New designers often question the value of this essential document. They think skipping out on techpacks will keep their development budget down. Maybe they are working directly with their pattern maker, or they send an inspiration sample to their factory and tell them what to change and think that will be sufficient. Working this way will set you up for failure and costly mistakes down the road. 

Techpacks are essential. Repeat that with me. TECHPACKS ARE ESSENTIAL. They will serve as the guide for your sample maker to know how to sew your garment, what materials and trims to use and where. This is where your size range will be recorded, your fabric details, your revisions, and much, much more.  

Now, you will likely not be able to finalize your Techpack in one shot. This will be a living, breathing document that is revised throughout the development process. It is only finalized before moving to bulk production. 

All Techpacks are NOT created equally

Depending on who creates your Techpack, the style of this document, and its contents, can vary greatly. We have seen the most basic of Techpacks to the most detailed and everything in between. What is most important is that your communication in this document is clear, understandable, and covers important details of your product. 

Over the course of my career, my Techpack set up and contents have changed. I have developed hundreds, if not thousands of garments and have spoken to countless factories about what information is really important to them. With all of this experience and data I have created the best, most comprehensive Techpack template you can find! Here I’ll share with you what you absolutely need and tips on making this your number one product development tool.

The Anatomy of a Great Techpack

MUST HAVES TO START DEVELOPMENT

• Style Cover Page

This is your intro. You want to give an overview of key details on this first page, so the viewer gets a quick understanding of your product. Be sure to include the below:

Brand name

Date

Contact information 

Style number

Style description 

Front and back view of your garment (and side or interior if necessary)

Written construction details including stitch methods, hem finishes, etc. 

Visual callouts of stitch lines and details shown on your sketch or product image

Sample size

Size range you will produce

Area to track revisions 

• Reference Sample Page

If you’ve got inspiration samples here is where you use them. Show photos of design details, construction methods, stitching, finishing, placements, etc. from existing garments if you can. This will help the sample maker know more what your expectation is for this garment. If you are using a reference sample as a starting point for your spec measurements, don’t forget to record your reference sample measurements before sending it off. 

• Bill of Materials (BOM)

This page will serve as a breakdown of each component needed in your product, where it is from, where it is used, even what it costs. Keep all sourcing details here including vendor name, article number, fiber content, fabric width, trim dimensions, and unit cost. Once you start sampling and approve your fit you’ll want to calculate yield per item and record that here as well. By the time you have a fit approved garment and yields you will be able to easily see a per garment cost of materials. Don’t forget a column to detail where each component is used and one for which color or print it should be. If your garment has a care label include it here. A hang tag? That, too. You can even add any known packaging here to track cost and ordering needs when you get to production. 

I also like to include images of each component in my BOMs for a quick visual reference as well as a written one. I also add a thumbnail sketch of each color way and the style and color number. 

• Swatch Library

This section is mainly for your factory and/or sample maker to ensure they are pulling the correct materials. Factories work quickly in order to stay efficient and profitable. They also are always working on numerous different programs at a time and many materials look very similar from a quick glance. Cut and tape or staple physical swatches to your swatch library page when sending your techpack to your factory. This will give them better guidance on which materials are correct to use for your product. You can also make a copy for your own records to for quick reference when you review your samples for quality approval. 

• Cutter’s Must

A cutter’s must is an itemized list of all the pattern pieces that pertain to a particular style. It should tell you how many pattern pieces there are, how many pieces to cut of each and which fabrics to cut them from. If possible, it is helpful to also give a visual representation of your pattern pieces here as well in small scale. 

• Point of Measure Diagram (POM)

Points of measure refer to the exact place you take a particular garment measurement. For example, the sweep of your garment is the measurement taken at the hem edge from side seam to side seam. Here, you will list each point of measure, and show a diagram on a garment sketch of exactly where/how to take that measurement. This gets everyone on the same page and measuring each garment consistently. Some areas of measure are less clear than others which can cause differences in how you measure compared to your factory or pattern maker. When measuring the armhole of a sports bra, do you measure straight across from shoulder to underarm or along the armhole curve? You will get two very different measurements depending on which you choose. Without a POM diagram, you leave your measurements open to interpretation to the reader. 

• Sample Measurements

Pretty straight forward here. This is where you will record the measurements of each of sample you receive. Remember to always measure your samples beforeyou trying them on. You want to have a column for your target measurements, sample measurements, and the difference for each sample. Record above that the date and which sample round it is. If you have a team where more than one person may be taking measurements, it can be helpful to add the initials of who reviewed each sample. Highlight any measurements that are out of tolerance to pay special attention to when you are fitting. 

PAGES TO BUILD THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

• Grade Spec/Grade Rule

Once you have an approved sample in your fitting size you will need to grade your specs and patterns for the rest of your size range. Your Graded Spec sheet should have the target measurements for all sizes.  The best practice would be to establish your grade rule and add it in here as a formula if you are using excel. Doing this allows you to update your specs when needed for your base size only and the rest of your sizes will auto-populate. Easy!

• Fit Comments

Record all fit comments here. Again, keep in mind that you want to use both written and visual communication here for changes needed. You will likely have more than one round of fitting. Add a new page for each set of fit comments. You can do the same for your pre-production and top of production samples as well. 

• Colorways

You may not have your exact production colors and prints all confirmed when you start development. That is ok. Before you move to production complete a page that shows a rendering of each style and each color way in front and back view, side if necessary. This is especially necessary when you are working with a style that has many components. Showing each color way will ensure your bulk gets the correct color combinations whether you are using contrast details or all dyed to match. 

• Label Placement/Packing Method

Show the factory where to place brand and care labels, heat transfer, embroideries, hang tags, and any other items your garment needs. Again, showing visually where things goes works best. Get specific. For example, don’t just say, “place at back.” Say, “place at inside, center back neck seam.” Or, place at hem, 2” out from side seam on wearer’s left. 

If you are using an individual poly bag (or better yet, an eco-friendly paper-based bag), you can show images here as to how the factory should fold and pack your garment. This is important if you want to have your hangtag or other branding visible when packed. If you are unsure how to pack your garment, just ask your factory to suggest a folding method. Once you approve that packing method add those images to this page before passing your final production techpack to your manufacturer. 

You do not need fancy software to create a techpack!

Don’t worry. Chances are you have the tools you need to build a great techpack right now! You could even build a techpack with pen and paper if needed. Don’t forget, there was a time when this is all designers had in their toolbox. If you have a computer, though, the two most common programs to build techpacks in are Adobe Illustrator or Microsoft Excel. 

Garment sketches will likely be done either by hand and scanned in, or directly in Illustrator. Your techpack though will be most efficiently created in Excel. I prefer this method for numerous reasons. The number one reason: formulas! In excel, you can take advantage of being able to formulate your pages so that information that is repeated in more than one page only needs to be entered once. This is really helpful to save time and avoid mistakes of not updating every area. It also allows you to not have to do so much math when you are figuring out graded specs or the difference between your target measurements and sample measurements. Secondly, not everyone knows how to use Illustrator, but most people know how to use excel. In short, creating tech packs in Excel allows you to work smarter, not harder.

Whew! That seems like a lot, right? It can be! Don’t forget though that this is an evolving document throughout your development. Start with pages 1-7 in your early development phase. Build out the rest of this document as you move through fitting and confirming style details. 

Manufacturing is an imperfect process. Human error is extremely hard to avoid completely. Having a complete techpack for each style will keep you organized and will help to avoid mistakes from your factory in sampling and bulk production. It will also help to provide consistency in your product from season to season. 

Remember, even if you are producing domestically, there is often a language barrier between the person preparing the Techpack and the sample maker. Keep this in mind while you are building your Techpack. Use clear language. Avoid being overly wordy. Use visuals to communicate wherever you can.

Do not skip this important step in your product development. You cannot expect quality control in your bulk production if you do not even have a standard to check back to. 

Thanks for stopping by! As always, and especially now, we love to hear from you. Read more helpful posts like this one on our blog and be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

The post How to Turn Your Techpack Into Your Most Important Tool appeared first on Suite Creative Studio.

Breaking news! There is NO size standardization in the fashion industry. Just kidding…that is not breaking news at all.

Sizing is complicated. Dependent on the design of the garment, the fabric properties used in the garment, which brand you are wearing, which country you are shopping in, etc, etc, etc, all sizes are just not created equally. The question right now that many brands and designers are asking is, should it be? The answer to that question seems more and more to be no.  Many clothing brands these days are really tech companies that happen to sell clothes. With the amount of data that is being collected by these companies, we should be moving toward a day where fit stops being a guessing game. Right? 

The good news is that some companies are actually starting to collect the right kind of data in order to inform their decisions on garment fitting, as well as to improve their consumer education about how their specific product will fit.  Other companies are moving towards on demand manufacturing and mass customization. That sounds great. Let’s do that! However, the retail cost of made-to-measure garments reflects the still-luxury nature of such a thing. Many are trying, but so far, no one has really nailed a truly customizable apparel range that can be sold at a price point that most people can afford. 

Inclusive sizing is a hot topic in the fashion industry right now, and rightfully so. Fashion is finally starting to embrace all kinds of different body shapes and sizes. However, it is still a really slow march to creating a size inclusive industry as a whole. Although 68% of US women wear a size 14 and above, only 10% of mass market apparel and 0.6% of luxury apparel are categorized as plus size. That is a huge disconnect! Sales of plus size apparel are growing at a rate two times higher than straight sized apparel. That means big business for the brands that accommodate this market. 

What becoming size inclusive means for brands is providing more expansive size ranges. Only carrying Small, Medium, and Large, is just no longer going to cut it. You may ask, “What’s the big deal? Why can’t all brands just carry more inclusive sizes so everyone can find their fit in every brand?” Let me explain. Now, when it comes to large brands that are fully funded, investor backed, with seemingly unlimited resources, it becomes a little bit easier to roll out new sizes in their range because they have the capital, and maybe even some data, surrounding how to do so. But even for them, it can still be a challenge. These challenges are magnified for the newer, smaller, self-funded brands. Now, this doesn’t mean that smaller brands should not work towards inclusive size ranges. It is important for brands to listen to their consumer and to provide for their needs. Bravo to brands who have launched with inclusive size ranges from day one. If your brand has not but your goal is to get there, making the push to size inclusivity is something to budget for and prepare for as soon as possible. 

When you build a product for a certain retail price point, everything that goes into that garment is factored into the cost and profit margin. When you include more sizes, those numbers change since some sizes use more or less fabric and materials than others, some take longer to cut and sew, some need additional seams or details to improve fit. All of these changes affect the average cost per unit, which in turn affects your margin and possibly what your retail needs to be. 

Then there’s the inventory question. How do you go form stocking 6 sizes to 12 sizes or more? How do you plan your inventory buy? Having too much inventory is a problem for any company. Unless you have solid data that tells you otherwise, it is a good idea to buy smaller in new sizes when you are first increasing your size range so you can test the market before buying huge inventory of sizes you’ve never sold before.  This means changing your buying ratios so that, for example, every size XXS or XXL you buy, you may buy 3 size Mediums. This ratio will vary depending on your core customer. The more selling seasons you have under your belt, the more accurate your buying patterns will become. 

Intimate apparel, bras especially, is an area where I never recommend dumbing down sizes unless absolutely necessary. It is also one of the more challenging areas to offer extended size ranges, since sku count goes up very quickly when you’re working with traditional bra sizes. Hanky Panky has long championed the one size fits all lace thong. The bralette has turned things upside down a bit in the market. While they offer consumers an alternative to the super padded, heavily underwired, bras that are starting to look like dinosaurs to most women, what they lack is great fit and support for most body types and sizes. Sizing a bra S, M, L is tricky because women’s bust vs. rib size is so much more dynamic. Doing so often results in a select few customers finding their ideal fit, while most customers are left with cups that are either too big or too small, or a band that is not fitting quite right. What it does help, is the brands that are selling bralettes to reduce their sku count and still claim to cover the full size range of busts. When a brand starts with a rather small size range, let’s say 32B-36DD, that’s already 12 sizes. Go up to a 42DD and now you have doubled to 24 sizes. As a small brand with limited funds for inventory, you have to be strategic about your sizing and buying. Creating well fitting garments in a more limited range, might be better to start than creating poorly fitting garments in a larger range. Once you establish your footing, you can add sizes, hopefully with some hard data from consumers that are requesting your product in their particular sizes. 

Consumers can also do their part by being vocal to brands they love about sizes that they may be missing in their range. Brands will strongly prioritize product and sizes that they know for sure will sell if they produce it, over ones they are only guessing might be in demand for their particular brand. 

Below are 5 insights on how to address fit and size inclusivity for your brand. 

Speak to your customers

Take to social media to poll your followers. Ask them what you’re missing and what they want to see. You may not need to make all styles in your line in extended sizes. Listen to what your customers want to see the most. You may be able to start extended sizes in a more select, focused group of styles in order to keep development costs down. 

Put stock into your technical design team

Offering sizes in larger or much smaller sizes is not as easy as just grading up or down. When you extend your size range, you are going to need to develop a new pattern. This takes skill and knowledge of how you should be adjusting the pattern in order to fit, and how your grade rules should change between straight sizes and plus sizes. This is comparable to developing an entirely new style. If you cut costs here and try to circumvent the need to create new patterns with experienced patternmakers, you risk disappointing customers and high return rates when the garments don’t fit properly. Get the right team in place to do it well and you will save money in the long run. 

Fit models are worth their rates

Clients often ask, “Do I really need a fit model?” Yes, you do. Finding a model that understands your brand and your product is also important. Building a relationship with a fit model that you will use consistently can be a huge asset to your brand. If you are entering a new sizing category, it’s also really helpful to listen to your fit model about what she is looking for, how she prefers things to fit, etc. She is representative of your target audience. If it’s a viable option for your company, it’s also great to test you fit and size range on numerous fit model to see how your product performs on different body types. 

Consider your costing       

Passing the extra cost of fabric yield and production costs of extended sizing onto your customer never leaves a great impression on the consumer having to pay more for their particular size. As a brand, you will need to consider the different costs for all sizes and factor it into your pricing. Take it from New Look and Boohoo, British retailers who charged up to 30% more for plus size garments. When consumers caught on, they blasted them all over social media for this practice. 

Realize what you sacrifice when you dumb down sizes

It’s important to know what you are sacrificing when you decide that your brand is going to offer a one-size-fits-all product, or you try to reduce sku count by offering sizes that are meant to fit a range rather than one particular size. When you combine sizes, you are creating a scenario for your product to fit more customers without having to invest in the inventory of more sizes, but they may fit most customers in a mediocre to poor way. There are products and markets that this may work better for, like something meant to fit really big and boxy, or something that has a ton of stretch and does not need to offer support, or a low-cost fast fashion product that is meant to be in and out and the consumer would not pay more for a better fit. When your working with functional garments, like intimate apparel, or higher priced items that are meant to last, nailing a great fit is key! 

The post The power and pay-off of inclusive sizing. appeared first on Suite Creative Studio.