The first number a founder asks us is almost never about price. It's "what's your minimum order?" We set ours at 50 pieces per style. Not because we can't run more — but because, for an independent brand, 50 is the right place to begin.
A low minimum is often mistaken for a discount trick. It isn't. It's a philosophy about how a young brand should meet the market: prove the product before you commit the capital.
The cheapest sample is the one you never had to over-produce.
Your cash flow. A 50-piece run ties up a fraction of the working capital a 300- or 500-piece run does. For a brand financing its first collection on its own, that difference is the difference between "we launched" and "we're stuck with inventory."
Your learning. The first production run is where you discover what sells, what fits the way customers expect, and what you'd change. A smaller run means you learn those lessons cheaply, then scale the winners.
Your story. Independent brands win on focus. A tight first run keeps the collection coherent instead of scattered across styles you couldn't fully develop.
We're honest about the limits. Below 50 per style, development and setup costs stop making sense for non-knit production — the math stops working for both of us. And some categories (heavy outerwear, complex tailoring) carry fixed costs that favour a slightly larger first run. We'll tell you when 50 isn't the right number, rather than quietly pushing you up.
A small run is only healthy if the development behind it is efficient. That's the part clients don't see: shared pattern infrastructure, a fast 7-day sampling loop, and material sourcing that doesn't punish low volume. The MOQ is the visible promise; the invisible work is what keeps it real.
Treat your first run as a test, not a bet. Use 50 pieces to confirm fit, price and demand — then scale the styles your customers actually want. That's the whole point of starting small, and it's why we build our process around it.
Thinking about your first run? Start a confidential conversation — everything you share is covered by NDA from the first reply.