Here’s our guide on how to get the most value from your tech pack and design session, so that you come away with pinpoint tech packs that are ready for our manufacture team.
When it comes to bringing your fashion designs to life, good tech packs are essential. Without the right process and preparation, getting tech packs made can become can be a pain in the butt, sapping your time, energy and money in the process. In this article, we’ll show you how to prepare fully for a Tech Pack and Design session so that you get the most out of it and get your tech packs done properly!
Efficiency in Tech Pack Design: Getting The Most Out of Your Time
Unlike many other design and manufacturing firms, at Hook and Eye UK, we do things differently by creating your tech packs right in front of you during a live design session.
Not only does that save you LOADS of back and forth on email to get your tech packs spot-on, it also means you get air-tight tech packs straight away after the session, ready for sampling and bulk production.
You’ll get to discuss every detail of your design with one of Hook and Eye UK's expert designers, giving you live consultation on the best approach for your brand. You’ll also be able to see the tech pack being designed in real-time, so that you can make any changes live during the session.
This is hands-down the most effective and time-efficient way of getting a tech packs made properly (and we’re amazed that more manufacturers don’t do it this way, our owner Joss came up with the concept over 10 years ago and it's still one of the reasons Hook and Eye UK is so special!).
Since we'll be designing together live, a few simple pieces of preparation before your tech pack and design session session will make sure that you get the most out of it.
How to fully prepare for your tech pack and design session:
**BEFORE** your tech pack and design session, the best way to prepare is by thinking about the following 7 points:
1. BASIC FIT:
Your clothing's fit sets the stage for everything else. To get your vision across in your tech packs, the best way is to send us across a collection of images that show the general fit and style you want for each garment.
If you can accompany any imagery with a few details around explaining the type of fit that you'd like your clothes to have, that will help us to get your tech packs spot-on for your brand.
2. GARMENT DETAILS - Details make all the difference when it comes to fashion, so please send us images of any specific garment details you'd like.
For example, do you want a particular type of stitching, or a specific pocket style? The more detail you can give us, the better.
3. COLOUR PALETTE - Think about the colour palette that you'd like for your range, and if possible, share that with us in advance.
4. LOGOS - If you have any logos or graphics they must be in vector format, preferably created in (Adobe Illustrator) and emailed to info@hookandeyeuk.com ahead of your design session (unless we've previously discussed that we can help you create a logo during the session - if you need help don't be afraid to ask).
You can see examples of the kinds of logos we can create in our tech pack and design sessions above.
5. FABRICS - Think about the kinds of fabrics you would like for your range. The easiest way to do this is to find well known brands with fabrics you love and let us know in advance what those brands are. Our designer will then be able to guide you on the best choices during the tech pack and design session!
For example, do you love the fabric that Stussy use on their T shirts, and want something similar for yours? If so, let us know. A well known reference for each fabric choice is a very easy way to convey the fabrics you like.
6. GRAPHIC APPLICATION STYLES- Think about how you want your graphics (if you have any) to be applied to your garments. Our designer will guide you to the best choices in the tech pack and design session.
7. GRAPHIC SIZING- Graphic sizing matters, so you should think about the size of your graphics (if you have any). Our designer will guide you to the best choices in the tech pack and design session.
If you're designing online, make sure you've got a tape measure on hand to double check the sizing!
Is there anything else I need to think about?
The above points cover the essentials that you'll need to prepare, but here are a couple more things that we can discuss during the session to make it even more fruitful for you:
- Any reference garments that show overall fit, fabric, graphic positions/style or any detailing that you would like to take inspiration from.
- An idea of how many units you'd like to order for bulk production. Remember the Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) is 30 pieces per design/colour (this can be split into 4 sizes) but this increases with the complexity of the style. Generally t-shirts, hoodies, Joggers etc have an MOQ of 50 units.
A few considerations for online design sessions:
If you're booking an online design session, here are a few extra points to prepare so that you get the best use of the session:
1. Bring a tape measure (this is to measure small things like the size of your graphics and certain positions of graphics).
2. A good wifi connection and the latest version of zoom downloaded (once you've booked a tech pack and design session, you'll find the zoom link to the meeting in the booking confirmation email).
3. If you plan to have more than one person on the design call please nominate a speaker before the call to allow for ease of communication.
What you'll get from your tech pack and design session:
The aim of the session is to produce elite-level tech packs for your fashion brand, and if you follow the prep points mentioned in this article, that will help to ensure that you come away with amazing tech packs ready for our (or any) clothing manufacturer for sampling and bulk production.
At Hook and Eye UK, we build our tech packs using a graphic and fabric coding system that is paired with the specific positioning of information that makes it easier for everyone in the manufacturing chain to understand and follow.
It also means that everyone in our manufacturing supply chain is working to a shared plan & shared language, helping to eradicate possible mistakes. This makes your final garments more accurate and ensures a higher quality end product.
IN CONCLUSION:
With a little bit of preparation ahead of time, your tech pack and design session will be much more efficient, helping to get better tech packs made for your brand, with less time and money spent in the process.
To get started, just click here to book a tech pack and design session with us.
Once your tech packs have been designed, you'll then be ready to get clothing samples made - so you might like to read our guide on how to get your clothing samples made to a higher standard whilst saving money in the process.
Hope that helps!
Love, Joss H&E xx
p.s. If you'd like some guidance from us on your next clothing collection and you're new to Hook and Eye UK simply fill in our enquiry form here. The form will guide you through steps to see if we can help you and then tell you exactly how to contact us.
AND A QUICK NOTE ON OUR TECH PACK & DESIGN SESSION CANCELLATION POLICY:
As demand for our sessions is high, cancellations made 48 hours or less before an appointment will be subject to a rebooking fee of £50.
In order to cancel / reschedule contact us via WhatsApp [+447939 591255]. Reschedule is only confirmed when the rebooking fee has been paid and you have received confirmation email.