Most late hair accessory launches are not caused by slow production. They are caused by a brief that went to the factory too late for the sales date, with freight and the Chinese New Year holiday left out of the plan. If you want custom acetate claw clips or combs in your warehouse for a spring or holiday collection, count backwards from the date the stock must be on your shelf, not forwards from the day you feel ready to order.
This guide gives the planning figures we use, a 2027 calendar with the latest dates to send a brief, and the practical lessons from recent seasonal orders that decide whether a launch lands on time.
The short answer: brief 18 weeks ahead by air, 23 weeks by sea
For a hair accessory made on an existing shape in your colours and with your logo, plan about 18 weeks from sending the brief to having goods in your warehouse if you ship by air, and about 23 weeks by sea. Those totals use the top of each range below, because a seasonal launch cannot absorb a late shipment.
From brief to your warehouse
Existing shape in your colours and logo, acetate, using the top of each range
Order stock samples before you send the brief: they ship within 3 days and are not counted here.
| Stage | Planning time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stock sample | Ships within 3 days | Regular styles are free; you pay the courier. Order these before the brief, not after. |
| Custom sample | 25–45 days (acetate), 15–25 days (wood and bamboo) | Your colour, logo or packaging on an existing shape |
| Your approval | Allow up to 1 week | The approved sample becomes the production standard |
| Bulk production | 30–45 days (acetate), 30–40 days (wood and bamboo) | Starts after approval and deposit; includes polishing, inspection and packing |
| Freight | Sea 25–50 days · air 12–15 days · express 5–7 days | Depends on the destination port or airport |
| Customs and receiving | Allow about 1 week | Your forwarder and warehouse, not the factory |
A new shape needs a new cutting die and starts at 1,000 pieces per design, while an existing shape in your colours starts at 500 pieces per colour. For a seasonal deadline, an existing shape is the safer route; the full breakdown is in our hair accessory lead time guide and the MOQ guide.
2027 order calendar: the latest dates to send a brief
The table assumes stock should be in your warehouse about three weeks before the sales date, so there is time to photograph, list and distribute it. Dates are the latest day to send a complete brief for an existing shape in acetate.
| Selling moment | Stock in your warehouse by | Latest brief by air | Latest brief by sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valentine’s Day (Sun 14 Feb 2027) | 24 Jan 2027 | 24 Sep 2026 (passed) | 20 Aug 2026 (passed) |
| Mother’s Day, UK (Sun 7 Mar 2027) | 14 Feb 2027 | 15 Oct 2026 (passed) | 10 Sep 2026 (passed) |
| Spring collection (in stock 1 Apr 2027) | 1 Apr 2027 | 30 Nov 2026* | 26 Oct 2026 (passed)* |
| Mother’s Day, US (Sun 9 May 2027) | 18 Apr 2027 | 17 Dec 2026* | 12 Nov 2026* |
| Holiday season 2027 (Black Friday, Fri 26 Nov) | 1 Oct 2027 | 1 Jun 2027 | 27 Apr 2027 |
* These schedules run through the Chinese New Year holiday. Move the date earlier by the length of the factory’s closure, which the next section explains. For Valentine’s Day 2027 it is now too late for a new custom range; the realistic options are stock styles or a smaller order of an existing design sent by air.
Short on time? For Valentine’s Day 2027 it is already too late for a new custom range. UK Mother’s Day 2027 has also passed for a new custom range: the latest brief by air was about 15 October 2026.
Chinese New Year: the date that moves every spring plan
Chinese New Year falls on Saturday 6 February 2027. Production stops for the holiday, and workers return over the following weeks, so output is slow both before and after it. Any spring or Mother’s Day order whose production would run through late January or February needs one of two plans:
Ask the factory for its exact closure and reopening dates when you place the order, and write them into the schedule. A plan that ignores the holiday is not a plan.
What recent seasonal orders taught us
One order, three shipments
How a beauty retailer protected a fixed shelf date
- ExpressThe first cartons, so the product could go on shelf on time
- AirThe next batch
- SeaThe rest of the order. Splitting costs more per carton but protects the launch date
- Split the shipment when the shelf date is fixed. On a recent holiday order for a beauty retailer, the first cartons went by express so the product could go on shelf, the next batch by air and the rest by sea. Splitting costs more per carton but protects the launch date.
- Work back from the buyer’s own deadline, not the holiday. A European beauty brand needed stock by mid-October for its Christmas range. Samples and logo versions were settled in summer, and the bulk order shipped by express in late September.
- Leave a week for a sample remake. Acetate is shaped with heat, and a custom sample occasionally has to be made again. Two of our recent sample rounds needed a remake, each adding about a week.
- Put the PO number on every carton. Large retailers receive goods against purchase-order numbers; a carton without one can wait at the warehouse door.
- Write dates with the month name. We once wrote an air-freight arrival as “11.27” when we meant 27 October, and the buyer thought the order was a month late. “27 Oct” cannot be misread.
How to keep a seasonal order on schedule
- Order stock samples first. They ship within 3 days, so you can choose shapes and sizes before the custom sample clock starts.
- Choose an existing shape unless the shape is the product. It keeps the minimum at 500 pieces per colour and avoids a new die.
- Send a complete brief: shape, colours, quantity per colour, logo file and position, packaging and destination. Our sampling guide explains what the sample needs to prove.
- Approve packaging with the sample. Boxes, cards and bags have their own minimums and lead times; see packaging MOQ and cost.
- Book freight before production ends, and decide early whether part of the order goes by air or express.
These gift-friendly styles are made on existing shapes, so a seasonal colourway with your logo starts at 500 pieces per colour and skips the cutting-die stage.
If you are planning a first collection, our 90-day launch timeline shows the same steps for a brand starting from zero. To check the dates for your own range, send us your brief with the date the stock must be on your shelf, and we will reply with a sample and production schedule worked back from it.
Frequently asked questions
When should I order hair accessories for spring 2027?
For stock in your warehouse by 1 April 2027, the latest sea date (about 26 October 2026) has passed, so plan to ship by air and send the brief by about 30 November 2026, moved earlier by the factory’s Chinese New Year closure. In practice, brief as soon as you can.
How long does a custom acetate claw clip order take from brief to delivery?
On an existing shape: 25–45 days for the custom sample, up to a week for approval, 30–45 days of production, then freight of 12–15 days by air or 25–50 days by sea. Plan about 18 weeks by air and 23 weeks by sea to have goods in your warehouse.
Is it too late to order for Valentine’s Day 2027?
For a new custom range, yes: the latest brief date by air was about 24 September 2026, and production would now run into the Chinese New Year holiday. Stock styles or a small reorder of an existing design shipped by air or express are the realistic options.
What is the minimum order for a seasonal acetate collection?
Acetate hair clips on an existing shape start at 500 pieces per colour, and changing the colour or adding your logo still counts as an existing shape. A new shape starts at 1,000 pieces per design. Acetate, wood and bamboo combs and brushes start at 1,000 pieces per design and colour.
Ready to send your brief? See how to brief a factory for custom hair clips.
