Product development, connected to the plan
Apparel product development is the work of turning an approved line into buyable styles — building line sheets, developing colorways, costing each style, and tracking samples through approval. In most brands this lives in spreadsheets and email, or in a heavyweight PLM that takes months to implement. RetailNorthstar puts it on one product record connected to planning and buying — the product-creation work most brands need, without the weight of a full PLM.
What Product Development covers
Connected to the full planning workflow
The line reviewed visually in Canvas becomes the styles you develop here.
Line sheets, colorways, costing, and sample/approval tracking on one connected product record.
Costed, approved styles flow into OTB, assortment, and the buy plan.
Explore the product-creation workflow in depth
Canvas — Visual Line Board
The visual board where the line is reviewed and signed off before development.
Line Planning
How apparel brands build seasonal line structure — style count, price tiers, newness ratio.
For Designers & Product Teams
How creative and product teams work in RetailNorthstar without spreadsheets.
Product Data Foundation
The single product record that carries development data through to channel output.
Product Development questions
What does Product Development in RetailNorthstar cover?
It covers the core product-creation work apparel brands do between design and the buy: line sheet creation and management, colorway development, target costing, and sample and approval tracking — all on one product record that planning and buying also use.
Is this a full PLM?
No, and that is intentional. Product Development in RetailNorthstar handles the line sheets, colorways, costing, and sample/approval tracking that most apparel brands actually need — without the implementation weight of a full product lifecycle management system. Brands that run a dedicated PLM can integrate it; brands that find full PLM overkill get the product-creation workflow connected directly to planning.
How does costing work before the buy?
Target costing and margin checks live on the same product record used downstream. Because costing is connected to the buy plan and OTB, a margin problem surfaces while the line is still being developed — not after the purchase orders are placed.
Where do the designs come from?
Approved styles flow in from Canvas, RetailNorthstar's visual line board. The line reviewed visually in Canvas becomes the line sheet, colorways, and costed styles in Product Development — without re-entering product data.
See product development connected to the plan.
Book a live demo and see how line sheets, colorways, costing, and sample tracking flow straight into OTB, assortment, and the buy.
Connected apparel planning — live in weeks, not quarters.