A preline is an early showing of part of a collection to selected buyers, held before the main selling season opens.
Sep 24, 2026
A preline puts an early, often incomplete version of a collection in front of key accounts weeks or months before the full range is released. The brand is looking for a read: which styles the market responds to, which colourways to keep, and where the volume is likely to sit.
For the buyer it is first access, and often influence. Feedback given at preline can change what ends up in the final range, which is part of why the invitation list is short.
Prelines pull decisions forward. Orders written at preline let a brand book fabric and factory capacity earlier than its pre-order calendar would otherwise allow, which matters when lead times are long.
They also split a season into more than one selling moment, which is why order documents and reports frequently carry a season label such as "FW26 Preline" distinct from the main FW26 book.
This one is different.
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