Customization at Knnotted Earth: From Client Brief to Finished Product

A look inside our product development process for boutiques, retail brands & gifting businesses

Customization is often spoken about as simply changing a print, colour or logo.

At Knnotted Earth, we look at it differently.

What does your customer actually need?

That one question changes how a product gets built.

It is the difference between selling a bedsheet and selling your bedsheet — one that fits your brand, your collection and, most importantly, your customer's home.

Here's how that process works at Knnotted Earth.

For us, customization begins much earlier than the final product. It starts with understanding what the client wants to create, who the end consumer is, how the product will be used and what role it needs to play within the collection.

Whether it is a home textile collection, a bag, a gifting product or a hospitality range, our approach is to take a client brief and translate it into a product that balances design, structure, utility and commercial viability.

Because a beautiful product is only successful when the consumer has a reason to buy it.

Step 1: It Starts With Your Brief, Not Our Catalogue

Every customization project begins with your brief.

Not a template. Not a pre-set list of products you have to fit into.

Your brief helps us understand:

• Who you are building the product for

• Where it will be sold — retail, hospitality, gifting or e-commerce

• What your brand already stands for

• What problem the product needs to solve

• What you want the product or collection to achieve

From there, our product development team gets to work — from design to structure to utility.

Why this order matters

A product can look beautiful and still fail if it does not function well.

It can also function perfectly but fail to connect with the consumer if it does not reflect the brand.

So we build in layers:

Design → Structure → Utility

And each layer has a purpose.

Step 2: Consumer-First Design Thinking

We believe that good product development starts with the consumer.

Before we work on aesthetics, we think about how the product is expected to be used.

A tote bag may need to accommodate a laptop and everyday essentials.

A toiletry kit may need a waterproof lining, multiple compartments and easy access.

A travel product may need stronger construction, better closures or additional pockets.

A home textile product may need to work within a particular room aesthetic while also meeting practical requirements.

This is where our consumer-first approach becomes important.

We ask:

• Who will use the product?

• What problem is it solving?

• How will it be used?

• What size and structure make sense?

• What materials are appropriate?

• What functionality should be built into it?

• How should it fit within the client's collection?

• And importantly, will the consumer understand its value?

The objective is not customization for the sake of customization.

It is to create something with a clear consumer purpose.

You bring the brief.

We bring the options, backed by our product development thinking, so the final decision is an informed one.

Step 3: What Can You Customize?

Customization does not always stop with the product.

Depending on the brief, we can work across the product, collection and wider brand experience.

Custom Prints & Patterns

Developing exclusive prints, colourways, motifs and design stories aligned with your brand's aesthetic.

Clients can share their own artwork or references, work from an existing Knnotted Earth design direction, or collaborate with our team to develop something new.

Custom Collections

https://cdn.shopify.com/videos/c/o/v/ff341adf03704e708f446f0ae9918ccf.mp4

 

Creating coordinated collections across multiple products and categories, so that the range works together visually and commercially.

Custom Categories

Developing products outside your existing range based on a specific consumer need, market opportunity or collection requirement.

Custom Sizes & Structures

Adapting dimensions, silhouettes, compartments, pockets, closures, handles, quilting and construction details according to the intended use.

Custom Branding

Incorporating labels, tags, logos and other brand identifiers into the product.

Custom Packaging

Developing packaging solutions that complement the product and reflect the client's brand positioning and customer experience.

The objective is not to create a collection of individually customized products.

It is to create a cohesive product and brand experience.

We Give Our Clients Options

We do not believe there is always one right answer.

Based on the brief, our team may develop multiple options across design, material, structure or utility for the client to consider.

For example, a single brief for a travel collection could lead to different options for:

• Product silhouette

• Fabric and construction

• Print direction

• Colour palette

• Functional features

• Branding

• Packaging

This gives the client the opportunity to evaluate the product from different perspectives — aesthetic, functional and commercial — before deciding which direction works best for their brand.

The process is collaborative.

We are not simply executing a specification. We are helping develop the product with you.

Step 4: A Structured Approval Process at Every Stage

Customization only works when there is clarity at every stage.

That's why we follow a strict approval process throughout the project — not just at the final sample stage.

The process typically includes:

Brief confirmation
Before development begins, we align on the requirement and expected outcome.

Design and swatch approval
Design directions, colours, prints and relevant material choices are reviewed before moving forward.

Sample approval
The developed product is reviewed before production is scheduled.

Pre-dispatch quality check
The finished order goes through the required quality checks before dispatch.

The broader development journey can be summarised as:

This structured approach helps reduce ambiguity and gives both sides the opportunity to identify and resolve issues before they become bulk-order problems.

For us, approval is not simply a final sign-off.

It is a continuous process of alignment.

Why We Use Video Calls

A written brief can sometimes leave room for interpretation.

A video call can remove much of that ambiguity.

Where required, we use video calls to walk through the brief in greater detail — from design references and fabric choices to print placement, product structure and packaging requirements.

It allows us to ask questions in real time, understand what the client is trying to achieve and align on the details before development progresses.

For a customized product, better understanding at the beginning usually means fewer revisions later.

Step 5: Minimum Order Quantity for Customization

For fully customized product development — including new prints, new structures, customized packaging or branded collections developed around your brief — our MOQ is 100 pieces per product.

This MOQ helps us make the customization process commercially viable while maintaining the quality and attention to detail required for a customized order.

It allows us to:

• Source fabric and materials appropriate to the specification

• Plan the sampling and approval process properly

• Develop viable production runs for our artisan and manufacturing partners

• Maintain consistency across the final order

• Offer pricing that makes commercial sense at the required scale

We believe in being transparent about our MOQ from the beginning, so that both sides can plan the project realistically.

Why This Process Matters Commercially

Good customization should create value beyond simply making a product look different.

When the process is done thoughtfully:

• The product fits your brand, rather than looking like a generic catalogue product with a new logo.

• Consumer needs are considered early, before production begins.

• Approval rounds catch issues before they become bulk-order mistakes.

• The collection feels intentional and cohesive.

• The final product has a clearer reason to exist in your customer's life.

The goal was never simply to make a product.

It's to make your product — one that earns a place on your shelf and in your customer's home.

Built for B2B Buyers

Our customization process is designed for boutiques, lifestyle brands, retailers, gifting companies, hospitality businesses and other B2B buyers looking to develop products that are differentiated from standard catalogue offerings.

For a growing brand, thoughtful customization can help create:

A stronger brand identity through exclusive designs and product details.

Better consumer relevance through products designed around specific needs.

Collection consistency through coordinated prints, colours and categories.

Product differentiation in a crowded marketplace.

Stronger gifting and retail opportunities through customized products, branding and packaging.

We understand that for a business buyer, the objective is not simply to create something attractive.

The product also needs to make commercial sense.

From Your Brief to Your Product

Customization isn't a checkbox.

It is a process.

It starts with understanding your brief, not fitting you into ours.

It moves through design, structure and utility, with clear communication and approval at every stage.

And it ends with a product developed specifically around your brand and your consumer.

That process can take a little longer than picking something off a shelf.

But that's also the difference between stocking a product and building a product that belongs to your brand.

Ready to Build Something Custom?

You bring us your market understanding, brand vision and consumer insight.

We bring our design capabilities, product development experience, textile expertise and artisan manufacturing network.

Together, we work towards creating something that is not only visually distinctive, but functional, purposeful and relevant to the consumer.

Because customization, for us, is not simply putting your logo on an existing product.

It is about asking the right questions, exploring the right possibilities and building the right product for your brand.

Have a product or collection in mind? Share your brief with us. Let's build it together — from the first idea to the finished product.