The relationship between samples and patterns is the same as that of cakes and recipes.
If you want a cake, you can get one made. Maybe it is for a special occasion. If you simply want to have a cake to eat, you probably don’t care about having a copy of the recipe.
However, if your goal is to keep making cakes again and again – not just eat this one cake, you are going to want the recipe. The importance of the cake itself and the cake’s recipe get flipped. The recipe – the repeatable formula – is the end goal. You have the cake made to test that you like this recipe.
The same dynamic is true for samples and patterns.
You can get a bespoke garment made for an occasion. In this scenario, the pattern is only a means to the end goal of having the finished garment to wear. Since this garment will only be made once, you don’t really need to save or perfect the pattern.
If your goal is to manufacture that garment to sell again and again, the pattern becomes the important part. The pattern is what allows you to create that same design repeatedly with the same fit and quality. The samples become the test of that pattern to make sure it meets your vision.
Samples are the means, not the goal in manufacturing.