Notes from inside development and production.
Written for founders and designers who have to make manufacturing decisions without a technical team behind them. No trend commentary, no supplier marketing — just the mechanics of getting a difficult garment made properly.
What a tech pack has to contain before it reaches a factory
Most rejected tech packs fail on the same four things: no measurement tolerances, no stated seam types, a BOM without widths and consumption, and flats that do not show the inside. Here is the minimum a pack needs before anyone can price it honestly.
Development · Publishing soon
Why the same dress is quoted three different prices
Quantity per style, hand-work minutes, fabric consumption and the number of fitting rounds move a price more than the hourly rate does. A breakdown of what actually sits inside a unit price on complex womenswear.
Costing · Publishing soon
Low MOQ is a planning decision, not a discount
Small runs are not simply large runs divided. Material minimums, line changeover and sampling amortisation are the real constraints — and there are specific ways to work around each.
Sourcing · Publishing soon
The gap between your sample and your two hundredth unit
Sealed samples, measurement tolerances, shade banding and inline checks: the unglamorous mechanics that decide whether a production run looks like the garment you approved.
Production · Publishing soon
Grading is where small brands lose their fit
A block that fits beautifully in your sample size can fall apart across a size set. What grading rules actually are, why they should be written down, and what to verify in cloth before bulk.
Fit · Publishing soon
Questions to ask a manufacturer before you send a deposit
Nine questions that separate a partner from an order-taker — and what a good answer to each one sounds like.
Sourcing · Publishing soon
These are commissioned and in preparation. Each will be published in full — we would rather list what is coming than fill this page with reprinted trade copy.
Have a question we should answer here?
If you are stuck on a development or production problem, send it. The good questions become articles.