AW2019 Ski outerwear CAD for Dare2b, featuring detailed annotations for fabric, zips, trims and branding by Jonathan Mitchell
Getting tech packs back from your fashion designer feels like a milestone, and it is. It is also the point where a lot of fashion start-ups skim the pages, nod and forward them straight to a factory.
That is the moment to slow down. A tech pack is the blueprint for sampling, and the factory will build exactly what is on the page. If something is wrong, vague or not what you pictured, the sample will show it, and every round of changes costs time and money.
Here is how I suggest you review your tech packs, what to check, and what to expect when the first samples arrive.
What Is in a Tech Pack?
A tech pack is the technical document that tells a factory how to make a garment. It usually covers measurements and sizing, construction details, fabrics and trims, colourways and artwork placement. For each style there is normally a set of pages, often including front and back flats, a bill of materials and a measurement chart.
It can feel overwhelming at first glance. There are a lot of abbreviations, a lot of small drawings and a lot of detail. If you want help with the language, my fashion acronyms and terminology guide covers most of the terms you will see on a pack.
The important thing to understand is that this is a different stage to design. During the design stage the focus is on the general look and feel of the garment, the proportions, the colours and the overall aesthetic. Once that direction is signed off, the designer can move into construction. The finer details, such as stitching types and the size of graphics and logos, are often only finalised at the tech pack stage. That means this may be the first time you are seeing them written down.
Why You Need to Read Them Properly
If you have strong opinions about your design, this is where they need to be heard. What you see on the tech pack is what you will get in the final product. The factory is not going to guess what you meant, and in most cases they will not question it either. They will follow the document.
So if you love the stitching on a particular hoodie and the tech pack shows something different, say so now, not when the sample arrives. It is far cheaper to change a line on a PDF than to remake a sample.
How to Check Your Tech Packs
You do not need to be technical to review a tech pack well. You just need to be methodical. This is the order I would work through them in.
- Check the artwork and logo sizes at actual size.
- Check the stitching on every seam and hem.
- Check fabrics, trims and colours against what you approved.
- Check the measurements against a garment you already like.
- Write down every question, then send them to your designer.
Check Logos and Artwork at Actual Size
A logo can look perfect on a screen and completely wrong on a garment. Zoomed in on a laptop, everything looks big and bold. On a chest it might look tiny, or it might swallow the whole panel.
The best tip I can give you is to print the artwork out at actual size. If you cannot do that yourself, ask your designer to send the artwork files to you at the correct size. Cut them out, hold them up against a similar garment, and check the scale and placement with your own eyes. Do this for every logo, graphic and label position, including the small ones.
Check the Stitching
Stitching is one of the details clients most often overlook, and one of the ones that changes how a garment looks and feels. Look at each seam and hem on the pack and ask what it is. Is it a single row of stitching, a double stitch or something more intricate? Is there topstitching, and where?
If you do not understand something on the page, ask. Your designer would much rather answer ten questions now than have you unhappy with a sample later.
Check Fabrics, Trims and Colours
Go through the bill of materials and make sure the fabrics, zips, drawcords, labels and any other trims match what you discussed. Check the colourways too. Remember that colour on a screen or a printed page is only a guide, and the real colour will be confirmed through lab dips and sampling.
Check the Measurements
The measurement chart tells the factory how big every part of the garment should be. If you have a garment you love the fit of, compare the key measurements, such as chest, length and sleeve, against it. It will not be an exact science, but it is a good way to spot anything that looks very far off before a sample is made.
Some Details Are Subjective, and That Is Fine
Not every detail is a right or wrong answer. Stitch choices, proportions of a graphic and small construction decisions are often a matter of preference, and your preference might differ from your designer’s.
If you are flexible, you do not have to settle every point on paper. You can wait for the first samples, hold the actual garment in your hands, and then make comments and changes. That is a normal part of the process and it is what sampling is for.
Just do not be surprised if the first sample matches the tech pack exactly and still looks different to what you pictured in your head. That is not the factory getting it wrong. It means the picture in your head and the page were not the same thing, and now you can see where.
Not Every Factory Reads a Tech Pack the Same Way
Once you are happy with the packs, they go to the factory, and this is where things get less predictable. I have worked with factories who are happy with images and a short description and still produce brilliant samples. I have also worked with teams who nail every sample from a tech pack built in Illustrator, and they are a joy to deal with.
I have also seen the same tech packs handed to a different sourcing team and come back with a request for far more information, followed by poor samples. And I have handed over tech packs and bills of materials with every detail covered and still received samples with substituted fabrics, trims and colours.
Even within one factory, the contact makes a difference. Some developers are sticklers for detail. Others take initiative and suggest tweaks that improve the design or help with margins. Too much information can sometimes leave no room for a factory to problem solve, and too little leaves room for risky assumptions.
Good communication on both sides is what holds it together, and building those relationships takes time. If you want to understand how this stage fits into the wider process, my fashion manufacturing support page explains how I help brands get from tech pack to production.
Keep a Record of Every Change
Once sampling starts, comments and changes will come thick and fast. Keep a single, dated record of what you have asked for and what the factory has agreed. Ask your designer to update the tech pack when a change is approved, so the document always reflects the latest decision. A tech pack that is out of date is just as risky as one that was wrong in the first place.
What Happens After the Tech Packs
After sign off, the packs go out and the first samples start to come back. Expect more than one round. Samples rarely come back perfect first time, and fit comments, fabric adjustments and small construction changes are all normal. Each round gets you closer to a product you are happy to put into production.
If you are new to this stage, it helps to have an experienced person on your side who can read the samples against the pack, write clear comments back to the factory and tell you which issues are worth pushing on. That is a big part of what I do for fashion start-ups, and it is often the difference between a smooth sampling process and an expensive one.
Final Thoughts
Your tech packs are not just a handover document. They are the last chance to catch problems cheaply. Print your logos at actual size, question every stitch you do not understand, check the fabrics and trims, and ask your designer anything that is unclear.
If you would like experienced help with tech packs, sampling or the whole journey from idea to production, you can find out more about my fashion design services.
FAQ
What should I check when my fashion designer sends me tech packs?
Check logo and artwork sizes at actual size, stitching types, fabrics, trims, colourways and the measurement chart. Write down any questions and send them to your designer before the packs go to a factory.
How do I check logo and artwork sizing on a tech pack?
Print the artwork out at actual size, or ask your designer to send it to you at the correct size. Cut it out and hold it against a similar garment to check the scale and placement. Screens make everything look bigger than it will be on the finished product.
Will my first sample look exactly like my design?
Your first sample will usually match the tech pack closely, which may not match the picture in your head. Details such as stitching, scale and proportion often look different in real life, which is why changes after the first sample are completely normal.
Can I change things after the tech packs have been sent to the factory?
Yes, but changes are cheaper before sampling than after. You can make comments on the first samples and request changes, and your designer should update the tech pack so the factory always has the latest version.
Do all factories need the same level of detail in a tech pack?
No. Some factories are happy with images and a short description, while others need every detail written down. Too much information can leave no room to problem solve, and too little leaves room for assumptions, so it helps to learn how each factory likes to work.
Jonathan Mitchell is a freelance fashion designer with over 20 years of experience working with global brands and start-ups across activewear, sportswear and streetwear. From CADs and tech packs through to sampling and manufacturing support, J Mitchell Design offers a full fashion design service. Explore services at jmitchelldesign.co.uk or visit the JMD x Fashion Consultancy or Linkedin my LinkedIn profile page to find out more.
