Apparel Sourcing Calendar: When to Order for Each Season
Seasonal buying goes wrong in one specific way: brands work forward from the season instead of backward from the landing date. Production is 25–35 days from order to shipment, transit is another one to six weeks depending on the lane, and the two together are why a Christmas range is decided in August.
Below is the order-by date for every market we ship to, by freight route, for the season each one is buying right now — and the opposite half of the world is buying the opposite garment. Every date is computed from our published production and transit times. Nothing here is a hand-written estimate.
Southern hemisphere
Australia and New Zealand run the calendar inverted against everyone else: the summer range lands for Christmas and the winter one falls mid-year. Lightweight knits — oversized tees, shorts, polos and caps — are the spring/summer core, and heavyweight fleece is the mid-year programme.
Australia
Now making Spring/Summer 2026/27
Landing for Christmas and peak-summer selling on . In season: Custom T-Shirts, Joggers & Shorts, Polo Shirts, Tote Bags & Caps.
| Route | Order by | Order to landed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea freight | ~65 days | Open | |
| Air freight | ~45 days | Open | |
| Express courier | ~41 days | Open |
Next: Autumn/Winter 2027 — the range launch on 1 Apr 2027, shifting the mix to fleece and layering — hoodies, sweatshirts, joggers and knitwear. Sea freight order-by: 26 Jan 2027.
Northern hemisphere
The US, UK, Europe and Canada share a calendar: fleece and layering land for autumn and the holiday peak, and lightweight knits land from early spring. The sea lanes differ enough between them that the same landing date produces order-by dates weeks apart.
United States
Now making Autumn/Winter 2026/27
Landing for holiday and peak-winter selling on . In season: Hoodies & Sweatshirts, Custom T-Shirts, Joggers & Shorts, Woven Garments.
| Route | Order by | Order to landed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea freight | ~75 days | Closed | |
| Air freight | ~45 days | Open | |
| Express courier | ~41 days | Open |
Sea freight closed for this landing date on 18 Aug 2026. Air freight is the route that still makes it — see the market page for the freight comparison.
Next: Spring/Summer 2027 — the range launch on 1 Mar 2027, shifting the mix to lightweight knits — oversized tees, shorts, polos and caps. Sea freight order-by: 16 Dec 2026.
United Kingdom
Now making Autumn/Winter 2026/27
Landing for holiday and peak-winter selling on . In season: Hoodies & Sweatshirts, Custom T-Shirts, Joggers & Shorts, Woven Garments.
| Route | Order by | Order to landed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea freight | ~70 days | Open | |
| Air freight | ~44 days | Open | |
| Express courier | ~40 days | Open |
Next: Spring/Summer 2027 — the range launch on 1 Mar 2027, shifting the mix to lightweight knits — oversized tees, shorts, polos and caps. Sea freight order-by: 21 Dec 2026.
Europe
Now making Autumn/Winter 2026/27
Landing for holiday and peak-winter selling on . In season: Hoodies & Sweatshirts, Custom T-Shirts, Joggers & Shorts, Woven Garments.
| Route | Order by | Order to landed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea freight | ~75 days | Closed | |
| Air freight | ~44 days | Open | |
| Express courier | ~40 days | Open |
Sea freight closed for this landing date on 18 Aug 2026. Air freight is the route that still makes it — see the market page for the freight comparison.
Next: Spring/Summer 2027 — the range launch on 1 Mar 2027, shifting the mix to lightweight knits — oversized tees, shorts, polos and caps. Sea freight order-by: 16 Dec 2026.
Canada
Now making Autumn/Winter 2026/27
Landing for holiday and peak-winter selling on . In season: Hoodies & Sweatshirts, Custom T-Shirts, Joggers & Shorts, Woven Garments.
| Route | Order by | Order to landed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea freight | ~75 days | Closed | |
| Air freight | ~45 days | Open | |
| Express courier | ~41 days | Open |
Sea freight closed for this landing date on 18 Aug 2026. Air freight is the route that still makes it — see the market page for the freight comparison.
Next: Spring/Summer 2027 — the range launch on 1 Mar 2027, shifting the mix to lightweight knits — oversized tees, shorts, polos and caps. Sea freight order-by: 16 Dec 2026.
Markets that do not run on weather
Two of our markets have no autumn and no winter in any useful sense, and treating them as though they did would be worse than saying nothing. The Gulf runs on an event, hospitality and site calendar; schools in Thailand run on the academic year.
the Gulf
Now making Outdoor & event season 2026/27
Landing for peak expo and tournament run on . In season: Corporate Uniforms & Workwear, Polo Shirts, Promotional Apparel, Custom T-Shirts.
| Route | Order by | Order to landed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea freight | ~51 days | Open | |
| Air freight | ~41 days | Open | |
| Express courier | ~40 days | Open |
Next: Hot season 2027 — the switch to hot-weather kit on 1 May 2027, shifting the mix to breathable uniform and workwear — the indoor and site-crew months. Sea freight order-by: 11 Mar 2027.
Thailand
Now making January semester 2027
Landing for the start of second semester on . In season: School Uniforms, Polo Shirts, Kidswear, Promotional Apparel.
| Route | Order by | Order to landed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea freight | ~47 days | Open | |
| Air freight | ~39 days | Open | |
| Express courier | ~40 days | Open |
Next: August intake 2027 — the first day of the academic year on 15 Aug 2027, shifting the mix to crested day uniform, PE kit and house colours ahead of the term. Sea freight order-by: 29 Jun 2027.
How these dates are calculated
Order-by dates assume the slow end of every published range: 35 days from order to shipment, plus the longest transit we quote on that lane. Washed and garment-dyed programmes add 3–5 days, and custom knit adds 7–10 days — order ahead of the date if yours includes either.
Each order-by date is the landing date minus the full order-to-shipment window minus the slowest transit we quote on that lane. Where a market quotes two lanes for one route — Europe’s Swiss inland leg, the Gulf’s Saudi ports — the slower one sets the date, so the figure holds wherever in the market you are.
They are planning dates, not a commitment. The date we commit to is the one on your order confirmation, which is set against your actual tech pack, finish and quantity. Model the landed cost alongside the timeline, or request a quote and we will date it exactly.
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Sourcing calendar questions
How far ahead do I need to order apparel for a season?
Work back from the date stock has to be landed, not from the date the season starts. Production is 25–35 days from order to shipment, because sampling and approval sit in front of the 12–15 days on the line. Then add transit: 3–6 days by courier, 5–10 by air, and anywhere from a week to six weeks by sea depending on the lane. For a sea shipment to a northern-hemisphere market that totals roughly 10–11 weeks, so a 1 November landing means an order confirmed in mid-August.
Why are the dates different for Australia than for the UK?
Two things move at once. Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so its summer range lands while the UK is stocking fleece — the seasons are inverted, and so is the product mix. And the Chattogram–Australia sea lane is one of our shortest at roughly 20–30 days, against 28–35 to UK ports, so the same landing date allows a later order. The calendar above resolves both for each market.
I have missed the sea freight cutoff. What are my options?
Air freight, usually. It compresses three to five weeks of transit into under two, and for a launch quantity the freight premium is often smaller than the cost of missing the season entirely. A common pattern is to air the first drop and put the replenishment on the water in the same week — one purchase order, two arrival dates. Where a route has already closed for a landing date, the table above says so rather than quoting you a date that cannot be met.
Do these dates include sampling?
Yes. Every order-by date counts back using the full 25–35 days order-to-shipment window, which covers development, sampling and approval as well as the 12–15 days of bulk production. What they do not include is the time you spend deciding — most brands open the conversation about a month before the order-by date so the tech pack and sample approval are not the thing holding up the line.
What pushes an order past these dates?
Two things, reliably. Garment washing and garment dyeing add 3–5 days after sewing, and a custom knit or dye run adds 7–10 days before it. Peak season can also extend production, and we confirm the date at order confirmation rather than at quote. If your programme includes any of these, treat the dates above as the latest a plain jersey order could go out and build in the increment.
Market pages
Each market page carries its own sourcing window alongside the shipping lanes, duty position and pricing for that country.
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