What happens to my tech pack once I send it?
How a tech pack becomes a production style
Anmol JournalGuide
Guide 1 of 10
- Topic
- Development
- Reading time
- 2 minutes
- Sections
- 05
- Figures
- 02
01A tech pack is an instruction set
A tech pack describes a garment completely enough for someone who has never seen it to make it: flat sketches, a measurement chart, a bill of materials, construction notes, artwork placement and packing. Each page answers a question the factory would otherwise have to ask.
No tech pack is complete on day one. Development exists to close every open point before bulk, so the garment made in quantity is the garment that was approved.
Fig. 01The parts of a tech pack
- 01Flat sketchesWhat does it look like, front and back?
- 02Measurement chartHow big is it, in every size?
- 03Bill of materialsWhat is it made of?
- 04Construction notesHow is it put together?
- 05Artwork and placementWhat goes on it, and where?
- 06ColourwaysIn which colours?
- 07Labels and packingHow is it labelled and packed?
- 08Revision logWhich version is current?
02Reading the pack
The first step is interpretation. The pack is read against the fabric, trims and construction it describes, and everything missing or contradictory becomes a question: a measurement without a tolerance, a seam type not stated, artwork without a size.
A sketch or a reference garment is read the same way, only with more questions, and the detail it leaves out is settled through sampling.
Development exists to close every open point before bulk, so the garment made in quantity is the garment that was approved.
03From drawing to pattern
The measurement chart becomes a pattern in the base size. Fabric matters at this point: a cloth that shrinks needs the allowance built into the pattern, and a soft drape changes how much ease a shape needs.
Once the base size fits, the pattern is graded. Each size is derived from the base by set increments, so the whole range keeps the same proportions.
04Samples close the gaps
A proto sample shows whether the idea works; a fit sample shows whether it works on a body, in the measurements given. Each round of comments updates the pack, so the document and the garment move together.
The cycle ends with a counter sample the buyer approves. From then on it is the reference: bulk fabric is sourced against it and inspection measures against it.
05What production-ready means
A style is production-ready when the pattern is graded, the fabric and trims are confirmed, the artwork is final, the packing is specified and the counter sample is signed off. Nothing is left for the cutting floor to decide.
That list is also the buyer's best protection. A question answered before cutting costs an email; the same question after cutting costs the schedule.
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