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GarmentFlow has three records you’ll use constantly: the style, the order, and the manufacturing order (MO). They sound similar but do different jobs. This page defines each one and gives you a rule of thumb for when to create it. This builds directly on the style-centric model — read that first if you haven’t.

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Style — the reusable product

A is the product itself: a specific garment, described once and reused. It owns the BOM, cost sheet, packing and quality specs, and manufacturing orders. A style is not tied to a single order — it’s meant to be reused across many. Think of the style as the recipe.

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Order — a customer’s commitment to buy

An is what a customer has committed to buy: which styles, in which colorways, in what quantities, at what price, to ship by when. An order links to the styles it runs and adds the order-specific details — quantities, colorways, dates, and commercial terms. One style can appear on many orders; one order can include several styles. Think of the order as the customer’s request.

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MO — the instruction to produce

A is the document that tells production how to make a style for a specific order. It is scoped to that order’s version of the style — it pulls together the BOM, cost, fitting, and specifications as they stand for that order and freezes them so the shop floor works from a stable picture. Think of the MO as the work instruction sent to make a particular order.

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How they relate

The three records form a clear hierarchy:
  • A style is validated by fittings before it’s ready to be ordered in bulk.
  • A style has many orders — each order runs the style for one customer commitment.
  • An order has one or more MOs — each scoped to that order’s version of the style.
Style  (the reusable product — BOM, cost sheet, specs)
  │  validated by fittings before bulk
  ├── Order A  (customer buys the style)
  │     └── MO  (make the style for Order A)
  ├── Order B  (another customer, or a reorder)
  │     └── MO  (make the style for Order B)
  └── Order C
        └── MO
The style is shared; each order keeps its own version of the style’s documents; and each MO is issued against one order’s version.

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Rule of thumb: when to create each

Create a style

When you have a new product to define and reuse — a garment you haven’t set up before. Reuse an existing style when the same product comes back.

Create an order

When a customer commits to buy — you have styles, colorways, quantities, a price, and a ship date to record against that customer.

Create an MO

When an order is ready to produce and you need to issue production instructions for its version of the style.
A quick test:
  • New product to define? → style
  • Customer buying it? → order
  • Time to make it? → MO