Our Process

How a piece gets made

The atelier works the way the fabric asks. Small runs, hand-finished, no offcuts.

1. The pattern

Every piece starts as a paper pattern graded to one size — cups A through E, waists 24" to 30". The grading is done on the atelier table in Kowloon, then sent to the partner workshop in Portugal or South Korea.

2. The fabric

The fabric arrives from a mill with an OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate. Every panel is tested before cutting — for substances you do not want against the skin. The certificate number is on the inside seam of every finished piece.

3. The cut

Patterns are cut from a single bolt, not from offcuts. Offcuts end up as scrap, not as small sizes. The cut is the slowest part of the process — it takes longer than the sewing, and it sets the fit.

4. The sewing

Each piece is sewn in a partner workshop. The atelier does not own the workshop — it works with one. The workshop chooses the seam finish, the stitching density, and the way the boning is anchored. Different fabrics want different hands.

5. The finishing

Final inspection happens in the atelier, not at the workshop. Every piece is checked by hand before it ships. Pieces that fail the inspection get returned to the workshop for repair, or they don't ship.

6. The shipping

The finished piece goes into a plain, unbranded box. The returns label is printed on a slip of paper inside the box — not on the outside. The bank statement descriptor reads ADS LIMITED. The courier does not know what's inside.

7. The follow-through

If a piece arrives damaged, the atelier replaces it. If a piece doesn't fit the way it should, the atelier returns the full purchase. The atelier does not require you to explain why you are returning it.

For the small print — returns, repairs, exchanges — see the returns policy or write to hello@after-dark-studio.com.