There are many online tools available now to prepare tech pack design components. However, the software does not prepare how to make your garment. Technology is not advanced enough to understand the human mind and creativity. So, to understand your idea and convert it into an apparel technical package, you need help. You need proper fashion tech pack consulting services from Industry experts.
Importance of Tech Pack Design and its Components
The spec sheet is a part of the tech pack, which contains almost everything required to make your garment pattern. But that’s not all; it is just a part of the components of a comprehensive tech pack. This blueprint of garment production has all the necessary details required for production. The Best practice for creating a fashion tech pack is to prepare design components before sample development. Because it will allow you to approach any custom clothing manufacturer worldwide, the tech pack should be comprehensive and precise and include the following details. However, the detailing varies depending on the style.
Components of a Comprehensive Tech Pack
Fashion Flat Sketch
Designers refer to a fashion flat sketch as a flat sketch, technical drawing, or technical flat. It is a clean-line garment drawing with front, side, and back views. It would be nice to do it using CAD software, but you can also do it by hand.
Color Combo & Fabric Details
We all know every garment style comes with colors. You see, the same style comes with a different color. With various colors, the print and embroidery color also varies. In this section of the tech pack, the designer must mention the colors using the proper Pantone code. The tech pack designer may also mention fabric and print/embroidery colors on a separate sheet.
Stitching & Garment Construction Details
Every part of the garment has a different stitching process. Examples include flat lock, cover stitch, single needle, and double-needle stitches. A tech pack mentions the right kind of stitch that a garment needs for every part of it. For example, the bottom hem should have a double-needle top stitch. Also, every part of the garment should have an overlock cover stitch. Those are miner but most essential details that a tech pack designer must mention on the tech pack. Apart from this, many other components like where and how the labels and tags should go, how and what kind of buttons to put, etc.
Print / Embroidery Details
Printing technique and its use in the garment style are essential. Printing techniques depend on the fabric you are using. For example, you can use silk screen print with any fabric and sublimation print on 100% polyester fabric. You can use DTG digital printing with both cotton and polyester fabrics. Cotton fabric gives much better results with DTG printing. So, for a technical designer, it is essential to know what technique to use for what style based on the fabric.
Machine embroidery is also called “Swiss embroidery.” It is the process by which designs are embroidered garments. The logo is “digitized” by scanning and redesigned using embroidery software. The punching file is ready to load to the embroidery machine after digitization for sewing on the garment. The embroidery machine gets instructions through the digitized punching file. It gets instructions like what needle to use for each step in the design.
Washing, Wash Care, and Fabric Treatments During the Washing process.
Each garment gets washed and processed before it goes to the finishing and packaging unit. And the first wash is not just washing but also some other processing while doing the washing. For example, silicon bio-wash, softener wash, wash to reduce fabric shrinkage, etc. There are specific washing and treatments for every type of fabric. The washing process is precise for achieving the look of a denim bottom or jacket. A tech pack designer must know and put them in the tech pack. So, he/she should thoroughly understand the fabric and the washing and treatment that goes with the fabric.
Graphical Measurement Guideline and Measurement Spec Sheet
Fits are the most essential part of any garment style and come right when your measurements are proper. Some get the perfect measurement with many trial and error methods, and some follow the base measurements and prepare the detailed measurement spec sheet. To know how to measure a garment, one should know the measurement points. Therefore, a detailed measurement spec sheet should have a graphical image showing how the points will be calculated. This also gives detailed measurements. Measurement spec sheet forms the base for clothing pattern making and determines fabric consumption. So, when preparing bills of material for production measurement, a spec sheet is quite handy.
As you can see above, those tech pack design components depend on human expertise. This is not what automated software can do with some clicks or feeding some random numbers. You can use that software, but how far you will be able to go forward is the question. I have been in the fashion business for over 15 years and have been doing hardcore technical design since starting my career. Many Software firms approached me to consult them on how they can prepare software that can automate the tech pack design process. But so far, none of them have had 100% success. This is not about logic. Instead, this is about intuition and hardcore human experience. I think I have explained the tech pack design components in detail. However, if you want more in-depth knowledge, visit the clothing tech pack.
About Urban Purple
Urban Purple is a group of technical fashion designers and consultants. We also run a digital download store for fashion tech packs, graphics, and textile prints. Visit our template store to learn more about our offering and buy fashion tech packs. You can choose your collection tech packs from a wide range of fashion tech packs. The tech packs are tested in factory environments. So, you can select your styles and buy from there. Download the apparel Tech Pack Template with a detailed measurement spec sheet. You get the source vector file of the tech pack with the spec sheet in Excel format. Fashion Consultant and Owner of Tech Pack Template. An Online Store offering Tech Pack Template with detailed size charts. Download the Tech Pack template with a detailed size chart in Excel format.