Custom apparel brands explore to get their designs developed and produced. Those with custom apparel lines understand and relate to them. There are several reasons for this struggle. The inability to illustrate their style ideas and design intent to manufacturers leads to the list. As a custom tech pack designer, I have seen many custom apparel brands come to me after so much struggle. They come to me with many failures behind them and are still trying to find a suitable solution. Designing a tech pack for custom apparel is difficult. First, understand the client’s design concept before sketching the fashion designs. Creating a tech pack involves technical details, but the key focus is understanding the style concept and design intent. You must be able to visualize the style that your client is trying to achieve.
How do you start designing tech packs for custom apparel?
The correct approach to starting design and tech packs for custom apparel is crucial. The most important approach is visualizing the style as the buyer imagines it. The process is complicated, but you can achieve it with little effort. In this case, the designer has to take one step at a time. First, understand what the style is and the basic shape of the style. For Example, if the buyer is requesting a dress, the question to ask would be the length of the dress. It can be short-length, mid-length, knee-length, or full-length.
In the same way, you have to understand each part of it. I have explained this process very clearly in one of my blog posts, “How to Give Your Style Idea a Shape.” I give this post to my buyers and ask them to follow the steps to prepare a style detailing sheet.
How do we effectively communicate garment stitching and construction details in a fashion tech pack?
Stitching and construction details are essential parts of a fashion tech pack. Construction details should communicate the key features in a meaningful way. The tech pack designer must use clear and consistent terms per industry standards. It will give clarity to a custom apparel manufacturer without confusing him. Also, add detailed sketches and diagrams and include reference images with written instructions. Technical flats should have clear lines, labels, and annotations. Show the placement, dimensions, and direction of seams, trims, finishes, and other details. Specify all critical measurements for the trims used in the garment. Those trims include pocket size, button, and other trim placements. It helps the manufacturer understand the level of precision needed. Mention each construction detail with clear and concise instructions. Add indicators for easy reference. Mention the stitching type, SPI/SPC thread count, and pressing instructions. Highlight areas that need extra attention.
With all the above pointers, tech pack designers can communicate the stitching and construction details. It will help explain the design intent and construction requirements to the clothing manufacturing unit, minimizing errors, ensuring quality, and streamlining the production process.
How Do Tech Packs Help You Reduce Production Errors And Costs For Custom Apparel?
Tech packs help custom apparel manufacturers understand the design concept with utmost clarity. It acts as a bridge between the style idea and the final output. The tech pack reduces development time and cost in several ways. Tech pack eliminates ambiguity and guesswork. It acts as a single source of information. All who are involved in the production refer to this document. A comprehensive tech pack reduces misunderstandings and mistakes in material sourcing and garment construction. With a tech pack, you can reduce the number of sampling iterations, saving time and money. It helps in precise material sourcing in the right quality and quantity. Bills of material included in the tech pack minimize waste and avoid costly situations. A tech pack acts as a roadmap for the production process that helps in smoother production flow. In turn, it helps reduce hiccups and reduce labor costs.
With all the above advantages, tech packs help improve product quality. A comprehensive fashion tech pack reduces the risk of producing defective items that must be scrapped or reworked. It also helps reduce the risk of delays caused by misunderstandings or material shortages. Finally, it helps your garments reach the market faster at an optimized price.
How do you ensure your Tech Pack is accurate and complete before sending it to production?
There are no standard parameters to check the accuracy of the tech pack. However, you can have it cross-checked while keeping some parameters in mind. You can audit your tech pack internally by doing a thorough cross-check. Check and confirm all critical measurements, including seam allowances, dimensions, pockets, and buttons. Confirm all materials and trims mentioned are accurate. Ensure consistency throughout the tech pack as per sketches and use of trims. Please ensure to review the garment stitching and construction details, including technical drawing, seams, trims, finishes, stitching type, and SPI. Get the tech pack reviewed by another person who knows the construction details.
Tech Pack Review During Sample Development
You can also tech pack review during sampling and rectify the tech pack and spec sheet. For Example, the measurement spec sheet is rectified and standardized during pattern making. Sometimes, the stitching techniques and trim placement are altered and modified. The tech pack designer modifies the style details and resolves potential issues to confirm construction methods, material feasibility, and construction methods before production. The best way to do it is if you can get the tech pack reviewed by a clothing manufacturer. They can identify potential production challenges, material feasibility, and cost implications.
The tech pack designer should follow those steps to ensure tech pack accuracy. Tech packs should reflect your design intent and provide all the necessary information. This information helps achieve a smooth production process. An accurate tech pack saves time, reduces errors, and helps ensure high-quality garments.
The Role of Small Batch Clothing Manufacturer for Startup Custom Apparel Brands
Designers design custom apparel with a small niche of customers in mind. So, the demand for custom clothing is comparatively less than that for regular mass-produced apparel. Therefore, they fail to meet the MOQ of a Medium or large clothing unit. The suitable production facility for a custom apparel brand is always a small-batch clothing manufacturer. Those units can cater to the requirements of custom apparel design and produce clothing as required. However, sourcing a small-batch clothing manufacturer is a bit complicated.
As a fashion design studio and a clothing manufacturer, we provide end-to-end service to startup brands, especially brands looking for small-batch clothing manufacturers. Apart from this, we are a fashion design agency that offers custom tech pack service to brands across the USA. We also provide ready-to-use tech packs through our tech pack template store. You can use the tech packs from the online store directly for sample development and apparel production. As a fashion startup, you should start with generic tech packs commonly used to start a brand. Connect with our expert tech pack designers for custom apparel design and tech pack development. Finally, one small request: please follow us on Instagram if you like reading our blog posts and it’s benefitting you.