If you had to choose between getting a sample or getting a pattern and tech pack for your design, which would you choose?
(Really, stop reading, hit reply, and let me know which you’d choose and why!)
I bet many of you will choose the sample. After all, you want to bring your design to life and a sample is a tangible garment that represents your vision. Having a physical product in your hands makes it feel real.
This feeling is a bit deceptive, though. Although a sample gives you a physical garment, the goal of most fashion brands is not to make one garment of each design, but many. A sample is nice to reference when making multiples, but it doesn’t actually give you what you need to make the garment again or to make it in another size.
If your goal is to make more than one garment, a pattern and tech pack will help you more than a sample on its own will. With a pattern and tech pack, you have the information and tools to make as many of your design as you want. You can even make a new sample if you need it.