Pattern drafting
Your sketch or reference garment turned into a cutting pattern by a patternmaker. Not traced off the nearest stock block.
( 002 )Design & production
Custom abaya manufacturer: cut and sew from your design
Send a photo, a sketch, an abaya you want copied, or a full tech pack. We draft the pattern, make a sample, fix what you do not like, then produce it. The design stays yours.
- Start fromPhoto, sketch or tech pack
- Price fromAED 90 a piece
- Lead time22–30 days
- Sample rounds1 included, in writing
22–30
Days, deposit to dispatch
First run. Repeats of an approved pattern run 12–18.
1
Sample round included
Written into the quote. Extra rounds priced before they start.
52–60
Lengths we grade
Or UK and US sizing if that is your market.
100%
Yours
A pattern we draft for you is not sold to anyone else.
What cut and sew abaya manufacturing means
Cut and sew means the garment is built for you from flat fabric. Someone drafts a pattern, cuts the pieces and sews them together to your spec. It is the opposite of buying something off our shelf and putting your label in it.
You need it when the abaya you want to sell does not exist yet. A sleeve that falls differently, a length your market wants and nobody stocks, a closed front where everyone else does open, or a fit that works for your customers rather than the average of everyone’s.
Three levels, and most people need the middle one
Full custom is not always the right answer. It is slower and the first run costs more. Be honest about which of these you actually need.
Catalogue as it is
Pick a style we already make. Fastest and cheapest, and the right call for a first order while you work out what sells.
Catalogue with changes
Take an existing pattern and change the length, the sleeve, the neckline or the fabric. Much cheaper than starting from nothing because the block already fits. Most buyers who ask for custom really want this.
Full custom
A new pattern drafted from your design or your reference garment. The right call when the shape is the reason customers pick you. Costs a pattern fee once, then behaves like any other style.
You do not need a tech pack to start
Most factories ask for a tech pack and leave it there, which is not much help if you have never made one. You can start with far less than that.
Send whatever you have. We will tell you what is missing and ask the questions your file does not answer.
Any of these is a real starting point
In rough order of how much back and forth they save:
- A photo or screenshot of an abaya you like, with notes on what you would change
- A hand drawing. It does not need to be neat and it does not need to be to scale
- A garment posted to us. This is the best one, because fabric weight and fit come across in a way no photo manages
- A full tech pack, if you already work with a designer
What a tech pack actually contains
If you want to build one, or want to understand what we send back, it is these five things.
Flat sketch
The garment drawn front and back, flat, with callouts pointing at the details that matter.
Bill of materials
Every fabric, thread, zip, button and label that goes into it, with the colour and supplier for each.
Points of measure
The list of measurements that define the fit, with the tolerance allowed on each. Centre back length, chest, sleeve, hem sweep, and so on.
Construction notes
Which seam goes where, stitch type and density, how the hem is finished, how the facing is attached.
Label and packing
Where each label sits, what the tags say, and how the finished piece is folded and bagged.
If you do not have one, you leave with one
We write the tech pack as part of developing your style, and it is yours to keep. Some buyers find that odd, since it means you could take it to another manufacturer.
We would rather earn the repeat order than hold your documents hostage. A brand that cannot get its own spec out of its supplier is stuck, and buyers know it.
Pattern making, grading and fit
The pattern is where a custom order is won or lost. Everything downstream inherits a mistake made at this stage, and no amount of careful sewing fixes a badly drafted armhole.
Your pattern is drafted by a patternmaker, not traced off a stock block and hoped for.
Who owns the pattern
You do, for anything you bring us or develop with us. We keep a copy on file so repeat orders match, and we do not put it in the catalogue.
If you decide to produce somewhere else later, ask and we will send it to you. That is an unusual thing for a manufacturer to say out loud, which is rather the point.
Abaya sizing is two measurements, not one
Gulf sizing runs on length: 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, measured down the centre back. The problem is that in most grading, width is tied to length, so a tall slim customer and a shorter fuller customer are pushed into the same size and one of them sends it back.
Tell us your customer and we will grade length and girth separately where it matters. If you are selling into the UK or US we can grade to dress sizes instead, or put the length on the label and the conversion on the hang tag.
Plus size is drafted, not stretched
A 4XL graded up from a small block fits nobody. The armhole ends up in the wrong place and the shoulder slope is wrong before you get anywhere near the body.
We draft from a plus block and grade outward from there. It costs a little more in pattern work and it is the difference between a plus range that sells and one that comes back.
Sampling: how many rounds you get and what they cost
Almost every factory page says it does sampling. Very few say how many rounds are included or what a second one costs, and that gap is where custom orders turn into arguments.
One round of changes is included in your quote. Most styles need exactly one. If a second round is needed we price it before we start it, so a sampling invoice never arrives as a surprise.
The samples, in the order they happen
Not every order needs all three. A simple change to an existing style often goes straight to the last one.
Proto sample
The first attempt at the shape. Often in a substitute fabric, because the point is the cut, not the cloth. You are checking whether the idea works at all.
Fit sample
In the real fabric, in your base size. This is the one you try on a person, mark up and send back with comments.
Pre-production sample
The approved version, made the way bulk will be made. It gets signed off, sealed and kept here, and the production run is inspected against it.
Why bulk sometimes feels different from the sample
This is one of the most common complaints in the whole trade, and it usually has a boring explanation.
A sample is made slowly by one experienced person. Bulk is made at speed by a line. If the sample was sewn in a different fabric roll, or the sample maker quietly corrected something the pattern got wrong, bulk will not repeat it.
The fix is the sealed pre-production sample and a written measurement sheet. Bulk is checked against a physical garment and a list of numbers, not against a memory of how the sample felt.
What custom abayas cost
Pieces start at AED 90. Custom work sits above that, because a new pattern, a sampling round and a slower first run all cost money that a catalogue style has already paid off.
The pattern fee is charged once, on the first order. Repeats never pay it again, which is why the second order of a custom style is so much cheaper per piece than the first.
Why your minimum can go up after you choose the details
Buyers get caught by this constantly and it is worth explaining rather than letting you discover it.
Our own minimum is 20 pieces and AED 2,000 an order, in any mix. But the mill has a minimum on a custom-dyed colour. The trim supplier has one on a special zip. The label weaver has one too. Pick a spec that needs any of those and the real minimum for your order goes up, and it is not us being difficult.
We will tell you which part of your spec is driving it, and usually there is a substitute that gets you the same look without the minimum.
What is quoted separately
The per-piece price covers the garment. These are shown as their own lines so you can see what each decision costs.
- Pattern making and grading, charged once per design
- Sampling, including courier to you
- Embroidery, beading and laser cutting, priced per placement
- Labels, tags and packaging, at cost
- Freight and duty, quoted to your door
What you get
Everything below exists because a buyer eventually asked for it and found nobody would commit to it in writing.
Grading across your sizes
One approved fit graded through your whole run. Plus sizes drafted from a plus block so the armhole still lands properly.
Fabric sourcing
Nida, crepe, jersey, satin, linen blends and heavier formal cloth. You get hangers to handle before you choose, not a list of names.
A real sample
Made the way your bulk will be made. What you hold is what arrives in the carton.
Embroidery and embellishment
Machine embroidery, beading, appliqué, stonework and laser cut panels, quoted per placement so you can see what each one adds.
A written tech pack
Measurements, tolerances, stitch types, trims and fabric codes. Yours to keep, even if you take it elsewhere.
From sketch to shipped
The slow part is never the sewing. It is waiting on a decision, so each step says who has the ball.
01Day 0
Send what you have
A drawing, a photo, a garment in the post, or a tech pack. All four are a real start.
02Day 1–3
Can we build it, and at what price
We tell you what works at your target price and what does not, then quote at three quantities.
03Day 3–14
Pattern and first sample
Pattern drafted, sample cut and sewn, photographed on a form and couriered to you.
04Day 14–20
Your corrections
Mark up the sample and send it back. We adjust the pattern and confirm in writing exactly what changed.
05Day 20–28
Production and checks
Bulk cut and sewn, with checks during the run against the sealed sample and your measurement sheet.
06Day 28–30
Pack and ship
Carton photos, balance invoice, courier handover and tracking the same day.
Terms
What a custom programme costs you in money, time and commitment.
- Price from
- AED 90 a pieceCustom work sits above the entry price. Quoted per design.
- Minimum order
- 20 piecesAny mix of styles and colours. Repeats of an approved pattern run at the same minimum.
- Minimum order value
- AED 2,000Both minimums apply, so whichever you reach last.
- Lead time
- 22–30 working daysFirst run. Repeats of an approved pattern run 12–18.
- Pattern and grading
- Quoted per designCharged once. Repeat orders never pay it twice.
- Sample rounds
- 1 includedFurther rounds priced before they are started.
- Payment
- 50–60% depositbalance on dispatch, against photos of your packed cartons
- Shipping
- DDP or DAP, quoted per laneLanded cost shown before you commit, not after.
- Made in
- United Arab EmiratesMade in the UAE to our specifications, inspected and packed by us before it ships.
Where a custom order is decided
Illustrative photographs of the stages that decide whether a garment still hangs properly after ten washes.
Who this suits
Custom pays for itself past a certain point and burns money before it.
Brands with a point of view
You have a cut or a detail the catalogue does not carry, and it is the reason customers pick you over the next shop.
Markets that standard sizing fails
Different heights, sleeve lengths or modesty conventions. A block graded for your customers beats a compromise made for everyone.
Not for a first test order
If you have not sold an abaya yet, buy stock and find out what moves. Custom makes sense once you know what is missing.
What is different here
These are the parts of custom manufacturing the rest of the category leaves vague.
The sample rounds are in the quote
One included, written down, with the price of a second stated before it is needed. Almost nobody publishes this and it is where custom orders go wrong.
Your design is not resold
A pattern developed with you does not turn up in our catalogue later with someone else’s label in it.
You keep the tech pack
Even if you later produce somewhere else. We would rather compete for the repeat order than hold your paperwork.
Plus size drafted from a plus block
Not scaled up from a small one. If you sell plus sizes you already know the difference, and your returns rate knows it too.
We say when your spec raises the minimum
A custom colour or a special trim brings its own supplier minimum. You hear that while you can still change it.
What to send with your enquiry
The more of this you have, the sooner a sample is in your hands.
Something visual
Sketch, photo, screenshot, or a garment in the post. Rough is fine. We will ask what it does not answer.
Target price and quantity
Tell us the number you need to hit. We will say honestly whether it works at that fabric.
Fit reference
A size chart, or a garment whose fit you want matched. Either works.
Your deadline
The day it has to be on your shelf, not the day you would like a sample.
Questions buyers ask us
The custom manufacturing questions, answered the way we would answer them on a call.
01Getting started
I only have a photo from Instagram. Is that enough?
To quote you, usually yes. To produce, no. We will draft a pattern and send you a sample, and you approve a physical garment before anything goes into bulk.
Can I post you an abaya and ask you to copy the fit?
That is the most useful thing you can send. Fabric weight, drape and fit come across in a garment in a way they never do in a photo. Post it and tell us what you would change about it.
Do I need a tech pack?
Not to begin. If you have one it saves a week. If you do not, we write one while developing your style and you keep it.
Do you charge to make the tech pack?
It is part of the pattern and development fee, not a separate invoice. You get the document either way.
I have an idea but nothing on paper. Where do I start?
Send three photos of abayas that are close, and write a sentence about what is wrong with each one. That is genuinely enough for a first conversation.
Can you help me choose the fabric?
Yes, and it is worth doing before the pattern. Tell us your retail price and your climate and we will send hangers to handle. Fabric decides more about the finished abaya than any other single choice.
Will you copy another brand’s abaya for me?
We will not reproduce a protected design or anyone’s branding. Building something to the same fit, weight and finish as a garment you send is normal trade practice and we do it every week.
02Pattern, fit and sizing
Do you make the pattern or do I supply one?
We make it. If you already have a pattern we can work from that instead, and we will check it before cutting rather than discovering a problem at sample stage.
Is pattern making charged separately?
Yes, once per design, shown as its own line. Repeat orders of that style never pay it again.
Who owns the pattern?
You do. We keep a copy so repeats match. Ask for it and we will send it to you, even if you are moving production elsewhere.
What sizes do you grade to?
Gulf lengths 52 to 60 as standard, extendable to 64. UK, US and EU dress sizing if that is your market. We can also grade to a size chart you supply.
My customers are tall but slim. Does the 60 come out too wide?
In standard grading, yes, because width is usually tied to length. That is a real cause of returns. Tell us and we will grade length and girth separately for the sizes where it matters.
What measurement tolerance do you work to?
Usually plus or minus one centimetre on the points that matter, published per style. Where a fabric or a cut needs more room than that, you are told before you approve the sample.
Can you match the fit of a garment I send exactly?
Close, and usually closer than you expect. An exact match depends on the original fabric still existing. If the cloth is different the drape will be different, and we will tell you where that shows.
03Samples
How many sample rounds are included?
One round of changes. Most styles need exactly one. A second is quoted before it starts, so you decide whether it is worth it.
How much is a custom sample?
Quoted per design, because a plain abaya and a beaded one are not the same job. It is a separate line on your quote, not folded into the piece price where you cannot see it.
Is the sample cost credited against my bulk order?
Neither kind is. A catalogue sample order is real stock you keep and sell, so there is nothing to credit. A custom development sample pays for pattern work that has already been done.
Will the sample be in the real production fabric?
The fit sample is. A first proto is sometimes made in a substitute, because at that stage we are checking the shape and it would be a waste of your fabric budget.
How long does a sample take?
Around 10 to 14 days for the first one, plus courier. Faster if it is a change to a pattern we already hold.
What if the sample comes back wrong?
That is what it is for. Mark it up, photograph it, send notes. We adjust and confirm in writing what changed, so there is no argument later about what was agreed.
Can I get a size set before bulk?
Yes, and for a plus range we recommend it. One garment in each size, so you can check the grading on real bodies before committing to a run.
My last supplier’s bulk felt nothing like the sample. How do you stop that?
Two things. The approved sample gets sealed and stays here as the reference, and the run is measured against a written sheet rather than against memory. If a fabric lot shifts between sample and bulk, you hear it from us before it ships.
04Minimums and quantities
What is the minimum for a custom design?
The same as any order: 20 pieces and AED 2,000, whichever you reach last, split across styles and colours however you like. The pattern fee is what makes a very small first run expensive per piece, not the sewing.
Can I do one design as a test before a whole collection?
Yes, and it is the sensible way round. One style, two colours, 20 to 30 pieces. Learn from it, then build the collection around what sold.
How many colourways should I launch a style in?
Two is usually right. Black plus one. Black carries the volume and the second colour tells you whether your customer wants colour at all, which is worth knowing before you buy a rail of it.
Why did my minimum go up after I picked the fabric?
Because mills and trim suppliers have their own minimums. A custom-dyed colour or a special trim can force a bigger buy even when our own order minimum is only 20 pieces. We tell you which choice is doing it and usually offer a substitute.
Can I supply my own fabric?
You can. Send it with enough allowance for cutting waste and rejects, and we will confirm the yield before cutting. Note that we cannot stand behind the performance of cloth we did not buy.
05Fabric, quality and finishing
What fabrics do you work with?
Nida in several grades, crepes, jersey, satin, chiffon, georgette, linen blends and heavier formal cloth. Tell us the price point and the climate and we will narrow it to three and send hangers.
Will the fabric be see-through?
Not if it is specified properly. Very light cloth can go sheer in strong sunlight, which is exactly the situation your customer will be in. Say where you are selling and we will pick a weight that behaves.
Will the black fade or go grey after washing?
Good black holds. Cheap black does not, and that is a fabric decision rather than a sewing one. Wash test your sample before you order bulk. We would rather you did.
Can you match a specific colour?
Send a Pantone reference or a physical swatch and we will do a lab dip for approval before bulk. Custom dyeing has its own minimum, which we will tell you up front.
Can you add embroidery, beading or laser cut work?
All of them. Each is priced per placement so you can see what a sleeve panel costs versus a full front. Ask for a pull test on any beadwork sample: if threads lift easily, that is a reject.
How do you check quality during a custom run?
Fabric is checked before cutting, the first garment off the line is measured against the sealed sample, and checks continue at intervals through the run. A fault found at piece 40 is a correction. Found at piece 400 it is a write-off for both of us.
What happens if a batch fails inspection?
It gets remade or credited, at our cost where the fault is ours. That is written into the terms rather than decided case by case once there is a problem.
06Price, time and paperwork
What does a custom abaya cost per piece?
It starts at AED 90 and moves with fabric, stitch work and anything added on top. We quote the same design at three quantities so you can see where the price breaks fall before you decide how deep to go.
Is cut and sew more expensive than buying catalogue stock?
On the first run, clearly yes, because you are paying for pattern work and sampling. By the second or third run it usually is not, and you own a design nobody else can sell.
How long does the whole thing take?
22 to 30 working days from cleared deposit for a first run, sampling included. Repeat orders of an approved pattern come down to 12 to 18.
Do repeat orders take another 30 days?
No. Sampling and pattern work are done, so a repeat runs 12 to 18 working days. That gap is the main argument for developing a style properly once.
What are your payment terms?
A 50–60% deposit before production starts, and the balance on dispatch, against photos of your packed cartons.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes. We will also tell you honestly that clothing is hard to protect legally once it is on sale, so an NDA covers your files and your plans rather than your silhouette.
Do you stop production during Ramadan or Eid?
Hours change around Eid and the whole region gets busy in the run-up. Tell us your dates early and we will book your run where it is not fighting for a machine.
Send us the design
A sketch on a phone is enough to start. You will get a straight answer on whether it can be built at your price, a quote at three quantities, and a date for the first sample.