About Sample Room
Sample Room was established in 2009 and is currently Australia’s only full service ethically accredited pattern making. sample making, grading, specification and manufacturing business.
Julia realised through her years in the fashion industry that the relationship and communication between a pattern maker and sample maker is critical for quick, accurate development. Having these skilled people in the same room enables quick problem solving and communication from the designer through to the final sample.
We are based in Collingwood, Melbourne and have worked with 1000’s of labels all over Australia and further afield, including New Zealand, USA, South Africa, Dubai and Finland. Do not worry if you are interstate as we are also able to work remotely through video fittings and we have advanced technology and systems in place for accurate communication as well as decades of industry understanding to help you to complete your range.
We offer the full development service of computer pattern making, sample making, grading and specification services for Women’s, Men’s and Children’s wear as well as non-wearable textile products.
The range of products we work with is extensive and includes lingerie, swimwear, activewear, through to formal wear. There is little we can’t do.
You can select the full service or elements as you need based on your individual development requirements
Our extensive sample and pattern library is available to help with development communication, but we have also just extended our technical capability with our new NHega scanner. This allows us to digitise your current patterns or samples into our pattern making system with incredible accuracy.
With the breadth of capabilities available in one business we can ensure accurate and easy development of patterns and grading across Babies (Newborn), Toddler, Kids, Mens, Womens and plus sizes to size 8XL and above.
Computer pattern making offers many advantages for local and overseas manufacturing including time and cost saving measures throughout the development process. It is very easy to use and alter your patterns next season for further cost savings as well as export to DXF, Ai and PDF electronic patterns for quick communication with your manufacturer, no matter where they are.
We are also very well known for our support of start up designers through our Fashion Label Launchpad program. If you are starting out please click over to our Start up Launching Point page to find out more.
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FAQs
Yes, we provide the technical services of Pattern making, Sample making, Grading, and Specifications required to create the final package of information you need to take to your Manufacturer. What that means for you, is simply bring your design idea and technical requests to us and we can create all the information a Manufacturer needs to produce that idea. If you would like to know more about the overall process you can visit our ‘Emerging Designer’ page and watch our online Start Up Launching Point video just by clicking here. We can also help in Design and Business development; traditionally these processes were completed by different companies, you can think of the Sample Room as your one-stop shop!
The Fashion Label Launchpad is a 12 month support program designed to help clients who are new to the manufacturing industry launch their first range.
Already studied Fashion Design? The Fashion Label Launchpad is the perfect progression after your course to help you get industry knowledge fast!
You can find out more by clicking here.
Yes. We offer small-run production with minimums of 80 per style, per colour (minimum order 20 units for those clients in the Fashion Label Launchpad) for clients who have completed their full development through our company or who have completed our Fashion Label Launchpad program.
Yes, we have many manufacturing contacts who we happily offer to our clients. However, this is information we only offer when your construction, quantities, and fabrics have been finalized. It is important to find the right manufacturer, as many will have minimum orders, specific/ limited machinery and/ or specific requirements.
No, Sample Room does not sell or source fabrics on behalf of our clients. However, we do offer fabric sourcing Consultations, whereby we can take you to visit fabric agents and assist you in choosing the correct fabric for your designs.
Yes, you need to provide us with all the necessary components for your designs before we can start sampling. We do not stock any types of trims and if we are required to source on your behalf, the cost of each item plus freight from the supplier will be billed to each client.
We do not offer quotes as every style we create is different and customised to each of our clients’ needs. Development is a very fluid process and many decisions are finalized during the process; a change in mind on fabrics, trims, and/or construction can affect the overall cost of your development and production. Need help setting up your budget? Check out our Online Start Up Launching Point video to give you an idea of the process involved by clicking here.
No. Unfortunately, we don’t currently offer Sampling alone as we find many home-made Patterns are not well balanced, haven’t accounted for fabric behavior/shrinkage and the Patterns often need to be corrected.
Yes, if you would like to book in an initial Design or Business Consultation, please get in touch by phone (03) 9041 3488 or e-mail info@sampleroom.com.au
If you are new to the Manufacturing Industry, we recommend watching our Online Start Up Launching Point video and signing up for our Manufacturer Discovery Masterclass before booking an initial Consultation, just click here.
As it will help you to prepare before meeting with our lead Pattern maker; preparation is key to a successful development and production process.
More is more when it comes to initial consultations, here are some items that will help convey your individual Designs:
Reference garments, reference images, trade sketches, fabric swatches, and customer profiles.
Also, make a list of any specific questions you need to be answered to best utilize the allotted time in your appointment.
This is a common question and one that is very hard to answer; clients that we have worked with in the past estimate that they have spent between $30,000-$100,000 in their first year.
This includes (but is not limited to) patterns, samples, fittings, grading, markers, sampling fabrics and trims, production fabrics and trims, manufacturing, website development, graphic designing costs, and photo-shoots. Also consider the loss of wages, as logistically many clients will need at least 1-2 business days each week to run around and develop their range (the Fashion Industry generally operates Monday – Friday).
Starting a fashion label is an investment and there is no guarantee you will make a return on this amount in the first year.
Yes, we are! We are very proud to have gained accreditation from Ethical Clothing Australia in 2015.
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
Julia Van Der Sommen
Julia is an industry professional and the owner of Sample Room with over 27 years experience in the Fashion industry. With a strong background in Design, Pattern making, Sample making, and Production management. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge to support and develop businesses both Big and Small/ Established or Start-up, to find more efficient ways of working to achieve great results. Julia works with each client to improve fit, production processes and to produce products that sell.
Holly
Holly has been with Sample Room for more than 6 years as a sample machinist. A true talent, Holly can put together pretty much any garment in any fabric. Holly works very closely with Mai, Sharon, Kate and Julia to make sure the samples she sews are exactly as intended.
Mai
Mai’s extensive experience is always on show. With some time in production sewing, Mai has a wealth of experience which comes through in the samples she sews. That knowledge is worth its weight in gold, as she finds even more efficient ways to construct your samples. This ultimately translates to a less expensive garment to make. That’s what 30 year of experience brings to the table.
Kate
Kate is our wonderful Production Supervisor. Kate’s background as a machinist means she knows how a garment is put together and brings that knowledge into her pattern making and working closely with clients. Kate is often sitting with Holly and Mai to help work out solutions to complications that crop up from time to time.
Sharon
Principally a cutter, Sharon has a wealth of experience in a range of businesses, both big and small in Sri Lanka, but has been with us for more than 3 years. With a background in pattern making, Sharon is detailed focussed and is regularly checking with Kate and Julia minute details to help ensure the pieces he cuts are spot on. To mix it up a little, Sharon sits down to help out with pattern making from time to time, which further hones his talents.
Daniel
Despite being new to the clothing industry, Daniel is a Chartered Accountant with extensive experience running businesses as interim Managing Director in businesses across Australia and as far away as California. With more than 15 years working in service firms, Daniel looks after of all the finance and legals, but he doesn’t wear a suit very often now.
Hien
Hien has a strong background in production of a wide array of garments. Hien is only reasonably new to the team, but is obviously very capable and is a great addition to our team.
Anna
Anna is our newest team member, but brings with her experience studying and working in London before finding her way to Australia and Sample Room. You’ll likely deal with Anna on a regular basis as she helps to manage your styles through the process.
Ethical Clothing Australia
We are proud and excited to become one of the few pattern making services to have gained ethical accreditation via Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA) for our local production. If you would like to know more about ethical accreditation or other suppliers in this unique manufacturing process then please get in touch with ECA. ECA works closely with legally compliant manufacturers in Australia to ensure a transparent and ethical textile, clothing and footwear industry. The Sample Room works collaboratively with ECA as part of its ongoing commitment to offering ethically made products in Australia. ethicalclothingaustralia.org.au
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