Understanding Our Preorder Process
I hear you—preorders can feel confusing, especially since they work differently from brand to brand. In this post, I’ll break down how our preorder system works and clarify a few important details.
First, it’s worth noting that we do not dropship. Every order is personally packed by our small team of three here in Los Angeles, including myself.
How Our Preorders Work
When a new item launches, we enable a setting on our site called “Continue selling when out of stock.” This allows us to take in preorders by recording sales as negative quantities in our system. It helps us keep track of how many units we’ve sold per size accurately.
Preorders typically remain open for about five days—long enough for the initial launch excitement to settle and for us to get a sense of demand. Once orders slow down, we update our inventory numbers to match what’s been sold, plus a few extras for general availability. At that point, the “Continue selling when out of stock” feature is turned off, and the remaining stock stays available for purchase until it fully sells out.
We try to balance our inventory carefully based on how long we expect the item to last in stock, demand patterns, and other factors unique to each drop.
How Long Does Production Take & Where Do You Manufacture?
Preorders generally take 3-8 weeks to produce and ship to us before we pack and fulfill your order.
We manufacture our pieces across several countries, including China, Japan, Italy, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. Each production partner we work with is carefully chosen for their ethical standards, responsiveness, sample quality, production timelines, and facility transparency. We’re fortunate to collaborate with talented people worldwide who help us create the highest quality garments possible.
Why Do We Use Preorders?
Preorders are an essential tool for us as a small business. They allow us to kickstart production with the help of early supporters, ensuring we can produce items without unnecessary waste or financial strain.
Fashion, especially at this scale, involves a lot of unpredictability. It’s difficult to gauge how well a product will land. For instance, Catvisu was a surprise hit—I never expected it to break boundaries beyond our usual audience. Without the preorder model, we likely would have sold out quickly, leaving many supporters unable to grab it in time.
On the flip side, not every piece resonates the same way. Some designs underperform, and that’s part of the process. The entire project started as an experiment and was never meant to grow this far—but I’m endlessly grateful that it has. I’m committed to pushing it further and continuing to evolve.
Looking Ahead
We’re hoping to shift toward more in-stock releases this coming year. Manifesting it into reality.
Thank you for your support and for being part of this journey.
- M
