Textile sourcing brief
Fabric Specification and RFQ Guide
Give every fabric resource the same garment, physical, measurable, development and commercial basis before comparing quotations.
Prepared by the Allot Tech Project Desk and editorially reviewed by founder Mr Kcal. Final engineering, performance, materials, compliance, manufacturing responsibility and commercial terms must be confirmed for the selected resource and signed project scope.
Reviewed August 29, 2026
Direct answer
The best fabric inquiry is specific enough to compare and open enough to develop.
A useful fabric RFQ combines five layers: intended garment and market, a marked physical or visual reference, written finished specification, development and approval sequence, and commercial order plan. State composition, construction or article direction, finished GSM and usable width, face and finish, color count, required quantity, packing, destination, tests and delivery window. Ask every resource to separate confirmed values from target ranges, assumptions and alternatives so price is compared on the same fabric and service scope.
Project definition
Start with the complete decision basis.
Many buyer briefs contain a photo and one composition label but omit finished weight, width, handfeel, sample stage or order quantity. Suppliers then quote different articles under the same broad name. A structured RFQ reduces that ambiguity while allowing specialist resources to disclose feasible alternatives. Final fiber labeling, testing, performance and commercial terms should be verified for the selected article and destination.
Garment brief
Product type, season, silhouette, lining, target wearer, market, care direction, target price context and launch date.
Reference package
Physical swatch or garment, face and direction, close-up and drape images, desired attributes and acceptable differences.
Finished specification
Composition, construction, GSM range, usable width, color, finish, reverse side, tolerances and selected performance needs.
Development and order
Sample meters, color and lab-dip stages, bulk quantity, tests, inspection, packing, destination and delivery window.
System or development path
Move from garment intent to normalized quotation and an approved bulk standard.
Describe the garment
Explain end use, season, structure, lining, wearer expectation and the fabric attributes driving the choice.
Register references
Mark face and direction and identify which visual, handfeel, drape or construction features should be matched.
Write target values
State finished composition, weight, usable width, construction, finish, color and tolerance or open questions.
Normalize quotations
Separate article, values, sample scope, price basis, quantity, lead time, testing, packing and exclusions.
Develop and approve
Track swatches, lab dips, finish trials or yardage with comments, changes and signed bulk standard.
Control bulk release
Connect lot, roll, shade, inspection, selected tests, packing and shipment status to the approved order.
Quotation comparison
Compare fabric quotations field by field instead of by article name alone.
| Decision area | Buyer should provide | Proposal should clarify |
|---|---|---|
| Article identity | Reference, garment use and target specification. | Supplier article or development route, confirmed values, target values, alternatives and sample identity. |
| Price basis | Expected quantity, colors, destination and trade term. | Currency, unit, finished usable width, tax or freight boundary, packing and validity. |
| Development | Required swatch, lab dip, finish trial or yardage stages. | Sample quantity, cost, timing, substrate, comments, resubmission and bulk-approval point. |
| Production | Bulk quantity, color split, order date and delivery window. | Material and process lead times, lot plan, capacity assumption, changes and shipment split. |
| Quality scope | Tests, inspection, standards and decision authority. | Methods, sample stage, tolerance, report, failure workflow, replacements and exclusions. |
Solve the next project problem
Close these proposal gaps before price becomes the decision.
Use the brief below to turn a vague supplier conversation into questions that can be answered and documented.
Make this decision comparable.
Send: Reference, garment use and target specification.
Require: Supplier article or development route, confirmed values, target values, alternatives and sample identity.
Make this decision comparable.
Send: Expected quantity, colors, destination and trade term.
Require: Currency, unit, finished usable width, tax or freight boundary, packing and validity.
Make this decision comparable.
Send: Required swatch, lab dip, finish trial or yardage stages.
Require: Sample quantity, cost, timing, substrate, comments, resubmission and bulk-approval point.
Send the garment use, reference swatch or images, finished specification, color plan, quantity, destination and required date. The Allot Tech Project Desk can help organize the first comparison.
Decision evidence
A normalized RFQ creates the first traceable version of the eventual order.
Evidence should be identified before the order or approval stage so both sides know what will support the next decision.
RFQ revision
Identify garment, reference, written targets, quantity, destination, required services, open questions and issue date.
Quotation comparison
Record each resource on the same article, finished values, width, price basis, sample scope, lead time and exclusions.
Development log
Connect submission identity, physical sample, measured values, color, finish, buyer comments, changes and approval.
Order and bulk standard
Transfer final specification, signed sample, tests, inspection, packing and approved changes into the purchase basis.
Separate targets from confirmed production values
A buyer may begin with a target blend, weight or handfeel that requires development. Ask the resource to mark what is confirmed from an existing article, what is a target, what will be trialed and which value governs bulk acceptance.
- Label target, sample and bulk values clearly
- Do not hide alternatives inside one price
- Update the RFQ revision after approvals
Normalize price by usable finished fabric
Prices can refer to meters, yards or kilograms and may use different finished widths, packing and trade terms. Convert only after confirming units and usable width, and keep sample, testing, inspection and freight scope visible.
- Confirm unit, currency and trade boundary
- Record finished usable width
- Separate fabric price from optional services
Build approval time into the delivery plan
Lab dips, finishing trials, yardage and tests require buyer decisions as well as supplier production time. The schedule should name submission and comment dates and show how late changes affect bulk material, finishing and shipment.
- List every approval stage and owner
- Set realistic comment turnaround
- Record schedule impact of post-approval changes
Decision gates
Move forward when the next commitment has enough written evidence.
Project stages overlap, but each commercial commitment should have a visible basis, named approvers and a list of unresolved items.
Development basis approved
The garment use, signed physical reference, written specification, color and requested sample stage describe the same fabric direction.
Bulk standard released
The accepted sample, measurable tolerances, required tests, quantity, lot plan and approved changes are recorded before production.
Shipment evidence accepted
Roll and lot identity, shade grouping, inspection or test findings, packing and authorized disposition support release.
Before requesting a proposal
Build one brief that every resource can answer on the same basis.
This page is designed to help an international buyer prepare a clearer discussion, not to replace the responsible resource’s engineering or the buyer’s professional review.
Garment
End use, season, silhouette, market and construction priorities.
Reference
Physical swatch or garment, marked face, color and attributes to match.
Specification
Composition, finished weight, usable width, construction, finish and tolerances.
Development
Sample type, meters, colors, approval stages and decision dates.
Bulk plan
Quantity, inspection, testing, packing, destination and delivery window.
Allot Tech organized recurring buyer questions, project-scoping patterns, available catalog inputs and specialist-resource context into a decision sequence. No customer case, certification, output guarantee or factory ownership is implied unless separately verified for the named project.
Specialist textile context
Connect fabric development with weaving and finishing.
These production images are from Fred Textile, the connected specialist textile resource represented across the Allot Tech textile program.
Buyer questions
Frequently asked questions
What should a fabric RFQ include?
Include garment use, physical reference, composition, construction, finished GSM and usable width, finish, colors, sample stages, quantity, tests, packing, destination and timing.
Can a photo be used to quote fabric?
It can start a discussion, but it cannot confirm handfeel, construction, exact color, weight, width or finish. A physical reference and written brief improve comparison.
How should fabric prices be compared?
Normalize article, composition, finished weight and usable width, unit, currency, quantity, trade term, packing, development, testing and exclusions.
What is the role of Allot Tech and Fred Textile?
Allot Tech coordinates the international commercial program. Fred Textile is the connected specialist resource for represented textile development and manufacturing scope.
Project discussion
Prepare a Fabric RFQ
Send the product or garment use, package or fabric specification, target output or quantity, site or market information, destination and current project stage.