A launch date is the end of a chain of decisions. Building the calendar backwards from it is the only reliable way to find out whether the date is achievable.
Work backwards
- Launch date
- Photography and content, which needs finished samples
- Delivery of finished goods
- Production window
- Fabric and trim delivery
- Sample approval
- Sampling and revisions
- Tech pack and design freeze
Design freeze is a real milestone
At some point the design stops changing. Without an explicit freeze, revisions continue into sampling and the calendar loses its meaning.
Fabric drives the earliest date
If fabric has to be knitted or dyed to order, that lead time sits at the front of everything. Confirm fabric timing before committing to a launch date publicly.
Build in buffer where you control least
Add time around fabric delivery and sample approval. Those depend on parties outside the factory and are where slippage originates.
Reorders change the calendar
Once a style is approved and graded, repeat production is much faster. Planning for reorders rather than treating each season as new development is the single largest calendar advantage available.