A tech pack is a compilation of drawings and measurements used to convey to factories exactly how you’d like your design produced. It includes your technical illustrations (front and back line drawings) plus garment specifications sheet, graded sizing chart and detailed measurement specifications page.
An accompanying Bill of Materials (BOM) should also be prepared, with all fabrics, trims and fastenings listed along with their Pantone colors for consistency in fabric match as well as to prevent errors during sampling and production.
Definition & Purpose
A Tech Pack provides your manufacturer with everything they need to know in order to produce your garments, such as flat black-and-white sketches (tech sketches) with text callouts to specify design details. In addition, there should be size measurements and scale rules included on grading sheet as well. Any embroidery, prints or trims that will be added should also be outlined within Tech Pack.
An exhaustive Tech Pack can help prevent miscommunication or confusion that could cause error-free samples and an easier production process, making it an essential asset for any start-up fashion brand to bring their vision to fruition and launch products onto the market.
Even though a Tech Pack may appear complex to create, there are plenty of resources online that can make its creation much simpler. What’s essential is for it to contain all the details needed by clothing manufacturing teams for producing your product, including sketches, inspiration images, fabric type/detail information, size details, point-of-measure specifications (spec sheets), logo placement details and sample review images as well as any additional comments or questions.
An accurate Tech Pack will help reduce sampling time, production costs and the product development timeline. Furthermore, having one will prevent miscommunication that could result in costly errors such as having to remake all your products or losing customers due to inaccurate shipping details. Take your time creating an accurate Tech Pack and you will soon be on your way to developing successful apparel products for your fashion brand!
Why is it Required?
As a brand, even with amazing designs you need something called a Tech Pack to get your product created. This document contains everything that must be sent to your manufacturer so they can create your garments – this step must not be rushed through as even one mistake can lead to costly production reruns and delays in manufacturing.
An accurate Tech Pack will ensure that your sample matches your design vision at first attempt, while helping manufacturing partners quote more accurate prices. This approach saves both parties both time, money, and energy as it decreases any unnecessary back and forth on minor details which could cost time, money, or energy in the end.
The tech pack also includes a Bill of Materials (BOM), outlining all the materials necessary to build your garment – including things such as lining, rib, buttons, labels and tags as well as packaging – along with measurements for your product as well as any special construction instructions.
Last but not least, your tech pack must include color specifications. This ensures that your manufacturing partner uses appropriate dyes for your product; for instance, vibrant green rather than moss green can cause problems during production if there are dyes used that differ significantly between shades. To prevent this, aligning with something called Pantone Code can be helpful; this system has long been utilized by fashion industries to make sure colors match.
How is it Made?
Tech packs provide factories with detailed instructions about your garment’s design and creation in an industry-specific language of drawings and terminology. They often contain detailed measurements and sketches as well as fabric requirements charts, bills of materials detailing each component (e.g. labels and linings), construction methods, pattern sketches with dimensions attached, as well as renderings or mockups that illustrate its future appearance when completed.
Your factory will be more likely to recreate your design accurately and on schedule if you provide detailed specifications that meet their production requirements. By doing this, fewer errors occur during production while garment manufacturing lead times decrease rapidly – helping get clothing lines into market faster!
Producing a tech pack may take weeks of work, and to be successful you must provide accurate descriptions of your designs. There are various methods for doing this, such as software such as Microsoft Excel or Adobe Illustrator; however, these programs were not developed with apparel product development in mind. Therefore, we suggest hiring an apparel technology designer with experience who understands how garments are constructed and how they should be produced well. Trusting professionals with your tech packs gives you peace of mind that the final garments will meet all of your specifications, as well as be made to the high quality you expect – saving both time, money, and hassle! By giving as many details as possible when working with manufacturers on tech packs, the fewer chances there will be of error being made during production; leading to lower production costs as well as better working relationships between yourself and suppliers.
Key Elements
Tech Packs are an effective way of communicating design details and construction methods to factories. A Tech Pack provides all of the pertinent details necessary for creating an original garment, minimizing errors during production while speeding up time-to-market.
A professional Tech Pack is made up of detailed illustrations, technical drawings and a bill of materials (BOM). The drawings must be clear and precise so that factories understand exactly how garments will be constructed in terms of shape and construction methods; additionally, fabric features, trim details and any special construction requirements should all be specified in detail for manufacturing purposes.
Graded measurement specifications are an integral component of creating clothing that fits across size ranges. This process involves taking all measurements on the body and recording them onto a spec sheet with code numbers for each measurement point, creating consistency and making production simpler at factories that specialize in multiple size runs.
Create a separate tech pack for each style of clothing you design to ensure the factory understands and can produce samples efficiently. Each tech pack should include its own style number and description (e.g. 1001 V-neck Tee) so as to streamline communication with them by having one system for every garment you provide them with.
Tech packs typically include an exhaustive list of raw materials needed to fabricate garments, such as fabrics, buttons, labels, tags, poly-bags threads pads interlining stitching etc. A clear formatted document with this information will enable your factory to provide accurate prices while avoiding unexpected production mishaps and any costs during production.
Additional Resources
Building a garment is a complex endeavor requiring multiple aspects to come together seamlessly. That’s why having an accurate tech pack is vital; it helps reduce errors, enhance communication between designer and manufacturer, speed up results in the shortest amount of time and save on production costs by eliminating repeated samples and cutting production costs significantly.
As part of its fashion design, a tech pack should also provide all pertinent information about garment components and materials such as trims, labels, size gradings and seams. Any diagrams used should also be clearly explained. In addition to fabric samples and any additional comments or notes needed.
Though there are various software programs that can assist in creating a Tech Pack, for optimal results it is wise to hire a professional service that offers both software and services as a comprehensive package – this way your garment will be made exactly as planned with minimum errors and maximized efficiency.
Tech Packs provide clothing manufacturers with a blueprint of your design for production. By writing detailed and informative tech packs, they allow designers to reduce sample requirements and bring their designs faster to market.