---
title: "What happens when the sample comes back wrong?"
description: "A wrong sample needs a written correction and a clear next decision; the response changes with what was agreed and whether production has started."
url: "https://surajmalstudio.com/guides/what-happens-if-the-samples-are-wrong"
---
# What happens when the sample comes back wrong?
4 min read Planning your collection Updated 8 Sept 2026
A wrong sample needs a written correction and a clear next decision; the response changes with what was agreed and whether production has started.
## Quick answers from this guide
### What should happen when a clothing sample comes back wrong?
Compare the clothing sample with the current document that tells the maker what to make. Record each difference, separate corrections from new design choices, and send one agreed response. The next decision is whether to revise, continue or stop that part of the design. Before production starts, approve a complete sample made with the materials and methods intended for the finished clothes.
### How should corrections be sent to the maker?
Send the maker one written response tied to the sample version. Describe each problem and the required change, using measurements and reference photographs where useful. Separate new design choices from corrections to the agreed design. Record unresolved decisions and a due date for the next action, and add any changes agreed in a call before the next sample begins.
### Can production start while a sample still needs changes?
Treat approval of the complete sample as the point that controls whether cutting can begin. Close each unresolved point or explicitly agree how it will be dealt with before release. The sample must show the materials and methods production is expected to repeat. Changes after cutting can affect waste, cost and the delivery date, so their consequences need to be agreed.
### What happens if a sample taken from production is wrong?
Compare the sample taken from production with the approved physical sample and the current written instructions. Establish how far the problem extends, including the affected sizes, colours or production period. That evidence guides the decision on correcting the process, repairing clothes, separating affected pieces or checking more stock. Take the sample early enough for the findings to change what happens next.
When the sample comes back wrong, compare it with what was agreed, send the maker one written set of corrections, and decide what must be checked again before work moves forward.
The next step depends on what the sample was meant to prove and whether the rest of the clothes are already being made.
Studio illustration A wrong sample needs a written correction and a clear next decision; the response changes with what was agreed and whether production has started.
## 01Check the sample against the instructions used to make it
Start with the current document that tells the maker what to make. It should record the measurements and show how details such as pockets or artwork are positioned. Compare the sample with that version. A sketch can show the shape of a jacket without settling the size of its pockets or which button belongs on it.
Separate a correction from a new design choice. A pocket made in the wrong position needs correcting against the agreed position. Moving a pocket after seeing it on the clothes changes the design. Both can lead to another sample, but the maker needs to know which instruction has changed and which was already settled.
If something was never specified, record it as an open decision. Do not treat an assumption as an agreement. Put the missing instruction into the document before the next sample starts, and use the same version number on the sample request and the written response.
## 02Judge each sample by what it was meant to prove
The first sample checks whether the design can be made. Look at its proportions and how the parts come together, including details such as a collar or a bulky seam. A substitute fabric or temporary button may be acceptable at this stage if the intended one is unavailable. Record the substitution so approval stays attached to what was checked.
Fit needs a closer match to the finished clothes. Fabric weight and stretch affect how a piece hangs and moves, so use the intended fabric wherever possible. Measure the sample against the agreed measurements, then assess it on the intended wearer or body form. Appearance alone does not establish that the measurements are right.
Approving the size used for the first fitting does not approve every size. Once that fit is settled, samples across the size range check whether the proportions still work as the clothes get smaller or larger. A sample made for photography or selling has another purpose again: showing how the clothes will look. It does not, by itself, approve production.
## 03Give the maker one response that can be acted on
Write down the problem and the change required. “Fit feels off” leaves the next step undefined. A comment that names the measurement to change and gives the revised target tells the maker what to do. Where a change affects the shape or the way the clothes are put together, update those instructions too.
Keep the response tied to the sample version and date received. Include reference photographs alongside the measurement changes. State the decision on the sample and give the next action a due date. Keep unresolved choices visible.
One person should combine the feedback before it goes to the maker. Comments can come from several people, but separate messages can produce conflicting revisions or leave a change unrecorded. Add decisions made in a call to the written record before another sample begins.
There is no fixed number of sample rounds. A new fit or fabric can need more work than a design being repeated. Check the next sample against the previous comments: which corrections are complete, and which decisions remain open? Each round should reduce that open work.
## 04Approve the complete sample before cutting begins
Before production, the sample needs to show the clothes that will be repeated. That means using the approved fabric and other parts, including the intended labels. The print or wash finish must be right, and the sample must use the intended method of making. Check the packing arrangements as part of this approval too.
If that sample is wrong, state the consequence and agree the next action before releasing the work. Close each open point or explicitly record how it will be dealt with. An approval that leaves the maker interpreting unresolved comments can send different instructions into production.
Timing changes the consequences of a correction. After fabric has been cut or work has begun, a change in colour, measurement or print position can affect cost and waste. It can also move the delivery date. Review the effect on booked materials and the production schedule with the maker before agreeing the change.
Keep the approved physical sample protected, dated and identifiable by design, colour and size. Keep the agreed measurements and current comments with its record. Photographs help explain a correction, but they cannot replace the physical comparison of colour, stretch or how a fabric feels.
## 05A wrong sample from production needs a wider check
A sample taken while the clothes are being made checks whether production matches the approved sample. Take it early enough for the result to affect the work still underway. It may reveal a colour difference or measurements moving away from what was agreed. It can also expose inconsistent stitching or a packing error.
First establish the extent of the problem. Check which sizes or colours are affected and whether the issue belongs to a particular part of the making process or production period. Compare the affected clothes with both the approved physical sample and the current written instructions.
That comparison guides the next action. The maker may need to correct the process, repair affected clothes or separate them for further inspection. Keep a record connecting the problem to the agreed correction and where it was applied in production. The work moves forward when that correction has been checked.
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