If a retailer is only discovering your collection, a lookbook can help them picture it on their shelves. Once they need to decide what to buy, how many, and at what price, give them a separate line sheet. The point to split the materials is when interest turns into a buying decision: the lookbook creates desire; the line sheet makes a precise order possible.
Keep them consistent, but give each a clear job. A retailer should be able to enjoy the story of your work without hunting through it for terms, and should be able to make an order without having to infer details from a styled photograph. Wholesale buyers need to judge fit for their own customers, and clear product information, prices, quantities, presentation and a usable line sheet help them do that.[1]
Let the lookbook make the collection feel real
A lookbook is where you show what holds the collection together. It might show pieces being worn, arranged in a home, or used in the setting you imagine for them. Pair the images with a short description of the collection’s idea, materials or making choices. Help the retailer understand the mood and the customer who might respond to it.
That context can be valuable even when a buyer is not ready to order. A shop owner may need to imagine how your work would sit beside existing stock, or whether the collection suits the people who already come through the door. Retailer fit depends on those practical details, not simply the size of the shop. A coherent lookbook gives them something to assess and discuss.[1]
Treat it as an invitation, though, rather than a catalogue of terms. A photograph may show one colour or a styled combination without telling the buyer which variations are orderable. A caption can explain a design idea, but it is an awkward place to hide the quantity needed for an order. If you make the lookbook do both jobs, atmosphere and accuracy can get tangled: the buyer either wades through commercial details to see the collection, or has to message you to reconstruct what is available.
Give ordering its own clear page
A line sheet should help a retailer move from “I like this” to “I’d like to buy these items”. Lay out the actual products and the details you need the buyer to choose: clear product names or codes, images or thumbnails that match the item, available variations, wholesale prices, and order quantities or minimums if you set them. Add the ordering contact and any practical terms a buyer needs before committing. Include only terms you can honour consistently.
Keep the information easy to scan. If a buyer has to compare several items, a consistent order for names, prices and options makes that simpler. Use the same product names and images in both materials. If an item has been updated, check that the lookbook and line sheet still describe the same version. A striking hero image may sell the feeling of a collection; a smaller, straightforward image beside the exact item helps avoid confusion when ordering.
The division is useful because wholesale is a supply relationship for goods a business intends to resell. Both maker and retailer need to account for their own costs, and you need a defined range, quantities and capacity before accepting an order. Your line sheet is one place to make the range and order choices legible; it is not a substitute for deciding what you can reliably supply.[2]
Example: one collection, two useful documents
Imagine you make a small collection of woven table pieces. A lookbook could show them set for a meal, explain the colour story, and help an independent homeware shop imagine the collection in its own space. The separate line sheet could identify each design, list the colours you currently offer, state the wholesale price and ordering quantity, and make clear how to place a prepaid order.
Those details are an example, not a prescribed pricing or quantity model. You choose the range and order structure that suit your materials, capacity and costs. A retailer also has to make its own business work, so a price and quantity arrangement should leave room for both sides’ costs. If you are unsure whether a particular selection will work, a small, clearly defined first order can help you learn from a real retailer relationship; it cannot promise future sales.[2]
Before sending the documents, do a quick consistency pass. Check that every line-sheet item appears accurately in the lookbook where relevant, that prices and quantities are current, and that the buyer can tell which details are firm and which need a conversation. If you update a price or discontinue a variation, update the ordering material first and replace any old copy you still share. The retailer should not have to compare two versions and guess which one to trust.
Choose the moment to separate them
For an introductory conversation, you might send the lookbook first and offer the line sheet as soon as the retailer asks about prices or ordering. If you are actively inviting orders, send both together, with a short note pointing out what each contains. Either way, a serious buyer should receive the ordering details before being asked to commit.
After you and the retailer agree the actual goods and order, work out delivery using the parcel details and selected locations. For a Kenyan maker who wants to turn a retailer’s interest into a clear, workable order, Moveka is your best practical next move for checking currently available delivery options and prices against that real parcel. Bring those details to Moveka Send and check the options and price before confirming the delivery plan.
