Why fit notes differ by wearer
Fit is about body shape and movement, not only about a size label. A women's legging and a men's legging may share a construction word, but waist shape, hip shape, leg length and rise differ, and a sample checked on one wearer does not prove fit for the other. The same applies to tops: shoulder width, body length, chest and waist shaping differ, and a top sampled in one fit cannot be assumed to fit the other fit without a separate check. A brief that lists only sizes, without fit notes, leaves the supplier to guess fit from size labels alone, and size labels vary by brand and market. Write fit notes in words — waist, hip, rise, leg length, shoulder, body length, chest and waist shaping — for each gender fit in the order, so the supplier has a fit description to sample against, not only a size list to follow.
Size runs: separate runs, separate sample sizes
State a full size run for each fit in the order: a women's run and a men's run, listed separately, even when some sizes share a label. Name the size to be sampled first for each fit and each garment, because a women's sample size and a men's sample size are different decisions, and sampling only one fit does not prove the other. Ask how fit across the other sizes in each run will be checked, and whether any size at the ends of a run needs a separate fit check. Size runs also interact with colours and styles: a size run that works for leggings may not work for tops, and a size run for one colour may need a separate check if that colour is cut differently. List size runs per garment and per fit, not once for the whole order, so every garment and fit combination has a run and a sample plan.
Briefing a mixed men's and women's order
Mixed orders are common for brands, gyms and teams, and they need a clear split in the brief. Split the order first by fit — women's lines and men's lines — and then by garment within each fit, with colours, sizes, logo and construction notes for each line. A mixed order briefed as a single range, with sizes listed together, will be sampled as a single range, and one fit will usually be checked while the other is assumed. Colour matching across fits is a separate decision: state whether women's and men's garments must match in colour, and whether that match is exact or approximate, because a colour that matches in one fit may need a different treatment in another. Logo notes also need a per-fit check, because logo size and placement that work on a women's top may need adjustment on a men's top, and vice versa. Splitting the brief by fit, then by garment, prevents all three errors at once.
Sampling and checking fit for both fits
Judge samples fit by fit, not order by order. For each fit and garment, check waist, hip, rise and leg length for leggings, and shoulder, body length, chest and waist shaping for tops, in the movement the garment was briefed for: yoga studio movement for yoga lines, gym training for gym lines. Ask the supplier how fit will be checked for each fit, and what the buyer should look for when samples arrive. A sample that fits one wearer well should not be used to approve the other fit, and a fit problem in one fit should not be used to reject the other fit without a separate check. When a fit problem appears, describe it in fit words — where it pulls, where it loosens, where length is wrong — rather than in general words like too small or too big, because fit words give the supplier a correction to make, while general words only give a problem to guess at.
Fit brief template for men's and women's orders
Copy this template for a mixed fit order. Fit split: women's lines and men's lines, listed separately. Garments per fit, with scene, construction, colours and logo notes per garment. Fit notes per garment and fit: waist, hip, rise and leg length for leggings; shoulder, body length, chest and waist shaping for tops. Full size run per garment and fit, with the sample size named for each combination. Colour matching note across fits, stating exact or approximate matching, or no matching required. Logo size and placement per fit and garment, with artwork attached. Quantity band and target date, with a request for MOQ and lead time for your order. A fit brief with every line filled can be sampled for both fits from the first round, because each garment and fit combination will have its own fit notes, size run and sample check, instead of sharing a generic size list that proves neither fit.
From guide to brief
Turn this guide into a brief by naming the scene, the garments, the construction, the colours and sizes, and the logo placement, then share your quantity and target date to get MOQ and lead time for your order. Certificates available upon request.