Case Study: Custom Recycled Polyester Fabric for an Outdoor Gear Label in Vietnam
Recycled Polyester Fabric for an Outdoor Gear Label in Vietnam
An Outdoor Gear Label approached us with a recycled polyester fabric requirement for the Vietnam market. The brief was specific: a defined look, a hard launch date and a unit cost that had to survive freight and duty. This case study records what was specified, what went wrong in sampling and how the bulk order was delivered.
The challenge
- A spec that lived in an email instead of a tech pack
- Shade drift between the approved lab dip and the bulk lot
- Elastic that lost recovery after three washes

What we specified
| Item | Recycled Polyester Fabric |
|---|---|
| Client type | An Outdoor Gear Label |
| Market | Vietnam |
| Order volume | 10,000 pieces across 3 specifications |
| Base material | Zinc Alloy |
| Standard size | 400 gsm |
| Finish | Rose Gold Plating |
| Sampling rounds | 4 |
| Delivery window | 5 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | CPSIA |
How it was resolved
- We rebuilt the specification around Zinc Alloy and locked the tolerance before bulk.
- The finish was moved to Anodised Finish after strike-off tests showed better durability.
- A pre-production sample was approved and retained as the golden reference.
- Production ran with in-line inspection and a mid-run photo report.
- Cartons were packed to the client's own barcode and ratio specification.

Result
- 10,000 pieces delivered inside the 5-week window.
- Unit cost held within 1.5% of the original quotation.
- Inspection-related rejection stayed under 1.0%.
- The specification is now on file, so reorders reproduce the approved sample.
What we would repeat
Approve a pre-production sample made from the actual bulk base material. Substitute material behaves differently in finishing.
Planning something similar?
Send the reference sample or tech pack and we will come back with a costed specification, a sampling timetable and the compliance documents your market requires.



