How producing only after an order is placed could help fashion brands reduce finished-stock risk, respond to real demand and rethink the way clothing is made.
What if fashion brands could wait for a customer order before turning fabric into a finished garment? A business model used by a Swedish jewellery brand offers an interesting starting point for exploring that possibility.
An article published by Ehandel.se about Vanbruun caught our attention for this reason. The Swedish online jewellery brand reported revenue of SEK 218.8 million in 2025, an increase of 22%, and an operating profit of SEK 31.2 million. One part of its business model stands out: each ring is made after the customer places an order.
This approach does not, on its own, explain the company's financial performance. But it provides a useful example of how producing against actual demand can shape the way a business manages inventory and capital.
Traditional retail often requires businesses to forecast demand well in advance. Products are manufactured, stored and distributed before a retailer knows exactly which styles, sizes or variations customers will choose. When forecasts are wrong, businesses can be left with finished goods that are difficult to sell at full price.
Vanbruun's model takes a different approach to finished jewellery inventory. Rather than producing every ring in advance and holding it in stock, the company makes each ring once an order has been placed. This means less capital is tied up in finished pieces and fewer unsold products need to be discounted.
The principle is straightforward: produce in response to a confirmed customer decision, rather than relying entirely on predictions about what customers might buy.
Fashion has different production requirements, but the underlying idea is worth considering. Instead of manufacturing large quantities of finished garments in advance, brands could keep more of their inventory in the form of fabric and other materials, then decide how to use those materials when customer orders arrive.
The same fabric could potentially be made into different styles or garment variations, depending on what customers actually order. Production would be guided more closely by real demand, rather than by a forecast that may not reflect what shoppers ultimately want.
This does not mean every fashion product can or should be made individually. Some products, materials and supply chains are better suited to batch production. However, for suitable product categories, a more flexible model could give brands additional ways to manage stock and respond to customers.
Producing closer to the point of purchase could offer several commercial benefits. With fewer finished garments made speculatively, brands may reduce the amount of money committed to stock before demand is known. They may also lower the risk of holding products that need to be cleared through end-of-season discounts.
A demand-led approach can also create more room to respond to customer preferences. If a brand sees which styles, colours or options are being ordered, it can use that information to guide future production decisions.
These benefits are not automatic. Brands still need to manage material availability, supplier capacity, production costs, delivery promises and quality. The commercial case depends on whether the operating model can meet customer expectations while remaining efficient.
Fashion cannot simply copy the jewellery model. Clothing production involves fabric sourcing, cutting, sewing, finishing and quality control. Producing after an order is placed may increase lead times unless the brand has suitable materials, processes and production partners in place.
Fit is another important consideration. Customers do not all have the same body proportions, and choosing a standard size does not guarantee that a garment will fit as expected. If brands want to offer more personalised products, they need a reliable way to translate customer measurements into garment patterns and production instructions.
This is where made-to-order and made-to-measure need to work together carefully. Made-to-order changes when a product is made. Made-to-measure changes how the garment is adapted to the individual customer. They are related opportunities, but they are not the same thing.
At ShapelyTech, we are working to support fashion brands as they explore more flexible ways to sell and produce clothing. This includes helping brands manage made-to-order sales, as well as developing technology to automate pattern adjustments for made-to-measure garments.
The aim is to help connect what a customer orders with how a garment is produced. When pattern adjustments can be handled more efficiently, made-to-measure clothing may become easier for brands to offer as part of a scalable business model.
This is not simply about offering more size options. It is about giving customers a garment adapted to their measurements, while helping brands build production processes around actual orders and individual fit requirements.
Reducing overproduction is often discussed as a sustainability goal. But it is also a business question. Finished products that do not sell represent money tied up in inventory, and discounting can put pressure on margins. Producing closer to actual demand offers one possible way to address both challenges.
Vanbruun's example does not prove that the same model will work in every part of fashion. Jewellery and clothing have different materials, production processes and customer expectations. What it does show is that businesses can build their operations around confirmed demand rather than relying only on large quantities of finished stock.
For fashion brands, the opportunity is to find the right balance: products customers want, fit that meets their expectations, production systems that can deliver reliably, and less unnecessary inventory along the way.
The shift towards on-demand production will not happen overnight. It requires changes to planning, technology, supplier relationships and the customer experience. But as brands look for ways to manage inventory more carefully and offer better-fitting products, it is worth asking whether every garment needs to be made before a customer has decided to buy it.
The future of fashion may not be one single production model. It may be a more flexible mix of approaches, with brands choosing when to use batch production, made-to-order and made-to-measure. The common thread is a closer connection between what customers actually want and what businesses produce.