🧵 Booking in Garment/Textile Merchandising – A Complete Guide

In the garment industry, "booking" refers to the formal process of reserving, ordering, and confirming all the materials, services, and production capacities necessary to produce and deliver garments on time. It is a crucial phase in the merchandising cycle that bridges the gap between order confirmation and bulk production.

Booking is not just about ordering items—it’s about planning, scheduling, and securing resources with proper follow-up to avoid production delays, cost overruns, or shipment failure. An experienced merchandiser treats booking as the foundation of timely production and quality delivery.

 

🧭 Why Booking is Important in Merchandising?

Aspect	Importance
⏰ Timely Delivery	Ensures every component is ready for smooth production and on-time shipment
📦 Material Availability	Prevents production stoppage due to missing fabric or trims
💰 Cost Efficiency	Avoids urgent shipments or price hikes from last-minute purchases
🏷️ Quality Assurance	Allows time for quality checks and testing before bulk production
🚚 Logistic Planning	Helps to align production with shipment booking and buyer deadlines

 

🔄 Types of Booking in Garment Merchandising

Let’s go through each type of booking a merchandiser needs to do step-by-step:

 

1. 🧶 Fabric Booking

Fabric is the primary raw material in garment manufacturing. It takes the longest lead time to source, so it must be booked early.

Steps in Fabric Booking:

• Calculate fabric consumption from the tech pack (add wastage percentage).
• Wait for lab dip approval from the buyer.
• Issue a Purchase Order (PO) to the fabric supplier.
• Confirm delivery lead time, fabric width, GSM, shrinkage, and quality standard.
• Fabric delivery should align with the T&A calendar.

Example:
For 20,000 pcs t-shirt, you book 8,000 meters of 160 GSM CVC single jersey, color: vintage charcoal.

 

2. 🧷 Trims and Accessories Booking

Trims include all the items that go into a garment besides fabric. Booking these early avoids factory idle time.

Common Trims to Book:

• Sewing thread
• Care label
• Main label
• Hangtag
• Buttons/snaps
• Zippers
• Neck tape
• Elastic, Velcro, etc.

Booking Steps:

• Prepare a BOM (Bill of Materials).
• Get size set approval if needed.
• Send artwork for labels/tags.
• Confirm delivery timeline.

Tip: Always order 2–3% extra to cover losses.

 

3. 🖨️ Printing & Embroidery Booking

If your garment has print or embroidery, these need to be booked well in advance. Any delay here will affect the sewing schedule.

Print Booking Includes:

• Type: Rubber, discharge, plastisol, pigment, puff, etc.
• Size and placement
• Color details (Pantone codes)
• Approve strike-off before bulk

Embroidery Booking Includes:

• Send DST file (design format)
• Thread color confirmation
• Placement and stitching approval

 

4. 🧼 Garment Washing Booking

For washed garments (like denim or pigment-dyed items), you must book a washing unit.

Washing Types:

• Enzyme wash
• Acid wash
• Stone wash
• Pigment dye
• Silicon wash

Booking Includes:

• Garment type and wash method
• Schedule wash lot date
• Approval of wash standard/garment sample

 

5. 🧵 Sewing Line/Production Slot Booking

After fabric and trims arrive, sewing begins. You must book a production line in the factory.

Booking Steps:

• Confirm estimated sewing start date
• Book sewing line based on style complexity
• Share production plan with IE (Industrial Engineering) team
• Monitor daily output and efficiency

Tip: Keep a buffer in sewing plan for reworks or delays.

 

6. 📦 Packaging Materials Booking

You must book:

• Polybags (plain or printed)
• Cartons (with buyer markings)
• Size stickers
• Barcodes/price tags

Check with the buyer if packaging specs are customized or standard.

 

7. 🚢 Shipment Booking / Forwarder Booking

Booking cargo space is the final booking step before export.

Steps:

• Share shipment plan with buyer/logistics team
• Book sea/air cargo space 10–15 days before ex-factory
• Arrange for customs documents (invoice, packing list, GSP)
• Coordinate with nominated freight forwarders

 

📝 Booking Chart Format Example

Item	Supplier	Qty	Lead Time	Booking Date	Delivery Date	Status
Fabric	XYZ Textiles	8,000 m	25 days	10 July	5 August	Confirmed
Thread	ABC Threads	100 cones	7 days	15 July	22 July	Pending
Print	Star Prints	20,000 pcs	5 days	1 Aug	6 Aug	Confirmed
Polybag	PackCo	20,000 pcs	10 days	25 July	5 Aug	Booked
Sea Freight	DHL Logistics	1 FCL	–	20 Aug	25 Aug	Booked

 

📌 Common Challenges in Booking

Problem	Cause	Solution
Delay in fabric delivery	Late lab dip approval	Follow-up daily, escalate early
Wrong trim specs	Miscommunication with supplier	Use a clear BOM and tech pack
Print slot not available	No advance booking	Book immediately after strike-off approval
Late production start	Missing materials	Cross-check booking tracker daily
Shipment delay	Late forwarder confirmation	Book space 2 weeks in advance

 

✅ Pro Tips for Efficient Booking

1. Create a Booking Tracker in Excel or ERP.
2. Follow up with each supplier twice a week.
3. Double-check approvals (lab dip, strike-off, trims) before placing POs.
4. Maintain buffer time in your T&A calendar.
5. Keep regular communication with the production and logistics team.

 

📋 Final Thoughts

In merchandising, booking is the heart of the pre-production process. Timely and accurate booking determines the success of the production cycle. A smart merchandiser always keeps track of bookings, updates suppliers, and aligns everything with the buyer's delivery timeline. Every booking should be strategic, well-documented, and strictly monitored.