The most common mistake US brands make when sourcing overseas knitwear is starting the process too late. Turkey is not a 4-week turnaround; flat-knit production is not a domestic print run. Once you factor in sampling, approval rounds, bulk production, ocean freight, customs clearance, and drayage, the timeline from "let's make a sweater" to "it's on the shelf" is typically 5–8 months. For Fall/Winter retail — where shipments arrive in July-August for an August-October floor date — the conversation needs to start no later than January of the same year, and ideally in late autumn of the prior year for complex programs.

Kiwi Giyim flat-knit manufacturing — Tekstilkent, Gaziantep, Turkey — 22 flat-knit machines (15 Shima Seiki, 7 Stoll CMS) — in-house production in Tekstilkent industrial zone

This calendar assumes a Fall/Winter US retail floor date of late July / August. If your floor date is later (September, October), shift all milestones back by the same number of weeks.

The F/W Production Milestone Calendar

Jan

Tech Pack and Yarn Selection

Deliver finalized tech packs (construction, stitch detail, fiber spec, colorway) to the factory and confirm yarn selections. For F/W knitwear, yarn sourcing — especially for merino, lambswool, or cashmere blends — should be locked in January to ensure availability. Popular F/W yarns can be allocated months in advance by Turkish yarn mills.

Feb

Proto Sample

Factory produces first prototype samples. These are not for approval — they're to verify gauge, construction, and fit. Expect 2–3 weeks for proto production, then 1–2 weeks shipping time to you (typically express air). Review fit, construction, and stitch quality. Send corrections back.

Mar

Pre-Production (PP) Sample

After any proto corrections, the factory produces PP samples — made in bulk yarn and bulk colorways, representing exactly what bulk production will look like. PP sample approval is the critical quality gate. Do not authorize bulk production until PP samples are approved in writing. Request actual lab dip approvals for each color at this stage.

Apr

Bulk Production Authorization + 30% Deposit

Send written bulk production authorization with the approved size specs, colorway breakdown, and quantity by style. Transfer the 30% deposit. Factory orders remaining yarn for full production run. This is the point of no return — changes after this point affect delivery and may incur costs.

Apr–Jun

Bulk Production

Flat-knit knitwear production typically takes 6–10 weeks depending on order volume, style complexity, and the factory's current production load. During this window: follow up weekly on production progress, confirm lab dip approvals for all colors if not done at PP stage, and finalize packaging specs and care label artwork.

Late Jun

Final Inspection + Balance Payment

Request an inspection report or pre-shipment inspection (conducted by the factory QC team or a third-party inspector if specified). Once inspection passes, transfer the 70% balance payment. Factory packs and ships to Mersin port.

Jul

Ocean Freight: Mersin → US East Coast (~14–18 Days)

Your customs broker files the ISF before loading and the entry summary on arrival. Plan for 3–5 additional days for port handling and drayage to your warehouse or 3PL.

Late Jul / Aug

Warehouse Receipt → Retail Floor

Goods arrive at your 3PL or warehouse. Receiving, quality check, tagging, and floor allocation. Target floor date met if the calendar held.

Turkish Public Holidays That Affect Your Timeline

Apr

Eid al-Fitr (Ramazan Bayramı)

3-day national holiday — factories are closed. The exact date shifts annually with the Islamic calendar. In recent years it falls in late March or April. Build a 5-day buffer around Eid dates — the days immediately before are often disrupted by early departures.

Apr 23

National Sovereignty and Children's Day

One-day national holiday. Factories close. Minor disruption unless it falls on a critical delivery day.

May 1

Labor and Solidarity Day

National holiday. Factories and logistics operators closed.

Jun

Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bayramı)

4-day national holiday — the longer of the two Eid holidays. Falls in June in recent years. This is the most impactful holiday for F/W production timing — it occurs right in the middle of the typical April-June bulk production window. Confirm your factory's holiday schedule at the start of the order and add a week buffer if your production overlaps with Eid al-Adha.

What Happens When You Start Late

A common scenario: a brand decides in April that they want F/W knitwear on the floor in August. They contact a Turkish factory in May. The factory is already booking bulk production for other clients through June. The brand is pushed to a July-August production slot, which means an October shipping date — too late for most F/W retail. Options at that point are expensive: air freight (4–6x ocean cost), a compressed production timeline (more QC risk), or missing the season. The right time to contact a factory for F/W knitwear is Q4 of the prior year or January at the very latest.

Fall/Winter Knitwear Production Calendar: Planning from Turkey