Your manufacturer shouldn't be designing your clothes
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Your manufacturer is there to manufacture your clothing, Reader. But if you haven’t clearly communicated your design, you may unintentionally be asking them to design parts of it, too. Think about it this way: Every important detail you leave open to interpretation is a decision someone else may have to make. And while a good manufacturer will ask questions when they need clarification, you don’t want to rely on them to figure out what you meant. Here are three areas where that can happen: 1. What does the garment actually look like? A fashion illustration may beautifully communicate your vision, but your manufacturer needs to understand the actual design. Where are the seams and panels? How is the pocket shaped? Is that a dart or a seam? Where does the topstitching go? What does the back look like? An accurate technical flat sketch helps answer those questions visually. 2. What materials and trims should be used? “Black zipper” isn’t much of a specification. What type of zipper? What length? What material and finish? What size? The same applies to your fabric, buttons, elastic, hardware, labels, and other components. Your manufacturer may help source these items, but you should be defining what your design requires. 3. How should everything be measured and positioned? “Cropped.” “Oversized.” “Pocket at the hip.” Those descriptions might make perfect sense in your head, but they leave plenty of room for interpretation. How long is cropped? How oversized? Exactly where should that pocket be positioned? Measurements and specifications turn those ideas into instructions your manufacturer can actually follow. That’s really what technical design is about: removing unnecessary interpretation. You have the creative vision, but before someone else can make it, you have to translate that vision into information they can understand and use. That’s why learning how to create accurate technical flat sketches and build a detailed tech pack are such valuable skills for a fashion designer. And it’s exactly why I paired them together in my Fashion Design Essentials Bundle. The bundle includes Illustrator for Fashion Sketching and Creating a Fashion Tech Pack, giving you the tools to visually communicate your designs and document the technical details your manufacturer needs to develop them. If you’re ready to get better at communicating what’s in your head before handing your designs over to a manufacturer, click the button below to learn more about the Fashion Design Essentials Bundle.
Your manufacturer should be making your design, not making the design decisions for you. Have a fantastic week! Mikelle |