A fashion brand is really many products wearing one name. A single dress becomes a set of colourways, each available in a range of sizes, and every one of those variants has its own stock, its own price ticket and its own barcode. Multiply that by a collection and then by a season, and the number of records grows quickly. ERP for fashion brands is about keeping that structure clean enough for the team to plan, buy, make and sell with confidence.
Many brands start with a design folder, a tech pack for each style, a spreadsheet of sizes and a separate sheet for wholesale orders. Those work for a small range. As the number of styles grows and the brand starts selling to boutiques as well as online, the same figures appear in four places and rarely agree. Sales are reported late, and the factory waits for approvals that were given weeks earlier.
Several parts of the business need to agree for a fashion brand to run well, and this guide works through them: the variant structure, season planning, factory orders, wholesale and online stock, returns and reporting. It is written for founders, product and merchandising teams, and operations managers in clothing and footwear businesses.
Styles, colours and sizes: the variant structure
The whole system rests on how each product is structured. A style is the design. A colourway is that design in one colour or print. A size is the variant a customer actually buys. Keeping those three levels distinct, rather than treating every size as a separate product with its own name, makes planning, pricing and reporting far easier.
Setting up the hierarchy
Each style should have one master record holding its name, category, fabric, care details, season and price structure. Colourways sit beneath it, and sizes sit beneath each colourway. Every size variant needs its own stock-keeping unit and barcode, so stock can be counted and sold accurately in a shop or online. A consistent code pattern, agreed before the first style is entered, saves a great deal of clearing up later.
A code might combine the season, the style number and a colour code, so the team can read a barcode or a label and know what it refers to without opening a record. The exact pattern matters less than using the same one everywhere, from the design team to the shop floor.
The style record should carry at least these fields:
- Style code and name
- Season and collection
- Colourways and their codes
- Size run and size curve
- Fabric, care and labelling information
Size runs and the size curve
A size run is the set of sizes a style is made and bought in. A size curve is the share of each size within an order. A curve based on past sales is a sensible starting point, but it needs regular review as customers' preferences shift. Recording the curve against each style helps the buying team check that quantities are spread in line with demand.
Seasons, collections and the planning calendar
Fashion runs on a calendar set months ahead of the sale. Designs are developed, samples are made and approved, orders go to factories, and product arrives in time for the selling season. Seasons and collections give each of those activities a home in the system, so the team can see where every style sits in the calendar.
Seasons as planning units
A season groups the styles that will be sold together and gives the business a basis for buying, budgets and sales targets. Core lines that carry over from one season to the next need different treatment from one-off designs, so the system should mark each style as carry-over or new. That keeps season-on-season reports comparing like with like.
Development milestones and approvals
Each style moves through milestones, such as concept approved, first sample received, fit approved, pre-production sample approved and ready to order. Recording those dates shows where delays are building before they reach the factory. It also protects the brand, because a style should not go into production until the people who must approve it have done so.
Production orders with factories for fashion brands
Many fashion brands rely on factories, often overseas, to make their products. The factory needs a clear specification and a production order, and the brand needs to know when stock will arrive and whether it matches what was approved. An ERP can join those steps, so the production plan and the sales plan look at the same quantities.
Tech packs and specifications
A tech pack describes a style in enough detail for a factory to make it. It usually includes sketches, measurements for each size, materials and trims, stitching details and labelling requirements. Keeping the current tech pack version against the style, with its date, means the factory and the brand are not working from different documents.
Samples, lead times and production orders
Factory work follows a rhythm of samples and approvals before bulk production starts, and each stage takes time. Each factory has its own lead times and minimum order quantities, which shape how a season is planned. The ERP should hold those terms against each supplier, so the planning team can see when an order must be placed to reach the shop on time.
Production orders should be raised by style, colour and size, with quantities for each variant. Cutting, making and finishing can be tracked as stages, so the brand sees progress without chasing updates by email.
Wholesale orders and online sales from one stock position
A brand that sells to boutiques and department stores as well as through its own website faces a planning question: how much of each size and colour goes to each channel? Wholesale buyers often order months before a season starts, while online sales arrive through the year. The stock position should be one set of records, with clear rules for how it is shared.
The wholesale order book
Wholesale orders should be recorded against the season, the account and the variants. The order book shows what has been committed, what is still open and what has been delivered. Order values should use the agreed wholesale prices, kept separate from retail prices, and linked to any terms that apply to the account.
Allocating stock between channels
Allocation is the decision about how a fixed quantity is split between wholesale accounts and the brand's own channels. A size that sells out online may signal that more stock is needed, while a size that lingers in one boutique may point to a different allocation next season. The system should show the stock available to each channel and any allocations already made, so the decision rests on one figure.
Allocation rules often differ by season. A core line may have a set share held back for the brand's own channels, while a limited edition may go mostly to one channel. Writing the rule down, with a named person who can change it, avoids the same argument being repeated every season.
Returns, grading and fit feedback at size level
Returns in fashion are often driven by fit, and by the size or colour a customer chose. A process that only records refunds misses the most useful information. Returns should be recorded at variant level and treated as stock to be graded, not simply as money handed back.
Grading returned stock
A returned garment can be sold again as new, sent for repair, moved to an outlet or written off. The grading decision should be recorded against the variant, with the reason and the person who made the call. Brands often settle on a short set of grades:
- Sellable as new, back into shop and online stock
- Needs cleaning, repair or re-ticketing
- Suitable for an outlet or sale channel
- Written off, with the reason recorded
Whatever the grades are, using the same ones everywhere keeps the warehouse and the online team working from the same position while the item waits for its next sale.
Fit feedback that reaches the next sample
When a size comes back more often than others, or fit complaints repeat for one style, that information matters to the design team. Recording return reasons against the style and size means the next season's samples can be adjusted before the factory makes a bulk order. That turns returns from a pure cost into a source of better product.
Reporting that matches how a fashion brand is run
Fashion reporting has to answer questions that a simple sales total cannot. Which styles sell through fastest? Which sizes are left at the end of a season? Which colourways stall in which channels? The ERP should answer those questions from the same variant records that the factory, warehouse and shops use.
Sell-through, margin and stock by season
Sell-through compares how much of an allocated quantity has sold, and it is one of the most useful measures for a season. Read alongside margin by style and stock on hand, it shows which lines deserve more buying and which need reducing. Reports should be run by season, so one season can be compared with the next on a fair basis.
A season review usually covers a short list of points:
- Sell-through by style, colour and size against the original allocation
- Margin after any markdowns have been applied
- Stock left at the end of the season, by size
- Lessons for the next buy and the next round of samples
Markdowns and end-of-season stock
When a season ends, the remaining stock needs a plan. A markdown schedule, a sale channel or a move to outlet should be recorded against the variants, with the new price and its start date. That keeps margin figures honest, because the reports show the price at which each unit actually sold.
FAQ
What is a size curve in fashion?
A size curve shows the share of each size within an order, such as how many small, medium and large units are bought for a style. It is usually based on past sales and adjusted for new trends or customer feedback. Recording the curve against each style helps buyers spread quantities in line with demand.
Why do fashion brands need a SKU for every size and colour?
Each size and colour combination is sold, counted and returned separately, so it needs its own stock-keeping unit to be tracked accurately. A consistent code pattern makes variants easier to find and barcodes easier to match to the right item. Without that structure, reports on sell-through and stock cannot be trusted.
What is a tech pack?
A tech pack is the document that describes a garment in enough detail for a factory to make it. It usually includes sketches, measurements for each size, materials, trims, stitching details and labelling requirements. Keeping the current version linked to the style means the brand and the factory work from the same specification.
How does an ERP help fashion brands manage factory orders?
An ERP can hold each factory's lead times, minimum order quantities and approved samples, and raise production orders by style, colour and size. It shows which orders are waiting on approvals or materials and when stock is expected in the warehouse. That visibility helps planners avoid late arrivals before a season opens.
Can one stock system serve wholesale and online sales?
Yes, a single set of stock records can serve both, provided the rules for allocating stock between channels are clear. Wholesale orders and online sales should draw on the same variant records, so the team can see what is available to each. The set-up depends on the sales platforms used, so check that connection closely.
What should a fashion brand learn from its returns?
Returns show which sizes and colourways customers are rejecting, and often why. Recording the reason at variant level lets the design and sampling teams correct fit and product problems before the next season. Grading returned stock accurately also keeps the stock position reliable.
Final thought
ERP for fashion brands helps when styles, variants, seasons and factory orders have outgrown the design folder and the spreadsheet. A clear variant structure, a season calendar and one stock position across wholesale and online sales give the brand a sound base for the decisions that follow.
Agree the style and variant structure before anything else, because every other figure depends on it. Factory orders and channel allocation come next, and returns and reporting become far more useful once those records agree.
If seasons are being planned across spreadsheets and inboxes, the sensible place to start is a working session on the style structure and the season calendar. Mirex Agency can take that work forward, and our ERP solutions service can connect styles, factory orders and wholesale and online stock into one record the whole team can use.
