To quickly find a substitute for a fabric that's not available, the priorities are: 1) Source at least 2 alternatives 2) Adjust the patterns accordingly 3) Sample the alternative you like most first 4) Sample 2nd alternative if you are not sure about the first 5) Decide and purchase the fabric before it runs out 6) Update yield and cost sheet Remember that (even if you have a digitized workflow) you are ultimately selling physical products. Material availability is THE reason why it makes sense for independent designers to be based in a Fashion capital or manufacturing hub city.

Understanding the desired end result is crucial to dealing with material/trim delays, which are a very real and common occurrence. If the material can be substituted without affecting the end result aesthetically or quality wise then the delays can be minimised or avoided. In an ideal world for fashion production a time buffer would be built in to the critical path to prevent these delays which bottleneck at the final stage of production (factory/on the machines). It goes without saying to keep communications lines open and transparent both upstream and downstream.