Start with the weight

A 320 gsm fleece feels light for a fashion layer. A 380–420 gsm fleece is the usual streetwear body. Above 450 gsm the hand is heavy and the cost of freight goes up with it.

Tell the factory the use, not only the GSM. A campus hoodie and a winter promo hoodie should not share a weight just because the quote looks tidy.

Cotton and polyester

An 80/20 cotton-poly fleece is the workhorse: it holds shape, prints cleanly, and shrinks less than 100% cotton. A 100% cotton fleece feels drier and shrinks more, so the pattern has to allow for that.

Ask for the bulk lot number. A reorder cut from a different lot will not match the first shipment even when the spec sheet is identical.

Shrinkage and hand-feel

We wash a bulk swatch before grading is locked. If you skip that, the size you approved on a sample can come up short after the first home wash.

Hand-feel is a sample decision. Words like “soft” are not a spec. Send a reference or approve the fabric in hand.