Technical fashion designers play an essential role in the fashion industry. They are responsible for converting an idea into a production prototype. The production process in the fashion industry follows a specific format. The process begins with drawing rough fashion sketches. At this stage, the focus is on achieving the look and drape of a garment. So, the designs are done as fashion illustrations with full-body cookies. The fashion designer or creative artist does not know if the design idea is feasible. The job of a tech pack designer is to review the design idea or illustration. The designer analyzes it and produces the most practical way to create it massively. The technical designer should also prepare garment specifications that clothing manufacturers can understand.
Technical Fashion Designer Role In the Garment Manufacturing Life Cycle
Technical fashion designers and tech pack designers almost do the same job. But there is a subtle difference between the two roles. A technical fashion designer is involved in the whole process of apparel production. However, a tech pack designer is responsible for making technical specification sheets from the fashion design sketches given to them. So before hiring a technical fashion designer, you must know how he can help you in your custom clothing design. Let’s dive deep into a technical fashion designer’s role in customizing styles for tech pack design.
Initiating Collection Line Sheet with Fashion Drawings
The seasonal fashion drawings collection of a brand starts with brainstorming ideas. Creative designers use color trends and fashion forecasts to help them. This forms the base of the collection idea and builds a base for a collection design. This is teamwork, and many famous brands involve technical fashion designers in this process. They take help in brainstorming, analyzing, and finalizing the collection line sheet. It is vital to understand whether any fashion drawing is worth further processing. A technical fashion designer acts as a validator in this phase of collection design.
Technical Drawings and Documentation
With a basic structure of the design ideas, tech packs and spec sheets start taking shape. The technical fashion designer leads the way in creating detailed technical drawings. Tech pack designers under technical fashion designers prepare the tech packs. Also, the spec sheet is prepared based on the company’s base measurements. Those documents provide essential instructions for pattern makers, sample tailors, and the production team. It ensures consistency and accuracy throughout the manufacturing process. In the fashion industry, communication across various departments and teams is crucial. So clear and detailed tech packs are essential for smooth operation.
Garment Construction and Pattern Making
Technical fashion designers play the same role as technical architects in the IT industry. They are responsible for supervising garment pattern making and preparing construction specifications. So, they work closely with the design team to interpret concepts into tangible garments. This role often involves understanding the style and market demand requirements. Such factors may include traditional garment styles, sizing ratios, and cultural nuances.
Sample Development and Prototyping
Technical designers monitor the sampling process, ensuring that the samples meet the design specifications. The aim is to create prototypes that accurately reflect the intended design with proper quality standards. The process may involve incorporating embellishments, innovative techniques, or treatments into the samples.
Fit Evaluation and Quality Assurance
Technical fashion designers are crucial in ensuring garments’ proper fit and quality. They conduct fit evaluations on garment samples and make necessary adjustments if required. Also, the patterns and construction techniques are adjusted to achieve the desired fit. Sizing standards are diverse. Different sizes and measurement parameters exist in Europe, the USA, and Asia. So as the customer preferences. The styles that go well in New York may not do well in CA or anywhere on the West Coast. Here, the role of a fashion technical designer is significant. He ensures that garments meet the expectations of the target market.
Documentation
The documents that technical fashion designers and their team create are essential for the company. Those technical specification documents are used for future use and are considered an asset for the company. For example, it is common for brands to follow their measurement spec sheet and specific features that are exclusive to the brands. Tech pack designers and garment fit technicians play a vital role in forming the foundation of the brand documentation.
Material Sourcing and Product Development
The primary focus of a technical designer’s job is to identify, source, and validate the vendors who supply suitable materials and embellishments for each garment style. The tech designer evaluates the fabric properties, performance, and cost implications. This helps make an informed decision. So, the opinion of a technical fashion designer matters. It helps make decisions aligning with the design objectives and production requirements.
Technology Integration and Innovation
Technology is ever-evolving. Things that seemed impossible some days back are now standard practice. So, technical fashion designers must leverage technology to streamline the process. Technology can help improve production efficiency and innovation in garment construction and marketing. Brand collection can be done using virtual fashion. Through this, the brands can know if a collection is a hit or miss. Designers use CAD software for tech pack design, pattern making, and digital prototyping. Also, technology can be used to do 3D scanning and virtual fitting sessions. Designers play a vital role in implementing those features to enhance productivity and quality.
As a technical fashion designer, I have consulted many fashion labels. In my view, it takes a lot of effort to run a successful apparel brand. Starting a fashion line takes a lot of effort. It would help to multitask, especially in fashion, where things change daily. Moreover, managing every aspect is a more significant challenge. You must manage your vendors, sales, design, creativity, and logistics. So, focusing on every department is tough, and managing them becomes challenging. So, delegate your responsibility to the right people and empower them. When you are in a business, you cannot avoid investment. You must agree that you cannot do everything by yourself. And it would help if you had technical fashion designers, a clothing manufacturer, and logistic support. It would help if you also had a sales force to bring orders to your business.
Why Hire a Technical Fashion Designer from the Start
To set things right for your fashion brand, you need someone who can support and consult you from start to end. A technical fashion designer would be the most appropriate person to help you. They have experience working with every aspect of the garment production life cycle. So, he understands the minute techniques and processes that go into every process. Moreover, it would help if you had a tech pack designer from the beginning of your collection design. Sourcing the suitable fabric and finding the correct clothing manufacturer are essential factors. A technical fashion designer could be handy in this work. He can also guide you in optimizing material consumption and reducing wastage. So it’s worth investing in an experienced technical clothing designer.
Technical Fashion Design and Clothing Manufacturing Support
You are starting a brand, so prepare yourself to invest. If you think you can do them cheaply, forget it; believe me, this is the harsh reality. A famous proverb says, “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.” There are clothing design service providers who get service cheap. I come across many clothing brands that take the service just because they give at an inexpensive rate. The result is they have to make the whole thing all over again. This is a common situation with many apparel brands starting with a limited budget.
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. To learn more about our offering and buy fashion tech packs, visit our tech pack template store. 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 Store. An Online Store offering tech tack templates with detailed size charts. Download the Tech Pack template with a detailed size chart in Excel format.
Fashion tech pack designer and clothing manufacturer. Owner of Urban Purple (Fashion Tech Pack Consulting Services) and custom clothing manufacturer based in Bangalore (India). Twenty years of experience in the apparel industry as a technical fashion designer, clothing manufacturer, and consultant for more than 500 fashion labels in the USA and European Region. Expert tech pack service provider offers fashion sketches, tech packs, and spec sheets to many fashion brands. This blog is all about the process and procedure of designing your clothing.