GARMENT

DEVELOPMENT
ROADMAP
FROM IDEA TO PRODUCTION

POINTS of MEASURE.com
HEY THERE! I’M NATALIE
Thank you so much for signing up and your
interest in the Garment Development Road-
map. I’m so excited to walk you through
the full Garment Development Process so
that you can feel more confident taking the
next step in your fashion journey.

Each week I’ll be in your inbox with a ton

of additional helpful resources, tutorials,
and education that will walk you through
each step in the process.

It’s a lot to take in, I know - but don’t worry!

I’ll be here to help each step of the way.

I designed this in-depth 10+ page PDF to

be your ultimate roadmap to each step
of the process - NO MORE GUESSING!

You’ll see why each step is important and

who is responsible for each job. The best
part? You’ll feel more confident in making
the right decisions for your own brand so
that you can find Fashion Industry success.

LET’S
DIVE IN
POINTS of MEASURE
GARMENT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
FROM IDEA TO PRODUCTION

2 1

ID
IDEATION MARKET EA
RESEARCH

3 4

CREATIVE TECHNICAL
DESIGN DESIGN

6 5

SOURCING TECH PACK

7 8
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION

SAMPLING DESIGN
APPROVAL

POINTS of MEASURE
MARKET RESEARCH MAIN OBJECTIVE: Who’s job is it?
It all starts with an idea from the founder - an idea for
a garment or a brand. Before jumping into design,
the founder of the brand first needs to refine the idea
for the brand.

With the help of a Marketing team, they will conduct FOUNDER OR

market and competitor research to hone in on the MARKETING
brand’s Target Market.

PHASES:

1
First, the Founder and/or Marketing needs to establish who
the customer is that they are serving - the Target Market.
This also coincides with defining what specific market niche
the brand will serve.

Next, Marketing will conduct Market and Competitor

2
Research to better understand their brand positioning.
Brands can do so by preparing a SWOT Analysis or through
other similar methods. The goal is to define where and how
the brand can gain a competitive edge.

Now that the brand has adequate research, they can begin

3
to develop a Customer and Brand Profile that documents
exactly who they are, what they represent, and who they
serve. This will be followed up by creating a Brand Style
Guide which houses all of the styling info for the brand.

Finally, and most importantly, the Founder will partner with

the Technical Designer to develop a unique Size Chart based
on the Customer Profile and Market Research that represents
the brand’s Target Customer.
4
NEXT STEPS:
Marketing hands off the completed Customer Profile, Size Chart,

1
and Brand Style Guide to the Designer.

POINTS of MEASURE
 MAIN OBJECTIVE:
IDEATION Now that the Designer understands the overall mission
Who’s job is it?

of the Brand, who the Target Customer is, and their

unique attributes, they can begin developing design
ideas that meet the needs of the Target Market.

The Designer needs to explore all options and prepare DESIGNER

ideas in a way that can be presented to the Team.

PHASES:
The Designer is prompted with information about the market

1 which informs their design process. Using that information

the Designer conducts a Trend Analysis to establish what
themes will be a part of the brand’s collection, also taking
into consideration the brand’s aesthetic.

Next, the Designer compiles inspiration from a myriad of

different resources. Inspiration is typically pulled from non-
garment related resources in order to build a “feeling” or
“vibe” around the collection before any designing begins.
2
Now that the Designer has a collection of inspiration they

3
can begin to create a Mood Board that visually defines the
direction for the line. A Mood Board can take many forms,
but typically includes inspiration images, colors, fabric
swatches, and rough sketches.

Finally, the Designer will compile all of their findings and

work with the Merchandiser to create a Line Plan for the
collection. This Line Plan acts as an initial guide for what
type of garments are to be included in the collection and will
4
be tweaked throughout the Garment Development Process.

NEXT STEPS:
The Designer uses the Line Plan to start sketching up ideas

2
for each garment in the collection.

POINTS of MEASURE
CREATIVE DESIGN MAIN OBJECTIVE: Who’s job is it?

Now that the Designer has a clear idea of how many

and what type of garments will be in the collection,
they can start to sketch out design ideas.

They will work with the rest of the team to create a

set of finalized designs and a Design Brief. DESIGNER

PHASES:
For each design the Designer will sketch anywhere from one

1 to ten ideas. They will use their experience and expertise to

create designs that reflect the brand direction, collection
aesthetic, and niche goals.

Next, the Designer will refine the design ideas by working

with the rest of the team. They will pay close attention to
design intent, cost, and construction to ensure the design
will be successful.
2
Now that the Designer has a good idea of the final design,

3
they may test out design ideas or procure retail samples to
better illustrate their ideas to the rest of the team. Using
these additional resources, they will hone in on the final
design for each piece in the collection.

Finally, the Designer will complete the final design for each
piece. Then, the Designer will prepare a Design Brief which
outlines the details and nuances of each design to present
to the rest of the team.
4
NEXT STEPS:
The Designer hands off the Design Brief to the rest of the team

3
during a Kickoff meeting.

POINTS of MEASURE
TECHNICAL DESIGN MAIN OBJECTIVE: Who’s job is it?

During the Kickoff Meeting the rest of the team will

review and approve the final design.

From the final design, the Technical Designer will

create the Technical Flats for the Tech Pack. TECHNICAL
DESIGNER

PHASES:
During the Kickoff Meeting the Designer presents the designs

1 to the rest of the team. The Merchandiser, Developer, and

Technical Designer will review the information and make any
requests based on their unique experience and expertise.

Next, the team will come to a consensus about any changes

that need to be made to the design. The Design Brief will be
updated to reflect these changes. With these final changes
the design has officially been handed off.
2
Now that the Technical Designer has all of the information

3
about the design, they will create Technical Sketches. These
drawings are detailed, technically accurate, flat visual
representations of the design. Technical Flats are vital to
show the factory how to construct the design.

Finally, the Technical Designer will add Construction Callouts

to the Technical Sketches. After the sketches have been
finalized they are added to the Tech Pack. 4
NEXT STEPS:
With the Technical Sketches complete the Development team

4
can begin work on the Tech Pack.

POINTS of MEASURE
 MAIN OBJECTIVE:
TECH PACK With the Technical Sketches in the Tech Pack the
Who’s job is it?

Technical Designer begins preparing the rest of the

Tech Pack.

The Developer focuses on recording the materials DEVELOPMENT

that will go into creating the garment. TEAM

PHASES:
First, the Technical Designer will review any of the inspiration

1 samples handed off by the Designer. Then, using the Size

Chart, Foundation Patterns, and other references the Tech
Designer will determine the garment specs for the base size.

2
Next, the Developer will fill out the Bill of Materials (BOM)
page with all of the materials and trims that are needed to
create the garment.

Finally, the Technical Designer will prepare the Proto Review

3
page in the Tech Pack which allows the factory to easily
record their measurements once the prototype is complete.
This same page will be used to review the prototype when it
comes in.

Finally, the Technical Designer and Developer will review the

Tech Pack one last time to ensure that there are no details
missing. With that, the Tech Pack is approved to be sent to
the factory for a first prototype.
4
NEXT STEPS:
The Technical Designer hands off the Tech Pack to the Developer

5
for factory and material sourcing.

POINTS of MEASURE
 MAIN OBJECTIVE:
SOURCING With the Tech Pack complete, the Developer can now
Who’s job is it?

begin sourcing materials based on the information in

the Tech Pack.

At this time the Developer will also begin “shopping”

the Tech Pack with different manufacturers to get the DEVELOPER
best bid for the job.

PHASES:
First, the Developer will research suppliers and factories to

1 determine which aligns best with the brand’s mission. In most

cases this means finding partners who are sustainable and
conduct their processes ethically.

Next, the Developer will request swatches of the trims and

fabrics that will be included in the garment. By doing so they
will be able to compare and choose which supplier provide
the best option.
2
The Developer will work in tandem with the prospective

3
production partners in order to develop a good relationship
over time. It’s more about finding partners you can trust and
work well with vs. finding the best factory or supplier that is
available.

Finally, the Developer will finalize the BOM and bid out the

4
project to one or more prospective production partners.
This allows the brand to determine which partner is the best
fit. By doing so, the prospective partners provide more
competitive pricing and timelines in hopes of landing the
project.

NEXT STEPS:
The Developer sends the finalized Tech Pack to the factory to

6
start development on the first prototype.

POINTS of MEASURE
 MAIN OBJECTIVE:
SAMPLING After the factory has developed the first prototype
Who’s job is it?

it is sent back to the brand for review.

The Technical Designer follows a Prototype Review

Process to ensure that the garment fits well and is TECHNICAL
constructed correctly. DESIGNER

PHASES:

1
First, the Technical Designer compares the prototype to the
requested specs. This includes measuring the garment,
inspecting the construction, and evaluating the pattern.

Next, the Technical Designer sets up a Fitting with the rest of

the team to evaluate the fit of the garment. The team will
review the specs, construction, and design intent to identify
any changes.
2
Using the information from the Fitting, the Technical Designer

3 will update the Tech Pack and write Review Comments. These
comments walk the factory through the changes and help
them to improve for the next prototype.

This process will continue through anywhere from one to ten

prototypes until the garment is perfected. For most brands,
three to five prototypes is standard when developing a new
silhouette.
4
NEXT STEPS:
Now that the garment has been finalized it will go to Design

7
Approval and Adoption.

POINTS of MEASURE
DESIGN APPROVAL MAIN OBJECTIVE: Who’s job is it?

Before the garment goes into production it must

first be adopted into the line by Management.

During a Design Review session Management will

review all of the designs and decide which to move MANAGEMENT
forward with for production.

PHASES:
First, the Merchandiser presents the garment(s) in the

1 Design Review session to Management. During this time

Management will decide which garment(s) they want to
invest in and which they don’t want to move forward with.

2
After a garment is adopted it is reviewed again to determine
any further changes. If changes are needed, the sample
review process starts again.

3
If the sample is approved, the Technical Designer will prepare
the graded Points of Measure (POM) sheet and request a
Size Set to confirm the grade.

Once the grade is confirmed a Pre-Production (PP) sample

is requested to finalize the design. After this point, no more
changes can be made to the design. The Tech Pack is then
finalized by the Tech Designer for production.
4
NEXT STEPS:
The final Tech Pack is completed and sent to the factory

8
for production.

POINTS of MEASURE
 MAIN OBJECTIVE:
PRODUCTION The factory receives the finalized Tech Pack and starts
Who’s job is it?

production on the line. The garment is manufactured

across the Size Set and Colorways requested.

The garments are then packed and shipped back to

the brand for distribution. FACTORY

PHASES:

1
First, the factory begins producing the garments on a
production line. A Top of Production (TOP) sample is pulled
and sent to the brand for review to ensure there are no issues.

Production continues and the garment is manufactured across

the Size Set and Colorways based on the order quantities
requested by the brand. 2

3
Once the garments have been produced, they are packaged
and shipped back to the brand following guidelines provided
by the brand.

Once the garments arrive they go through a Quality Control

(QC) check to ensure there are no issues with the delivered
goods. If needed, the garments are re-packaged to be sold
online or in stores.
4
NEXT STEPS:
The garments are ready for retail sale.

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