AM-101 Unit 3

Components of the design brief

• Objectives of the line:

  • Key trends to address, business and social objectives, etc.

  • The objectives of a line may focus on a business or social objective, such as Zero Waste design

• Description of the target customer:

  • Demographics and Psychographics

• Design inspirations and theme of the line

• Design Requirements:

  • Color, materials, styles (line plan); manufacturing and costing requirements

• Supply Chain calendar and schedule for the line completion

Influences on the design brief

Mission of the company

Brand strategy

Price zone of merchandise

Supply chain calendar

Mission of the company

How the companies moral mission influence the deisgn of the products (ex. sustainability, ect.)

Brand stategy

How the company is positioned in the market

Price zones

How much the constomer is willing to pay for the product

Calandars

Traditional, expedited, fast-fashion, or combination

What is a technical package?

A document that is developed by the product development team, which translates information in the design brief to become an actual product.

• Serves as a blueprint for the item or garment to be sampled and/or manufactured.

Components of the technical package

• Technical sketches

• Bill of materials (BOM

  • Every component and qtys used

    • Fabric, thread, trims and findings, closures, interlinings, labels, hangtags, and packaging.

  • Cost can be calculated from this page

  • Where the components were purchased/acquired

• Trim sheet

• Construction specifications

  • Call-out page detailing how to make the garment including stitches seams and key details

• Point of measure

  • Every measurement detailed (how to measure) and what the measurement actually is.

  • History of the garment and changes made

  • Holds factory accountable for following directions/style specs

• Size specifications

• Supplemental pages for prototype development, labels, folding, and packaging

Wholesale price

Amount paid by retailer to purchase the goods

Suggested retail pricing (msrp)

The price a fashion brand company recommends that item is sold at retail

Keystone pricing

Strategy used whereby the price of items sold to a customer is double the cost of the items; used at both the wholesale and retail levels.

Sell through

The % of items sold at retail compared to the number of items in the line that were produced

What are pre-production processes and their components, pattern Development?

Refer to processes used in fashion product development after the tech pack has been developed but before the fashion products are actually cut and sewn.

These processes include:

- Pattern development

- Making the prototype or sample garment

- Considerations with production materials, fabrics, trims and findings

- Pattern grading

- Making the production marker

Patterns are developed from design sketches and the tech pack

Requires a knowledge of:

• Pattern-making skills

• Fit

• Textile characteristics

• Production facility capabilities

Drafting

Measurements are used to develop the pattern shape.

Draping

• Fabric is draped on a body form to create the garment style.

• Can use fashion fabric or a muslin

• Cutting, molding and pinning the fabric into the desired shape.

• A pattern is developed from the fabric pieces

  • Carefully removed and laid flat on tagboard

Flat Pattern

• The most common form of pattern making

• A base pattern (Block or Sloper) is manipulated and changed to create a new pattern.

• Details such as pockets, pleats, etc. are added to basic blocks to create new designs based on designer sketches

Pattern Design Systems (PDS)

• Once the first pattern has been created (base pattern), patternmakers may digitize the paper pattern into a computer pattern design system so that it can be more easily shifted to make new patterns (known as Digitizers)

• Fashion companies may also use pattern design systems (PDS) for some or all of the patternmaking functions

  • Knowledge of patternmaking is essential in developing a pattern using a PDS.

• PDS Advantages:

  • Accuracy: seam lengths and widths

  • Speed: patterns stored in computer system; no time spent tracing an existing pattern

  • Integration with spec sheets

  • Integration with production

• PDS Disadvantages:

  • Cost: initial cost high

  • Training Time

  • Technical Support: What happens if the system goes down?

  • Visualization difficulties: reduced size on screen may be difficult for traditional patternmakers to adjust

Slopers

Basic pattern in the company’s sample size, without any style features, used as the starting point for creating a pattern for a new style.

Cutting process

Transforms fabric rolls into precise garment components based on patterns. It involves spreading fabric in layers, creating a marker (layout), cutting using manual or computerized machines, and bundling parts for sewing. Key steps include inspecting, spreading, marker planning, cutting, sorting, and bundling, which are crucial for minimizing fabric waste and ensuring accurate garment fit.

Fabrics that require special consideration

Delicate & High-Maintenance Fabrics

Silk: Extremely delicate, often requiring dry cleaning or careful hand washing.

Velvet: Features a directional nap that requires all pieces to be cut in the same direction, or it will look different, requiring careful handling.

Wool: Susceptible to shrinking and felting if not washed properly; prone to pilling and moth damage.

Linen: Known to wrinkle easily and may shrink, requiring specialized laundering.

Prototype (sample sewer)

After a pattern is made, a prototype is produced to:

• test the design in the selected materials/fabric(s)

• Evaluate the style on a live fit model

• test the construction sequence

• Use a physical sample to perform a cost analysis for materials and labor costs

• See all the styles in the line as a whole

Materials, Fabrics, Trims and Findings

All the fabrics, materials and trims that are used to produce garments are finalized in the pre-production process

Quality Considerations

•Textile testing to assure specified standards are met: strength testing, flammability, pilling, etc.

Pattern grading

The production pattern which has been made in the company’s sample size is now ready for pattern grading… where each piece of the pattern in the sample size is remade in each of the sizes specified

Grading a garment pattern is much cheaper than developing a sample garment of each size. Therefore, grading is a cost factor and does not ensure the fit of the other sizes

Grade rules

Amounts and locations of growth or reduction for pattern pieces to create the various sizes.

Production marker

Is the full-size cutting layout of all the pattern pieces for all the sizes specified for the style.

The efficiency of a marker’s layout plan (marker efficiency) is measured in the percentage of fabric used. (90 percent utilization means that there is about 10 percent fallout)

Wage Computation

The process of determining an employee's total earnings (gross pay) for a specific period by multiplying hours worked by an hourly rate, or dividing annual salary by pay periods

Strike offs

A fabric sample that is printed by the textile converter before the textile is manufactured in large quantities

Finishing - what does it include?

Process used on fibers, yarns, or fabrics to change or improve the performance or appearance of the material. Post-production process of trimming, pressing, and folding finished goods.