We often get asked — what exactly is a Warehouse Sample Sale, and how does it differ from our regular promotions or sales? Let’s break it down for you.
Why We Hold a Warehouse Sale
At Philosophy, we hold our Warehouse Sample Sale twice a year — once in May and again in November.
This is a special opportunity for us to offer our samples directly to you at incredible value.
You might wonder, why do we have so many samples in the first place?
That’s because Philosophy is predominantly a wholesale brand. Twice a year, we show our new collections in four showrooms across Australia; each one displaying the full range for local boutiques to view and order from.
With around 150 designs per collection, many available in multiple colours, we end up with approximately 300 samples per state — that’s around 1,200 samples each season! While we do our best to incorporate as many of these as possible into production, it’s simply not always practical. And that’s how our famous Warehouse Sample Sale comes to life.
What You’ll Find at a Warehouse Sale
Our warehouse sales include three main types of garments:
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Showroom Samples
These are the beautiful pieces that have been displayed to boutiques during buying season. They’re typically size 10, but because of the flexible fits across our range, many size 8–12 customers can wear them comfortably. Occasionally, even size 14s (like Ali!) can find something that fits perfectly.
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Imperfect Pieces
Occasionally, a garment may have a tiny flaw — perhaps a small pull, a slight misprint, or a minor fabric imperfection that doesn’t meet our strict quality control standards. These pieces are still gorgeous and wearable — just not boutique-perfect. We offer them at heavily discounted prices to simply recoup costs.
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Original Fit Samples
Before a style is approved for production, we go through a fit process. Around 70% of our first samples are approved straight away, but sometimes it takes a few versions to get the shape, silhouette, and detail just right. These earlier fit samples are also available at our warehouse sales — often one-of-a-kind!
Why You Won’t See These Online
The pieces offered at our warehouse sales are unique, limited, and individual, and just not available in the quantities needed to sell online. That’s why this is a face-to-face, in-person event, exclusive to our Sydney community.
Why November and May?
We always hold our warehouse sale in mid-May and mid-November. Here’s why:
By November, we’ve just finished delivering our entire Spring Summer collection to our boutique stockists and launched it online. This means our warehouse is at its emptiest point - the perfect time to create space before the next season’s production arrives. The same logic applies for May, after Autumn Winter delivery wraps up.
So these events are all about timing, space, and opportunity — not marketing trends or big-box retail events.
And just to be clear — our Warehouse Sale has absolutely nothing to do with Black Friday. It’s a completely separate, uniquely Philosophy Australia event focused on Sydney-made, small batch, high quality fashion.
If you’ve got any questions, please give us a call — we’d love to chat with you!
We can’t wait to see you at the next Warehouse Sample Sale and help you find your next favourite piece.
