Detty December Collections: Planning Stock and Sizes

Planning stock and sizes for a Detty December collection starts with last year's order records: which styles sold out, which sizes ran short, and when the orders actually came in. From there, you set a small number of styles, a size ratio based on real buyers, and a production schedule that finishes before the diaspora flights land.

Detty December is the stretch of concerts, beach parties, weddings and family gatherings that fills Lagos, Abuja and other cities at the end of the year, with many Nigerians abroad coming home to join in. It is one of the busiest selling windows for fashion brands. This guide focuses on the planning side, and it connects to our guide on try-on for African fashion brands.

What do Detty December buyers actually want?

December buyers usually shop for several events in a short time. Expect demand across a few clear groups:

• Party and concert looks: bold, comfortable pieces that photograph well at night.
• Beach and day-party outfits: light fabrics, co-ords, kaftans and resort shirts.
• Owambe and wedding guest wear: December is popular for weddings, so Aso-ebi and elegant gowns stay in demand.
• Family and church outfits for Christmas Day and New Year services.
• Returnee buyers who arrive with little time and want ready-to-wear pieces they can collect or receive quickly.

Check your own records. If last December your co-ord sets sold out but your long gowns sat on the rail, plan for that.

How many styles should a December collection have?

Fewer than you think. A tight collection is easier to produce on time and easier to stock deeply in the right sizes.

A practical structure:

1. A few hero pieces you push in every post and ad.
2. Supporting pieces in the same fabrics, so buyers can match items.
3. One or two safe basics, such as a kaftan or simple dress, that sell in many sizes.

Every extra style splits your fabric, your tailors' time and your size run. If a style can't be produced in all your key sizes by your deadline, drop it.

How do you decide how many of each size to make?

Don't split stock evenly across sizes. Use your own data:

1. Pull last year's December orders and count units sold by size for each garment type.
2. Note where you ran out first. Those sizes needed more stock than you made.
3. Note size exchanges. If many buyers swapped from M to L, your chart may run small, or buyers may be sizing up.
4. Build a ratio, for example more mediums and larges than smalls and extra-larges, based on what you saw.
5. Adjust for diaspora buyers if they are a growing share, since they may think in UK or US sizes.

Here is an example ratio sheet. The numbers are illustrative only, so replace them with your own sales data.

Size	Share of units (example)	Notes
S	Small	Sold out late last year
M	Large	Highest demand
L	Large	Many exchanges into this size
XL	Medium	Steady demand
XXL	Small	Make on request

How do you avoid wrong-size orders in a rush season?

December buyers are in a hurry. A wrong size can mean a missed event, a refund request and an unhappy post about your brand. Prevent it:

• Publish one clear size chart per garment type, with measurements in centimeters and inches.
• Add fit notes: "co-ord top is cropped," "trousers run long."
• State model height and size on every product.
• Offer a size recommendation, so buyers match their body to your chart instead of guessing.

The guide to where fit-related returns come from explains common causes and fixes in more detail.

When should you finish production?

Work backward from when buyers actually order, not from Christmas Day. Many returnees order before they fly, so they can wear outfits on arrival.

A simple timeline to adapt:

1. Collection decided and fabric ordered, early enough to allow for delays at the market.
2. Samples made and photographed, so you can post and take pre-orders.
3. Main production in your best-selling sizes first.
4. Launch and pre-orders open, with clear delivery dates.
5. Production cut-off for custom requests, announced in advance.
6. Ready-to-wear stock held back for late buyers who arrive in Lagos and want something that week.

Plan around your tailors' availability too. Many staff travel home for the holidays, so confirm who is working which weeks.

How do you plan stock alongside Christmas and other seasons?

Detty December overlaps with Christmas sales and, for some brands, with convocation and graduation events. Plan them together, so the same fabric and tailors aren't promised twice.

The guide to Christmas sales planning covers promotions and order handling for the same period. For brands that also make graduation and call-to-bar outfits, see the guide to convocation and call to bar outfits.

How can sizing tools help in December?

When order volume peaks, you have less time to answer every "what size am I?" message. A body-scan size recommendation on your product page can take on that question. With ZeDaq.ai, the shopper uses one photo plus their height, and gets a size from your own chart.

Paid plans start at $14 a month, each with a 3-day free trial and no card required.

FAQs

Should I take pre-orders for Detty December?

Pre-orders help you size production to real demand and collect cash before you buy fabric. Be honest about delivery dates and stick to them.

What if I run out of a popular size?

Offer a made-to-order option with a clear delivery date, or suggest a similar style in stock. Note the shortage for next year's ratio.

Should my December collection include menswear?

If your past data shows demand, yes. Men's kaftans, senator styles and resort shirts are often worn to December events, but let your own sales guide you.

How early should returnees order?

Encourage them to order before they fly, using your published cut-off dates. Keep some ready-to-wear stock for those who arrive without ordering.