List the garment styles
Give each coat or jacket an ID and record season, pattern stage, intended fabric role and estimated quantity. Keep one row per actual material requirement. A total collection quantity hides whether the same cloth can serve all styles or whether each design needs separate sampling and commercial confirmation.
Identify shared-material candidates
Note which styles could share one fabric and which need different structures, weights or appearance. Have design and technical colleagues confirm that a shared candidate addresses both garments. A shared colour does not make different compositions one programme, and a common fabric name does not establish equal finishing or usable width.
Rank the garment priorities
State whether each style depends most on support, drape, surface texture, hand feel or another requirement. Separate mandatory attributes from preferences. When compromises are necessary, record them against the affected style. This prevents a candidate chosen for one garment from becoming the assumed choice for the whole range.
Link pattern and trial cloth
Ask the maker to estimate trial and production consumption using the actual pattern stage and usable width. Keep early estimates labelled as estimates. Plan sample garments where necessary and identify the cloth version used. A changed silhouette or lining can require another trial even if the fabric candidate remains unchanged.
Map the confirmation dependencies
List material, colour, lining, sample-garment and commercial decisions. Identify the owner and the information needed for each. Use real dates and confirmed dependencies rather than a general production duration. Request the supplier's proposed sequence separately from your internal target launch schedule.
Compare options by style
For each alternative, retain its composition, dimensions, quantity basis, colour allocation and quotation scope. Do not use the cheapest offer from one style to budget every style. Confirm style and colour minimums for the actual programme, including any development fees and schedule consequences of a proposed allocation.
Your range handover
Illustrative project: two coats might share a coating, while a textured jacket needs a separate candidate and seam trial. The buyer records three style rows and only combines quantities after programme confirmation. Use the matrix below to retain those identities and show the next actual decision for every garment.
Style ID | Garment/use | Candidate item/version | Trial sample | Colours and quantities | Current status | Decision owner | Next question [one row per material requirement] Shared-fabric groups: [styles and reason] Consumption estimate source: [maker and pattern revision] Programme and minimum confirmation: [supplier reply] Open design dependencies: [list] Current quotation and sample references: [IDs]