What is a Tech Pack?
You’ve designed your collection and are now looking to send it to production. So how do you translate your vision to the factories you’re getting quotes from? Tech packs are a tool that help hugely during these stages of product development, so making sure yours is accurate will save you time and money later on.
This article will explain what a tech pack is and why they are important and next week we will go into more detail about what you should consider including in your tech pack.
What is a tech pack?
Tech packs are the ultimate style file, used to translate design details between designers and producers during the product development process. Each pack holds all the details a factory or maker would need to create a particular style; including measurements, trim details and fabric information. The tech pack is also used to feedback any comments on samples throughout their realisation.
Each product or style design within a collection needs a different tech pack that can be supplied to factories when requesting quotes or samples. Starting with the most essential information, the tech pack will develop throughout the whole process as each garment range is sampled, tested, sized and costed. Depending on the level of detail, feedback and size range of the particular product, a tech pack could include ten or more pages.
Why create a tech pack?
If your garment designs have been developed and you’re looking to get production quotes or samples from factories, then you’ll need to create a tech pack. Although you might think this takes up an unnecessary amount of time and effort and could easily be replaced by an email, (it can’t!) tech packs give factories the level of information they need to create accurate samples. (Which in turn = accurate costings!)
Creating a detailed tech pack gives you plenty of advantages further down the production line, such as:
Effectively translating your designs: if you don’t use a tech pack, or the details in it are inaccurate, it takes much longer to get accurate samples, as there are no clear instructions. Even if you’re completely clear on what you want, tech packs enable you to translate it into a format that factories will be able to understand and deliver.
A more accurate fit: it’s likely there will be at least one or two sampling steps as you develop the correct sizes. Tech packs set out your initial measurements, feedback on any sample tolerances you receive and specify the variations between your set size range. Even if your style is being made in mainstream sizes, they’re not going to fit if you don’t spend time working out what they’ll look like and adjusting the samples or sample details throughout the tech pack process.
A detailed cost: each tech pack will give your manufacturer the details they need to provide an initial a cost of production, (which would later be amended/confirmed once sampling has taken place) which will help you narrow down the best factory for your range. Plus, tech packs help you predict the ‘fabric consumption’, meaning you don’t order too little or too much fabric in production and get a more accurate product cost from the beginning.
Find the right apparel manufacturer: an accurate tech pack will help you find factories with the right technology and skills to develop your specific design. For example, if you send a silk blouse tech pack to a factory that makes denim shirts, they could rule it out straight away, as they won’t have the machinery and processes to develop this style to your expectations.
Quality test products: the process of sampling using a tech pack allows you to thoroughly test the quality of your final product. For example, if you send a tech pack to a factory and the sample comes back with stretched seams or hanging threads, then it won’t have the level of finish that customers would consider paying a specific retail price for. Having a tech pack process allows you to call out these potential problems early on.
To take full advantage of a tech pack, you need to make sure it includes all the details a manufacturer needs. Follow us for part two - Key tips to creating an accurate tech pack!
Follow on for part two next week where we discuss how you can build your own Tech Pack!
Need help finding your way?
Whether you need help building a bespoke techpack or wonder how best to define each stage of the product development process, our team can help. With plenty of experience in planning and working on a whole range of projects, email us at enquiries@fashiondelivered.com to find out more, or use the contact form to arrange a no obligation chat.
See all our info on our contact page below