Chinese New Year falls in February, and if you're in apparel development, you already know what that means: factory closures from roughly 3-4 weeks, followed by a 3–4 week ramp-up period when production resumes.
For brands racing against this deadline, the question we're hearing most often is: "Is it too late to get samples developed before CNY?"
The answer isn't simple. It depends entirely on where you are in your development process.
The Timeline Reality
Most factories can turn around a sample in 14–25 days under normal circumstances. But "normal" doesn't apply right now. Factories are managing year-end production orders, processing final shipments, and preparing for shutdown. Their sample rooms are backed up, and their focus is split.
If your tech pack is finalized and your fabric is already secured, you still have a shot — but you need to move immediately. Confirm capacity with your factory before submitting anything. Don't assume they can fit you in.
If you're still in the fabric sourcing phase, the math gets tougher. Fabric sourcing and approval typically takes 2–4 weeks, which puts you well past CNY. This is where most brands hit a wall.
But there's a workaround that some brands are using to keep development moving through this crunch period.
The Strategy: Factory-Selected Fabric for Round One
Instead of waiting for your fabric sourcing and approval process to complete, you allow the factory to select a comparable fabric based on your tech pack specifications. They choose something that matches your stated requirements — fiber content, weight, hand feel, stretch recovery, etc. — and develop the sample immediately.
You review the sample for fit, construction, and design details before the factory closes. After CNY, once your fabric selection is finalized, you move forward with a second sample round using your actual chosen fabric.
This approach essentially decouples fit and construction validation from final fabric approval, allowing both processes to run in parallel instead of sequentially.
The Advantages
Speed: You shave 2–4 weeks off your development timeline by eliminating the fabric bottleneck. In a pre-CNY scenario, this can be the difference between getting a sample and waiting until March.
Momentum: Keeping your project active through CNY means you're not starting from zero when factories reopen. You've already validated core design elements and can move directly to refinement.
Strategic timing: You avoid the post-CNY backlog. When factories reopen in late February, they're flooded with sample requests from brands who waited. By moving earlier, you're ahead of that queue.
Flexibility: If you're still evaluating multiple fabric options, this lets you see how the design performs in a comparable material while your fabric research continues.
The Trade-Offs
Fabric behavior varies: Even if the factory chooses a fabric with identical specs on paper, drape, recovery, surface texture, and performance can differ significantly. What works in one fabric may not translate to another.
Potential for rework: If the substitute fabric behaves differently enough, you may need substantial pattern adjustments when you switch to your final fabric choice. This can mean a full second sample round, not just minor tweaks.
Less control early: You're trusting the factory's judgment on a critical component of your product. If they don't fully understand your brand's aesthetic or performance requirements, the result may miss the mark.
Seam and construction variables: Seam appearance, topstitching, and construction details can look and perform differently across fabrics, especially in stretch or performance categories.
When This Strategy Makes Sense
This approach works best in specific scenarios:
You're prioritizing speed over perfection in round one. You understand this is a validation sample, not a final approval sample, and you're comfortable with iteration.
Your tech pack includes detailed fabric specifications. The more precise your fiber content, weight, stretch percentage, and hand feel descriptions, the better the factory can match your intent.
You're working with an experienced factory. They understand your brand standards, have worked with similar fabrics before, and have demonstrated good judgment in past projects.
Fit confirmation is your immediate priority. You need to validate sizing, proportions, and basic construction before moving forward, and fabric selection can happen in parallel.
You have budget and timeline for a second sample round. This isn't a shortcut to skip steps — it's a strategy to parallelize them.
When to Avoid This Approach
There are cases where waiting is the smarter move:
Fabric is central to your brand positioning. If you're building your reputation on a specific performance feature, sustainability story, or distinctive hand feel, don't compromise on fabric selection.
You're developing a hero product. Signature pieces, capsule launches, or products that will define your season should go through the full process with your exact chosen fabric.
The garment is highly fabric-dependent. Bias cuts, draping, structured tailoring, and garments with complex construction all behave very differently across fabrics. The risk of needing significant rework is too high.
You don't have budget for iteration. If you can only afford one sample round, don't gamble on a substitution.
Making It Work: Keys to Success
If you decide to use this strategy, here's how to set yourself up for success:
Be extremely specific in your tech pack. Don't just list "cotton jersey." Specify "100% combed cotton jersey, 180gsm, 40-50% horizontal stretch, soft hand, minimal torque, preshrunk." The more detail, the better.
Communicate your priorities clearly. Tell the factory what matters most — is it the hand feel? The recovery? The weight? Help them understand what to optimize for.
Request fabric details from the factory. Ask for the mill, composition, and specs of what they're using. Get a swatch if possible. This helps you assess how close the substitute is.
Set expectations internally. Make sure your team understands this is a validation sample, not an approval sample. Manage stakeholder expectations about what feedback is relevant at this stage.
Plan for round two. Budget time and money for a second sample with your final fabric. Don't treat this as optional — treat it as part of the process.
The Bottom Line
If you're reading this in mid-January and you're still waiting on fabric, you're almost certainly looking at post-CNY delivery. The question is whether you want to wait until March to see anything, or whether you want to gather partial validation now and refine later.
There's no universal right answer. It depends on your product, your brand positioning, your budget, and your risk tolerance.
But if speed matters, if you're working with a trusted factory, and if you can clearly articulate what "close enough" means, this strategy can help you maintain momentum through one of the most challenging periods in the apparel development calendar.
The worst thing you can do right now is wait and hope. If you're going to move, move now. If you're going to wait, plan for it and set realistic timelines.
Chinese New Year happens every year, but it always seems to catch brands by surprise. The ones who navigate it best are the ones who plan for it, communicate clearly, and understand the trade-offs in their decisions.
Need help managing your pre-CNY development timeline? Reach out to our team at MakeMine — we work with factories year-round and can help you navigate these decisions with confidence.
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