Case Study: Custom Boiled Wool Fabric for a Theatre Costume Workshop in Russia

Boiled Wool Fabric for a Theatre Costume Workshop in Russia

A Theatre Costume Workshop approached us with a boiled wool fabric requirement for the Russia 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

• Shrinkage that only showed up after the first wash
• Elastic that lost recovery after three washes
• A trim that passed sampling but failed in-line because it was never cycle tested

What we specified

How it was resolved

1. We rebuilt the specification around Genuine Leather and locked the tolerance before bulk.
2. The finish was moved to Gunmetal Finish after strike-off tests showed better durability.
3. A pre-production sample was approved and retained as the golden reference.
4. Production ran with in-line inspection and a mid-run photo report.
5. Cartons were packed to the client's own barcode and ratio specification.

Result

• 100,000 pieces delivered inside the 6-week window.
• Unit cost held within 3.0% of the original quotation.
• Inspection-related rejection stayed under 0.5%.
• The specification is now on file, so reorders reproduce the approved sample.

What we would repeat

Fix the specification count early. Adding variants after production starts is the most expensive change a client can request.

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.