Once upon a time, fashion sample sales were strictly insider events. Now, there are ads for sample sales everywhere… except that a lot of those heavily promoted sales aren’t really sample sales at all. The real sample sales are barely advertised and rarely use the words ’sample sale’ in their ads, so only insiders can tell that they’re sample sales.

Sounds confusing? I’ll cut the confusion by explaining what a real sample sale is, how to spot them, and how to avoid faux sample sales.

(Now with some extra info from Kathleen Fasanella, a clothing manufacturing expert who writes at Fashion Incubator.)

What is a sample sale?

Simply put, a sample sale is when a designer sells sample/prototype garments they no longer need. These samples are one-offs that designers make so they can give influential fashion insiders a preview of their merchandise for a coming season. They’re used in fashion parades, magazine shoots and appointments with buyers (i.e. the people who place wholesale orders for clothes that end up in department stores and boutiques).

Why attend sample sales

Sample sales give you the chance to pick up beautiful, unusual designers clothing for a fraction of the retail price. They’re generally not the place to go for your wardrobe basics, but if you’re looking for something special, they’re definitely worth a look.

Just be aware that it’s only worth attending if you really love the designer’s work. If you aren’t that into their particular look, it’s unlikely you’ll find anything for you… but if you love them to bits, they can be like fashion heaven!

What you’ll find in a sample sale

At a sample sale, you’ll find all the stuff the designer wants to clear out of their studio to make room for (and money to fund) their next collection. Fortunately for us, designers have some fabulous detritus:

Samples

Some of these prototypes are literally one-of-a-kind, because the garment didn’t end up being produced commercially. You’ll also find the outrageous, hot-off-the-catwalk versions of clothes that did make it to the stores. (They’re often toned down so they’ll sell.)

Sometimes these are even sold, steeply discounted, while the mass-produced versions are still full-price at retail, because the designer’s already selling the next season’s clothes to the stores.

The downside is that samples are usually tiny — they’re made to fit models and look good photographed flat, so don’t expect to fit into them unless you’re very lean.

UPDATE: Kathleen informed me that this isn’t true of all fashion labels. Labels that aren’t ‘high fashion’ create their prototypes in medium sizes, so take a look at less-famous designers and you’re more likely to find something fantastic AND realistically sized.

Also, Kathleen said that samples may be poorer quality than garments sold in stores, so check them carefully before you buy. Take a look at the seams, zippers, buttons (often cheap plastic ones are used for samples) and make sure it’s not too shop-soiled. It’s no longer a bargain if you spend a stack on repairs or dry-cleaning to make it wearable!

Excess stock

These are leftovers of the garments the designer did sell to the stores. You’ll often find a reasonable range of sizes and some great discounts, but nothing is one-off. They’ll also often be a season or two behind. No worries for a classic piece, but if you care about being seen in ‘last year’s coat’, you might want to skip these.

Catwalk accessories

At some sample sales, I’ve seen big boxes of gorgeous designer shoes, bags or other accessories from other designers being sold very cheaply. Most seem to be the accessories the models wore in the catwalk show. I’m not sure how the designer ended up keeping them (I think they’re usually loaned items that are returned after the show?), but since they were often freebies, they’re practically given away in sample sales.

UPDATE: Kathleen said designers sometimes buy other designers’ clothing to study how the garments were created — so you might find these in sample sales too.

How to spot a sample sale

If an ad doesn’t use the words ’sample sale’, how do you pick what it is? Here are some tell-tale clues:

1. They’re held in the garment district, usually in the designer’s studio. In Sydney, these are often in Surry Hills, and are usually found by entering an unremarkable old warehouse building and climbing a few sets of stairs.
   
   
2. They’re short and happen in business hours. These sales rarely last more than four days — the designer (or rather, their staff) have other things to do. They often start on a Thursday so they’re open for one or two days of that weekend. The weekday hours will roughly correspond to business hours, and the weekend hours are usually short.
3. They’re often cash-only, but not always. (Some take credit cards and EFTPOS too now.)
4. They mention one-off pieces. If you see a mention of ‘one-off pieces you’ll never find in stores’, that almost always means the designer’s selling their samples.

Fake sample sales

Sometimes a heavily hyped sample sale isn’t really a sample sale. Sample sales have a ‘get to be an insider’ cachet that cynical marketers have tapped to get people to attend sales of less-desirable merchandise with big bundles of cash to spend.

If you see big ads all over the place, especially on TV or radio, it’s probably not a real sample sale. At most, the real deal will have a couple of listings online. Real sample sales don’t need massive hype to be well-attended, the deals alone are enough to attract decent attendance.

Warehouse sales

Warehouse sales are the bigger-label equivalent of a sample sale. These are held in the label’s warehouse, and are used to clear out older merchandise, as well as sometimes having samples on offer.

I don’t attend these very often because the warehouses are usually well out in the ‘burbs, so by the time I’ve factored in time and petrol, that great deal isn’t so great any more.

If anyone else wants to share some warehouse sale info or tips, please do!