How to send a design to a factory

A factory needs more than a sketch: send a tech pack it can sew from after you have approved the garment. The pack should describe one agreed version of the style, with clear drawings, construction, measurements and materials. Sending an attractive image without those decisions asks the workroom to complete the design for you.

An early conversation with a factory can happen before every page is finished. Be clear about whether you are asking for an initial assessment or issuing instructions to make a sample. The status of the files matters. A provisional sketch should not be mistaken for an approved production specification.

Start with a brief that makes the style understandable

The brief brings together the questionnaire and a sketch or reference. Name the garment, intended fit and details that must stay. Show the back and any feature that the front image hides. If a reference is only for the collar or fabric effect, say so instead of implying that every part should be copied.

Include the material information and base-size reference you already have. Separate confirmed choices from questions. A missing fabric reference is easier to resolve when it is named at the start than when a completed sample is expected to drape like cloth that nobody identified.

Work on one style at a time so its decisions stay connected. A page of references for several garments can make it unclear which sleeve, closure or hem belongs to the style being discussed. A concise, specific brief is more useful than a large folder with no explanation of what matters.

Let review and follow-up happen before work starts

The brief needs review before it becomes a fixed scope. Questions may concern the back view, base size, construction or the material. Answer them where the decision can be found again, rather than relying on separate fragments of conversation. A follow-up is not a failure of the brief. It is a way to remove an assumption before it reaches the sample.

Once the questions are settled, the fixed quote should define the work before it starts. Keep that agreed scope distinct from later design changes so everyone knows which style and outputs the quote covers. Review and approval of the brief prevent an incomplete sketch from becoming a set of assumptions that has to be corrected later.

Approve the garment in 3D

The next step is the 3D sample, reviewed for look and fit before the factory tech pack is written from it. Check silhouette, proportion and relevant views, then resolve details such as collar shape, sleeve length and peplum position. The review should establish a version that the pages can describe consistently.

Record requested changes clearly and check the revised result. An approval should identify the version accepted, not just say “yes” in a conversation containing several images. Read what a 3D virtual sample is for what this review can establish and which physical checks may still be needed.

Write the pack from the approved sample

The factory tech pack turns the approved style into instructions. Front and back flats show the garment. Construction details explain important joins and finishes. The spec defines finished measurements at named points. The bill of materials identifies components and placements. Colourways and grade rules make the relevant variations explicit.

Every page should carry the same style identity and revision information. If a cuff changed during review, the flat, spec and construction page should all reflect it. A pack made from mixed versions can contain individually tidy sheets that still instruct the factory to make two different garments.

For the full set of pages, see what a tech pack includes. Check the scope of any pattern files separately. Written grade rules, a base-size pattern and a complete graded pattern set are not interchangeable deliverables.

Prepare a set someone else can read

Use file names that identify the style and current revision without requiring the recipient to open every attachment. Send the agreed current pack as one identifiable set. Remove obsolete drafts from that set or clearly separate them as superseded material. Multiple files called “final” do not establish which instruction controls the work.

Check that drawings and charts remain legible at the size the factory will use. Point identifiers should match across pages. Confirm units, colourway names and any material references. A broken reference or an unreadable measurement row can prevent a workroom from using information that technically exists in the file.

Say what you are asking the factory to do

The accompanying message should name the style, file revision and purpose of the handoff. State whether you want a feasibility review, a quotation or a sample made to the attached instructions. Identify the base size and any open items that need an answer before cutting or sourcing proceeds.

Ask the factory to confirm receipt of the current set and raise unclear instructions. Do not assume that sending an attachment proves it has been read or accepted. If a supplier proposes a substitute component or another construction method, assess the change before treating it as part of the approved style.

Keep questions and revisions connected

A factory question should lead back to the relevant page or point of measure. Answer it specifically, update the affected instruction if needed and issue a clear revision. A decision made only in a message may not reach the person cutting or sewing the garment later.

When a sample returns, compare it with the approved design and the current pack. Record measurements and fit comments against that version. Distinguish a manufacturing correction from a requested design change so the next instruction states what actually needs to happen.

The handoff is ready when the workroom can identify the garment, find the current instructions and see which questions remain open. That is a more useful standard than sending the largest possible collection of images. Approval first, consistent pages next, then a clear request to the factory.