Development

How development works — and what it costs.

Development is engineering, not sales. Every reference consumes real hours — pattern making, grading, marker, prototype. We charge for it up front. That's what lets us move fast for brands ready to produce, instead of subsidizing projects that never reach production.

Where you start depends on one question: do you already have tech packs?

Pattern maker tracing a curve on paper patterns in the Tulum Fashions development studio, Medellín

Step 1

Development fee

Charged once per garment, before we start. Two prices, depending on what you already have.

Technical garment sketches and fabric swatches in sage, terracotta and sand on a development desk

Your situation	Fee per garment
You arrive with nothing — an idea, references, photos	US$450/ garment
You bring a complete tech pack	US$200/ garment

What US$450 includes:

1:1 call and advisory with José Olarte, founder, plus the technical team
Fabric coolhunting and selection, with options and alternatives
Trims, hardware and raw materials sourcing — full bill of materials
Complete tech pack, ready to produce
Print development, if your garment carries prints

Why US$200 if you already have a tech pack:

Your tech pack still has to be sourced and validated in Colombia. We find your fabrics and trims here, propose alternatives when the exact material does not exist locally, and confirm the tech pack is producible with what is actually available. That work happens whether or not you go to production.

Step 2

Sample — US$350 per garment

One flat price. No complexity tiers, no surprises.

Seamstress sewing a first fit sample in terracotta stretch fabric in the sample room

What the sample includes:

Pattern making for your style
Cutting and sewing of the physical sample
Three fit rounds included with corrections
Size curve grading once the sample is approved

Item	Cost
Additional fit round — free if the correction is our error	US$150/ garment
Extra fabric swatches	US$20each
Shipping — samples and swatches	Paid by the client
Timeline	~3 weeks per sample

We charge for additional rounds because they are real hours in the sample room. We do not charge when the correction is on us — if we got it wrong, we fix it free.

What it costs, in full

Scenario	Development	Sample	Total
One garment, starting from zero	US$450	US$350	US$800
One garment, you bring the tech pack	US$200	US$350	US$550
Three garments, starting from zero	US$1,350	US$1,050	US$2,400

Plus shipping in every case. Everything is paid in advance, before we start.

Produce at volume and half the development comes back

Place an order of 500 or more units per style and 50% of your development fee returns to you as credit on the production invoice.

The credit applies to the development fee only, on orders placed within 90 days of sample approval, against the final balance — not the deposit. It is not refundable in cash and not transferable.

Sample fees, additional fit rounds and shipping are not credited — those are physical goods and hours already spent.

Quality control specialist measuring an olive resort shirt on a dress form with a measuring tape

Production terms

Minimum order	150units / style
Colors	Split within the minimum, subject to a dyeing minimum of ~80 kg per color
Deposit — must cover 100% of materials	50%
Balance	Before shipment. We ship only after payment is received.
Lead time — after sample approval	6–8weeks
Trims	Hangtags and labels: ~21 days lead time
Barcodes	Supplied by the brand

Why the minimum is 150 units. We work in lean manufacturing modules: a module runs one style at a time, and 150 units is what it needs to fill a production day. Below that, the changeover costs more than the run itself — so it is not a negotiating position, it is how the floor works. We do not take production under 150 units per style, and we would rather be straight with you now than three weeks into sampling.

What we don't produce

Mulberry silk, leather, footwear, heavy knitwear, technical outerwear, and heavy-wash denim. If the fabric isn't available in Colombia, we're not the right factory for it — and we'll say so on the first call.

Why we charge for development

An Asian mill may appear to develop for free. It isn't — it's subsidized by volume commitments of 500 to 1,000 units per color, plus sample charges and international courier, on a 4–6 week sampling cycle.

There's a second cost people miss. A freelance tech pack from a marketplace runs US$100–500, but if the factory has to audit or correct it to make it sewable, that labor comes back on your quote. Your tech pack comes from the factory that will produce it. No audit fees, no correction rounds, no gap between what's on paper and what can actually be sewn.

We charge development directly and keep the minimum at 150 units per style. You pay for the engineering, and you keep the flexibility.

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