Case Study: Custom Combed Cotton Fabric for an Airline Catering Supplier in Hong Kong
Source:Dried Lavender Bundles /
Time:2026-09-18
Combed Cotton Fabric for an Airline Catering Supplier in Hong Kong
An Airline Catering Supplier approached us with a combed cotton fabric requirement for the Hong Kong 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
- Elastic that lost recovery after three washes
- Shade drift between the approved lab dip and the bulk lot
- A compliance document that arrived after the goods were already shipped
What we specified
| Item | Combed Cotton Fabric |
|---|---|
| Client type | An Airline Catering Supplier |
| Market | Hong Kong |
| Order volume | 5,000 pieces across 3 specifications |
| Base material | Cotton |
| Standard size | 360 gsm |
| Finish | Black Nickel Finish |
| Sampling rounds | 3 |
| Delivery window | 5 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | JIS L Standards |
How it was resolved
- We rebuilt the specification around Cotton and locked the tolerance before bulk.
- The finish was moved to Chrome Plating 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
- 5,000 pieces delivered inside the 5-week window.
- Unit cost held within 4.5% of the original quotation.
- Inspection-related rejection stayed under 1.5%.
- The specification is now on file, so reorders reproduce the approved sample.
What we would repeat
Lock the material standard before sampling. Once the base changes, every downstream approval has to be redone and the calendar slips.
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.
