Technical breakdown
Many brands treat the tech pack as a design summary - a collection of sketches and measurements that communicates the general intent of a style. Factories receive it, make a series of judgment calls about what was meant, produce a sample, and send it back. The brand then writes comments explaining what they actually wanted.
This loop is not a sampling process. It is a documentation problem presenting itself as a sampling problem.
A production-ready tech pack is specific enough that the factory does not need to make judgment calls. It is the difference between a suggestion and an instruction. When the documentation is complete, the first sample should be a close representation of the intended result, not a starting point for a conversation about intent.
Four components that determine readiness
Technical flat sketches. Not fashion illustrations - flat technical drawings that show every seam, topstitch, pocket, closure, and hardware placement in correct proportion. If a detail is not drawn, it will not be executed consistently. The sketch is the reference for everything. When construction details are visible, ambiguity about the factory’s interpretation disappears.
The Bill of Materials. Every component in the garment must be listed: main fabric, lining, interlining, thread colour references, button size and finish, zipper type and length, labels, care tags, any decorative hardware. If a component is missing from the BOM, it is missing from the sample. Factories do not source components that are not specified. They produce what the document tells them to produce.
Grading and spec table. A size range is not a set of labels. It is a set of measurements, and those measurements must be defined by you, not determined by the factory. The spec table states the base size measurements, the grade increments by body area, and the tolerances - the acceptable deviation from spec at each measurement point. Without this, the factory grades according to their own standard size charts, which may not match your fit model.
Construction callouts. This is the most frequently incomplete section of a tech pack. The sketch shows what the garment looks like. The callouts explain how it is built - seam types, stitch densities, operation sequence, interlining placement, finishing method for hems and facings. The sequence matters: whether a waistband is attached before or after side seams are closed affects the interior finish of the garment. These details must be stated, not assumed.
The stranger test
Before the tech pack is sent, apply one test: give it to someone who has never seen the design and ask them to describe exactly how the garment is built and what materials are required.
If they hesitate at any point - if they need to make an assumption or ask a question - the documentation has a gap. Find the gap and close it. Do this before the document leaves the studio, not after the first sample comes back with problems that were visible in the paperwork.
The test is not about achieving perfection. It is about removing the questions that are predictable. Every question the factory does not need to send is a delay that does not happen.
Checklist for tech pack readiness:
- Flat technical sketches show all seams, hardware, and construction details - front, back, and interior
- BOM lists every component with objective specifications - no qualitative descriptions
- Spec table includes base size measurements, grade increments by body area, and tolerances
- Construction callouts specify seam type, stitch density, and operation sequence
- All data across sketch, BOM, and spec table is internally consistent
- Stranger test performed before sending