Why this matters now
In our previous guide, you successfully established your production timeline and fabric baseline. Now, let’s focus on the next important decision: selecting the colors and sizes that will drive your inventory. A well-curated color palette can enhance the approval process; by limiting the number of shades, you reduce the need for multiple strike-offs and sign-offs. Additionally, a thoughtfully designed size range ensures that in-demand sizes are readily available while minimizing excess options that may not sell as quickly.
The aim here is to make informed decisions earlier in the process. By finalizing your color and size selections before the Development (Dev) sign-off, you can align dyeing, cutting, and approvals effectively. This proactive approach will help ensure that January reorders can be managed on a predictable schedule rather than in a hurried fashion.
This article is intended to provide you with practical guidance and constructive advice. You’ll discover how to identify two or three core colors (along with an accent) based on real market demand, how to translate 60–90 day sell-through metrics into targeted size distributions for each channel, and why choosing mid-weight Pima Interlock allows light shades to perform optimally without compromising the fit. If you haven’t yet read it, this article builds on the insights shared in “Spring 2026 Starts Now,” where we defined the essential Dev → Product Preparation Sample (PPS) → Bulk decision gates that will be referenced here. Let’s work together to enhance your inventory strategy and drive success.
Slim palettes, faster approvals
To develop size curves that genuinely reflect consumer demand, it’s beneficial to focus on behaviors rather than just symmetry. Start by analyzing existing signals within your store, such as which sizes sell out quickly, which experience high return rates due to fit issues, and which size-color combinations tend to sit in carts. Recognizing that marketplace demand can differ significantly from direct-to-consumer (DTC) trends is crucial. When the data supports it, consider using separate curves, but aim to avoid adding variants that you will be unable to restock effectively.
An ideal size curve should create a seamless shopping experience. Common sizes should be readily available, edge sizes should have accurate estimated delivery times (ETAs), and providing clear fit notes on product pages can help minimize concentrated returns.
In the case of baby and kids’ apparel, it’s important to acknowledge that demand curves can differ from those of adult loungewear. For example, newborn and 0–3 month sizes often see increased demand due to gifting trends, while sizes 3–6 months and 6–9 months typically sustain sales momentum throughout the first quarter. Additionally, size 12–18 months benefits more from having clear ETAs rather than simply having a large stock.
When it comes to colors, light neutrals and pastels tend to dominate this segment. Using Pima Interlock fabric with a weight of 180–185 g/m² ensures that these shades appear opaque and smooth while maintaining the soft drape that parents appreciate.
If personalization is part of your strategy, it’s a good idea to test embroidery density and placement directly on the production knit instead of on swatches. This proactive approach helps prevent puckering in smaller sizes, where fabric stretch can be more pronounced. By focusing on these elements, you can create size curves that are responsive to real demand and enhance the overall customer experience.
Fabric × color: why mid‑weight Interlock helps
Light shades can highlight show-through and inconsistencies, but mid-weight Pima Interlock (180–185 g/m²) effectively addresses these challenges without adding bulk. Its double-knit structure stabilizes silhouettes and reduces side-seam torque, while an enzyme wash and silicone softener enhance hand feel and color vibrancy after laundering.
This stability allows for confident use of off-white, pastels, or light neutrals, minimizing surprises in customer photos and reducing return rates due to transparency. Additionally, it supports clean embroidery placements, ensuring logos and monograms lay flat.
Before final approvals, we conduct a pilot wash on the production fabric to verify shrinkage, hand feel, and color performance, helping maintain a “soft luxury” experience and aligning pre-production samples with bulk production.
Restock economics without a spreadsheet
Restocks are a rhythm, not a gamble. A slim palette and a disciplined curve keep dyeing batches efficient and approvals focused on execution rather than redesign. That efficiency turns into two things customers feel: their size is available when they come back, and the color looks the same between orders. The fewer active variables you carry into bulk, the faster the replenishment loop spins and the easier it is to quote honest ETAs.
Remember the low‑duty advantage into the U.S. from our October guide: customers never see the savings line item, but they feel where you invest it—finishing that keeps softness wash after wash and a post‑launder QC pass that catches waistband or seam issues before they ship. That reinvestment shows up in reviews and repeat orders, which is exactly what smooth January restocks depend on.
Put it into motion
Start by letting your palette and your curve settle. When those choices stop moving, dyeing, cutting and approvals can share a single lane. Rather than a spreadsheet of triggers, align on one simple promise everyone recognizes: when a core size in a core color feels thin on the shelf—measured as days‑of‑cover, not just units—we quietly cue a repeat. Share the last 60–90 days of sell‑through so the curve reflects how people are actually buying, not how we wish they would. And hold the fabric baseline—Pima Interlock 180–185 g/m²—so light shades photograph as well as they feel after washing. Do this and Dev → PPS → Bulk becomes a rhythm: fewer surprises, cleaner handoffs, and January reorders that read like follow‑through, not a reset.
What’s next
Here’s how we’ll close the loop without adding noise. First, we map your palette and size curve onto the factory calendar so batching, strike‑offs, and PPS line up. Next, we stress‑test light shades on production knit with a quick pilot wash—and embroidery if personalization is in scope—so what you approve is what ships. Finally, we anchor your reorder plan to one hero color and a realistic ETA per channel, then watch the early signals in November to decide whether to scale the accent or swap it. We are excited to collaborate and keep things smoothly!
