THREAD | Development is a fashion product development studio that helps brands turn ideas into production-ready products.

Founded by Candice Stokes, THREAD brings together specialized expertise across technical design, sourcing, product development, and manufacturing to give brands the support and capacity they need to keep moving forward.

We work with fashion brands at different stages of growth, from founders developing their first collection to established brands that need additional expertise or development capacity.

Whether you’re building something new, expanding into a new product category, or simply need more hands on deck, we meet you where you are and build the right support around your project.

THREAD supports the full journey from concept to production, including design refinement, CLO 3D, technical design, tech packs, material and manufacturer sourcing, fittings, sample development, and production coordination.

Services can be tailored to a specific stage of development or structured as an end-to-end product development partnership.

Every project starts with understanding your product, your goals, and where you are in the development process.

From there, we create a clear path forward, bringing in the right specialists and services at the right stages. Depending on your needs, that can include design refinement, technical development, sourcing, sampling, fittings, and coordination with production partners.

Our role is to keep the process organized, strategic, and moving forward from concept to production.

Yes. Finding the right production partner is a major part of successful product development.

We work with a growing global network of manufacturers, suppliers, mills, and specialized producers and can help connect your product with partners that align with its construction, materials, quantities, quality expectations, and production needs.

We can also work with manufacturers you already have in place.

THREAD is based in New York and works with brands, specialists, suppliers, and production partners around the world.

Our network spans both domestic and international manufacturing, allowing us to approach sourcing based on what makes the most sense for the product rather than limiting development to one region.

We consider factors like capabilities, quality, materials, minimums, pricing, timelines, and responsible production practices when exploring the right partners for each project.

Product development timelines vary depending on the complexity of the product, sourcing needs, sampling rounds, and production partners involved.

Most projects take approximately 6–9 months from initial development through production readiness. We establish a clear development timeline at the beginning of each project and help keep the process moving at every stage.

Every project is different, so investment depends on the scope, number of products, and level of development support needed.

We offer services ranging from individual technical development and tech packs to complete product development partnerships. After learning more about your project, we’ll recommend the level of support that makes the most sense and provide a clear proposal before getting started.

You don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out.

A clear idea of what you want to create, your goals, approximate timeline, and production expectations gives us a great place to start. References, sketches, existing samples, mood boards, or other visual direction are always helpful, but they don’t need to be perfect.

Part of our job is turning those ideas into a clear, actionable development plan.

Start by submitting an inquiry through our website and telling us a little about your brand, product, and development needs.

From there, we’ll review your project and, if it looks like a good fit, schedule an introductory call to discuss your goals, where you are in the process, and how THREAD can support you.

From scattered ideas to a clear path forward, it starts with a conversation.