From render to factory: how Drop 001 gets made
Drop 001 is four concept designs with no inventory behind them yet. Here is the plan for turning them into shipped clothing, step by step, including where it can slow down or change.
BY FIELD // LAB / / 2 MIN READ
Where we are today.
Drop 001 is the Atlas Overshirt, Axis Pant, Vector Fleece and Pivot Short. Right now they exist as concept renders, feature lists and provisional prices. No factory has quoted them. No pattern has been cut and no sample has been sewn. Payments are not live, and nobody has been charged.
The rest of this note is the path from there to delivery, in order.
Tech packs, patterns and quotes.
A render shows what a garment looks like. A factory needs a tech pack: flat sketches, measurements for every size, fabrics, trims, stitch types and construction notes. Starter patterns help too. We plan to bring in experienced technical designers and patternmakers for both, because the Axis Pant pocket placement and the Atlas Overshirt cable routing only work if the pattern gets them right.
Some features may change at this stage. A detail that is easy to render can be expensive or fragile to sew.
With tech packs ready, we request quotes. We plan to ask overseas OEM and ODM manufacturers, and possibly a US apparel development studio. An OEM factory makes our design to our spec. An ODM factory also brings its own development and pattern resources. A quote tells us unit cost at different quantities, fabric and trim minimums, sampling costs and lead times. Those numbers decide whether the provisional prices hold.
A funding goal, then preorders.
The production quote sets the funding goal. It covers manufacturing, freight, packaging, payment costs and contingency. Preorders open only after that goal exists, along with an estimated ship date and final terms.
The model is all-or-nothing. If preorders reach the goal by the deadline, we place the purchase order with the factory. If they don't, every preorder is fully refunded.
We chose this over guessing. The usual alternative is to pick quantities for every size and colorway, pay for all of it up front and hope. Small brands that guess wrong end up with extra mediums in a warehouse and no larges. Preorders let the order follow real demand, size by size. They also mean the people who want a product decide whether it gets made.
Samples, production and delivery.
After funding, fit samples come before bulk production. That usually takes more than one round: sew a sample, try it on people who sit, ride and move the way we designed for, adjust the pattern and sew again. Pre-production samples then confirm fabric and color. After that comes bulk production, quality checks, freight and delivery.
Any of these steps can slip. A fit problem might take an extra round. Fabric can arrive late. We'll post updates when they happen, including delays. What happens if the goal is met but a product can't be produced will be spelled out in the terms before payments go live.
What list members get.
Joining the Drop 001 preorder list is free and takes no payment. List members hear first when the quote comes in, when the funding goal and ship estimate are set and when preorders open. We also plan to share development notes like this one with the list.
If Drop 001 ships, the next drop comes from the concepts still in development, such as the FIELD Shell, the Command Pack and Field Essentials. Notify me requests on those pages help us decide which one to build next.