Is A Tech Pack Needed In Fashion Production?

Many people often think that creating a design is very simple. In fact, creating a fashion design has to go through quite a few processes. There are many different ways to create a design for a brand, and that is also the reason for the difference in price, detail, and quality of the product. 

In the production of a fashion project, the intricate details present challenges for both the brand owner and the producer in charge of the project. Therefore, designers also need a guide to complete the project perfectly.

What is a tech pack?

A tech pack is a specification sheet created by the designer. This table contains detailed information about materials, size parameters, measurements, colors, decorative details, labeling positions … 

Finally, this information sheet will be sent to the manufacturer, who will then create the design. in order to ensure smooth production, avoid confusion and damage, and at the same time make it convenient to track orders.

Is the tech pack important?

Spending a certain amount to have a tech pack is extremely necessary to get a satisfactory product. In fact, not having a tech pack is an extremely dangerous and risky decision because the manufacturer will not be able to fully grasp all the requirements of the designer. 

Brand owners often want to cut back on tech packs because they think the process is unnecessary and wasteful. But actually, you wouldn’t want to spend the money to redo the entire product over again instead of making a tech pack.

What benefits will the tech pack bring you?

Save time for future collections.

As manufacturers embark on new projects or reorganize data from old projects, the data included in the tech pack can be used to generate ideas for creating custom products. New design projects can combine ideas from old tech packs to create a unique and novel collection without spending too much time finding ideas.

Provide cost reports and project metrics in a timely manner.

A highly detailed technical pack will help manufacturers reduce the time it takes to estimate costs without having to spend time confirming details. The details provided by the tech pack will help to estimate the cost of materials, estimate the amount of fabric and decorative details for the project, and also shorten the project completion time. The technology backbone serves the project as a guide, helping to suggest and advise on how to make the design better than what can be done.

Quality management and improvement

A good enough tech pack will help the brand to market the product faster, as a detailed tech pack will help the brand to reduce the cost of sampling while also improving the quality and perfect fit of the prototype. Tech packs are also used as a quality assessment tool during product sampling and manufacturing.

Avoid having the brand pay for mistakes and reduce the cost of samples.

Provide manufacturers with clear, detailed instructions on what to do to minimize the cost of repairing or reworking defects. This is one of the benefits when designers provide manufacturers with a tech pack. 

Manufacturers will also reduce defective products and reduce guesswork to avoid loss of time and cost. Often, manufacturers will not accept a project without a detailed tech pack.

What does the tech pack include?

Your investment in a tech pack is necessary to minimize time and costs, so what does a qualified tech pack include?

• A complete and detailed manuscript 
• Notes for details in the project 
• color of the design 
• Size and position of the artwork 
• Bill of Materials 
• Garment measurements 
• The picture of the fabric is for reference. 
• Instructions for packaging and labeling

What is sketch design?

Design sketches help stylists communicate the technical elements of a design, such as length and fit. Design sketches can also serve as mood boards, illustrating the emotional language of a person. design. 

A tech pack is good enough when it comes to fashion flats that showcase every design detail with the stitching, artwork, and type of trim used. Design sketches need a high degree of detail when straight drawings must be at different angles of the design, including the front, back, side, and interior of the design. 

The quality of the sketches should be as detailed as possible, making it easier to understand the vision of the design while reducing the need to explain the design verbally. Details in the sketch will help make the first sample as close as possible to the design drawing. 

It’s also for the same reasons above that a fashion illustration won’t be very useful in a tech pack, as it won’t show details like seams and stitching. Tech packs should also include reference images of construction details to provide more clarity on what a given detail will look like.

Garment Measurement Specifications

Manufacturers need to include measurement specifications in tech packs as they will be used to manufacture the apparel. The measurements need to be highly accurate and detailed for different parts of the garment. 

Brands will lose money and time if measurement specifications are not accurate. There will not be one universal size for all apparel, as measurement specifications depend on each brand. Typical measurement points should include:

• Length Measurements
• Collar Width
• Bust measurement
• Shoulder length
• Waist measurement
• Hip Measurements
• Sleeve lenght
• Sleeve Width Measurements
• Front up and back up (for bottom)
• Sleeve opening
• Armhole Width

Bill of Materials (BOM)

Fabric is a major component in the cost of costume design; each type of fabric will produce different quality costumes. Besides, components made from other materials will also affect the design, so a detailed and clear bill of materials is required for your project.

Relying on the manufacturer’s bill of materials will make it easier to create the product, and you’ll get a sample that closely resembles what you could envision for the project.

The image of the fabric the brand wants to use, the components, and the decoration concept will help the manufacturer a lot with the idea that the brand is looking for. This will make the production process more efficient, and we will use this information to suggest options or change options and offer a better alternative.

Final words

It is impossible to build a house without drawings, and so is designing a fashion project without a tech pack. Building a house without a detailed plan will make the construction process difficult and difficult to complete.

And sometimes, to get a complete house, the owner of that house also has to spend a lot of time and money to correct the errors made during the construction process.

The same thing will happen with your fashion project without a tech pack. Sometimes a small detail will give you a lot of benefits. Think carefully and choose the path that best suits your brand.