What is the minimum order quantity for custom pants?

The minimum order quantity at Winking is 100 pieces per style per colour for stock fabrics, and 300 pieces per style per colour for custom-developed fabrics. Trial orders for new brands are accepted on stock fabric programmes, and repeat orders can be placed in the same or larger quantities.

How long does it take to make a sample?

A pre-production sample takes 5 to 7 working days after Winking confirms your design, fabric and fit requirements. The sample is sent to you for fit and quality approval before bulk production starts, and one round of fit revision is included in the standard sampling cost.

What is the bulk production lead time?

Bulk production takes 25 to 40 working days depending on order quantity and fabric availability. Winking confirms a delivery date in writing before the order is released to the line, and larger ski and outdoor programmes are scheduled in production slots agreed at the order confirmation stage.

Can you develop a pattern if we only have an idea?

Yes. Winking's in-house team develops patterns, sketches and prototypes from a concept brief without finished artwork. The company holds 51 proprietary performance pants patterns covering 15 scenarios and 3 fits, and ODM development includes CAD pattern making and 3D fit checking.

Which certifications and test reports do you hold?

Winking is verified under amfori BSCI and holds Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) assessment. Products are tested to GB 18401-2010 and CE requirements, with third-party reports covering fibre content and fabric performance available on request. Winking is also registered under the German Packaging Act (VerpackG).

Can you produce pants with recycled or functional fabrics?

Yes. Winking supplies waterproof, windproof, quick-dry, moisture-wicking, anti-UV and fleece fabrics, and can source recycled polyester and recycled nylon. Functional fabrics are developed through Kaogong New Materials, a joint venture with Donghua University covering masterbatch, fibre, spinning, weaving and dyeing.

Four performance pants patterns showing commuter, cargo, jogger and track silhouettes

Pants fit and pattern development: what buyers should specify

Pants fit is decided by pattern geometry rather than by size chart alone. The crotch curve, rise, knee break and gusset placement determine whether a technical trouser allows full range of motion or pulls at the hip. Buyers should specify the movement the garment must support, then approve fit on a physical sample rather than from a measurement sheet.

The four measurements that decide technical fit

Waist and inseam are the measurements buyers quote most often and the ones that explain fit least. In performance pants, four other dimensions decide whether the garment works: rise, which sets where the waistband sits relative to the hip; crotch curve, which controls whether the wearer can step, squat and rotate without the fabric pulling; knee placement, which determines where the articulation line falls; and leg opening angle, which decides whether the trouser reads as tapered, straight or wide.

These four variables are set by the pattern block. Winking owns 51 proprietary performance pants patterns, developed in-house since 2006, which means a new style can often start from a proven block rather than from a blank sheet.

Matching the block to the scenario and the fit

The pattern matrix covers 15 scenarios against 3 fits, giving 45 documented fit combinations. A buyer developing a golf programme and a hiking programme can therefore work from two different blocks rather than adapting one, which avoids the compromise that produces a trouser which is acceptable for both activities and convincing for neither.

What belongs in the tech pack

A tech pack that omits fit intent forces the pattern maker to guess, and the guess is usually the most common block in the factory rather than the block the brand needs. A pants tech pack should carry the measurements below, together with a note on the movement the garment has to support.

Sample approval is the right place to spend time

Fit correction becomes more expensive at every stage. Changing a crotch curve on a paper pattern costs nothing but pattern maker time. Changing it after cutting starts costs fabric, cutting time and the production slot. Changing it after shipment costs the order. This is why Winking treats the pre-production sample as the decision point, with 5 to 7 working days of sampling and one fit revision round included.

Buyers are encouraged to assess the sample on a fit model whose proportions match the target market and the middle of the size range, and to record comments against the four critical dimensions rather than against general impressions. Specific comments such as “the knee break sits 30 mm above the natural knee” produce a usable correction, while “feels tight” usually produces another sample round.

Protecting the pattern once it is approved

An approved pattern is an asset. Winking holds 51 proprietary performance pants patterns, and a brand may licence a pattern exclusively for its market, so a competitor selling into the same market cannot buy the same block. Exclusivity terms are agreed in writing at the development stage, before the first production order, because the value of the pattern to the brand depends on it not being available to a direct competitor.