Fashion Industry Glossary: 50 Terms You’ll Want to Know

Author

Kerri Bridgman

Date

May 11, 2025

Whether you’re new to the fashion world, curious about what your friends or family do, or just want to finally understand the terms you keep hearing—this glossary is your go-to guide. Below are 50 terms that will help you understand the fashion industry that much easier.

👗 DESIGN & CREATIVE

1. Mood Board – A collage of visuals used to inspire a collection, this board is generally started 9 to 12 months before a collection arrives in store (think: colors, fabrics, vibes). It will potentially serve as a reference point for the Marketing Team later down the line.
2. Swatch – A small piece of fabric used to show color, texture, and material before production. Designers and production teams use swatches to compare options, match trims, and get sign-off before ordering in bulk. Basically: a fabric preview you can touch.
3. Pantone – A universal color-matching system used to ensure colors are consistent across all factories. Pantone also offers color trend forecasting, digital and physical swatches, product color consulting and customized color standards.

4. Tech Pack – The blueprint for how a product gets made, including sketches, materials, measurements, and instructions. This is sent off to the factory to confirm they have the capabilities and equipment necessary to bring a design to fruition the way a designer or team imagines it.
5. CAD (Computer-Aided Design) – A digital sketch of a garment or print, used in the design process. Some companies have in house programs built, others use Adobe Illustrator or Auto-CAD.
6. Colorway – The different color combinations a style comes in. Companies generally have “core colorways” that are produced each season [Ex. Black, white, navy, charcoal could be four colors that a brand produces every season on top of their seasonal colorway(s)).
7. Sample – A pre-production version of a style to check fit, fabric, and design before going into bulk production. Companies generally go through multiple samples before approving the final pre-production sample.

Below is a list of some samples one might encounter while working

1. Prototype Sample
2. Fit Sample
3. Pre-Production Sample
4. Runway Sample
5. Market Sample
6. PR Sample
7. Top of Production (TOP
8. Spec Sheet – A detailed measurement chart of every size for a style. Brands send the spec sheets to new factories as they are on-boarded, and to existing factories as styles are added.
• During TOP checks they will confirm that the product has been made within tolerance before the entire order is shipped to stores or warehouses globally.
9. Print Repeat – The layout of a pattern or print when it’s applied to fabric. Some times this is a specific repeat, other times it is random – it is notated in the Tech Pack what kind of print repeat has been determined by the team.
10. Strike-off – A printed fabric swatch used to approve colors and prints before bulk production. Strike-offs may also be requested before samples are made so the design team has a full view of the product before final production begins.

🧶 PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS

1. MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) – The smallest number of units a factory will produce. Some companies will make lower quantities than they specify for an additional fee. Other times the factory will discount the cost per unit if more orders are placed.
2. Lead Time – How long it takes from start to finish to make a product. Smaller orders does not necessarily mean a shorter lead time.
3. Cut & Sew – A manufacturing method where garments are made from scratch by cutting fabric and sewing pieces together.
4. Grading – Adjusting the size of a sample up or down to create a full size range. Some factories offer this as part of their services, pattern makers can also help to grade product based on a designer or brands specific requests.
5. PP Sample (Pre-Production Sample) – The final approved version of a style before full production begins. This sample is often approved in a company’s office, then sent back to the factory to reference throughout production.
6. QC (Quality Control) – The process of checking products to make sure they meet standards. Depending on where your factory is or how large the order is either a representative from the factory will complete this process or someone from your team can go to complete this.
7. T&A (Time & Action Calendar) – A timeline used in production to keep all teams on track with deadlines. This is for internal and external use. It is another way to prevent surprises from occurring.
8. FOB (Freight on Board) – A shipping term that determines who pays for and manages the shipping process.
9. Factory Compliance – A check to make sure factories meet ethical and safety standards. As the world becomes smaller thanks to technology brands are becoming more open about their supply chain standards, including the factory compliance agreements.
10. Bill of Materials (BOM) – A list of everything that goes into making a product—fabrics, trims, labels, etc.

🛍️ MERCHANDISING & SALES

1. SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) – A unique code for every style, color, and size combo of a product. This code is often formulated by a brand in their early days. Once you know how to read a particular brands SKU, as the employee or consumer, identifying what season/year a piece was made becomes very easy.

2. Line Sheet – A catalog of styles with photos, prices, and details for buyers. Line sheets are made once sales samples have been received for the start of market.
3. Market – The mix of products selected for a specific store, season, or location. It’s how buyers and merchandisers decide what styles show up on the floor—based on trends, customer demand, and sales strategy. Think: “What’s in the store right now, and why.”
4. Sell-Through – The percentage of product sold compared to how much was received. This KPI can be looked at by style, color, store location, or any other variable that the SKU helps to differentiate.
5. Open-to-Buy (OTB) – A budget tool that helps merchandisers know how much inventory to order. Retailers will often use this when they are in Market to prevent over buying.
6. Buy Plan – A seasonal strategy of what products to carry, when to bring them in, and how much to buy.
7. Markdown – A price reduction to help sell slow-moving inventory.
8. Visual Merchandising – The art of presenting products in a way that drives sales (think mannequins, windows, displays).
9. Seasonal Assortment – The mix of styles offered during a specific selling season. These are not “core offerings” and may not be available again.
10. Style Out – A team review of how the line will be presented or bought into.

💼 RETAIL & CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

1. POS (Point of Sale) – Where a purchase is made—can be physical or digital. Can also refer to the system used to check customers/clients out in a brick and mortar store.
2. Clienteling – Building personal relationships with customers to encourage loyalty and repeat purchases. See the blog post here for clienteling tips!
3. Units Per Transaction (UPT) – The average number of items sold per purchase. Average Dollar per Sale (ADS) – The average dollar amount spent per purchase.
4. Conversion Rate – How many shoppers actually make a purchase. This is calculated either through website traffic or the amount of people who make a purchase after walking through the doors at a store.
5. Return Rate – The percentage of products customers return after buying. Some stores have return policies that prevent customers from returning certain items (i.e. swimwear, lingerie), while others only offer store credit instead of money back)
6. SKU Rationalization – Removing slow-selling styles to optimize inventory. Retailers may have an agreement in their contract to return, exchange, or markdown underperforming items after a set period.
7. Door – A term used to refer to a physical retail store or selling location (“We’re in 25 doors this season”).
8. Retail Math – Formulas that help you calculate margins, markups, and profitability.
9. GMROI (Gross Margin Return on Investment) – A measure of how much profit you’re making on your inventory.
10. Shrink – Inventory lost due to theft, damage, or miscounts. The 3 main ways to lose inventory are: internal theft, external theft and paperwork errors.

✨ GENERAL INDUSTRY SLANG

1. Trend Forecasting – Predicting future fashion trends before they hit the mainstream.
2. Drop – A release of new styles, often used in streetwear or DTC (direct-to-consumer) brands (“New drop coming Friday!”).
3. On-Brand – A phrase used to say something aligns with a brand’s aesthetic or message.
4. Fast Fashion – Trendy clothing made quickly and cheaply to keep up with demand.
5. Deadstock – Unsold inventory from previous seasons.
6. Capsule Collection – A small, curated group of versatile styles that work well together.
7. Exclusive – A product only available at a certain store or for a limited time.
8. Evergreen – A style that sells well year-round, not just seasonally. May be part of a brand’s core styles / offerings.
9. Resort / Cruise – A transitional season between Fall and Spring with travel-friendly styles. Trans / Summer is the transitional season between Spring and Fall with lighter weight styles.
10. Flagship Store – A brand’s main or most prominent retail location. A brand may have multiple Flagship stores throughout a country or region.

Know a term we missed? Drop it in the comments and we’ll add it to the list—this glossary is growing with you. 📌 Save it to Pinterest or share it with someone who’s always asking what a tech pack is.