Collection planning

How to build a focused footwear collection

A useful first collection does not need to cover every occasion. Start with a clear customer, a defined use case and a small group of styles you can explain and compare.

Xinyue Footwear team

Published: 26 September 2026

Footwear styles and colours in the Xinyue sample display.

Give each style a role

Write one sentence about the customer and the occasion: a boutique evening edit, an everyday dress selection or a capsule for a specific event. Then assign each candidate a role. A core style provides continuity; a complementary style adds another silhouette; a statement style adds visual interest. These are planning roles, not a promise that one style will sell better. If two candidates serve the same purpose, compare what makes each worth keeping.

Plan colour commitments before expanding

Separate the buying routes before adding colours. Stock wholesale starts at 1 pair after availability is confirmed; colours, sizes and quantities need a stock check. Existing-style customisation starts at 80 pairs per style per colour, with mixed sizes within the confirmed range.

For one existing style, two colours therefore require at least 160 pairs under the customisation rule; three require 240. Each additional style has its own colour minimum. New-design MOQ, sample charges and timing are reviewed separately.

Keep a decision sheet

For each candidate, record its style code, intended customer, preferred colours, size requirements and unresolved questions. Separate what you have confirmed from what you want to request. Do not fill unknown material or availability fields from photographs. Review the whole group together: does every style have a clear reason to be there? Send the shortlist with your destination and quantities so the next conversation can focus on feasible choices.

Turn your assortment into a wholesale shoe buying shortlist

Copy one block for each style-and-colour line into your own notes. Record the requested size quantities on that line, then keep the factory response beside the request. Mark unanswered details as “to confirm”; a shortlist is not a confirmed order.

Style code / product link:
Shoe type and role in the collection:
Requested route: stock wholesale / existing-style customisation / new development
Colour reference:
Requested size system and size range:
Pairs requested for each size:
Total pairs for this style and colour:
Details confirmed so far and their source:
Open questions / requested changes:
Destination country, city and postal code:
Quotation reference and items still to confirm:
Approval status and approved sample / specification reference:

Keep the request and the confirmation separate

A style can remain on the comparison list while its stock, size range or a proposed change is still being checked. Record what was requested, what was quoted and what was confirmed in writing. If a colour, material or construction changes, ask whether the order route, MOQ, sample work or quotation needs another review.