How To Develop New Apparel (Feat. Belinda Jacobs from Techpacks.co)

2022-05-20

In this episode... Our CEO Renaud is joined by another special guest, Belinda Jacobs founder of Techpacks.co, a company that has been helping soft goods designers and brands improve production & decrease waste, through tech packs since 2016. On the podcast we have often discussed electrical and mechanical products, but how do you develop and bring new apparel to the market? Who better to help Renaud explain than Belinda who's an expert in the field! Together they explain what tech packs are and go through the apparel development and production process step by step pointing out best practices and...

In this episode...

Our CEO Renaud is joined by another special guest, Belinda Jacobs founder of Techpacks.co, a company that has been helping soft goods designers and brands improve production & decrease waste, through tech packs since 2016.

On the podcast we have often discussed electrical and mechanical products, but how do you develop and bring new apparel to the market? Who better to help Renaud explain than Belinda who's an expert in the field! Together they explain what tech packs are and go through the apparel development and production process step by step pointing out best practices and potential pitfalls along the way.

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings & Introduction to today's topic.

01:07 - Belinda's background and business, Techpacks.co

02:58 - What are tech packs?

05:51 - Do apparel manufacturers have the tendency to skip a lot of pre-production steps and rush straight into mass production unless they're told very clearly what actions to take beforehand by the customer?

The apparel development steps one by one

08:42 - Initial design.

09:53 - Why using another brand's garment as a basis for yours is dangerous.

12:52 - What comes first? Sizing, or an initial sample from the supplier for you to check the look of the garment?

14:18 - After your preliminary plan, the importer asks the manufacturer to prepare some elements. What are they?

17:18 - How do designers communicate their ideas for colors to the manufacturer, and what do they give you for approval?

20:08 - The manufacturer has produced a sample in the right style, color, and fit, what's the next step?

21:44 - Full size set samples. Needed, or not?

24:02 - When do labelling and packing need to be documented and confirmed?

27:26 - What's the best way to communicate with suppliers once you start working with them?

29:34 - At what point will importers feel confident to pay the downpayment and start mass production?

33:07 - What are 'TOP samples?'