Your Custom Order at Tampoori: Everything You Need to Know

You have a colour in your head. Maybe it's the exact dusty rose you saw in a magazine. Maybe it's the deep teal of a dress you spotted at a wedding and couldn't stop thinking about. Maybe you've been saving inspiration photos for months and you just need someone to bring it to life.

That someone is us.

Custom fabric orders are one of the things we love most at Tampoori. There is something genuinely thrilling about starting with an idea: a mood, a reference, or a feeling and ending up with yards of fabric that exist nowhere else in the world. But we also know that "custom order" can feel intimidating if you've never done it before. What if the colour comes out wrong? How long will it take? What's the minimum I need to order? What if I don't like the result?

This post answers all of it. By the end, you'll know exactly what to expect and hopefully, you'll feel ready to begin.

What a Tampoori Custom Order Actually Is

When you place a custom order with us, you're commissioning hand-dyed fabric made specifically for your project. This could be fabric for a wedding outfit, a full collection for your fashion brand, upholstery for a home project, matching fabric for a bridal party, or simply a colourway we don't currently carry in the studio.

We work with cotton, linen, and rayon: natural fibres that take dye beautifully and give the richest, most saturated results. You can supply your own fabric if you prefer, though we'll walk you through what that means a little later.

Every custom piece is made using our in-house resist-dyeing and batik methods. No two yards are identical, and that's entirely the point.

The Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Tell Us What You're Imagining

(Day 1)

It starts with a conversation. Send us a message on WhatsApp or email with as much detail as you can about what you're looking for. The more context you give us, the better we can help.

Useful things to share:

• Inspiration photos (Pinterest boards, saved Instagram posts, fabric swatches, even a photo of a sunset - anything that captures the colour or mood you're after)
• The fabric type you want (cotton, linen, rayon)
• What the fabric is for (a dress, curtains, a collection, upholstery)
• How many yards you need
• Whether you have a firm deadline

You don't need to have everything figured out at this stage. A rough idea and a few reference images are enough to start the conversation.

One important thing to know: screens lie. A colour that looks teal on your phone may look forest green in the studio. This is normal. It's the nature of digital colour. We'll always tell you honestly what we can and cannot achieve, and we'll recommend a test swatch if colour accuracy is critical to your project.

Step 2: We Confirm Feasibility and Give You a Quote

(Within 2–3 business days)

Once we've reviewed your reference and understood the scope of your project, we'll come back to you with:

• Whether we can achieve the look you're after with our methods
• A price quote based on yardage and complexity
• A recommended timeline
• Whether we suggest a test swatch before full production

All approvals and confirmations happen in writing via WhatsApp or email as this keeps everything clear for both sides and means there are no misunderstandings about what was agreed.

On pricing: custom yardage is priced based on the fabric type, the complexity of the dye process, and the quantity ordered. As a guide, test swatches are billed at GH₵120–150 per yard and are credited toward your first production order. Full production pricing is confirmed at the quote stage.

Step 3: The Test Swatch

(Optional but worth it)

If colour accuracy matters to your project (and for weddings, brand launches, or matching pieces, it always does!), we strongly recommend a paid test swatch before we go into full production.

A test swatch is a small sample of your fabric, dyed to your specification. It confirms the colour, the pattern placement, and the overall feel before we commit to full yardage. Swatch fees cover the fabric, the colour development work, any batik stamps, and the documentation we need to repeat the result at scale. That last part is important: a swatch isn't just a sample, it's a recipe.

Swatches are for approval only, not for resale, display, or garment production. Once you approve the swatch in writing, we're ready to begin.

If you choose to skip the swatch, you're giving us the creative green light to use our best professional judgment. We'll always do our best work but without a swatch, we can't guarantee an exact colour match, and the result will reflect our interpretation of your reference.

Step 4: Deposit and Production Begins

(Production starts within 1–2 days of deposit receipt)

Once you've approved the design in writing and paid your 50% deposit, your order is confirmed and your place in our studio queue is reserved.

Production typically takes 2–6 weeks, depending on the size of your order and the weather. Yes, weather! We rely on natural sunlight for drying, and Accra's humidity during rainy season affects our timing. We'll always give you a realistic timeline upfront, and we'll communicate promptly if anything unexpected affects your schedule.

If you have a firm date like a wedding, a photoshoot, a collection launch, tell us at the very beginning. We schedule in the order that deposits are received, and once dyeing has begun, the process cannot be rushed. If you need your order prioritised, we offer rush scheduling for a 50–75% fee depending on our current workload.

What happens during production:

• Your fabric is washed and prepared for dyeing
• Wax or resist is applied by hand using blocks or brushes
• The fabric goes into the dye bath and this is where the colour blooms
• It's dried in natural sunlight
• The wax is removed in a hot water bath, revealing the pattern
• The fabric is cleaned, pressed, folded, and inspected

Different dye batches, even within the same order, will be close siblings but not identical twins. This is the nature of hand-dyeing, and it is part of what makes your fabric genuinely one of a kind. To keep your project cohesive, we always recommend ordering all the yardage you need at once, plus a little extra for tailoring and cutting errors.

Step 5: Approval and Final Payment

(Before collection or dispatch)

When your fabric is ready, we'll send you photos for review. Your balance is due before we release the order for collection or shipping.

Please inspect your fabric within 48 hours of receiving it, and before cutting or washing as once the fabric has been cut, washed, or altered, it is considered accepted. If we've made an error in quantity or specification, we will always make it right.

Step 6: Collection or Delivery

(Your fabric is in your hands)

You're welcome to collect from either of our studios at Spintex Road or Labone Crescent, within 14 days of your order being ready. If you need delivery, we can send locally via courier and internationally via Sendbox or DHL. Responsibility for the fabric transfers once it has been collected by you, your rider, or your chosen courier.

If You're Supplying Your Own Fabric

You're welcome to bring your own fabric to be dyed. A few things to know: our dyes work best on natural fibres link cotton, linen, rayon, silk. Synthetic fabrics don't absorb dye well and we'll always tell you honestly if we think your fabric won't give a good result.

Because the dyeing process is irreversible, submitting your own fabric means accepting that the outcome depends on the condition and composition of the material. Our liability covers the dyeing service but not the value of the fabric you supplied. If you have a precious or expensive fabric, we'll always recommend a test on a small piece first.

A Note on Colour and Expectation

Hand-dyeing is not printing. There is no machine setting we can dial to #FF7F50-Coral. What we can do is use your references to capture the feeling and colour family you love, and translate that into fabric using techniques we've spent years refining.

When a project works beautifully, and most do, it's because the client trusted the process and gave us good references. When expectations aren't met, it's usually because the brief was too rigid or the colour wasn't confirmed with a swatch.

Our advice: trust us with the feeling, confirm the colour with a swatch if it matters, and leave room for the fabric to be a little bit alive.

What Happens to Your Design

All dye layouts, recipes, and patterns created by Tampoori remain our studio's original intellectual property. Your purchase gives you a licence to use the physical fabric for your garments or interiors but it doesn't include the right to replicate the design digitally or have it reproduced by another studio.

If you provide your own motif or logo, you retain your concept while we retain the rights to our specific dyeing method.

If you'd like a Tampoori in-house design reserved exclusively for your brand, we offer Design Buyouts for an additional fee. This means the design is retired from our general collection and belongs to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum order? Get in touch and we'll advise based on your specific project. As a general guide, the more yardage you order at once, the more cohesive your final result will be because it all comes from the same dye batch.

How do I share my colour reference? Send us photos via WhatsApp or email. Pinterest boards, saved Instagram posts, swatches, paint chips, photos of flowers, a sunset, a dress you loved, anything that captures the colour and mood works. The more references the better.

Can I get an exact colour match? The only way to confirm a colour before full production is a test swatch. If exact colour matching is important to your project, please request a swatch. Without one, we work to our best professional interpretation of your reference.

What if I don't like the result? If we have made an error like wrong quantity or a specification that wasn't followed, we will always make it right. If the result is within the natural variation of hand-dyeing and the brief was followed as agreed, the order stands. This is why we encourage a test swatch for colour-sensitive projects, and why all approvals are confirmed in writing.

Can I order the same fabric again later? We can try our best to match a previous order, but because each batch is dyed fresh, an exact match cannot be guaranteed for repeat orders placed at a later date. Order all the yardage you need upfront, plus extra for tailoring.

Can I use the sample for my garment or show a supplier? No. Samples are for your approval only, not for resale, display, garment production, or sharing with another studio for reproduction. All samples remain Tampoori intellectual property and must be returned to us after approval.

How do I pay? A 50% deposit confirms your order and reserves your place in the studio queue. The balance is due before collection or dispatch. All payment details are shared at the quote stage.

What if I have a tight deadline? Tell us upfront. We schedule in the order deposits are received. Rush orders are available for a 50–75% fee subject to availability. Ask us when you enquire.

Do you ship internationally? Yes. We ship via DHL and Sendbox. International shipping costs are based on route and weight and are confirmed at the order stage.

Will Tampoori share photos of my order on social media? Unless we've signed a confidentiality agreement, yes, we love to share the work we're proud of. If you'd prefer your order to remain private, just let us know and we'll respect that.

Ready to Begin?

The best custom orders start with a conversation. Send us a message on WhatsApp, drop us an email, or come into the studio and let's talk about what you're imagining.

We can't wait to make something with you.

- The Tampoori Team

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Start your custom order at tampoori.com/pages/custom or message us directly on WhatsApp. Spintex Road (Baatsona) · Open Mon–Sat, 9am–6pm Labone Crescent · Open Mon–Sat, 10am–7pm