Start with the product and destination

A useful sourcing brief connects the product you want to sell with the decisions needed to manufacture and import it. Start with the customer, the bag’s job and the destination market. Then bring the material, sample, quantity and documentation requirements into the same discussion.

Royaa develops custom bags through in-house design, material sourcing, sampling and manufacturing in Kolkata, India. For established brands and funded launches, the first conversation connects product direction, expected quantities and the budget allocated for development, sampling and manufacturing. Technical details can still be open while the commercial programme takes shape.

Name the destination precisely

The EU, Great Britain and Northern Ireland should be identified separately in the brief. The UK government’s import guide distinguishes routes into Great Britain from routes into Northern Ireland. State where the goods will arrive and where they will be sold; these may be different places. UK import guidance.

For an EU programme, use the European Commission’s Access2Markets service to check the product classification, origin, destination and applicable import requirements. For a UK programme, work through the UK import process with the correct commodity code. Confirm the current treatment for the actual product and shipment; a bag category name is not a duty quotation. EU import guidance, UK commodity-code and import guidance.

UK import guidance · EU import guidance

Make the product brief specific

Choose the decisions that will affect the sample: dimensions, carrying method, access, internal organisation, material direction and branding. If a work bag must hold a device, give its actual dimensions. If a duffle must meet a transport limit, identify the exact limit rather than asking for a universally cabin-approved bag.

For leather, discuss the intended feel, finish and structure alongside lining and hardware. For waxed canvas and leather, add the canvas weight and wax-finish direction and the role of the leather details. State any required performance explicitly. Water resistance, device protection and material claims need a basis in the selected product and its evidence.

Agree who supplies the product information

For products within the EU General Product Safety Regulation’s scope, the responsibilities of manufacturers, importers and the EU responsible economic operator need to be understood. Discuss the risk assessment, technical information, product identification and other required information before artwork and packaging are fixed. The European Commission’s business guidance explains the roles; use it to identify the obligations relevant to your supply arrangement. European Commission GPSR business guidance, 21 November 2025.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland have distinct product-safety guidance. GOV.UK explains that Regulation (EU) 2023/988 applies in Northern Ireland and describes the need for appropriate technical records, labelling and safety information. Confirm the requirements for your exact product and market rather than applying one generic “European compliant” statement. UK product-safety guidance, updated 21 July 2026.

Turn the relevant requirements into a short list for the development discussion: which material or product evidence is needed, which version of the product it must cover, who will obtain it and when it must be reviewed. Confirm any destination-language requirements with the buyer’s local adviser.

European Commission GPSR business guidance, 21 November 2025 · UK product-safety guidance, updated 21 July 2026

Put quantities and costs on the same basis

Give the number of styles, colourways and estimated units for each. Identify the initial order separately from a possible later repeat. If a target unit cost is available, specify the currency and the costs it is intended to cover.

Keep the development and sampling budget separate from the funds allocated to the initial production order. Ask for sampling scope, revision arrangements, material assumptions and production requirements to be confirmed together. A useful schedule separates development and approval from production and transport. The agreed sequence matters more than a generic lead-time promise.

Confirm delivery responsibilities before ordering

Record the delivery term and named location, the transport arrangement and who handles import formalities. Agree which commercial, packing, origin or other documents the shipment will require, with the importer or customs representative checking the exact list. The EU import guide provides a framework for agreeing transport responsibilities and preparing customs documentation. EU transport and import-document guidance.

EU transport and import-document guidance

Use one clear brief to start the conversation

Explore leather bag directions or waxed-canvas and leather directions, then send a product brief. For the development stages themselves, see how private-label bag manufacturing works.

  1. Product reference, intended customer and use.
  2. Dimensions, material direction and functional requirements.
  3. Styles, colours and estimated units for each.
  4. Target unit cost, currency and cost basis, if known; development and sampling budget separately from the initial production order.
  5. Destination and sales markets, including whether the UK destination is Great Britain or Northern Ireland.
  6. Required documentation, labelling or testing to review.
  7. Target launch window and decisions that remain open.

leather bag directions · waxed-canvas and leather directions · send a product brief · how private-label bag manufacturing works