifications given by the customer

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 PHOTOSHOOT SAMPLE
 When the fit sample is approved the photo shoot
sample is made.
 Taking photo shoot for the buyer where samples
will be worn by the models or dummy.
 Actual fabrics and accessories are compulsory

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 MOCK UP SAMPLE

 Not a complete sample.

 For buyer few parts of garments are made.
 The part of garments such as sleeve, collar,
front panel, leg parts etc.

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 SIZE SET SAMPLE

 Garment has different sizes such as S, L, M, XL,

XXL, etc.
 To check the fit of the garment in different sizes.
 Size set sample is very important because without
this approval, the cutting would not be started.
 These are sent after inspection to the buyer with
“garment specification sheet”, “covering letter”
and “sample tag”.
 One set is to be kept in record for future references.
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 SALES SAMPLE
 Special orders are placed by the buyer for salesman samples.
 These are required in exact fabric, shades and accessories. More
quantities are required in this case and payments are made by the
customer.
 These are generally required in those shades/ styles which are more
likely to be ordered from the manufacturers in bulk quantities.
 The mode of shipment for these samples is normally decided by air
and cost is paid by the customer. Sales samples are used as “test
marketing”.
 These must be in exact representative quality and shown to potential
customers for their feedback.
 These samples are also given to those customers as trials.

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 PRE-PRODUCTION & TESTING
SAMPLE
 Last stage of development sample.
 In apparel industry, short name of this sample is
pp sample.
 Garment bulk production depends on approval of
pre-production sample from buyer
 Testing samples are required to be submitted to
some external lab accredited by the buyers.
 Again this varies from buyer to buyer, generally
the buyer may ask for ITS, SGS, MTL, TTI, BVCPS or
STL labs etc.
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 ONLINE/PRODUCTION SAMPLE
 A sample which is collected from the first stage of
production process.
 For production follow up, a buyer must collect this
sample from the apparel industry.
 Made by original specifications, fabrics and trims.
 The quantity to be sent is generally differs from buyer
to buyer. Merchandiser has to be in touch for this or he/
she can refer to “quality manual” for that customer.
 Shipment samples are sent by air so that customer
quickly receives it before getting the shipment.
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 SHIPMENT SAMPLE
 Shipment samples are required to be sent after
making the whole consignment. These are taken
out from the bulk production
 In this stage production has done.
 For sending this sample to the buyer, need all
packing accessories such as:
• Hanger
• Packing list
• Bar code sticker
• Hang tag,
• Price tag, etc. 26
 SAMPLING
 The requirements of samples submission in actual
or available colors, fabrics, accessories or sizes
rests upon customer’s discretion as it varies from
customer to customer and situation to situation.
 It is always recommended to ask the customer in
advance regarding sampling requirements in order
to avoid any misunderstanding in future.

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SAMPLING IN MANUFACTURING
INDUSTRY
 SAMPLING
2. Types of Samples (Garments):
Sample Type Colour Fabric
Prototype Any Colour Closest Available
Size set Any Colour Actual/Closest
Available
Salesman Requested Colour Actual
Pre-production & Actual Colours Actual
Testing
Production All Colours Actual
/Shipment
Note: Different customers use different terms for
Sampling. The Sampling stages and requirements
vary as per customer’s discretion.
ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT (AQL)
AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN APPAREL
INDUSTRY

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 ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT
(AQL)
 THE ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL) IS A QUALITY
CONTROL CONCEPT.

 AQL, OR ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT, IS A STATISTICAL

TOOL USED IN THE APPAREL INDUSTRY (AND OTHER
MANUFACTURING SECTORS) TO DEFINE THE MAXIMUM
NUMBER OF DEFECTS OR DEVIATIONS FROM
SPECIFICATIONS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE IN A PARTICULAR
SAMPLE SIZE OF A PRODUCT.

 IT'S ESSENTIALLY A THRESHOLD FOR DETERMINING

WHETHER A BATCH OF PRODUCTS MEETS QUALITY
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STANDARDS.
 ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT
(AQL)
 IN THE APPAREL INDUSTRY, AQL IS CRUCIAL FOR ENSURING
THAT GARMENTS MEET CERTAIN QUALITY CRITERIA BEFORE
THEY ARE SHIPPED TO CUSTOMERS.

 THIS INVOLVES INSPECTING RANDOM SAMPLES FROM A

PRODUCTION BATCH AND COMPARING THE NUMBER OF
DEFECTS FOUND TO THE ACCEPTABLE LIMIT SET BY THE
AQL STANDARD.

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 ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT
(AQL)
 THE AQL STANDARD IS TYPICALLY REPRESENTED AS A
COMBINATION OF TWO NUMBERS, FOR EXAMPLE "1.5 AQL."

 THE FIRST NUMBER (E.G., 1.5) REPRESENTS THE MAXIMUM

ALLOWABLE PERCENTAGE OF DEFECTS IN A PRODUCTION
BATCH, WHILE THE SECOND NUMBER (AQL) SIGNIFIES THE
SAMPLING PLAN OR THE NUMBER OF SAMPLES TO BE
INSPECTED.

 THE SAMPLING PLAN IS OFTEN DETERMINED BASED ON

FACTORS LIKE THE SIZE OF THE PRODUCTION BATCH AND
THE LEVEL OF RISK ASSOCIATED WITH PRODUCT DEFECTS.33
ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT
(AQL)
 THE AQL IS AGREED UPON BETWEEN THE BUYER
AND THE SUPPLIER BASED ON THE IMPORTANCE
OF THE PRODUCT.

 FOR EXAMPLE, THE AQL FOR A BATCH OF T-

SHIRTS CAN BE 1 PER 1,000, WHEREAS, FOR A
BATCH OF MOBILE PHONE BATTERIES, IT IS MUCH
LOWER, LIKE 0.001 PER 1,000 OR 1 PER
1,000,000 FAULTS.
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ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT
(AQL)
 THE LIMIT, AS DESCRIBED ABOVE, IS CALLED THE ‘AQL’. IT
STANDS FOR ‘ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL’ AND IS DEFINED
AS THE “QUALITY LEVEL THAT IS THE WORST TOLERABLE”
(ISO 2859-1 STANDARD).
 IN PRACTICE, THREE TYPES OF DEFECTS ARE
DISTINGUISHED. FOR MOST CONSUMER GOODS, THE LIMITS
ARE:
GENERAL INSPECTION LEVELS:
LEVEL 1:
 THIS LEVEL IS TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE HIGHEST
LEVEL OF SCRUTINY AND IS USED FOR CRITICAL DEFECTS.
“CRITICAL DEFECTS ARE THOSE THAT RENDER THE PRODUCT35
UNSAFE FOR ITS INTENDED USE OR VIOLATE REGULATORY
REQUIREMENTS.”
 ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT
(AQL)
LEVEL 2:
THIS INSPECTION IS USED FOR MAJOR DEFECTS, WHICH ARE
SIGNIFICANT DEVIATIONS FROM QUALITY STANDARDS BUT DO NOT
NECESSARILY RENDER THE PRODUCT UNUSABLE OR UNSAFE.
THIS LEVEL OF INSPECTION INVOLVES A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE
COMPARED TO LEVEL 1 AND MAY HAVE SLIGHTLY MORE LENIENT
ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA FOR DEFECT
LEVEL 3:
LEVEL 3 INSPECTION IS USED FOR MINOR DEFECTS, WHICH ARE
DEVIATIONS FROM SPECIFICATIONS THAT DO NOT SIGNIFICANTLY
AFFECT THE USABILITY, APPEARANCE, OR SAFETY OF THE PRODUCT.
THIS LEVEL OF INSPECTION TYPICALLY INVOLVES THE LARGEST
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SAMPLE SIZE AND MORE LENIENT ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA FOR
DEFECTS COMPARED TO LEVELS 1 AND 2
 ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT
(AQL)
SPECIAL INSPECTION LEVELS:
IN THE AQL (ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT) SYSTEM, "S" STANDS FOR
SPECIAL INSPECTION LEVEL. THESE SPECIAL LEVELS DENOTED AS S1,
S2, AND S3, ARE USED WHEN A SPECIFIC INSPECTION IS REQUIRED
BEYOND THE STANDARD INSPECTION LEVELS (GENERAL INSPECTION
LEVELS G-I, G-II, AND G-III)
S1:
THIS LEVEL IS USED WHEN A HIGHER LEVEL OF SCRUTINY IS
NECESSARY DUE TO CRITICAL FACTORS SUCH AS SAFETY CONCERNS,
REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS, OR HIGH-VALUE PRODUCTS.
S1 INVOLVES A MORE INTENSIVE INSPECTION PROCESS WITH LARGER
SAMPLE SIZES COMPARED TO THE STANDARD LEVELS.
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IT IS TYPICALLY EMPLOYED WHEN THE CONSEQUENCES OF DEFECTS
ARE SEVERE OR WHEN THE PRODUCT HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON
 ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT
(AQL)
S2:
IT IS USED FOR SITUATIONS THAT REQUIRE A MODERATE LEVEL OF INSPECTION
BEYOND THE STANDARD LEVELS BUT NOT AS STRINGENT AS S1.
 IT MAY BE APPLIED WHEN THERE ARE SPECIFIC QUALITY CONCERNS OR WHEN
THE PRODUCT'S IMPORTANCE WARRANTS ADDITIONAL ATTENTION.
S2 TYPICALLY INVOLVES LARGER SAMPLE SIZES AND STRICTER ACCEPTANCE
CRITERIA COMPARED TO GENERAL INSPECTION LEVELS.

S3:
S3 IS THE LEAST INTENSIVE OF THE SPECIAL INSPECTION LEVELS BUT STILL
INVOLVES A HIGHER LEVEL OF SCRUTINY THAN THE STANDARD LEVELS.
IT MAY BE USED WHEN THERE ARE SPECIFIC QUALITY ISSUES OR WHEN THE
PRODUCT REQUIRES CLOSER INSPECTION DUE TO FACTORS SUCH AS
COMPLEXITY OR VARIABILITY.
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S3 TYPICALLY INVOLVES LARGER SAMPLE SIZES AND MORE DETAILED
INSPECTION PROCEDURES COMPARED TO THE STANDARD LEVELS.
 ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT
(AQL)
THE AQL CHART COMPRISES TWO PARTS – THE FIRST ONE IS
THE INSPECTION LEVEL CHART.

•IT IS USED TO CHOOSE THE INSPECTION LEVEL BASED ON THE

BATCH SIZE AND THE LEVEL OF SCRUTINY THAT IS REQUIRED

•THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS IS TO DETERMINE THE

APPROPRIATE SAMPLE SIZE, PICK THE AQL, AND MAKE A
DECISION BASED ON THRESHOLDS GIVEN BY THE CHART.

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ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL
(AQL)

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ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL
(AQL)

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ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT
(AQL)
 IN QUALITY INSPECTIONS, THE NUMBER OF DEFECTS IS ONLY

ONE OF THE CRITERIA. IT IS SOMETIMES CALLED “QUALITY”, OR

“QUALITY FINDINGS”. THE OTHER CRITERIA ARE USUALLY ON

THE INSPECTOR’S CHECKLIST, WHICH TYPICALLY INCLUDES:

 PACKAGING CONFORMITY (BARCODES, INNER PACKING,

CARTONS, SHIPPING MARKS).

 PRODUCT CONFORMITY (ASPECT, WORKMANSHIP). IF ALL THE

PRODUCTS ARE IN RED INSTEAD OF ORANGE, THERE IS NO

NEED TO COUNT EACH SAMPLE AS A DEFECT. IT MAKES MORE

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SENSE TO REFUSE PRODUCT CONFORMITY.

 IMPORTANCE OF AQL
 THE IMPORTANCE OF AQL (ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT) IN THE
APPAREL INDUSTRY CANNOT BE OVERSTATED. HERE ARE
SEVERAL REASONS WHY AQL IS CRUCIAL:

• QUALITY ASSURANCE

• CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

• COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS

• COST CONTROL

• RISK MITIGATION

• LEGAL COMPLIANCE
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• SUPPLIER PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
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