A Technical Pack, or Tech Pack for short, is essentially the design for the finished item. It includes all the technical characteristics and design specifics that distinguish your product from the competition. In essence, it serves as a communication medium between designers and producers. The “quality” of this communication has a direct impact on the final product’s quality.
In this article, we’ll outline the requirements for making a professional Tech Pack and demonstrate how to speed up the process by utilizing cutting-edge fashion technology.
Describe the Tech Pack
A designer will develop a Tech Pack, also known as specification papers, to communicate their concept to a manufacturer so that they can translate it into a finished garment. It acts as a blueprint for the finished item and contains details like in-depth flat drawings of the design, materials to be utilized, such as trimmings and labels, measurement requirements, size gradings, colours, etc.
Most factories and contractors won’t accept your orders for an outsourced clothing manufacturer unless you give them a clear and thorough Tech Pack. A Tech Pack outlines the required requirements for the future product, reducing risk for both the producer and the designer. A Tech Pack’s main objective is to produce fewer samples and commercialize a product more quickly. The Tech Pack also acts as a master record for keeping track of comments, modifications, and any impromptu alterations to the product.
The brand’s design team often develops tech packs to standardize manufacturing, maintain quality control, and establish brand consistency. You can find more info here.
Other advantages are:
- Reducing misunderstandings among the numerous stakeholders engaged in garment production, saving time and money, and enhancing effectiveness.
- It’s an ecologically friendly solution that prevents trash from transferring from one product to another, which helps reduce waste throughout the production process.
- It may be used to compare a product sample to the details in a tech pack and point out any deviations in order to evaluate the quality of the sample.
- They enable you to monitor each stage of the production process from beginning to end, ensuring that nothing is overlooked.
- They are useful for shipping since they offer guidance on how to pack your goods, which keeps them secure throughout transportation.
- It can assist you in locating the best manufacturer for your price range. To compare and bargain pricing, quantities, and conditions, you may submit a tech pack to several suppliers and get product quotations.
Is a tech pack really necessary?
If you want to create anything with precise bespoke specifications and intricate design elements, tech packs are a need. They might be able to assist you in creating a tech pack based on your broad idea for the product if you are working with a garment manufacturer and have fewer precise requirements. In any event, it is always preferable to get professional advice before launching your new line of production!
What makes a Tech Pack essential?
Tech Packs are essential for developing any fashion product, and here are just a few of the reasons why:
You’ll save time and money
You may obtain flawless examples that correspond to your original concept with the aid of a thorough and simple-to-read Tech Pack.
It facilitates precise pricing quotes
Your factory will find it simpler to estimate how long it will take to create your product and how much it will cost if your tech pack is more complete.
Tech Packs assist in enhancing fit quality
You can add a special column called Fit Sheet and enter the exact measurements when a fit sample is obtained from the manufacturer. You may determine if a certain dimension is within tolerance by comparing these actual measurements to the original measurements in the table. This greatly increases the fit’s quality and offers you room to modify as necessary.
It serves as a benchmark for quality assurance
You must verify the measurements, materials, and construction specifics for each batch of samples. You can inform the manufacturer if any of those stray from your standards so they can make the required adjustments.
It facilitates team collaboration
Design professionals, product developers, buyers, and quality control planners may collaborate on better goods more quickly by using a Tech Pack as more than just a document.
The distinction between a tech pack and a spec sheet
Despite the fact that the phrases are occasionally used synonymously, spec sheets are a part of a technical pack. Tech packs are more thorough and extensive than spec sheets, to put it simply.
Spec Sheets
Spec sheets provide a thorough technical description of your product. They are papers that describe the information needed to make or source the product, such as the product code or description, dimensions, technical drawings, materials and trimmings, colors, and other specifics. Additionally, they tend to be flatter papers that don’t present their content visually through the usage of mockups.
Tech Packs
Tech packs, on the other hand, are spec sheets’ older siblings. They often contain a lot more information than just a spec sheet, which is necessary for creating a whole product line.
Tech packs can be 10–20 pages long (or longer) and contain additional information like grading sheets, order forms, garment specs sheets (which include information like measurements), fabric requirements charts, bill of materials outlining each component of your product (like labels or linings), construction methods (like sewing steps), pattern sketches with dimensions attached, and even renderings or mockups that depict how your product will look when finished.
Final Words
It can be a good idea to engage a freelance tech pack designer if you’re just starting out with your apparel business. If so, it’s crucial to look into their employment history and references. Make sure to choose technical designers that have prior experience directly related to your industry of clothes. A portfolio of previous designs and technical concepts have to be included.
Technical designers often charge a one-time price for their tech pack services, whereas freelance fashion designers are compensated on a monthly basis according to the quantity of items in your clothes line. It is crucial for an in-house designer to have a good foundation in pattern-making and garment fabrication if you want to utilize one at your business. Additionally, they must comprehend the most recent manufacturing technology and adhere to any minimal standards that your manufacturer may impose.
In conclusion, you’re in excellent hands if you have a well-assembled tech pack and a team of competent outfit designers on your side. Your chances of entering the ranks of independent fashion designers will increase.