Mekan Textile Blog

How to request a fabric sample from Mekan Textile

A clear sample request gets the right cloth to you first time. Quote the code, colour and weight, and tell us what the fabric will become.

Close-up of light blue shirting fabric at a collar with dark-rimmed buttons

Sampling is where a fabric project either moves quickly or loses time in back-and-forth emails. Most delays come from requests that could describe more than one fabric. This is how to ask for a sample so that we can identify the cloth straight away, and what to expect after you send the request.

Quote the code

Every fabric we make has a code, printed on its swatch card and shown on the product pages: for example PM-01 for a cotton shirting or PL-02 for a cotton-lyocell trouser fabric. The code identifies the construction, fibre and finish exactly, so it is the first thing to include.

Codes are organised by collection, and the same code can exist in two collections. PE-01, for example, is a cotton-elastane shirting and also a cotton-elastane trouser fabric. Say which collection you are looking at, shirting, trouser, canvas or another, and there is no room for confusion.

Add the colour and weight

After the code, give the colour or shade as it appears on the card, and the weight as printed. For our 500 gsm canvas, quote the shade reference (such as CV-05). Code, colour and weight together make a request unambiguous, and they let us spot quickly if a code has been mistyped.

The sample buttons on our shirting and trouser pages open an email with the code, colour and weight already filled in, which is the easiest way to get this right.

Tell us what the fabric is for

A few lines about the product make the sample far more useful:

  • The end product: a shirt, a trouser, a curtain, a tote bag, an apron.
  • The finish you have in mind: piece-dyed, printed, or as shown on the card.
  • Any requirements: a target weight, a width for your cutting layout, stretch, or tests the product must pass.
  • An idea of volume: even a rough range helps us suggest the right production route.

If a different quality in the range is a better match for what you describe, we will say so and can include it for comparison.

If there is no code yet

If you are developing something new, send what you have: a reference fabric, a photo, a specification sheet or a description of the product and its use. We can suggest an existing quality to start from, or discuss developing the weight, weave, content or finish to your brief.

What happens next

  • We confirm the fabric, colour and specification by email, and ask anything that is unclear.
  • We tell you what form the sample will take and when you can expect it, since this depends on the fabric and whether it is in stock.
  • The sample is sent with its code, so that any follow-up refers to exactly the same cloth.
  • Once you have handled and tested it, we discuss colour, quantities and the route to production.

Evaluating the sample

When the sample arrives, handle it in good daylight, wash a piece if the product will be washed, and check it against the specification. Keep the swatch and its code together: if you order later, that code is the reference for the production cloth.

If the sample is close but not quite right, tell us what to change, for example a little heavier, softer or in a different shade. That feedback is the fastest way to the right cloth.

Ready to start? Send us your request with the code, colour and weight, and a line about what you are making.

Read next

Cotton poplin shirt on a hanger Apparel Fabrics Shirting fabric 18 shirting fabric qualities in five fibre families: 100% cotton, organic cotton, cotton-linen, cotton-elastane and lyocell, 85-165 gsm, 144-158 cm wide. Close-up of grey trousers with a buttoned flap pocket Apparel Fabrics Trouser fabric 18 trouser fabric qualities in six fibre families, from cotton-elastane to cotton-lyocell, linen and wool blends, 170-290 gsm, 145-160 cm wide. Plain cotton canvas tote bag held by its handles Niche Products Cotton canvas 500 gsm Heavy 500 gsm 100% cotton canvas woven from double-ply yarns, in stock in 30 colours. For tote bags, aprons, footwear and upholstery.

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