Custom Design Service
A development service that turns a sketch, mood board or reference bag into a costed specification and a sealed pre-production sample.
The Custom Design Service is the development stage in which a sketch, mood board, reference bag or written brief is turned into a costed, producible specification and then into a physical prototype. It covers concept development, technical drawings, pattern making, material and hardware specification, and the sample rounds required to seal a pre-production reference. Sampling runs to 6–10 working days for standard constructions and 12–15 for complex ones, after which bulk runs 35–50 days at a minimum order quantity of 500 pieces per style and colourway. Every programme is coordinated by a single team working from Quanzhou, Fujian.
Programme parameters at a glance
| Parameter | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Minimum order quantity | 500 pieces per style / colourway |
| Sampling lead time | 6–10 working days (12–15 days for complex constructions) |
| Bulk production lead time | 35–50 days after sample approval |
| Inspection standard | AQL 2.5 (ISO 2859-1), single sampling, general level II |
| Incoterms | FOB Xiamen — EXW, CIF and DDP available on request |
| Payment terms | T/T 30% deposit / 70% before shipment; L/C at sight for container loads |
| Verified production floor space | 4,950 m² (SGS-verified) |
| Team | 137 staff across 7 production lines |
| Equipment | 149 machines including computerised saddle-stitch and edge-painting units |
| Monthly capacity | 200,000 pieces |
| Entity | Founded 2014; principal has worked in bag development since 2004 |
What the Service Covers
The service is specification work rather than illustration work. The document that governs the programme is the tech pack: dimensions and tolerances, material substance and finish, hardware references, stitch density, edge treatment and construction sequence. Costing, sampling, inspection and later re-orders are all measured against that document, so time spent fixing it early is recovered several times over.
How It Works
Development runs through six stages. The first two are specification and sourcing; the middle three are sample rounds; the last is handover to bulk.
- Brief and feasibility — the programme team reviews the sketch, reference bag or tech pack and returns written comments on proportion, construction and what can be built as drawn.
- Concept and specification — directions are narrowed to one and written up as dimensions, materials, hardware and finish, with an indicative FOB Xiamen price against the target.
- Pattern and proto sample — patterns are cut and a first build produced in 6–10 working days, or 12–15 for complex constructions such as framed or moulded bodies.
- Revision round — pattern corrections and specification changes are applied and re-sampled, typically 4–6 working days per round.
- Pre-production sample — a build made in intended bulk materials and finish, then sealed as the reference for both bulk and inspection.
- Handover — sealed sample, approved lab dips, packing specification and inspection plan pass to the production floor in Quanzhou.
What You Provide / What We Provide
Programmes move fastest when the brief arrives complete. The division of responsibility below is the standard arrangement; where a brand has no in-house design resource, the first two stages can be carried jointly.
| What you provide | What the programme team provides |
|---|---|
| A brief: sketch, mood board, reference bag or full tech pack | Feasibility review with written feedback on proportion, construction and producibility |
| Target FOB price and intended launch date | Costed specification showing which trade-offs reach that price and which do not |
| Brand assets: logo artwork, Pantone references, typography | Technical drawings, logo placement and tooling drawings for custom hardware |
| Material preferences or restrictions, such as vegan, recycled or LWG-sourced | Sourced options with swatches, lab dips and material declarations |
| Sample comments consolidated into one round rather than sent piecemeal | Revised sample, updated tech pack and a written record of every change |
| Sign-off on the sealed pre-production sample | Retained reference sample, graded specs and inspection plan for bulk |
Specification Decisions That Move Cost and Lead Time
Most schedule over-runs trace back to three or four decisions taken early and revisited late. The table below sets out where those decisions bite, so they can be settled at specification stage rather than in sample comments.
| Decision | Effect on unit cost | Effect on lead time |
|---|---|---|
| Stock hardware versus custom tooling | Custom zinc-alloy or brass tooling adds a one-off charge but no recurring unit cost | Tooling and first-article approval typically add two to three weeks |
| Stocked leather versus dyed-to-match | Dyeing to a Pantone reference raises the hide price and carries a material minimum | Lab-dip approval can add three weeks before cutting begins |
| Lining specification | Polyester twill, cotton twill, recycled PET and suede split sit at different price points | Stock colours are immediate; dyed-to-match follows the lab-dip loop |
| Construction complexity | Framed or structured builds need reinforcement, internal skeleton and more labour | Adds pattern rounds and pushes the bulk window toward 50 days |
| Number of colourways | Each colourway carries its own material minimum at 500 pieces per style | Parallel colourways can usually run together without extending bulk |
Timelines and Terms
The figures below are the standard commercial terms for the Custom Design Service. Deviations are agreed in writing before development begins, not after.
| Item | Standard term |
|---|---|
| Sampling | 6–10 working days; 12–15 for complex constructions |
| Sample revision round | 4–6 working days per round |
| Bulk production | 35–50 days after sample approval |
| Minimum order quantity | 500 pieces per style and colourway |
| Incoterm | FOB Xiamen; EXW, CIF and DDP on request |
| Payment | T/T 30% deposit, 70% before shipment |
| Inspection | AQL 2.5 (ISO 2859-1), single sampling, general level II |
| Sample charges | Quoted per style before development begins |
Standards and Compliance
Design decisions are checked against the standards the destination market applies, because a construction that cannot pass inspection is not a design solution. Chemical restrictions, physical test methods and inspection arithmetic are settled at specification stage rather than discovered at final audit.
- Inspection — AQL 2.5 under ISO 2859-1, single sampling, general level II, with defects classified critical, major or minor.
- Management systems — work is run to ISO 9001 discipline on an SGS-verified 4,950 m² production floor in Quanzhou, Fujian, with environmental aspects handled under ISO 14001 practice; 137 staff, 7 lines, 149 machines.
- Chemical compliance — REACH declarations for the European market, CPSIA and lead testing for the United States, California Proposition 65 where applicable, and OEKO-TEX certified linings on request.
- Physical testing — abrasion, seam strength, handle and strap load, and colour fastness to rubbing, light and water, reported against ASTM methods before shipment where requested.
- Material traceability — LWG-sourced hides, recycled PET and plant-based alternatives documented through the supply chain.
- Third-party inspection — SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek or a buyer-nominated inspector are welcome, with full documentation support.
From Sketch to Pattern: Where Proportion Gets Decided
A sketch fixes an idea; a pattern fixes a proportion. Most of what makes a bag look right — where the gusset meets the body, how far the handle stands away, whether a closure falls on a seam or below it — is decided in pattern work rather than in drawing. That is why a first prototype rarely matches the sketch exactly, and why the conversation worth having at that point concerns proportion rather than detail.
| Proportion question | Why it matters | Where it is settled |
|---|---|---|
| Where the gusset meets the body | Determines whether the piece reads structured or soft | First pattern fit |
| Handle stand and drop | Decides how the bag is carried and how it sits on the arm | Prototype review on the bench |
| Closure or flap fall | Whether the closure lands on a seam, above it or below it | First fit, then adjusted in pattern |
| Base footprint against height | Whether the bag stands or slumps when it is set down | Prototype, reviewed with the bag loaded |
| Hardware scale against panel | Whether fittings read as deliberate or as an afterthought | Specification, before any tooling is cut |
The pattern is also where feasibility becomes physical. A radius that looks generous in elevation may be too tight once the leather has substance, and a gusset that reads clean in a side view will not necessarily close without a wrinkle at the corner. These are not failures of the drawing; they are the difference between paper and hide. Corrections at this stage are inexpensive, which is precisely why the first prototype should be judged on proportion alone.
- Judge the first build on proportion — silhouette, gusset and handle before finish or colour.
- Review the bag loaded — an empty prototype hides how the base and handles actually behave.
- Correct in pattern, not in comment — a proportion change is a pattern change, and it is cheaper made early.
- Leave finish to the final round — the pre-production build is the one judged on materials and edge work.
- Compare with the reference side by side — where a reference bag was supplied, both sit on the bench together.
Where a brand works from a reference bag rather than a sketch, the pattern stage changes character and becomes a reverse-specification exercise. The reference is measured, rebuilt, and the two are compared on the bench. That comparison reliably surfaces differences a photograph never shows — a substance that feels thinner than it looks, a base stiffer than the eye suggests — and those are the differences worth resolving before tooling is committed.
Cost Engineering Against a Target Price
Cost engineering is the discipline of reaching a target price without damaging the design. It works best when the target is stated at the beginning, because most of the available levers are specification decisions that become expensive to revisit once tooling and materials are committed. The exercise is not about making a bag cheaper; it is about deciding where the money is allowed to show.
| Lever | What it saves | What it costs the design |
|---|---|---|
| Hide yield and panel layout | Better nesting reduces leather area per unit | Nothing visible, provided the pattern is drawn for it |
| Hardware count | Each fitting is a component and an operation | Fewer details, or details placed where they read more strongly |
| Edge treatment method | Painted, turned and bound edges differ in labour | A change in how the edge reads at arm's length |
| Lining specification | Lining is area-driven and invisible until the bag is opened | Hand feel on opening, which is where it is judged |
| Stock instead of custom fittings | Removes a tooling charge and its amortisation | Some distinctiveness in the hardware |
The levers are not equal, and the order in which they are pulled matters. Yield and panel layout usually save money with no visible consequence at all, which makes them the first place to look. Hardware and edge treatment save more but change what the customer sees. Lining is the interesting case: invisible until the bag is opened, at which point it is the first thing the customer touches, so a saving there shows up exactly where it does the most damage.
The output of cost engineering is a written trade-off list: what reaches the target price, what does not, and what each compromise costs the design. That list is what allows a brand to decide rather than to discover. Where a target genuinely cannot be met without changing the product, the honest course is to say so during specification rather than to hit the number and hope the difference goes unnoticed.
Using Prototype Rounds Efficiently
Sample rounds are the most controllable cost in development and the most commonly wasted. A round spends calendar and money; what it returns depends almost entirely on how the comments arrive. One consolidated list applied in a single round moves the specification forward. The same observations sent over three weeks produce three rounds, consume the same calendar, and leave a specification edited piecemeal rather than thought through.
- Fit the first build on the bench, loaded — proportion, base and handle behaviour before anything else.
- Collect comments from everyone at once — design, merchandising and buying notice different things; gather them into one list.
- Separate must-change from would-like — that distinction decides what enters this round and what waits.
- Record every change in writing — a change not written into the tech pack will not survive into bulk.
- Seal only a build in bulk materials — a pre-production sample in substitute materials is not a reference.
The round that matters most is the last one. A pre-production sample built in intended bulk materials and finish is what gets sealed, and it becomes the standard against which bulk and inspection are judged. Sealing anything else — a prototype in laboratory leather, a sample carrying provisional hardware — creates a reference the run cannot meet, and every disagreement at audit later traces back to that decision.
- Consolidated comments, once — one list per round rather than observations as they occur.
- Bulk materials in the final build — the sealed sample must be what the run will actually be.
- Changes written into the pack — verbal agreements do not survive into production.
- Packing reference sealed as well — one packed unit retained so presentation has a standard.
- Revision time planned in — 4–6 working days per round, counted into the launch date.
Where a launch date is fixed, the reliable way to protect it is to decide in advance how many rounds the programme can afford and then spend them deliberately. Two rounds used well beat three used casually. A programme that reaches its pre-production seal with a round still in reserve has bought the ability to absorb a late change, which is worth considerably more than any amount of schedule optimism.
Handover: What Passes to the Production Floor
Development ends with a handover rather than with a sample. Everything the production floor needs in order to repeat the piece — not merely to recognise it — has to exist as a document or a physical reference by that point. Programmes that hand over well re-order cleanly seasons later. Programmes that hand over a sample and a conversation do not.
Two items are routinely missed, and both cause trouble later. The packing reference — one unit packed exactly as bulk will be packed, retained against the style — is what stops presentation drifting between runs. The inspection plan, with its defect classes and tolerances, is what stops an argument at audit. Neither takes long to produce during development, and neither can be produced afterwards.
| Handover item | Who uses it | What fails without it |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed sample | The line, inline inspectors and final audit | Bulk is judged from memory and impressions |
| Approved dips | Material intake and inline checks | Shade disputes with no reference to settle them |
| Tech pack with tolerances | Cutting, assembly and the inspection plan | Every dimension becomes negotiable |
| Packing reference | Packing and the pre-shipment audit | Presentation drifts between runs unnoticed |
| Inspection plan | Final audit and any third-party inspector | Acceptance is argued rather than measured |
The handover is also what makes a programme portable. A brand that owns its tech pack, its graded specification, its tooling drawings and its sealed sample can run that style elsewhere if it ever needs to. A brand that owns only the goods cannot, and that difference is decided during development rather than at the point anybody is thinking about moving.
Brief a custom design programme
Send a sketch, a reference bag or a full tech pack. The programme team will return a feasibility review, a costed specification and a sampling schedule you can plan a launch against.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Custom Design Service actually deliver?
It delivers a costed, producible specification and a sealed physical sample. Concretely that means concept sketches, orthographic technical drawings with dimensions and tolerances, digital patterns, a referenced bill of materials covering leather, lining, thread, edge paint and hardware, and the prototype rounds needed to reach a signed-off pre-production sample. That sealed sample then governs bulk and inspection.
Can we start if we only have a rough idea and no tech pack?
Yes. A mood board, a set of reference photographs or a competitor's bag is a workable brief. The programme team reverse-specifies dimensions, material substance, hardware and construction sequence, then puts reference and first sample side by side. Programmes starting from a rough idea simply need one or two more sample rounds than those starting from a complete pack.
How long does custom design development take before bulk?
Sampling runs 6–10 working days for a standard construction and 12–15 for complex ones. Each revision round adds 4–6 working days. Bulk then runs 35–50 days after the pre-production sample is sealed and the deposit has cleared. A first programme from brief to delivered goods therefore sits comfortably inside a single selling season if the tech pack is settled early.
What is the minimum order quantity for a custom design?
The standard minimum is 500 pieces per style and per colourway. That figure reflects the fixed costs of a run — pattern work, clicker dies, hardware tooling and material minimums — rather than any constraint on design ambition. Structured small-batch pilots below 500 are available on programmes that support them, generally at a higher unit cost.
Who owns the design and the intellectual property?
Designs developed from your brief are yours, and the position is set out in writing before work starts. An NDA is signed at enquiry stage covering drawings, patterns, tech packs and samples. Tooling paid for by a brand is identified as such and is not used on other programmes. Where a base construction is adapted rather than originated, the adapted elements are documented separately.
How many sample rounds should a first programme expect?
Two to three is typical. The first build tests pattern, proportion and construction method; the second applies corrections in intended bulk materials; the third, where needed, resolves finish and hardware. Programmes that arrive with a full tech pack and consolidated comments usually close in two. Each round adds 4–6 working days, which is why consolidated feedback matters.
Which materials and hardware can be specified?
Full-grain and top-grain cowhide from 1.0 mm to 1.6 mm are the usual starting points, with milled, waxed, sauvage and pull-up finishes available. Suede, lambskin, waxed cotton canvas, recycled PET and plant-based alternatives can also be specified. Hardware covers stock and Excella or Metaluxe zips, turn-locks, push-locks, cast or stamped logo plates, and plated finishes including light gold, gunmetal, palladium and brushed nickel.
Can you match an existing bag we already sell?
Yes, and a reference bag is one of the more reliable briefs to work from. The team measures and reverse-specifies the reference, rebuilds to that specification, then reviews both together on the bench. Where an element cannot be matched exactly — a discontinued zip gauge, a proprietary hardware casting — the difference is flagged in writing before bulk rather than after.
What are the payment and shipping terms for a design programme?
Standard terms are T/T with 30% deposit on confirmation to release materials, and 70% before shipment once inspection has passed. Prices are quoted FOB Xiamen; EXW, CIF and DDP can be arranged on request. Sample charges are quoted per style before development begins, so there is no ambiguity about what the first stage costs.
How is design quality verified before bulk begins?
The sealed pre-production sample is the reference. It is built in intended bulk materials and finish, retained against the style, and used to judge both the bulk run and the final inspection. Physical tests for abrasion, seam strength, handle load and colour fastness can be run against ASTM methods and reported before shipment. Third-party inspection is welcome at any stage.
Can the design still change after the sample is sealed?
It can, but the change is treated as a revision rather than a correction. A change affecting the pattern or tooling needs another sample round and pushes the bulk window; a change confined to colourway or packaging usually does not. Any revision is costed and recorded in writing before the run is scheduled.
How do we protect a fixed launch date during development?
Decide how many sample rounds the programme can afford, then spend them deliberately, and count 4–6 working days per round into the schedule. Consolidating comments into one list per round is the single most effective protection. Reaching the seal with a round in reserve leaves room for a late change.
Can we review the pattern, or only the finished sample?
Both. Technical drawings and digital patterns form part of the specification and are available for review during development, alongside the physical builds. Reviewing proportion at drawing stage is cheaper than correcting it after cutting, which is why pattern review is encouraged on the first fit.
What happens to the design files if we later move production?
Designs developed from your brief are yours. The tech pack, graded specification, tooling drawings and sealed sample are handed over as part of the programme, so the style can be run elsewhere if that is ever needed. Tooling paid for by a brand is identified as such and is not used on other programmes.