WHY

The buying cycle

The length of the buying cycle varies between

companies.
Usually takes a year between reviewing the current

seasons sales and delivering into stores.

The buying cycle

For e.g.

In August a buyer from NEXT will review the current

years SPRING/SUMMER sales .

And begin directional shopping to inspire concepts

for the AUTUMN/WINTER range for the following

year .

TASK
Review of current seasons
sales

APPROXIMATE DATE
Early August

Budget planning
Comparative shopping
Directional shopping
Fabric sourcing

Mid August
August September
August - October
October December

Range Planning

October November

Garment sourcing
( Pre- Selection)

November
Early December

Price negotiation with

suppliers

November- December

Final range selection

mid December

Placing orders for ranges

December- January

Product Development
sample fitting , fabric testing

January April

Bulk Garment Manufacture

April July

Delivery of products to
retailer

August

PURCHASE BY CUSTOMER

August - October

The buying cycle

Although the buying cycle for a whole seasons

range can take up to a year .

It is possible to develop smaller ranges and individual

garments more quickly.

Most buyers keep between 10 % - 25% of the

seasons budget available to respond to the trends

by purchasing hot items.

Who is a Buyer ?
Party which acquires,

or agrees to acquire.
A professional
purchaser specializing
in a specific group of
materials , goods of
materials , goods, or
services.

Types of Buyers
Consumer Buyer
Business Buyers

Consumer Buyer

These are buyers who buy goods for consumption.

They are the ultimate consumer of the product.
They are the ultimate target market.

Business Buyers
The act or process of buying and selling in a market.
The commercial functions involved in transferring

goods from producer to consumer.

Types of Business Buyers

Direct Buyers
Buying Agent
Liaison Office
Mail Catalogue Buyer

Direct Buyers
These buyers work directly from their head office i.e.

the country that the brand belongs.

With the suppliers / manufacturer's / exporters.
Can be contacted through websites / tradeshows /
exhibitions / word of mouth / ministry of textiles.

Buying Agents
The buying agents are located in the sourcing market

and they work for the buyer at a percentage /

commission basis.
The buying agent can be an exclusive agent for a
brand .
Or can be an agent for many brands.

They are the service providers for the buyers

providing :
Sourcing Suppliers / Products
Timely Delivery
Quality Standard
Train their personnel for the specific requirements of

the brand/buyer

Liaison Office
A representative office of the buyer in the sourcing

market.
Extended organization of the brand/buyer financed

by the brand.
Office is established for a focused control over the

product & sourcing market.

THE ROLE OF THE

FASHION BUYER

 The buying role differs

From company to company

All fashion buyers are responsible for overseeing the

development of a range of products.

Aimed at a specific type of customer and price

bracket

Various levels of seniority

Within a buying team-

A small independent stores-May have one buyer who

also participates in sales and promotion, to a major

fashion multiple.
A large store will have
Trainee buyers.
Assistant buyers
Buyers
Buying managers,
Headed by a buying director

 The larger the company the narrower the buyers

product area is.

However
A buyer for a very narrow product range in a large

company will be responsible for a higher amount of

financial turnover.

 If the range of product categories is large most

retailers,
e.g Marks and Spencer and British Home Stores, have
separate buying departments or
Divisions for
Menswear
Women wear
Children wear.

The responsibility for buying merchandise

The buying role for small independent retailers and

some department stores is quite different from

working for a high street fashion chain store.
The independents mostly buy ranges of branded

merchandise
without
The opportunity to become involved in the design or
development of the product

Qualities of a successful buyer

A fashion buyer needs to be versatile and flexible
As the buying schedule may include sitting behind a

desk one day writing reports

Communicating by phone or email, traveling to Paris
to identify forthcoming trends
Flying to the Far East the following month to meet and
negotiate with suppliers.

Liaising with suppliers

Buyers liaise with garment suppliers on a regular,

often daily, basis.

A buyer may spend more time speaking to a
representative from one of the companys
manufacturers.
Probably from the design or sales department, than to
another buyer from the same office
It is important therefore to establish strong working
relationship

Buying office / Liaison office/Export

garment manufacturing house

Mas ter Garment Manufacturing Ltd Eng Ver..flv

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C.I. MIS BORDADOS LTDA - CLOTHING MANUFACTURER - COLOMBIA[2].flv

Nike s weatshops - Try not to cry.flv

Garment Sourcing Agent-1.mp4

Bangalore Garment Factories [ Labor Rights Abus es ].flv

The Complete Apparel Sourcing Solutions .mp4

Garments Buying Hous e.flv

Difference between
buying office / liaison
office
Buying office agent run
She/he will be an exclusive

agent for this particular brand

Or the agent will be one of
the few agents
The agency will have many
more brands to service .
The liaison office is extension
of the head office of the
brand in the sourcing country

Export garment
manufacturing house

A unit that is set up to

manufacture garments
for mass production .
This is mostly a private
owned company.
Run by
professional/owners .
For exports as well as
domestic brands .

Buying office / liaison

office- Areas Of work

Export garment
manufacturing house
Areas Of work

Marketing /
Marketing /

Merchandising
Sourcing / Sampling
Quality Control /
Product Safety
Documentation /
Logistics/Finance

Merchandising
Sourcing / Sampling
Production
Quality Control /
Industrial
Safety/Product Safety
Documentation /
Logistics/Finance

Departments-GEH

Departments-BO/LO
Show room
Design cell
Sampling Department(opt)
In house lab

Merchandising floor
Technical/ Quality floor
Shipping and
Documentation
Finance &Human
Resource

Show room
Design cell
Sampling Department
In house lab
Merchandising floor
Production Floor
Technical/ Quality floor

Shipping and
Documentation
Finance &Human
Resource

Departments-GEH

Fabric store /

Department
Trims and
Accessories store
In house lab
Cutting room

Sewing area
Washing area
Dry cleaning area
Embroidery unit
Printing area
Finishing area
Packing area
Administrative Block

Show room & meeting room

Collection of new range

Collection of past production samples

Best sellers
Collection of fabric swatches on hanger
Collection of various swatches with value addition.
Collection of various washes on fabrics

A Large table for buyers to work with.

There should be all required stationary on the table companys swatch cards
Blank paper sheets A4 size

Scissors

Measuring tapes

Markers

Staplers

Erasers

Pens and Pencils

1ST meeting &Who all are involved in the

meetings
The Buyer /s
The merchants responsible all levels
The technical team
The designer/s , if on board.
The merchandisers of the supplier( factory )
OR
Buyers representative, Liaison ofc ,Direct Buyers

Design cell- for both

Number of designers.
Their assistants
They are the ones who develop the new collection for

the buyers .
They travel in country /outside to collect the
information regarding new developments
All info required for the lines made for the
presentation to the buyers

Sampling

This is a restricted area

used for making samples

For collections / offer
samples
The operators ..sewing
/embr/ finishing etc
Facility for bucket dyeing
.
Addas for embr, embr.
Machines .

This is a restricted area

used for making samples

For collections / offer
samples/FIT SAMPLES
The operators ..sewing
/embr/ finishing etc
Facility for bucket dyeing
.
Addas for embr, embr.
Machines

In house lab- in all the offices

Physical and Chemical testing is done using crock

meter.
Loundarometer / Wash meter "M" with change in
Color grey scale,
PH-meter, Hot air Oven,
Light box for color assessment cabinet for textiles
and clothing
Used for assessing color changes and matching of
swatches under different light sources such as
sunlight, daylight ,fluorescent etc
An instrument to measure the weight of a
fabric in GSM: Weight expressed in grams per square
meter. ...

Merchandising floor in all the offices

The merchandising structure is as follows
Group head brand/ country/product
Divisional merchandise manager .
Merchandise manager
Senior merchandiser
Merchandiser
Junior merchandiser
Associate merchandiser
Assistant merchandiser
Trainee Merchandiser

Technical/ Quality floor

Technical head /Quality assurance head.

Team Leaders
Senior Q/A. Junior Q/A
Product safety officers
The team members
All equipments for testing
Tables

Shipping and Documentation

Head
Team
No.s depend on the size of the business

Human Resource
Human resource- Head
Team

Finance

Helps in ensuring L/C or all the other payments are

correct and on time for all the suppliers .
Payments for sampling /sale sampling.
They work in close co-ordination with documentation to
ensure all docs are correct.
Keep the govt policies notification up to date .
They maintain the salary records with close coordination with HR.

Moreaboutthe: Export house

Cafeteria Accommodates 600

Employees

Inspection Department

Fabric
Storage

Production
Line

Electronic multi head automatic embroidery

machine

Production team
Production manager

Production planner coordinator

Line supervisor
Line q/a.

Fabric store

Logistics of fabrics is maintained and stored.

The fabric store has fabric for sampling and the bulk production

.
The structure and size is as per the size of the export of house .
There are various racks to stack fabric
Fabric used is procured from noted Textile mills in the Country

& Overseas.
Every inch of the fabric is checked for uniformity in Color,

Printing & Finishing.

Fabric inspection, 100% checking of fabric is done.

Trims and Accessories store

This is an area where the logistics for the trims and

accessories is maintained.
For the sampling as well as the bulk.
All trims are checked and tested before issuing

Cutting room
Cutting tables .. Length and width as per need .
Spreaders to lay apparel fabrics by machine ...
Maximum depth is consistent with type of cutting

equipment to be used. ..
Cutting master jee/s
Helpers .For attaching lot stickers ,bundling
,stacking correctly

 Markers determine the best arrangement of pattern

pieces to minimize wasted fabric.

Traditionally, markers judged the best arrangement of

pieces by eye;
Today computers quickly help determine the best

layout.

Sewing area

Sewing area
The apparel industry traditionally has consisted of

production workers who perform a specific function in

an assembly line.

In which garments are made by a group of sewing

machine operators organized into production

"modules.

Each operator in a module is trained to perform nearly

all of the functions required to assemble a garment.

 Modern machinery from Juki is used

A mix of Simple lock stitches, Multi needle over locks, Flat

locks,
Band Knife cutting Machines, Fusing Machines.
Special machines for operations like Piping and Shearing,
Lock stitch,
Button stitch and Cuff and Collar finishing machines,

Embroidery units
Computerized embroidery machines
nos. of heads
Chain stitch, chicken stitch, ari, running stitch and

more emb techniques possible on machines.

These are always air conditioned

Embroidery units

Printing

Printing unit installed with , printing machines and

printing tables having a capacity to print garments.

Washing of apparels
You have either front loading or top loadings washing

machines.
Washing machine with operation panel including display

device and operation switches.

Top loading machines though less expensive than front

loading machines, consume more water and energy

Washing Plant- Washes possible , enzyme, softener,
silicon, garment wash, etc.

DRY CLEANING
Perchloroethylene machines.

Designed with a high-efficiency solvent recovery and

fast drying configuration

Provides optimum perc recovery and minimum dry
and cool down times.

Finishing unit
Emphasis should be on correct Finishing.
Finishing units are equipped with the latest

Finishing equipments like Steam iron vacuum

tables, Vacuum thread suckers, & Cold spot stain
removing machines.
The shipment has to be checked prior to
Finishing.
Every care is taken to ensure the perfection

Packing

Packing unit
Cartons
Strapping
Address details
Packing list

Documentation / Logistics
Shipping Department
Shipping Manager .
With his team .

Administration HR & FINANCE

HR function is a large degree administrative and common

to all organizations.
Have formalized selection, evaluation, and payroll
processes.
The function consists of tracking innumerable data points
on each employee, from personal histories, data, skills,
capabilities, experiences to payroll records.

 Helps in ensuring L/C or all the other payments are

correct and on time for all the suppliers .

Payments for sampling /sale sampling.
They work in close co-ordination with documentation to
ensure all docs are correct.
Keep the Govt. policies notification up to date.

THE MAIN LINK !!!!

Merchandiser

Merchandiser
A merchandiser is a multi faceted individual
Who is involved in all company functions that

result in the creation, development, execution

And delivery of a product line W/ PROFITS.

Market
knowledge
Planning and
control

Material
management

Product
Development

merchandiser

Interface
With
Manufacturing

Product
Authorization

Interface
with sales

Sourcing

A Merchandiser
Verbal
Logical
Analytical
Creative
Intuitive

Types of merchandisers
Buyer merchandiser
Retail merchandiser
Visual merchandiser
Fashion merchandiser
Product and sourcing merchandiser

Buyer merchandiser:
Decide with the buyer during line selection, how

much money should be spent?

How many lines should be bought, and in what

quantities color wise and size wise.

Set the prices in order to maximize profits and also

manage the performance of the ranges,

Promotions &planning
Markdowns planning as necessary.

Retail Merchandiser
The finer details of the work will vary from company

to company & the particular retail sector.

Planning the product range with the buying team
Liaising with buyers, analysts, stores, suppliers
and distributors;
Forecasting profits and sales using computer
programs, in particular Excel;
Planning budgets and presenting sales forecasts

and figures for new ranges to senior managers;

Visual Merchandiser

Visual merchandising is creating visual

displays and arranging merchandise

assortments within a store.
To improve the layout and presentation
and to increase traffic and sales.
Educating the customers about the
product/service in an effective and
creative way.

Fashion Merchandiser

Fashion merchandisers is combination of

retail, Buyer & visual merchandiser

And retail know-how of the marketer with the

creativity of the designer.

Anticipating consumer preferences and

ensuring that goods are in stock when they

are needed
Require resourcefulness, good judgment, and
self-confidence.

Product & Sourcing Merchandiser

Merchandisers handle the foreign buyers. The teams

are made according to the buyers being handled.

Plans the which products are planned, developed,
executed and presented to the buyer.
It includes directing and overseeing the development
of product line from start to finish.
Marketing and merchandising department: A team of
merchandisers and marketers work together under a
profit controls head.

Two type of merchandising done in

garment exports
1/Marketing merchandising
Main function of marketing merchandising is
Product Development
Costing
To bring orders & has direct contact with the buyer.
Product merchandising
This includes all the responsibilities from sourcing to

finishing
i.e. first sample onwards, the products merchandising
work start and ends till shipment.

A Product & Sourcing Merchandisers key

responsibility is as follows
Product Development
Market and product

Analysis
Selling the concept
Booking orders
Confirming Deliveries
Designing and Sampling
Costing
Raw Material
Flow Monitoring

 Production Follow Ups Advising

quality
department about quality
Payments Follows
level
Internal & external
Mediating production and
communication,
quality departments
Sampling
Giving shipping
Lab dips
instructions and following
Accessories & trims
shipping,
Preparing internal
Helping documentation
order sheets
department
Preparing purchase
Taking responsibility for
orders
Advising and assisting inspections and
Following up the
production,
shipment.

ESSENTIAL TRAITS
FOR A MERCHANDISER

BASIC QUALIFICATION
Good command in English
Good knowledge about the fabrics (technical& garment

production)
Habit of looking for detail.
Good knowledge about international market.
Able to think independently.
Organized, flexible, dedicated. personality with leadership
skills.
A team player with good and close follows up skills.

SOME OTHER TRAITS

Education

Managerial skills
Co-ordination skills
Level of co-ordination
Follow up skills
Planning & decision skills
Communication skills internal

-external

MANGERIAL SKILLS
The Merchandiser should have the managerial skills to

motivate the work force to get the assigned tasks completed

successfully.
She/he should be able to get the work done from the

participating members in the supply chain.

 He/She should have the Analytical skills, Decision making

skills.
As both these skills are essential for the merchandisers at
every stage of their operation.
He/She can be a good effective manager with the close
follow up and also Planning skills
He should be highly motivated to lead the people by keeping
abreast of happenings in the field.
He should show the proactive thinking to predict the
problems going to happen in the later stage

Co-ordination Skills:
Coordinating different activities with various departments is

one of the major managerial skills required for the

merchandisers.
It includes the collection of various information and
disseminating the information to the appropriate people at
the right time.
It is observed as a parallel activity which has been observed
along with the other activities.
Merchandising Department is coordinating with all
concerned departments and entities inside and outside
organization.

Co-ordination
Need to coordinate with the buyers/Buying house

to understand the needs

To get the clear documents required for the
preparation and target date.
Will coordinate with the mills for the fabric
sourcing.
Will identify the trims supplier for the samples.
Will coordinate with the stores on parallel to
check the status on the samples .

 Will coordinate with the sampling room with all

the necessary details for sample preparation

Will coordinate with the quality department for
checking the samples
Will coordinate with the external logistics guys for
dispatching to the buyers sitting abroad

Follow up skills:
Follow up is basically an activity to get some task to

be completed as per agreed schedule/time.

Time lines are made to make the follow ups easier.
Merchandisers follow up both at customer as well as
inside the organization.

Customer follow ups are happening on

following points;
Approval follow ups in the samples submitted to

the buyers
For capacity booking
Getting the forecast for the next season
Any Change in the bulk production and quality
norms
Follow up on the costing quoted to the buyers
Customer feedback both buyer and the end
consumers.
Follow up on the commercial matters including
the payments.

Inside the organization, follow up activities are

for the:
Getting the production done on time
Getting the production updates
Clarification of the work and also production

bottlenecks
Merchandisers need to pay the visits to the various
facilities that involve their fashion supply chain to
check the exact status.

Planning & Decision Skills:

The major skill requirement for the merchandiser is

Planning skill.
He should be well versed with the all the processes.
He should be good at analytical thinking and plan the
execution efficiently considering all the factors of
advantages and disadvantages.
A good successful merchandiser is always with the
character of Pro-activeness in predicting the problems and
good decision making skills at any given point of time.

Situation study:

Ram, the merchandiser of the company is supposed

to dispatch the samples to the buyer that particular

night
But he was informed that there was some problem in
the garment due to washing. This could not be
corrected on any urgency basis.

 Ram used his decision making skill and prepared the

sampling package to be sent to the buyer.

He has taken the responsibility of explaining to the

buyer why the particular style is bad in quality.

If he would have hesitated to make a strong decision

at that time, he would have got a bad name with the

buyer.

Communication skills
Characters in communication
Clarity
Courtesy
Concreteness
Completeness
Conciseness
Correctness
Consideration

Verbal skills
Speak correctly
Speak in required language
Negotiation skills
Convince others logically
Speak extempore
Speak slowly
Speak with correct accent and right

pronunciation
Present themselves with the subject

Writing skills
Draft message with right vocabulary
Draft with simple words with more

effectiveness
Write fast
No mistakes
Write legibly

Listening skills
Listen calmly
Understand correctly
Understand the characters and mood of the

people at any point of time

Communication skills
Bridging the communication gap is the heart of the

Merchandisers responsibility.
He/She is involved with the external communication with
the buyers and internal communication with the other
departments in the firm.
A Merchandiser is supposed to be very good in both
written and oral Communication as well as in listening and
reading in entire organization.
It is always perceived as the parallel activity which goes
along with the other activities.

 As English is the universal language,

merchandisers perform the communication exercise

through English.
In addition to that, it is advantage for the merchants
to have proficiency in other languages such as
French, German, Italian and Spanish in addition to
the local language.
Two major divisions of communication are:
Internal communication
External communication

Internal communication:
This communication includes all kind of

information flow within the organization.

The communication involves all the departments
which are under coordination of the merchandiser.
Information pertaining to all the orders will go into
the internal communication process
And it helps in achieving the better efficiency in an
individual department.

 The communication takes place by the means of telephone,

face to face interactions, memos, email, video conference

& Faxes.
This process of communication is mandatory to get the
updates about the orders getting processed at the
respective levels.
The Merchandisers are the central point for this exercise.
This responsibility is for the merchandiser who in turn is
always contact with the buyer.
Successful completion of a project depends upon the
correct and timely flow of information within the
organization.
In case, any complex and important information needs to
be passed, it is better to arrange for the meeting instead of
the email and fax mode.

Points to be considered for the internal

communication:
Essential information should be passed on to the

various relevant departments without any delay.

Merchandisers are responsible for the error free
communication.
They should pass the most recent, updated
information to all the departments

Situation study:
An order of Ladies tops is under production in a

manufacturing house.
Suddenly the buyer has advised for major correction in the
measurements in the style of the garment,
The merchandiser has passed on to the production hoping

that Production department would understand the views of

the buyer efficiently.

 But they have understood wrongly and all the processes

after that went with the old measurements.

Which resulted in garments with incorrect measurements.

This is the error of the merchandising side, where they

could have called for a meeting to explain the complete

changes & give them the complete tutorials about the
changes required by the buyers.

This step has been missed by the merchandiser, which hit

the order performance badly in-terms of sending the

garments with wrong specifications.

External Communication:

The communication established by the merchants

with the buyers and the outside world is known as the

External communication.

Which involve parties other than their own company.

The mode of communication has evolved to great

heights.

 Thanks to the revolution of internet, the

communication has become more fast and accurate.

This increases the efficiency of the organization.
It is through Fax,
Email
& Video Conferences
The merchandiser keeps in contact with the outside

world.

 Do convert the telephonic conversation message with the

buyers and all other external parties into email

For the record purpose and for their reference also.
Always, it is best to make sure the message has been well
received by the addressee and also they have understood
the context.
Dont beat around the bush and mostly all the buyers dont
like the stories in the mail.
The information can be passed onto them with the simple
language, point by point.

Example 1: Be specific and clear in your

communication
Dear Alex,
Shipments are ready. They will be handed over to

shipping line
Regards/Mano
The above example is not a clear message to the buyer.

As it does not say any quantity and also exactly when it

will be handed over.
The same communication can be revised as :

 Dear Alex
Style # 1234 (Ladies Pants)
PO # 234567
Qty 60,000 pcs
The shipment for the above PO is ready AND it will be

handed over to Maersk Logistics by Wednesday 9th

June, 2008.
Kindly confirm your understanding
Rgds/Mano

Business knowledge

Merchant should know the customer profile

A complete understanding of his company and his

buyers.

Knowledge about the international market

Tariff and non tariff conditions
Export and import rules
Government trade policies
International logistics regulations
Trade exhibitions/fairs
Market dynamics
Foreign currency fluctuations
Political situation in region/country

Knowledge about the competitors

Total number of competitors
Their capacities & sales
Product mix
Strength & weaknesses
Organization structure
Strategy and vision
Future growth and new projects
Price range at which they are working with the

customer

Product changes and seasons

Merchandiser should be familiar with fashion

principles and cycle concepts

Should know the terminology of fashion

Some common terminologies :

Classic is a style that continues to be accepted in a

major way over an extended period of time .

E.g. Blazers jackets

Crewneck T-shirts

Mens oxford cloth button down

long sleeves shirts

Basics

Products that experience a long period of fashion

acceptance .
Can we call basics as classics ??
Basic style has less frequent demand for style change
than fashion
They have selling period of 52weeks, a whole year.

Fad
A short lived fashion product which gets the maximum

popularity and it quickly disappears.

E.g. Nehru collar which has sudden appearance and died
quickly
High Fashion-is the term used to describe a new style,
whose acceptance is limited to those who want to be the first
to adopt the very latest fashion and often very high price

Fashion trends

Fashion is not static and always changing

The direction in which fashion moves is called as fashion

trend .
E.g. jackets, shirts, skinny ,jeans

Staple goods
Products in continuous demand through out

the merchandising cycle .

The demand does not get affected by
the time of the year .
Seasonal goods
Products that experience changes in demand
during the merchandising cycle related
primarily to the time of the year

INDUSTRY TERMS FOR

APPAREL

 Allen Solley Placket- A one piece placket that is hidden after

sewing. The process utilizes the existing fabric for the outside
placket face.
Anti-Pill- A treatment applied to garments primarily to resist the

formation of little balls on the fabrics surface due to abrasion

during wear.
Argyle- Typically a diamond pattern woven into a garment

 Baby Pique- Very small pique knit. (See Pique Knit).

Back Pleats- Tiny folds in the material on the back of a garment

that allow for more room and comfort.

Back Yoke- A piece of fabric that connects the back of a
garment to the shoulders. This allows the garment to lay flat and
drape nicely.
Backing Yarn- The yarn which is napped on the inside of a

fleece garment, that creates the soft lining of fleece.

 Banded Cuffs- A piece of single-ply material, usually ribbed,

which is added to the sleeve ends to form a cuff.

Bar tacked- Reinforced stitching, i.e. rivets used in reinforcing
pockets on jeans.
Basket Weave Knit- process of weaving yarns back and forth
resulting in a two-tone appearance.
Binding- A sewing method that encases an edge or seam with
fabric.

 Birdseye Jacquard- A small geometric pattern with a center dot

knit into the fabric.

Blanket Stitch- A decorative stitch used to finish an un hemmed
blanket. The stitch can be seen on both sides of the blanket.
Bonded Fleece- Fleece produced with multiple layers that are
bonded together creating a thicker and heavier weight garment.
Box Pleat- A single, uniform fold in the center back of a garment
to allow for more room and comfort.

 Brushed Cotton- Cotton fabric that is brushed to remove all

the excess lint and fibers from the fabric, leaving an ultra soft,
smooth finish.

Button-Through Sleeve Placket- A small placket located on

the sleeve, by the cuff, which contains a single button closure

 Cami-Strap- Very narrow shoulder straps.

Carding- A fiber cleaning process in yarn spinning.
Casual Microfiber- 100% Polyester Microfiber fabric that is

water repellent and wind resistant.

Cavalry Twill- A type of Twill Weave (Pattern of the Twill).
Chambray- A dressier fabric woven with white threads across
colored threads.

 Collarette- The trim around the neck of a t-shirt or sweatshirt.

Combed Cotton- Cotton yarn that has been combed to remove

short fibers and straighten or arrange longer fibers in parallel

order resulting in a smooth yarn used in finer garments. A
secondary cleansing process performed to remove additional
impurities from the staple fiber after carding.
Compaction- A shrinkage control technique used in fabric
manufacturing.
Cool Mesh- Similar to a pique knit but with a more open texture
for increased breathability. Features a soft hand for better
comfort.

 Cool Weave- Similar to a pique knit, but with a more open

texture for increased breath ability. Slightly larger knit than

Cool Mesh, it has a denser feel.
Cord Locks- A stopper or toggle on a draw cord that keeps
the cord from retracting into the garment.
Course- Loops of horizontal knit fabric.
Cover seamed- A finish in which two needles are used to
create parallel rows of visible stitching. It is used around the
neck, armholes, waistband, and wrists of garments to create
a cleaner, more durable finish.

 Dobby- A decorative weave, usually geometric, that is woven

into the fabric.

Double-Needle Stitched- A finish used on a sleeve and/or
bottom hem that uses two needles to create parallel rows of
visible stitching. It gives the garment a cleaner, more finished
look and adds durability.
Dry-Fiber- A high activity sportswear fabric that absorbs, wicks
and dries faster than average golf wear.
Drop Needle- A knit fabric characterized by vertical lines within
the cloth. Manufactured by dropping a needle from the knitting
cylinder.

 Drop Tail- A design feature where the back of the garment is

longer then the front.

Duck Cloth- Tightly woven fabric that provides wind and snag
resistance.
Dyed-To-Match- Buttons or trims that are the same color as the
garment onto which they are sewn.

 Eco Spun- A fleece outerwear fabric made from at least 50%

materials reclaimed from recycled plastic soda pop bottles.

End-on-End- A 2-ply weave of different color yarns that run
parallel against each other so that both colors are visible.
Enzyme Washed- A laundering process in which a catalytic
substance is added to create a chemical change in the fabric
resulting in a very soft finish, smoother appearing surface and
reduced shrinkage.
Etched Tone Buttons- A more upscale horn tone button with an
etched pattern.

 Extended Tail- When the back portion of the garment is longer

than the front. Assists in keeping the garment tucked in during

normal activity.

Eyelets- Small holes or perforations made in a series to allow for

breath ability. Finished with either stitching or brass grommets

 Face Yarn- The exterior yarn of a fleece garment.

Flash- A flashing process is necessary when screen printing a

light ink color over a dark fabric. A layer of White must be layed
down first and "flashed" or dried before laying down additional
coats of ink.
Fleece- A multi-yarn fabric identified by a soft napped interior
and a smooth exterior.
Full Cut- Refers to a garment's fit as being generous and roomy.

 Garment Washed- A wash process where softeners are added

to finished garments to help the cotton fibers relax or bloom. The

result is a fabric with a thicker appearance, reduced shrinkage
and a softer hand.

Garment Dyed- A dyeing process that occurs after the garment

is assembled.

 Hand- Quality or characteristic of fabrics that are perceived by

the sense of touch; e.g. firmness, softness, fineness, drape.

Henley- A knit shirt with a button placket at the neckline, no
collar. Copied from a shirt originally worn by rowers at Henley,
England.
Herringbone- A chevron or zig-zag pattern, knit into fabric
alternating direction row by row.
High Profile- A cap style with a high slope structured with
buckrama stiff fabric lining. Less fitted to the head.

 Inset/Set-In Placket- A placket that is constructed from a

separate piece of fabric and sewn in separately. This placket is

visible after it is sewn into the garment.
Interlock Knit- A fabric that has two plys knit simultaneously to
form one thicker and heavier ply. It has more natural stretch than
a jersey knit, a soft hand, and the same appearance and feel on
both sides.
Iridescent Buttons- Buttons with a lustrous, rainbow-like hue.

 Jacquard Knit- A pattern knit directly into the fabric during the

manufacturing process. Typically, 2 or more colors are used.

Woven jacquard fabrics include brocade, damask and tapestry.
In knits, jacquard is typically a jersey fabric with a different and
more complex needle selection.
Jersey Knit- This fabric has a definite smooth side, the outside,

and a textured side, the inside - commonly found in t-shirts.

 Locker Loop- A looped piece of fabric in the neck of a garment

for the convenience of hanging the garment on a hook. Can also

be located at the center of the back yoke on the inside or outside
of a garment.
Locker Patch- A semi-oval panel sewn into the inside back
portion of a garment, just under the collar seam, to reinforce the
garment and minimize stretching when hung on a hook.
The patch also allows for the garment tag or label to be sewn
below the neckline to help prevent irritation.

 Melange- A mix of different colors of yarns knit together to create

a heather effect.
Mercerized- A product that has gone through a process to
produce a smooth, lustrous hand and lustrous appearance.
Mesh- Similar to a pique knit, but with a more open texture for
increased breath ability. Larger knit than Cool Weave.
Micro Fleece- A high density, anti-pilling fleece made of knit
micro-fibers that are brushed less than a regular fleece garment.
It has a high capacity for warmth without the weight.

 Microfiber- This fabric is tightly woven from a very fine poly

thread and has a sueded finish for a luxurious, soft feel.

Microfiber fabric is naturally water repellent due to its
construction process and when specially treated, can also
be waterproof.
Micro Cord- A very fine wale cord.
Micro-Stripe- An ultra-fine stripe that is knit into the fabric.
Mother of Pearl Logo Buttons- Buttons made from Mother of
Pearl, with a logo inscribed on them.

 Nap- The soft or fuzzy surface of fleece achieved by shredding

the backing yarn.

Nail Head Design- A jacquard knitting pattern in which the
jacquard forms a design similar to small nail heads.
Nublend- The combination of a knitting and spinning process

developed by JERZEES for their blended fleece that helps

prevent pilling.

 Open-End Spinning- A technique to create yarn using a

combing roll and rotor.

Optical Brightener- A fabric brightening additive.
Ottoman Knit- Also known as "cool knit" or "cool weave". This
fabric has a small box-like pattern and certain wicking properties
to keep moisture away from the skin.
Ounces Per Sq. Yd.- A measurement of fabric weight.

 Over dyed- A process in which yarn dyed fabrics or piece dyed

garments are put through an additional dye color to create

unique colors.

Oxford- A type of fabric where the fibers are either cotton or

blended man-made fibers.

 Patch Pocket- A pocket attached to the outside of a garment.

Pearlized Buttons- Buttons that have a pearl-colored hue.
Pewter Buttons- Buttons that have a dull, metallic hue.
Pewter and Horn Tone Buttons- Buttons that incorporate

pewter and horn tone, usually one encompasses the other.

Pigment Dyed- A type of dye used to create a distressed or
washed look.

 Pill Free - A process developed by Lee to help prevent pilling

on fleece garments.
Pique Knit- A knitting method that creates a fine textured
surface that appears similar to a birds nest, waffle weave or
honeycomb. It offers an open knit surface with a coarser hand
than jersey or interlock and used primarily in short-sleeve knit
polo shirts. (b.) A tightly knit fabric with a rough or raised surface
- typically found in higher quality sport or golf shirts.
Placket- The part of a shirt or jacket where the garment fastens
or buttons together.

 Polyester- A wrinkle resistant fabric of man-made filament

fibers.
Poly-filled- A warm polyester lining found in the body or sleeves
of outerwear garments. It has more loft than a regular nylon
lining.
Polynosic- Features similar characteristics to cotton and silk,
has excellent luster and very little shrinkage.
Popcorn Pique- Alternating rows of 2 different pique knits; one
knit is a baby pique, while the other is a larger pique that
resembles small circles knit closely together.

 Poplin- A tightly woven, durable, medium weight cotton or cotton

blend fabric made using a rib variation of the plain weave which
creates a slight ridge effect.
Pre-Shrunk- This term refers to a manufacturing process
whereby the fabric is compressed before a garment is sewn from
it. The fabric decompresses during washing, compensating for
any natural shrinkage. "Pre-shrunk" does NOT mean "Prewashed".
PVC- A polyurethane coating that is added to make garments
water resistant.

 Raglan Sleeves- Sleeves set with a diagonal seam from the

neck to the armpit.

Rapid Dry- A fabric designed with a unique weave to wick away
moisture from the body.
Reactive Dyes- Dyestuffs that form chemical bonds with cotton
fibers.
Reinforced Placket- Stitching in the shape of a rectangle at the
bottom of a placket, for reinforcement.

 Resort Cuff- Also known in the industry as a "logo cuff",

describes a cuff that has a small blank space in the pattern to

provide a spot for embroidering.
Reverse Placket- See Placket, but reversed for womens
garments.
Rib Knit- A textured knit that has the appearance of vertical lines.
It is highly elastic and retains "memory".
Ring Spun Yarn- Yarn made by continuously twisting and
thinning a rope of cotton fibers. The twisting makes the short
hairs of cotton stand out, resulting in a stronger yarn with a
significantly softer hand.

 Ringer- A t-shirt with collar and sleeve cuffs of a different color

than the body of the shirt.

R-Tek Fleece- 100% polyester fleece with an anti-pill finish

which prevents the formation of little balls on the surface of the

fabric.
Running Stitch- A stitch that is spaced equally, with the

underside stitching being half the length of the external side.

 Sand washed- A washing process in which the

fabric is washed with very fine lava rocks or

rubber/silicon balls resulting in a softer fabric with
a relaxed look and reduced shrinkage.
Sculpted Hem- A hem that is softly rounded for
fashion detail.
Seamless Collar- A collar that is knit in a circle and
set circular. There are no "joining" seams on the
collar.
Self-Fabric Collar- A collar that is constructed from
the same material as the body of the garment.
Self-Fabric Sweatband- Refers to headwear where
the sweatband is constructed with the same fabric
as the crown.

 Serge Stitch- An over casting technique done on the cut edge of

the fabric to prevent unraveling.

Side Vents- Slits found at the bottom of side seams. They are
fashion details that allow for comfort and ease of movement.
Singles- A term used to indicate the diameter of a yarn; the
smaller the number, the thicker the yarn. Usually expressed as
"16/1" or "18/1".
Single Needle- Single row of stitching at seam, see "Top
Stitching". Provides a more comfortable seam for the wearer.

 Slash Pockets- A pocket that has to be entered through a slash

on the outside of the garment. The pocket pouch is suspended

from and attached to the slash.
Stonewashed- A washing process in which the fabric or garment
is heavily washed with lava rocks or rubber/silicon balls. The
result is a softer fabric with a distressed or weathered look and
reduced shrinkage.
Storm Flap- A strip of fabric sewn under or over the front zip or
snap closure of an outerwear garment to protect against wind
and moisture.

 Structured- A cap style with a lined front consisting of buckram,

a stiff fabric, that controls the slope of the cap.

Sueded Cotton- A fabric that goes through a brushing process

to raise the nap and give the garment a soft hand.

Sueded Nylon- (See Sueded Cotton).

 Taped Seams- A strip of fabric sewn to the seam of a garment to

prevent distortion. In outerwear, taped seams aid in

waterproofing. increased comfort and durability for the wearer.
Taslan- Refers to how the fibers are woven and the resulting
texture. Used mainly in outerwear garments, Taslan is a durable
and water repellent nylon fabric with a slightly shiny surface.
Teklon- A rugged, stronger Taslan nylon that is water repellent.

 Tencel- A fabric made from the cellulose found in wood pulp

which is processed into a silk-like, delicate fabric.

Terra-Tek - A durable and water repellent Taslan with a matte
finish.
Terry Velour- A type of material with uncut loops on both sides.
It has a soft, plush feel and is water absorbent - typically found in
better quality towels and robes.
Three-End Fleece- Face, tie-in and backing yarns combined to
form a fleece fabric.

 Tricot Lining- A very lightweight nylon lining most often used in

shorts.
Triple-Needle Stitched- See Double-Needle Stitched but with 3
stitches.
Tone on Tone Jacquard Collar- See Jacquard Knit. The two
colors being used are the same.
Top Stitching- A design feature, both decorative and functional,
that is an additional means of securing fabric plies whereby the
original seam is folded under and sewn down.

 Tubular Collar- Collar which is knit in a tube form so it has no

seams.
Tuck-In Tails- A shirt constructed so the back hem is longer than
the front. This aids in keeping the shirt tucked-in during
strenuous activities.
Tuck Stitch- Refers to the look of the knit where some stitches
are actually under the other stitches. Gives the shirt a waffleweave type texture and look.
Twill- A fabric characterized by micro diagonal ribs producing a
soft, smooth finish.

 Twill Tape Placket Lining- Twill tape is attached to the inside of

the placket for a fashion effect.

Underarm Grommets- Small holes in the armpit area to allow
breath ability and air circulation.
Unstructured- A low profile cap style with a natural low sloping
crown. No buckram has been added to the crown

 V Patch- A section of material in a V shape that is sewn onto a

garment directly under the collarette. Can provide support

against stretching the neck opening and is also a style
component.
Vents, Front & Back- Allow for breath ability and may aid in ease
of decoration, allowing the garment to be hooped and
embroidered with no show-through on the inside of the garment.
Some vents are tacked down and are for fashion purposes only.

 Waffle Weave/Knit- A waffle, or square pattern, knit or

woven into a garment.

Washer Nylon- A nylon garment treated with a special finish
to produce a crinkled effect.
Weathered Twill- A special dye process resulting in a softer
fabric with a weathered appearance that will continue to
enhance with each wash.
Welt Collar and/or Cuffs- A single ply fabric with a finished
edge that is used for 2-ply collars and cuffs on sport shirts
and short sleeve garments.
Wood Tone Buttons- Buttons that simulate a wood
appearance.

 Yarn Dyed- Yarn that has been dyed

prior to the weaving or knitting of the

garment.

Yarn Size- A gauge of yarn weight