Tech sheets. Spec sheets. Whatever you want to call them. The fact of the matter is, I have rarely ever been able to get a manufacturing quote for my little girls' clothing line with one.
When I first started looking for a factory, I made beautiful tech sheets. By the book. One production manager even went out of her way to compliment my flats. But the response I invariably got was, "Send a sample."
Fortuntely, I happen to sew. Otherwise, the amount of capital needed to start this line would have been prohibitive. Can you imagine?? Hiring a sample maker every time you have an idea?? And then most of my ideas don't even make the first cut, (no pun intended) once I see them in real fabric on a real toddler.
We would like to think we can visualize the whole manufacturing process in the abstract, from a spec sheet. But we are in the garment industry. Production managers need to touch and hold an actual garment to think about making it on a large scale. And I can't say I blame them.
Also posted at Pixyworld Blog
you wrote:
ReplyDelete"Can you imagine?? Hiring a sample maker every time you have an idea??"
Unfortunately, this is necessary. It doesn't mean you actualize every *idea* you have. It's why you must be selective, that your pieces have continuity. Most start ups have lines comprised largely of orphans (http://bit.ly/YFsBM).