How to review your first custom jersey sample

Your first jersey sample gives you something physical to discuss. Start by checking what this sample was made to test: fit, construction, material, graphics, or a combination. A fit sample in a temporary fabric cannot answer every question about the finished garment. Keep the agreed brief beside you and record the review before approving the next step.

1. Identify the sample and its purpose

Give the sample a simple reference, such as “sample 01”, and record the date, size, colourway and artwork version. List any agreed substitutions: temporary labels, a different colour or an unfinished detail. This prevents a known placeholder from being confused with a mistake. If you do not know what a detail represents, ask before treating it as final.

2. Compare measurements using the same method

Lay out the jersey and use the measurement points agreed in the brief. Record the unit and whether a number describes a flat garment measurement, a circumference or a body measurement. Compare like with like. For example, a flat chest width should not be compared directly with the wearer’s chest circumference.

• Record the agreed target and the observed sample measurement in separate columns.
• Photograph the measuring position when the start or end point could be unclear.
• Mark missing targets as “to confirm”; do not invent a tolerance or assume every difference is acceptable.

3. Describe fit with specific observations

Try the sample in the way you expect it to be worn, including a layer underneath if that is part of the design. Note where the shoulder sits, the body length and the room around the chest and sleeves. Describe what happens when you sit or move your arms. “The hem rises when I lift my arms” gives a clearer starting point than “the fit is wrong”. A review of one size does not establish the fit of every production size.

4. Review graphics and finishing separately

Check front and back artwork against the intended file version. Note its width, height and position from a named reference point, then look at the collar, cuffs, labels and packaging items included in the sample brief. Compare physical colour or fabric references where those have been agreed. A screen image alone cannot confirm the feel of the fabric or settle a physical colour approval.

If you want a change, separate the observation from the instruction. For illustration, “move the chest graphic 2 cm higher than sample 01, keeping its width unchanged” names both the change and what stays the same. That number is an example, not a recommended placement for your jersey.

5. Keep one revision table

Use one review document for the people making the decision. Collect conflicting feedback before sending the final list, and add a photo reference to each item that needs one. This blank table can be copied into your own document:

Item / photo	Agreed target	Observation	Next action
______	______	______	______
______	______	______	______

Label each action as a correction against the agreed brief, a new design request or an open question. A new fabric, graphic or construction request may change the work still required; ask how that affects the next sample, cost and timing rather than assuming it is included.

6. State exactly what you are approving

Finish with three lists: approved details, required changes and unresolved questions. Identify the person confirming and the review version. Approval of the fit or graphic position is not automatically approval of all materials, all sizes or a production run. Ask which updated files or sample checks are needed before the next decision.

If you are preparing a first sample or need to organise the next revision, explore sample development at Jerseys Deliver. Our Guangzhou studio can review the design and the information needed for the next step; quantities, costs and dates depend on the project requirements.

Sources and editorial approach

This is an original Jerseys Deliver checklist. Its research references are Apparel Entrepreneurship’s general tech pack tutorial, reviewed through English automatic captions, and CarmelElite6’s public sample discussion about graphic placement. They are external examples, not our projects or evidence of our production results. The tutorial creator also sells templates.