A US clothing brand working with a manufacturer outside the US should usually send its brief five to six months before a Black Friday or holiday launch. At NO FUGAZI sampling takes about 2 to 3 weeks and bulk about 3 to 8 weeks after sample approval, then the stock has to be shipped, cleared through US customs and received before the selling window opens. For a late-November launch that means approving the sample by late August, and earlier if you plan to ship by sea or the range includes outerwear.
In this article
- Why holiday timing is tighter for US brands
- Counting back from Black Friday
- Holiday dates by launch target
- What to send with a holiday brief
- Quantities for a first holiday drop
- Air or sea for a first holiday run
- Customs, duty and landed cost
- Direct-to-consumer or wholesale
- Where holiday timelines slip
- If you are already late
- Working with NO FUGAZI from the US
Why holiday timing is tighter for US brands
A holiday launch has a date that does not move. Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday in November, and the strongest selling weeks run from there into December. Miss that window and the stock sells into January instead, at a discount.
A brand producing outside the US adds two stages a domestic brand does not have: international freight and US customs clearance. Neither is slow if it is planned, but both have to be counted, and both get busier in the autumn, exactly when holiday stock is moving.
Counting back from Black Friday
This is a planning template for a first run of hoodies, sweatpants, tees or tracksuits, using the long end of each range and one sample revision. Add four to six weeks if the range includes outerwear.
| Weeks before launch | Stage |
|---|---|
| 24 to 21 | Range, quantities and references decided; brief sent |
| 21 to 18 | Quote and specification agreed; first sample made, about 2 to 3 weeks (see how our process works) |
| 18 to 14 | Sample reviewed, one revision round, sample approved |
| 14 to 6 | Bulk production, about 3 to 8 weeks after approval, with quality control |
| 6 to 2 | Freight to the US and customs clearance |
| 2 to 0 | Receiving stock, checking it, loading your store and fulfilment |
For a late-November launch, that puts the brief in late May or early June and sample approval in late August. A brand planning a holiday drop in the first half of December can slide each date a couple of weeks later; a brand that wants stock in hand by mid-October for pre-launch marketing should slide everything earlier.
Holiday dates by launch target
Not every holiday plan is a Black Friday launch. Some brands want stock in hand by mid-October to photograph it and build a waitlist; others drop in early December for gifting. The same countdown gives different months for each. These are planning months for a first run of jersey or fleece basics, not promises, and each one assumes the sample is approved after one revision.
| Launch target | Send the brief | Approve the sample | Bulk finished | Stock in the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock in hand by mid-October (pre-launch content) | Late April | Mid-July | Early September | Early October |
| Black Friday, late November | Late May to early June | Late August | Mid-October | Mid-November |
| Gifting drop, early to mid-December | Mid to late June | Early September | Late October | Late November |
| Black Friday with outerwear in the range | Late April | Late July | Mid-October (outerwear takes longer to make) | Mid-November |
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, which is the fourth Thursday in November, so the exact date moves by up to a week from one year to the next. Check the calendar for your year and move every column by the same amount.
What to send with a holiday brief
A brief that answers these questions up front gets a quote and a first sample moving in days rather than weeks. None of it has to be a technical document.
| What to send | Why it matters for a holiday date |
|---|---|
| Your launch date and sales channel | It sets the whole countdown and tells us whether you are selling direct or delivering to a store |
| The styles and rough quantities | Quantities shape the quote, the fabric order and the freight plan |
| References: a sketch, photos, a moodboard or a garment you own | This replaces a tech pack and shows the fit, weight and finish you want |
| Colours, and whether a stock colour would do | Custom dyeing adds time; a stock colour removes the longest wait |
| Decoration: print, embroidery, labels and packaging | Artwork that arrives late holds up sampling and bulk |
| Delivery address in the US, and whether you use a customs broker | It lets freight and clearance be planned before the goods are ready, not after |
Quantities for a first holiday drop
Our minimum is 50 pieces per garment type, and the sizes and colourways can be split within it. A first holiday drop of one hoodie in two colours and one matching sweatpant is therefore two garment types, each with its own 50-piece minimum. How you split each 50 across sizes depends on your own customers, so start from your sales data or audience rather than a standard ratio. Our guide to minimum order quantities explains how the split works.
For a fixed holiday date it is usually better to make fewer styles in a confident quantity than many styles thinly. Every extra style adds a sample, an approval and another chance for one item to hold up the whole shipment.
Air or sea for a first holiday run
Air freight is faster and suits a small first run, where the time saved is worth more than the cost difference per unit. Sea freight costs less per unit on larger volumes but adds weeks of transit and port handling, and the autumn is the busiest period for both. For a first run of 50 to a few hundred pieces aimed at a fixed holiday date, air is usually the safer plan. Confirm current transit times when you are quoted, rather than relying on a figure from last year.
Customs, duty and landed cost
Garments imported into the US are subject to customs clearance and, depending on the product and its origin, import duty. The rate depends on how each garment is classified, which is driven by what it is and what it is made of. Plan for it in two ways:
- Time: leave clearance days in the countdown. Paperwork that matches the goods clears fastest.
- Cost: price your garments on landed cost, meaning the unit price plus freight, duty and any brokerage, not on the unit price alone.
Ask for the fabric composition of each garment early, because it feeds classification. If you use a customs broker, bring them in before the goods ship, not after.
Direct-to-consumer or wholesale
The countdown above is for brands selling direct to their own customers. If you are selling into stores, work to the buyers' calendar instead: retailers commit to holiday ranges months earlier, and the delivery date they give you replaces Black Friday as the date you count back from.
Where holiday timelines slip
Production itself is rarely the stage that runs away. Holiday dates are usually lost in the gaps between stages, where a decision is waiting on the brand:
- Sample sign-off. A sample that sits unreviewed for two weeks costs two weeks of bulk. Book time to review it the day it arrives.
- Changes after approval. Adding a colour, a style or a new print after the sample is approved restarts part of the clock.
- Artwork and trims. Labels, swing tags and packaging are small items with their own lead times. Send final artwork with the brief, not after the sample.
- Import paperwork. If the importer details or the broker are not arranged before the goods ship, finished stock can wait at the port.
- Peak-season freight. Autumn is busy for carriers and customs. The buffer in the countdown is there for this, so do not spend it earlier in the plan.
If you are already late
- Choose stock colours over custom dyes, which removes the longest fabric wait.
- Cut the range to one or two strong styles.
- Move outerwear to a January drop.
- Ship by air.
- Open pre-orders on the approved sample, so the launch date and the delivery date can differ.
Do not skip the sample. A bulk run made without one is the slowest way to recover lost time.
If it is already October or November, a full custom run will rarely land before Black Friday. The realistic options are a smaller December or January drop, pre-orders on an approved sample, and putting next year's holiday brief in the diary for late spring.
Working with NO FUGAZI from the US
We make custom garments for US brands from 50 pieces per garment type and ship to the United States. You do not need a tech pack: a sketch, a moodboard, photos or a garment you like is enough to start. Sampling takes about 2 to 3 weeks and bulk about 3 to 8 weeks after you approve the sample, plus shipping. See clothing manufacturing for US brands for how it works, or message us on WhatsApp with your launch date.
Questions
When should a US brand start production for Black Friday?
Send the brief five to six months ahead and aim to approve the sample by late August for a late-November launch. That leaves time for bulk production of about 3 to 8 weeks after approval at NO FUGAZI, freight, customs clearance and receiving the stock. Add four to six weeks for outerwear or sea freight.
Should I ship my first holiday run by air or sea?
For a first run of 50 to a few hundred pieces aimed at a fixed holiday date, air freight is usually the safer choice. It costs more per unit but saves weeks of transit and port handling during the busiest shipping season. Sea freight makes more sense on larger, less time-critical volumes.
Do I pay import duty on clothing made outside the US?
Usually, yes. The rate depends on how each garment is classified, which depends on what it is and its fabric composition. Price on landed cost, meaning unit price plus freight, duty and brokerage, and leave days in the timeline for customs clearance.
What if I miss the holiday window?
Launch what is ready, take pre-orders on the approved sample, and move outerwear or slower styles to a January drop. Cutting the range, using stock colours and shipping by air recover the most time. Skipping the sample does not; it moves the risk into bulk.
Can I order fewer than 50 pieces for a holiday test?
Our minimum is 50 pieces per garment type, but you can split those 50 across sizes and colourways. That lets a first holiday drop test two colours of one hoodie without doubling the order. If you are unsure about a style, the sample is the place to test it before you commit to bulk.
Do I need a tech pack to start holiday production?
No. A sketch, photos, a moodboard or a garment you already own is enough to start. We turn your references into a specification and a first sample, which saves the weeks it can take to commission a tech pack. That time matters most when you are working back from a fixed holiday date.
Related reading
- When to start an autumn/winter collection – the full seasonal countdown.
- Our process – from brief and sample to bulk and quality control.
- Recreating the fit of a hoodie you own – using a garment as your reference.
- Minimum order quantity explained – planning a 50-piece first run.
