Process · 3 min read
Inside the gap between "approved" and "arrived"
The quiet weeks
From outside, the weeks after approval look like waiting. From inside they are five distinct operations, each of which has to finish before the next can start, and knowing what they are makes the timeline read as a schedule rather than as a delay.
The five operations
- 01
Layout to pattern
Your design is positioned onto the actual cut pieces so stripes meet at seams and logos land where the mockup said. This is skilled work and it is why a printed panel is not just a printed rectangle.
- 02
Dye and transfer
Printing to transfer paper and pressing it into the fabric. The step that cannot be undone, which is why the approval before it matters so much.
- 03
Cutting
Panels cut to your size run. A wide squad is a more complex cut than a uniform one.
- 04
Sewing
The longest single stage, and the one that determines how the finished garment holds its shape.
- 05
Check, pack, ship
Per-player bagging where a roster was supplied, and the inspection that catches the piece nobody wants you to find.
Why it cannot simply be rushed
Each stage feeds the next, so shortening the total means shortening a stage rather than overlapping them. The stage with slack is usually the queue before layout, not the production itself, which is why "can you rush it" is genuinely a question about what is already in the factory rather than about willingness.
What can be moved is the work before approval — artwork prepared early, a roster collected while the design is still being discussed. That is where weeks are actually saved, as set out in our guide to how long a custom kit order takes.
What each stage is waiting for
The reason a timeline looks like dead time from outside is that most stages are waiting on something physical.
- 01
Fabric allocation
The batch is committed to your order. This is what makes a run internally consistent, and it is also why a late addition to the order can cost more than the garments — it may need a new batch.
- 02
Print and cure
Colour goes into the fibre under heat and time. Rushing either produces a colour that is close rather than correct, and the difference is not visible until it is next to a garment from the same run.
- 03
Cutting
Panels are cut to pattern. This is the point after which a size change is a remake rather than an adjustment.
- 04
Sewing
The slowest stage and the one that decides how the garment survives, because seam construction is where kit actually fails.
- 05
Quality check
Against the approved proof, not against a general standard. This is where a panel gets rejected and remade, which is a good day rather than a bad one.
- 06
Pack and ship
Sorted the way the program will use it rather than the way it came off the line, which saves somebody an evening at the other end.
Which parts you can actually speed up
Two of them, and neither is in the factory. The first is artwork approval, which is the single largest source of delay in the whole process — a proof sitting unanswered for six days has moved the delivery date by six days, and no amount of production speed recovers it.
The second is the size list. Production cannot start against a roster that is still being collected, and the version that arrives with four names marked "TBC" is not a size list. Both of these sit entirely with the program.
What cannot be compressed is curing, sewing and shipping, because they take the time they take. A supplier who offers to shorten them is offering to shorten one of them, and it is almost always the cure. The full sequence with realistic durations is in our production timeline.
Quick answers
Can we change something after approval?
Before dyeing, usually. After dyeing, it is a new run. Tell us the moment you know rather than hoping it fits.
Will you tell us if it slips?
Before you have to ask. A date that has moved is worse news when it arrives late.
Why does nothing seem to happen for the first week?
Because fabric allocation is happening, and it looks like nothing from outside. The batch is being committed to your order, which is exactly what makes the finished run internally consistent.
Which stage can we speed up?
Two, and neither is in the factory: artwork approval and the size list. A proof sitting unanswered for six days has moved your delivery by six days, and no amount of production speed recovers it.
What cannot be compressed?
Curing, sewing and shipping. A supplier offering to shorten them is offering to shorten one of them, and it is almost always the cure — which produces colour that is close rather than correct.
At what point can we still change a size?
Before cutting. After panels are cut, a size change is a remake rather than an adjustment, and it is priced accordingly. This is the deadline worth knowing in advance.
What happens if a garment fails the quality check?
It gets remade against the approved proof. A rejected panel is a good day rather than a bad one — it means the check is doing its job, and it is the reason a small amount of buffer sits in the timeline.
Can you ship part of the order early?
Sometimes, and it costs a second freight leg. It is worth it for a genuine fixture deadline and not worth it for reassurance, which is the more common reason it gets asked.
How is the order packed?
Sorted the way the program will use it rather than the way it came off the line. It sounds trivial and it saves somebody an evening at the other end, particularly on a multi-sport order.
What is a realistic timeline to plan against?
Longer than most programs allow, and the honest version depends on the garments and the season. The full sequence with real durations is in our production timeline guide rather than compressed into one number here.