How to Win in Custom Sportswear: 8 Critical Startup Mistakes to Dodge
“Avoid the costly mistakes that sink most sportswear startups — get your free guide today.”
The Struggles Every Custom Sportswear Faces
If you’re struggling with inconsistent fits, slow turnaround times, or unreliable overseas pattern makers—you’re not alone. Most businesses waste months and thousands of dollars because they don’t know how to source the right patterns or communicate effectively with a pattern maker.
But it doesn’t have to be this way
You don’t know how to choose a pattern that truly matches your needs.
You’re relying on factory pattern makers and hoping they “get it right.”
You’ve got no clear way to brief a pattern maker — and when you find one, the process takes too long.
Production delays, poor fit, and missed deadlines are costing your business.
Sound familiar? You’re exactly who this guide was written for.
Meet Your Expert Guide
I’m Julia Van Der Sommen, creator of Pattern Room and a 30-year veteran of the fashion industry. I’ve worked as a pattern maker, designer, and manager across onshore and offshore manufacturing. After decades of seeing startups struggle with poor-quality patterns, endless revisions, and wasted money, I knew there had to be a better way.
That’s why I founded Pattern Room — the world’s first online pattern catalog with over 2.5 million professionally fitted, production-ready patterns available in just 48 hours. Now, you don’t need to gamble with overseas suppliers or spend 12 weeks waiting for patterns that may not even work.
Inside This Free Guide, You’ll Discover:
The Commercial License Trap – Why PDF patterns could put your business at legal risk.
Digital Format Disaster – How the wrong files destroy your workflow and waste hours.
The “Regular Fit” Gamble – Why assumptions lead to expensive re-orders and frustrated clients.
Size Chaos – The hidden cost of undefined fit standards that ruin consistency.
The Pattern Timing Trap – Why waiting 12 weeks keeps you from grabbing new opportunities.
The Documentation Breakdown – How missing tech packs cause production delays and mistakes.
Size Range Strategy – Why stopping at S-M-L limits your business potential.
The Unisex Myth – Why “one-size-fits-all” fails female athletes and costs you contracts.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
BEFORE:
Waiting 6+ weeks for patterns, delaying production.
You’ll continue to waste money on poorly fitted garments from overseas manufacturers.
You have missed out on seasonal contracts and urgent orders because you can’t deliver on time
Turning customers away because you don’t know how to get the right pattern.
Paying thousands to remake production runs.
Risk of poor quality DIY alterations and unhappy buyers.
AFTER:
Patterns are delivered to your Inbox in 48 hours.
You will have consistency of fit- once you approve one fit, you know your future patterns will fit the same
You can accept every order, knowing your patterns will arrive in your inbox in 48hrs
Deliver garments with consistent, professional fit.
Save thousands by getting it right the first time.
Use the platform easily — no technical staff required.
Can your business afford to not take action?
Your Next Step: Build a Reliable, Profitable Sportswear Business
When you download this eBook, you’re not just getting information — you’re getting a roadmap to consistency, speed, and profitability.
By the end, you’ll know how to:
Avoid the 8 critical mistakes that kill most startups.
Source reliable patterns that actually fit.
Cut turnaround time from 12 weeks to 48 hours.
Finally focus on growing your business instead of fixing mistakes.
Act Now — Time is of the Essence
Sportswear is seasonal.
Deadlines are non-negotiable.
If you wait, you risk missing opportunities this season.
Plus, we only have limited demo spots available in each region. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
What Other Business owners Are Saying
Patty G
Skate Free or Die
“Our business would not exist right now without you. That was a very embarrassing mistake on our part to not have patterns. I don’t know what we would have done. I would have figured it out, but it would have been way more painful than it was.”
Aaron Greco
Rally Cap
“The fantastic thing is that you were absolutely right — what I experienced with other suppliers was a mishmash, but your system brings confidence and consistency.”
Tyson B
MWW on Demand
“People are amazed when I tell them we can produce garments within days. The ability to get high-quality, consistent patterns quickly is essential to our business, and Pattern Room makes that possible.”
A Personal Note from Julia
“I have worked in the fashion industry for over 30 yrs as a pattern maker, garment technician and product developer. I know first-hand how frustrating it is when you send a tech pack to a manufacturer and receive a terribly fitted garment in return, only to spend hours writing up notes for simple changes.
I created Pattern Room with a simple mission, to reduce poorly fitted garments in the world and to make it easier for you to build a business you love by reducing this one bottle neck in the process."
Claim Your Insiders guide today