Premium Outerwear for an Amsterdam Design Studio
An Amsterdam-based design studio commissioned White Cotton to manufacture 150 units of premium outerwear — sherpa-lined jackets and garment-dyed washed jackets — using specialty finishing techniques including enzyme washes and cold-dye processes for a unique, artisanal hand-feel.
Type
Premium Streetwear Brand
Location
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Size
Growing Brand
The Challenge
The Challenge
The brand was known for their signature washed, lived-in aesthetic and needed a manufacturer capable of complex garment dyeing and finishing processes. Their previous Italian supplier charged premium prices but delivered inconsistent dye results — the garment-dyed pieces varied by up to 3 shades within the same batch. They also wanted to introduce a sherpa-lined jacket but couldn't find a single factory that handled both construction and specialty finishing.
Our Approach
Our Solution
White Cotton is one of the few Portuguese manufacturers that handles knitting, cutting, sewing, dyeing, and finishing entirely in-house and with trusted local partners within a 20 km radius. We developed two outerwear pieces: a 400 GSM sherpa-lined jacket with a cotton canvas shell and a 680 GSM garment-dyed washed jacket with enzyme treatment for a vintage hand-feel. All dyeing was done in controlled small batches of 30 units to ensure shade consistency, with lab dip approval before each batch.
Step by Step
The Process
Material Development
Sourced 400 GSM cotton sherpa for the lining and 380 GSM cotton canvas for the shell. For the washed jacket, selected 680 GSM organic brushed cotton and developed a custom enzyme wash recipe to achieve the desired softness and fading.
Construction Prototyping
Built two rounds of prototypes for each jacket. The sherpa jacket required careful matching of the shell and lining patterns to prevent bunching. The washed jacket underwent shrinkage testing at each wash stage to ensure final measurements hit spec.
Garment Dyeing & Finishing
Dyed the washed jackets in batches of 30 using cold reactive dyes in 3 colourways: washed black, dusty olive, and clay. Each batch was lab-dip matched and within Delta E < 1.5. Followed with enzyme wash and silicone softener treatment.
Production & Assembly
Produced 150 units — 75 sherpa jackets (2 colourways) and 75 washed jackets (3 colourways). The sherpa jackets were assembled pre-dye; the washed jackets were constructed and then garment-dyed as complete pieces.
Premium Packaging
Each jacket was individually wrapped in custom-printed tissue, placed in a rigid branded box with magnetic closure, and sealed with a branded sticker. Shipped on hanging garment rails to prevent creasing.
Technical Details
Project Specs
Garments
Sherpa-Lined Canvas Jacket (400 GSM sherpa + 380 GSM canvas), Garment-Dyed Washed Jacket (680 GSM organic brushed cotton)
Fabrics
Cotton Sherpa 400 GSM, Cotton Canvas 380 GSM, Organic Brushed Cotton 680 GSM
Techniques
Garment Dyeing (cold reactive), Enzyme Wash, Silicone Softener Finish, Flat Embroidery (interior label), Custom Woven Labels
Quantity
150 units (75 sherpa jackets + 75 washed jackets)
Timeline
10 weeks from approval to delivery
MOQ
25 per style per colourway
Outcomes
Results
- •Shade consistency achieved Delta E < 1.5 across all batches — a significant improvement over the previous supplier's ±3 shade variance
- •The washed jacket became the brand's best-selling piece, with a 15% higher margin than their previous Italian-made equivalent
- •Three wholesale buyers placed orders after seeing the sherpa jacket at a trade show, citing the cotton sherpa quality as superior to synthetic alternatives
- •Reordered 200 units for the following autumn/winter season with two new colourways
Client Testimonial
“Garment dyeing is an art, and most factories treat it like a checkbox. White Cotton actually developed a custom wash recipe for us and matched every single batch. When I put our new washed jacket next to the Italian one, it wasn't even close — the hand-feel, the colour depth, the consistency. We moved all our production to Barcelos.”
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