We are finally at the last step of development. The step you all have anxiously been waiting for. Now, when it is time for production we are not only worried about how your garments will come out, where you will be producing and the quantities to be produced. When this time comes, one of the most important things is choosing the right manufacturer, being prepared to work with them, and providing everything they need to avoid any issues. Working with manufacturers should not be a complicated process, but there are always some challenges.
One of the challenges you might face when working with manufacturers is the language barrier. If you have read my blog FASHION IMMIGRANTS you would understand a little bit better what I am talking about when I mention the language barrier. This industry is basically made of immigrants and most of the best pattern makers in the garment district in NYC are not American. Some of them have been in the US for 30 years and barely speak English (lol, but for real).
Another challenge might be the timeline. Sometimes the manufacturers are busy and, instead of delivering the products within six to eight weeks, it will take them longer. And, sometimes, you can face other challenges like garments being lost, garments not perfectly constructed, or wrong colorways. All of these are mistakes I have seen happening before and sometimes the manufacturer is not the one to blame. You can be working with one of the best and most expensive manufacturers, but if you do not provide what they need, there will be issues.
Remember that 10% room for error that I mentioned in the previous post INSIDE THE FASHION INDUSTRY - Costing your Garments? This is one of the reasons why that 10% is necessary. As prepared as you can be, things happen and, to avoid any issues in your production, here is step by step of what you will need to make sure you are working with a trustable manufacturer and you are prepared to provide everything they need.
1. Inventory list
Ok, so this is not exactly for the manufacturing, but for you!
Creating an inventory list of everything that is being dropped off at the manufacturer will be very helpful for you to make sure that you are dropping off all materials needed.
Make sure to not only list the fabrics and materials by the colorways, but mention exactly how much fabric and how many supplies are being dropped. For example, 230 yards of emerald green silk, 350 yards of black linen, 1000 brand labels, 1000 care labels, 260 labels size small, etc… In that way, once production is done, you can take whatever is leftover and reuse it in future production (like brand labels and hangtags can always be reutilized).
Side note, manufacturers are not the most organized people to deal with. They normally have a lot going on and they are dealing with many different clients. Losing a label, a snap, or one zipper can happen… So making this inventory list also helps you to see what was a “waste” during production.
2. Purchase order
To make sure they will be producing the correct quantities per garment, per size, and per color, and to make sure you are being as organized as possible, a professional purchase order with your company header is crucial!
When dropping the purchase order, make sure it mentions the date you are dropping it off and the date they promised to deliver the entire production. Also, make sure that whoever is the main contact and responsible for the manufacturer signs the purchase order for you.
3. All materials
This is why creating an inventory list is important. You need to make sure that you are drooping everything needed for the production. From the fabrics to the smallest detail, like your care labels. Otherwise, manufacturers always advise that production will not be started until they have everything they will need to finish your garments.
4. Tech packs
Tech packs are crucial to have perfect results in production. But like, really crucial!
Never work with a manufacturer that does not require a tech pack. If you end up working with a manufacturer that does not require a tech pack then you should know that you are opening the first door to disaster.
But now, what is a tech pack, and why it is SO important? Well, remember why creating your tech sketches is important? The tech sketches are the first step to your tech packs.
The tech pack is a detailed and organized list of everything that goes in your garment. From the tech sketch to labels, colorways, mockups in each color, fabric composition, Pantone numbers, sizes to be produced, grading per size, tolerances, label placements, etc. Basically, everything that has been done during development, the fabric details, the grading used, and the trims approved will be listed on the tech pack. And yes, you do need one tech pack per garment - no matter how similar they might be.
Here is an example of what a tech pack looks like.
5. Samples in each colorway
Tech packs should explain all details of your garments, but you must provide one sample in each style and each colorway to your manufacturer.
Tech packs will show every single detail in your garment, but remember what I said about the language barrier? Sometimes the sewers at the manufacturer will look at the sample to refer to stitching and construction - even though the tech packs will also mention these details.
No, one cannot cancel the other. It is, with no doubt, crucial that you provide both to your manufacturers. Samples and tech packs!
6. Production markers
Some manufacturers (most international ones) will be able to print the production markers for you. So all you need to do is send them the digital files. Some of them might not be able to print it, so whoever did your grading should be able to print the production markers for you and you need to make sure that these will be dropped off along with the rest of the supplies.
7. Ask for a “PP” or “TOP”
PP stands for Pre Production and TOP stands for Top Of Production. They both mean the same thing: before finishing cutting and sewing the entire production, the manufacturer needs to create one sample in each style. Once the sample is approved and matches the samples provided, they are good to go!
8. Manufacturer check-in
I am not going to say constantly, but twice a week you should be checking in with your manufacturer. Stop by if you can. See how it is going, which stage they are at, and be on top of the delivery date.
If you cannot stop by, most manufacturers should be able to provide pictures of how it is going - aka pictures of them cutting the fabric, sewing the garment, and finishing garments.
9. Quality check
Once the entire production is done, before having them pack all garments, you need to do a quality check. Make sure to count the entire production, count quantities per size and color to make sure it matches the purchase order, trims are placed correctly, all threads have been cleaned, all garments are steamed and ready to be packed and shipped to your fulfillment center.
These are the main steps that you will need to know and make sure you have it to a successful production. No, this does not mean shit will not happen. Once I saw a client delivering everything that was needed to the manufacturer and it was great manufacturing, but the fabric was produced about 5’’ shorter on the fabric width, so the production marker did not work on the fabric. Was it the client’s fault? The manufacturer? Not at all! It was a fabric issue which the fabric vendor had to fix. This little detail delayed production by about two weeks.
This is why you always need to add room for error. Not only in your costing, but in your timeline too. Production and working with manufacturers tend to be the moment where most mistakes happen, but do not forget that fashion is a business that deals directly with people. This is no perfect math like in finance and, when working with people, things can happen. You have to be prepared and organized enough to deal with it in the best way and to make sure any mistakes are not costing you more money or delaying your launch.
This might be the last step of developing your successful clothing line, but this is not the end for the INSIDE THE FASHION INDUSTRY blog series. I promise that this series will never be over, we still have a lot to talk about and I have way more insights for you, but we do have one more step before launching: sales plan!
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