Say Goodbye to Size Charts: The Surprising Secret to Getting the Perfect Fit for Your Clothing
Measurement charts for small clothing brands simply do not work. I'm going to tell you exactly why, and how you can get to the perfect fit for your clothes in one easy step.
If you've ever contacted other clothing manufacturers, you may have noticed that the first thing they ask for is a tech pack with a full measurement chart.
"Isn't that reasonable?" I hear you ask...
Well, yes and no...
Here's the real reason why most manufacturers use measurement charts
Of course, every good clothing manufacturer needs a complete tech pack that outlines all the information about your clothing design. What you probably don't know, however, is that most clothing manufacturers are only asking for a measurement chart as it's a pretty easy thing for a designer to provide, but it hardly ever produces successful samples on the first attempt.
That means that you have to do your samples with them multiple times to get the right result, which means they make more money in the process.
Not so good for you, when you're trying to create your startup clothing brand.
Measurement charts aren't standardised
It may be hard to believe but there is no industrial standard for clothing measurement points!! This means that unless you have an exact guide that shows precisely where to measure from and where to measure to, and you've set that up as a fully agreed upon framework with your clothing manufacturer, then the measurement points for your clothing will almost always be interpreted incorrectly.
When you provide a measurement chart to a regular clothing manufacturer they simply pick the main measurement points and match it to a pattern (shape) that they already have. This means you cannot dispute the shape, but it will almost certainly not be bang-on correct for your clothing.
Of course, this means endless rounds of sampling to get to the fit you want, and more time and money wasted in the process.
But don't worry, we've got your back.
Here's how to get to the fit you want in one go:
At Hook and Eye UK, when we work with brands to manufacture their clothing we do not accept measurement charts at all (for the reasons outlined above). Instead we offer two very simple ways to get to the fit you want for your clothes.
Option 1 - Custom Digital Pattern:
We create a custom digital pattern for you based from a reference garment you love the fit of. It can be something you either already have in your wardrobe or a garment you purchase online.
To create your pattern we use a combination of scanning the garment and measuring sections. This creates a true-to-size, digital file that is exactly the right size and cannot be misinterpreted by any manufacturer.
The pattern is yours forever to re-use as many times as you like and we do not damage the reference garment in any way. You'll also you get it back (of course!) once the measurements are done.
Above you can see an example of a custom digital t-shirt pattern. You can see it's made up of a front panel, back panel, sleeve panel and collar (neck) panel. These panels are cut into the chosen fabric and stitched together to create a full t-shirt.
To create a custom digital pattern is more work than slapping together a measurement chart, but is 100 times more effective and saves you money in the long run as almost all clothing samples come back with the right fit in the first round of sampling.
Custom digital patterns range in price depending on complexity. If you'd like to know more, we can advise on pricing within a tech pack and design session.
Whilst a custom digital pattern is often the most effective option, we also provide an alternative solution for those on a tighter budget. The great thing is, it still provides excellent results and is way better than trying to use a measurement chart...
Option 2 - Use Pre-Developed Garments:
The quickest, easiest and cheapest way to design is to pick from our pre-developed clothing shapes. These are not stock items, they are shapes (patterns) that we have professionally developed for you to use as a starting point for your brand.
All you have to do to give them a unique character is change the colours / fabric / make slight fit tweaks and add graphics etc.
All of our pre-developed shapes are developed from the big brands' most popular shapes. We're talking brands like Palm Angels, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Fear of God, Represent etc. Naturally, we have added a bit of H&E magic into the base shapes and made really cool starting shapes to help you out!
Each shape has been developed so it fits a good range of people and body shapes (the good news for you as the brand owner, is that means fewer returns, and many pennies saved).
Click here to see our pre-developed clothing range.
Above you see a selection of the kinds of pre-developed garments we do at Hook and Eye UK. To download the full PDF click here.
IN CONCLUSION:
Using measurement charts simply is not the best way to get the perfect fit for your clothing samples.
The two best options to get to the fit you want for your garment as quickly as possible are to either have a custom digital pattern created from a garment reference or to use one of our pre-developed garment shapes.
With a little bit of thought ahead of time, you can make sure you get the fit you want for your clothing designs.
What are the next steps?
Once you've decided which option you want to go for, the next step in your journey to making great clothing would be to get your tech packs made properly.
At Hook and Eye UK, we make exceptional tech packs (just saying!) that are designed specifically to help brands like yours. Just click here if you'd like 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.