{"id":8988,"date":"2026-08-13T06:53:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T14:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fursone.com\/cable-knit-outerwear-two-seasons-case-study\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T06:53:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T14:53:48","slug":"cable-knit-outerwear-two-seasons-case-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fursone.com\/pl\/cable-knit-outerwear-two-seasons-case-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: Outerwear Brand Runs a Cable Knit Program Across Two Seasons"},"content":{"rendered":"

Running the same fabric program across two consecutive seasons sounds simple, but it requires careful coordination between the brand’s design team and the mill. Fiber sourcing, dye lot planning, and loom allocation all shift between seasons, and a fabric that performed perfectly in autumn can behave differently in spring production if the specifications are not adjusted.<\/p>\n

This case study follows a mid-size European outerwear brand that ran a cable knit program across AW26 and SS27. The program covered three styles (a crewneck, a cardigan, and a zip-front jacket) in four colorways. The brand worked with a single mill in Wenzhou to develop and produce the fabric for both seasons.<\/p>\n

\"Detailed<\/p>\n

Season 1: AW26 Development and Production<\/h2>\n

The brand started development in January 2026, targeting a 480 GSM cable knit in a wool-acrylic blend (70\/30) for the AW26 collection. The cable pattern was a classic 6-stitch braid with a 3-stitch reverse background, produced on a 7-gauge flat knitting machine.<\/p>\n

Sampling phase (January-March 2026).<\/strong> The mill produced 4 lab dips over 3 weeks to match the brand’s Pantone references. The colorways were: charcoal (Pantone 19-3906 TCX), camel (Pantone 15-1140 TCX), navy (Pantone 19-4028 TCX), and oatmeal (Pantone 13-0920 TCX). Each lab dip required 2 rounds of correction before approval.<\/p>\n

Bulk production (April-July 2026).<\/strong> The mill dyed 2,800 kg of yarn across the 4 colors and knitted 4,200 meters of fabric. The cable pattern required a gauge change from the body (7G) to the reverse sections (5G) to create the raised effect. Production speed was 12 meters per hour per machine, and the mill allocated 4 machines for 6 weeks.<\/p>\n

Quality results.<\/strong> The AW26 production achieved ISO grade 4 pilling (excellent) on the face and grade 3-4 on the reverse. Dimensional stability was within 3% after 3 wash cycles. The brand’s QC team inspected the full production using the 4-point inspection system<\/a> and rejected 6 of 142 rolls (4.2%), all for cable pattern defects (dropped stitches in the braid section).<\/p>\n

For context on cable knit construction, our cable knit vs Aran knit comparison<\/a> explains the structural differences between these pattern families.<\/p>\n

Season 2: SS27 Adjustments<\/h2>\n

For SS27, the brand wanted to carry the same cable knit program but adapt it for lighter weight and spring-appropriate colors. This required three changes:<\/p>\n

GSM reduction: 480 to 340 GSM.<\/strong> The brand reduced the fabric weight by switching from 7-gauge to 9-gauge knitting and reducing the yarn count from Nm 5\/2 to Nm 7\/2. The cable pattern was simplified from a 6-stitch braid to a 4-stitch braid to maintain visual proportion at the lighter weight. This change required 2 additional sampling rounds because the lighter gauge changed how the cable sat on the fabric surface.<\/p>\n

Fiber blend change: 70\/30 wool-acrylic to 55\/45 wool-cotton.<\/strong> The cotton addition improved breathability for spring wear but changed the dyeing process. Wool and cotton require different dye classes (acid dyes for wool, reactive dyes for cotton), so the mill had to run a two-bath dyeing process instead of the single-bath method used for wool-acrylic. This increased dyeing time by 40% and water consumption by 25%. Brands that specify blended fibers should review the Textile Exchange Preferred Fiber & Materials<\/a> framework to understand the environmental and sourcing implications of each component. For more on how fiber choice affects production, see our guide to recycled vs virgin wool<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Color evolution.<\/strong> Three of the four AW26 colors were carried forward with shade adjustments: charcoal became silver grey, camel became sand, and navy became sky blue. The oatmeal was dropped and replaced with a new sage green. The brand approved new lab dips for all 4 colors, but the existing strike-offs from AW26 accelerated the process, with approvals completed in 2 weeks instead of the 5 weeks needed for AW26.<\/p>\n

\"Rows<\/p>\n

Production Timeline and Cost<\/h2>\n

The SS27 production ran from October 2026 to January 2027. Key timeline data:<\/p>\n

Yarn dyeing:<\/strong> 2,200 kg across 4 colors, completed in 3 weeks. The two-bath process for wool-cotton added 2 days per color compared to the AW26 single-bath process.<\/p>\n

Knitting:<\/strong> 3,800 meters across 4 colors at 9-gauge. Production speed was 16 meters per hour per machine (faster than AW26 due to the finer gauge and lighter weight). The mill allocated 3 machines for 5 weeks.<\/p>\n

Total cost comparison:<\/strong> The SS27 fabric cost 12% more per meter than AW26 despite the lower GSM. The cost drivers were the two-bath dyeing process (+8%), the finer gauge knitting (+3%), and the smaller production run (-2% efficiency compared to AW26’s larger batch).<\/p>\n

Lessons Learned<\/h2>\n

Carry forward the approved lab dips.<\/strong> Even when adjusting shades for a new season, starting from previously approved lab dips cuts the sampling timeline by 40-60%. The brand’s AW26 color approvals took 5 weeks; the SS27 shade adjustments took 2 weeks using the same base recipes.<\/p>\n

Test the simplified pattern before bulk.<\/strong> The 4-stitch cable at 340 GSM behaved differently from the 6-stitch cable at 480 GSM. The mill produced 50 meters of trial fabric before the bulk run, which revealed that the cable needed 2 additional twist turns per repeat to maintain definition at the lighter weight. Catching this in trial saved a potential bulk quality issue.<\/p>\n

Plan dye lot continuity.<\/strong> The brand ordered all SS27 yarn in a single dye lot per color (rather than splitting across multiple lots) to ensure shade consistency across the full production. This cost 5% more in yarn inventory but eliminated the risk of shade variation between rolls, which is particularly visible in cable knits where the pattern creates shadow effects that amplify subtle color differences.<\/p>\n

Document everything for the next season.<\/strong> The brand created a technical file for each fabric that recorded the exact machine settings, yarn batch numbers, dye recipes, and finishing parameters. This file allowed the SS27 production to replicate the AW26 settings where applicable and document the changes systematically. The fabric RFQ template<\/a> used for the initial development was updated with the production data to create a living document that both the brand and mill could reference.<\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

Results<\/h2>\n

The cable knit program delivered consistent results across both seasons. AW26 sold through at 78% within the first 6 weeks of the season (above the brand’s 65% target). SS27 pre-orders opened 3 months before delivery and reached 45% of the season’s target, tracking 12% ahead of the brand’s previous spring program.<\/p>\n

The key success factor was treating the two-season program as a single project with defined handoff points, rather than two separate development cycles. The technical file created during AW27 development became the foundation for SS27, and the relationship between the brand’s technical designer and the mill’s knitting engineer deepened over the 12-month program, reducing communication delays and sampling iterations.<\/p>\n

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