Buying wholesale shirts for a UK boutique starts with a specific question: will this garment work for the customers you actually serve? A photograph can help you shortlist a shape or colour, but it cannot settle the fit, fabric composition, pack contents or cost of your order.
This guide focuses on checking shirts and blouses before committing to stock, then presenting them clearly in a shop, at a market or online. It is not a trend forecast or a promise that a particular style will sell. Use the checklist with current product information and your own customer feedback.
First published in April 2026; revised in October 2026. The original SS26 cover is retained as archive artwork, not as a current trend or price guide.
Give each shirt a job in your range
Write a short buying brief before browsing: who is the customer, when might they wear the shirt, what fit do they ask for, and what retail price are you considering? For example, you might be looking for a button-through workwear option or a relaxed blouse to wear untucked. These are different requirements, even if both garments share a colour.
Compare shortlisted styles with what is already on your rails. A new print may add choice, but another nearly identical shape may simply divide attention between similar products. Use your own sales, fitting-room questions and requests for missing sizes as evidence; do not assume that an industry bestseller label describes your customers.
Check measurements, fastening and movement
A size label alone is not enough to judge fit. Record the measurements supplied for the exact style and size. If an important measurement is absent, ask rather than translating “one size”, “relaxed” or “oversized” into an unsupported UK size range.
- Bust and button line: check the listed chest measurement and how it was taken. A flat garment measurement is not the same as a body circumference. Do not promise that buttons will sit flat on every wearer.
- Shoulder and sleeve: note whether the shoulder is dropped, the sleeve shape is roomy or narrow, and whether cuffs fasten. These details matter when the shirt will be worn under a jacket.
- Length and hem: check front and back lengths where given. Consider whether your customers want to tuck the shirt in, wear it loose or have extra coverage.
- Neckline and closures: distinguish a full button-through front from a partial placket or decorative buttons. Look for a clear product description or detail photograph.
- Movement: where you can inspect a sample or received garment, check sitting, reaching and arm movement with the intended outfit. Record the size tested instead of generalising the result to every size.
Keep garment measurements and customer body measurements labelled separately. There is no single allowance that guarantees a comfortable fit across different cuts and fabrics. If a fit question remains unresolved, put that style on hold.
Read the composition, not just the style name
“Linen-look” describes an appearance; it does not establish a linen fibre content. Likewise, a satin finish does not tell you that a shirt is silk. Use the stated composition, not the name or photograph, when describing a garment to your customers.
Check the product information for care instructions, lining and stretch where these affect your decision. If a detail is not stated, record “not confirmed”. Do not infer opacity, crease resistance, warmth or washing behaviour from a styled image.
When handling stock, inspect the button attachment, seams, hem, collar and any decoration. Compare what you receive with the description and label. For online listings, describe what you can substantiate; avoid turning a texture or finish into an unverified performance claim.
Confirm pieces, packs and the full buying cost
Catwalk’s current terms state that there is no site-wide minimum order value. Some products are sold as individual pieces and others in the pack or size ratio shown on the product page. That does not mean every shirt is a three-piece pack or that a stated size ratio can be changed.
For each selected colour, note the selling unit, garments included, sizes, displayed price basis and VAT information. Check the available option rather than assuming that availability in one colour applies to another. The minimum-order and pack guide explains the difference between an order minimum and a product’s selling unit.
Build your proposed retail price from the actual buying cost and the costs of your selling channel. Include the relevant delivery allocation, packaging and payment or marketplace charges. Use a consistent VAT basis. A markup is not the same as gross margin, and neither is net profit; follow the worked examples in our wholesale markup and margin guide rather than copying a supposed standard shirt multiplier.
If you plan a multi-buy offer, calculate it before advertising it. A gap between the buying price and the customer payment is not automatically clear profit. Keep the cash committed to unsold sizes visible in your buying plan too.
Adapt your checks to the way you sell
For a physical boutique
Choose an outfit pairing that helps a customer understand the shirt’s intended use. Where you have the garment, check how the collar, sleeves and hem sit with that pairing before building a display around it. Keep the price and size information easy to find.
Record recurring fitting-room questions. If customers repeatedly ask about sleeve room or front length, add verified information to your staff notes and future buying brief. Do not automatically order every colour just because a display looks more complete.
For an online shop or marketplace
Prepare a useful set of views: front, back and relevant details such as the placket, cuff or fabric surface. State the listed composition and measurements, and make clear which colour the customer is selecting. A styled photograph should not imply that accompanying trousers or accessories are included.
Before using supplier photographs, check the permission. Catwalk’s image-use policy permits customers to use images connected to styles they have purchased and paid for on their own website, marketplace listings and social media. It does not permit using them for unpurchased styles or reselling and redistributing the images as standalone assets.
Check the current rules and fees of the channel you actually use. Do not promise faster sales or higher conversion simply because a shirt has an eye-catching detail. Describe real features and use sales or scarcity claims only when your own current records support them.
For a market stall or pop-up
Make the available sizes, colours and prices legible at a glance. Decide how customers can see the fastening and fabric details without relying on a distant display. Plan how you will record sales by style and size so the next order is based on evidence rather than memory.
Work out whether the intended price leaves enough after your selling costs, including the costs of the event. A popular-looking price point is not proof that the order is commercially suitable.
Copy this shirt-buying worksheet
Create a note for each shortlisted style, using the prompts below. Keep the source URL and date beside your answers so you can check the information again before ordering.
- Customer and use: who is this for, and what job does it do in the range?
- Exact item: product URL, style reference and selected colour.
- Fit evidence: listed sizes, garment measurements, measurement method and unanswered fit questions.
- Construction: fastening, neckline, sleeve, cuff and hem details.
- Material and care: stated composition and care information; mark missing details as unconfirmed.
- Selling unit: piece or pack, included quantity and stated size ratio.
- Cost and price: current buying price, VAT basis, allocated costs and proposed retail price.
- Presentation: required photos, verified description and image permission.
- Timing: when stock is needed and the current delivery estimate.
- Decision: proceed, ask or hold, with a reason and the question that needs answering.
Review before ordering and again before reordering
Use the live Tops & Knitwear collection to find candidates, then check the exact product details. This guide is not a current stock or price list. Catwalk’s terms allow product information, prices and availability to change before an order is accepted.
Read the Shipping Information before planning a launch around a delivery. Delivery times are estimates, not guarantees; do not promise customers that a new line will be ready within a fixed period based only on a general delivery message.
After selling a line, compare sales by colour and size, remaining stock and customer feedback with your original brief. Check current supplier availability and costs before reordering. Keep what the evidence supports, revise what it does not, and avoid treating one good day as proof of a permanent bestseller.