Whether I’m meeting a new factory at a trade show or interviewing a factory for a client project, the one question that I always ask is ”What do you specialize in?” How they answer tells me what type of work I should send them and whether I want to work with them at all.
Fit is a big factor in the success of a garment. During the product development process, you can tweak your design to make sure the fit is perfect before it hits the sales floor. How do you know if the sample fits? I think there are three elements of good fit – size, shape, and movement.
Whether you are doing a quality control check on your production or need to help a customer find the size that is right for them, having a solid understanding of the points of measurement on a spec sheet and the how-to of measuring a garment are essential.
Good fit is so important to the success of your designs. To get it right, the fit for each design needs to be tested and tweaked on a fit model during the development process. Your fit model represents your customer and is specific to your brand.
You’d be surprised how different the same design can be in different fabrics. I know this, and it still surprises me sometimes. The fabric has a big effect on the final garment. It dictates not only the look but also the fit and technical construction. Let’s look at how fabric affects each of these areas.
You are missing out if you’ve never been to a The Fabric Shows (formerly DG Expo). The Fabric Shows are wholesale sourcing trade shows catering to small brands with vendors that offer low-minimums and in-stock programs. The show offers so much and here’s why I think every small fashion brand should attend.
You may be wondering what you can expect at your first meeting with your patternmaker. At the meeting, your patternmaker will need to ask you questions about your design and business. Here are some questions your patternmaker will ask and why the answers are important to the success of your design.
The right print can make a garment a showstopper. Designing printed apparel isn’t as easy as picking out a print and having the fabric made into your garment though. There are things to watch out for to make sure the print flatters your design and the wearer as well as stays within your budget.
The final section in a tech pack is for sample comments. Each sample gets its own page. When you receive a sample, write down the sample measurements as well as any changes made to the style. Keep track of what decisions were made and what the next steps for the style are.
The spec sheet is an important part of the tech pack that shows what the style measures at each POM in all the sizes offered. The chart also shows the tolerance for those measurements – meaning the amount plus or minus that the garment can differ from the spec measurement and still be considered acceptable.