Reference and traceability
Lesson 1 of 4
Objective
Confirm that every color judgment is made against the correct, current, approved reference — before looking at any garment.
A color check is only as good as the reference it is compared with. Before you assess shade, confirm the style number, colorway name, production lot and the approved reference ID with its approval date. Then confirm which Brand requirement applies to this order.
Know the difference between the references you may be handed. An approved sample is a garment or fabric that the Brand has formally approved for this product. A swatch is a small cut piece, which may or may not be approved. A shade band is a set of approved fabric pieces showing the accepted range for a lot or season. They are not interchangeable unless the Brand says so.
If an approval is missing, expired or ambiguous, the correct action is to hold the assessment and ask for clarification. Do not invent a tolerance or assume the closest swatch is good enough.
Factory scenario: two approvals that disagree
An inspector receives a bundle with a swatch labelled 'approved' and a garment sample with a different reference ID and date. The two do not look the same.
Correct handling: record both reference IDs and dates on the report, do not choose one yourself, place the color result on hold and escalate to the quality lead or Brand contact for confirmation of the current approval.
Common mistakes
- Assessing shade before checking that the reference matches the style, colorway and lot.
- Treating any swatch in the file as an approved standard.
- Filling a missing tolerance from memory or from a previous order.
Your action
Take one garment from your workplace and list its style, colorway, lot and the reference ID you would compare it with. Note anything missing.