SERVICES

Product design & Development

This is the process of working together and viewing your collection of ideas, sketches, samples or images and turning them into a commercially viable garment or range design.

Through a review of your designs, I can offer advice on the suitability of fabrics and trims, design and the optimum manufacturing processes to balance costs with aesthetics and functionality. I can also help you out with costings your styles and working out your pricing strategy.

Pattern Making

Pattern making is making an accurate and perfectly fitting pattern from a design sketch, a sample or an image.

The process normally begins with an initial pattern and and then a 'toile' or mock-up garment is made up from an inexpensive fabric with the same qualities as the final fabric.

The toile is then fitted and any adjustments to fit, proportion and details are recorded and from there, the final pattern is made. This ensures that the pattern is perfect before the expense of sampling and manufacturing is incured.

Sample size will need to be decided. Industry standard is a size 8 for women and a size 34 for men, although this is flexible and patterns can be made in any size you need.

Sampling

Once the pattern is finalised, the garment can be sampled in the final fabric.

This will be your prototype, which can then be fitted on various shaped bodies & tested for comfort and wearablity over many hours. It can also be used for photoshoots and marketing purposes.

It is from this sample that your manufacturer will make a pre-production sample, to check all the steps are perfect for fulll production.

Grading

Once your pattern and your sample are approved and you are ready to move into production, the base pattern will need to be made into multiple sizes to provide to the factory. This process is called grading.

There are two options for grading:

Manually graded patterns: Used mainly by boutique labels and smaller scale factories. Pattern pieces are cut out of cardboard in every size required. They are placed on the fabric to be cut out.

Digitally graded patterns: Used in larger factories and for offshore production. Pattern pieces are digitised onto a computer system, graded and then digitally positioned on a marker. This file can be downloaded and printed out on a large scale printer. The marker will be the same width as the fabric used and it will be placed on top of the layers of fabric and cut out with the fabric.

Tech Packs & Sketches

A tech pack is the blue print of your final garment across all sizes, colours and fabrications. It is a comprehensive collections of all the details and specifications your manufacturer needs to ensure that final production is accurate in all areas.

Depending on a few factors, a tech pack includes some or all of the following:

Technical sketches
Manufacturing details
Bill of materials
Colourways
Stitching specifications
Labeling specifications
Size specifications
Artwork
Packaging & folding instructions