A pre-order is an order placed before the goods exist, committing a buyer to quantities ahead of production so the brand can produce against confirmed demand.
Sep 24, 2026
A brand shows a collection during a selling window, takes orders against a linesheet, and closes the window on a cut-off date. Confirmed quantities then drive the production run, and goods ship inside an agreed delivery window months later.
Because nothing is in stock, availability is limited by production capacity and the cut-off rather than by inventory. A pre-order is a commitment on both sides: the buyer to take the goods, the brand to produce them.
Producing against confirmed orders removes most of the guesswork from a season. The brand knows what to make, in what sizes, and roughly when it will be paid, which lowers the risk of ending the season holding stock nobody wanted.
The trade-off is speed and flexibility. Pre-order calendars run far ahead of the consumer, so a trend that emerges after the cut-off cannot be chased, and a buyer who over-committed in March still owns the decision in September.
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