Kōbō is fashion product lifecycle management (PLM) software that brings design, development, sampling, costing, ordering and delivery into one workspace. Brands use it to take a collection from first sketch to final delivery, working with suppliers in the same system instead of across spreadsheets, email threads and scattered files.
Each style holds its sketches, artwork, colourways, materials, measurements and files. Those records feed tech packs, sample reviews, costing and pricing, so a change made once appears wherever the style is used. Kōbō is sold as a Studio core for design and development, with optional modules for operations and sales.
How does Kōbō work?
Work starts in the Studio, where each style is created with colourways, materials and a size range. Teams add sketches and reference files, then build a bill of materials listing components with references, colours and quantities. The site states that costs from the bill of materials flow directly into the pricing view, so cost tracks the spec.
Tech packs are generated from the live style and shared with suppliers through a link, so the latest version is the one they see. Suppliers can also enter quotes directly. During sampling, teams record measurements against tolerances, annotate photos and log fit, trim and construction issues for each round.
Key features of Kōbō
Style development keeps colourways, materials, measurements and files together. Tech packs export as PDFs with a cover, bill of materials, points of measure, construction details and packing information. Sample reviews compare fit measurements with the spec across rounds, flag which points fall outside tolerance and keep a history of changes.
Costing covers components, supplier price, extras, freight, duty and landed cost, while pricing sets wholesale and retail markups. Other listed capabilities include range planning, seasonal budgets, quotations and RFQs, purchase orders, multi-location inventory, sales orders, a B2B portal and digital linesheets, depending on the plan or module.
Key Features
Style development — Keeps colourways, materials, measurements, sketches and files together on each style, with a season overview of styles in development.
Tech packs — Generates tech packs from the live style, including cover, bill of materials, points of measure, construction details and packing information, exportable as PDF and shared by live link.
Sample reviews — Records fit measurements against tolerances, annotates photos, logs open issues and keeps a history of every sample round. Listed under Studio Pro.
Range planning and libraries — Studio Pro adds range planning, advanced size charts, reusable specs, custom fields and custom libraries.
Costing and landed cost — Builds cost from bill of materials components, supplier price, extras, freight and duty, and updates totals as the BOM changes.
Pricing and markups — Sets wholesale and retail prices from landed cost with visible markup multiples, applied across styles in a season.
Supplier quotes and collaboration — Lets suppliers enter quotes directly in Kōbō for side-by-side comparison, with free supplier access to specs and production status.
Purchasing and inventory — The Ops & Supply module covers RFQs, purchase orders and deliveries, seasonal budgets, consumption tracking and multi-location inventory.
Wholesale tools — The Sell & Deliver module adds sales orders, a B2B portal, digital linesheets, multi-channel pricing, packing lists and invoicing.
Shopify connector — First-party integration using the Shopify Admin API that pushes products, variants, SKUs, barcodes, images, cost per item and stock by location.
AI credits — Studio Lite includes 100 AI credits per month and Studio Pro includes 500. The sources do not describe what the credits are used for.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Tech packs, sample reviews, costing and pricing share one live style record, so spec changes carry through.
Supplier portal access is free, so factories can view specs and update production status at no cost.
Landed cost modeling includes freight and duty, with wholesale and retail markups visible before production.
First-party Shopify connector generates variants, barcodes and stock by location without CSV files.
Public per-user pricing, a 14-day free trial with no credit card, no setup fees and included data migration support.
Modular structure lets teams start with Studio and add operations or sales modules later.
Cons
Per-user pricing starts at $140 per month and rises with Studio Pro and modules, which adds up for larger teams.
Sample Review and Range Planning appear only in Studio Pro, not in Studio Lite.
The Shopify connector supports one store per workspace and pushes product data one way only.
Built specifically for fashion, so it is a narrow fit for other product industries.
Pricing
Studio Lite $140 per user per month
Studio Pro $210 per user per month
Ops & Supply (module) +$90 per user per month
Sell & Deliver (module) $160 per user per month
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kōbō?
Kōbō is fashion PLM software that manages tech packs, sample reviews, costing, production, inventory and orders in one workspace. It is designed for brands that develop their own fashion products and work with suppliers.
How much does Kōbō cost?
Studio Lite is $140 per user per month and Studio Pro is $210 per user per month. Modules are added on top: Ops & Supply is $90 per user and Sell & Deliver is $160 per user. Yearly billing saves 15%.
Does Kōbō have a free trial?
Yes. Kōbō offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, and full access to the features in the chosen plan.
Do suppliers need to pay to use Kōbō?
No. Supplier portal access is free. Factories can view specs, update production status and communicate at no cost.
Does Kōbō integrate with Shopify?
Yes. Kōbō has a first-party Shopify integration built on the Shopify Admin API. It pushes products, variants, SKUs, barcodes, images, cost per item and stock by location from Kōbō to Shopify.
How long does it take to set up Kōbō?
The site says most teams go live in 1 to 2 weeks. Data migration support is included and there are no setup fees.
Who is Kōbō best for?
Kōbō suits fashion brands that develop their own products, run multiple colourways and size runs, and work with factories. It is less suited to businesses that only resell products made by others.
Can I add modules to Kōbō later?
Yes. Teams can start with Studio Lite or Studio Pro and add Ops & Supply or Sell & Deliver as they grow. Ops & Supply must be added to a Studio user.