Samples are the hardest inventory a fashion brand owns. There is usually one of each, they move constantly between showrooms, buyers, photoshoots and agents, and they are almost never counted. At DirectFlow Consulting & Logistics we treat samples as real inventory — catalogued, barcoded, tracked to the person holding them, and reconciled at the end of every season.

The sample lifecycle

From the box arriving to the collection closing — and the loop in the middle that runs all season.

1
Receive & Inspect

Samples checked in against the line list, inspected, photographed and barcoded.
2
Into the Showroom

Arranged by collection and category, each piece with a recorded location.
3
Out to Buyers & Retailers

Scanned out to a named person, shipped with tracking and documents, due date set.
4
Received Back

Scanned in, inspected, returned to its place. Anything still out stays visible.
5
Collection Closed

Full count and reconciliation. What survived, what is missing, what to archive.

↻ Steps 2–4 repeat throughout the season — every appointment, every market, every send-out

How it works

Receiving and Cataloguing

Samples arrive from your suppliers and are checked in against the season's line list. Each one is recorded by style, colour and size, photographed, and given a barcode label so it can be scanned from that point on.

Showroom Organisation

Samples are arranged by category and collection, so a showroom is ready to present rather than searched through. Everything has a location, and the location is recorded.

Requests and Check-Out

Buyers, agents and your own team request samples against a digital line sheet. Each piece is scanned out to the person taking it, with a date it is due back.

Shipping and Tracking

Samples going to a buyer or a market are packed, documented and shipped with a tracked air waybill. Commercial invoices and packing lists are produced for anything crossing a border.

Returns and Reconciliation

Returned samples are scanned back in and inspected. Anything still out shows against the person who has it, so nothing quietly disappears between seasons.

Counting and Reporting

Regular counts confirm what is physically on the rack against what the system says. You get a clear picture of what is missing, what is duplicated, and what needs remaking.

Benefits of Our Sample Management Service

Nothing goes missing: Every sample is scanned to a person and a location, so you always know who has what.
Showrooms that are ready: Organised by collection and category, prepared before the appointment rather than during it.
Fewer remakes: Knowing what you actually have stops you paying to make a second one of something already on the rack.
Season-end clarity: A proper reconciliation instead of guesswork about where the collection went.
Traceable shipments: Samples sent to buyers and markets travel with tracking and full documentation.
Photographed and searchable: A visual record of the line, usable as a digital line sheet.

Who this is for

Showroom collections Seasonal line sheets Buyer appointments Press and photoshoot samples Sales agent kits Market and trade shows Fit and production samples Archive management

Why Choose DirectFlow Consulting & Logistics?

We have run this for real: Sample and showroom operations for established fashion brands, not a service invented on paper.
Built for one-of-a-kind stock: Samples are not cartons of the same SKU, and we do not treat them like it.
Barcoded and scanned: The same discipline as our warehouse, applied to pieces that usually get tracked on a spreadsheet, if at all.
Integrated with your logistics: Samples, wholesale and retail distribution handled by one team, from one facility.
Scales with the season: Quiet months cost less than market weeks.

Get Started Today!

Tell us roughly how many samples you hold and how often they move, and we’ll come back with a plan and a price.

Sample Management

Every sample, always accounted for