A textile specification sheet is a document that describes the properties and performance of a fabric for a fashion line. It helps you communicate your design vision, quality standards, and production requirements to your suppliers, manufacturers, and customers. In this article, you will learn how to create a textile specification sheet for your fashion line in six steps.
The first step is to decide what kind of fabric you want to use for your fashion line. You need to consider the style, function, and cost of your garments, as well as the availability and sustainability of the material. You can choose from natural fabrics, such as cotton, wool, silk, or linen, or synthetic fabrics, such as polyester, nylon, or spandex. You can also opt for blends, such as cotton-polyester, or specialty fabrics, such as denim, lace, or leather.
In my experience it is also important to consider fabric availability, Minimum order quantities and whether a fabric is stocked or needs to be manufactured for each order. When a fabric needs to be manufactured, lead-times become very important
Most of our products is for kidswear, we consider for natural material first, like slub cotton,organic cotton, surely it must be sustainability of the material. Agree below~ You need to consider the style, function, and cost of your garments, as well as the availability and sustainability of the material. You can choose from natural fabrics, such as cotton, wool, silk, or linen, or synthetic fabrics, such as polyester, nylon, or spandex. You can also opt for blends, such as cotton-polyester, or specialty fabrics, such as denim, lace, or leather.
More than style and enduse of garments, fibres and fabrics properties have to be considered. Handles, lightness, cooling... You want a cotton fabric, but which kind ? Cotton is not a fabric, it's a fibre, as polyester (filament), and fibre classification is not as simple as natural versus synthetique (natural vs chemical !). Denim is a fabric, as lace, as velvet, chambray, crêpe... So, if you want to make a summer collection of t-shirt by example, you need to know which fibres, then which fabric family (knitted, woven, unwoven), then which construction... (plain weave, sateen, interlock, piqué...)... And dear AI, leather is not a fabric. A fabric can't be 100% elasthanne. And if sustainability is a question, avoid coton/polyester blend...
For what I have experience the strategic allocation of budget and the careful selection of sustainable fabrics are presented as integral components of a broader strategy to enhance the quality of products, differentiate from competitors, and positively impact the brand's visibility in the market.
Un ejemplo que he visto en la fabricación es que muchas veces cuando trabajas con textiles importados nunca tenés una fecha cierta de entrega de materias primas. Muchas veces conviene tener dos proveedores de textiles y no perder en el desarrollo del nuevo dise?o.
The next step is to define the specifications of your fabric, such as the weight, width, color, pattern, texture, and finish. These specifications affect the appearance, feel, and durability of your fabric, as well as the amount and price of material you need. You can use standard measurements, such as grams per square meter (GSM) for weight, centimeters or inches for width, and Pantone codes for color, or you can create your own custom specifications.
Sometimes the technical aspects of the fabric override the designs. I was developing some light compression socks and due to the technical machinery and compression requirements not all of my patterns were feasible. I had to make pattern adjustments to work with the factory's capabilities. Many times the outcome of this blending of design and function produces an even better design result.
In my experience standard terms for fabric specs depend on where it is sourced and whether it is a woven or a knit. Many times mills have testing results for a fabric, you should ask to see them. With regards to color when using Pantone codes be sure that you use The Pantone Textiles codes not print codes.
Weight, texture, colour, finishing... are not a next step, because all are linked together : some fibres can't be dyed in all colours, texture is firstly defined by your choice of fibre, it's possible to make some fabrics heavier thanks to some finishing (as silk charge), but not all. So the first choice is very important, not to have to just make a bonded fabric... Regarding fabric width, it's not really your choice !
The third step is to test the performance of your fabric, such as the strength, stretch, shrinkage, wrinkle resistance, and colorfastness. These performance indicators affect the quality, fit, and longevity of your garments, as well as the customer satisfaction and feedback. You can use standard testing methods, such as ASTM or ISO, or you can conduct your own experiments with samples of your fabric.
Understanding textiles is crucial in design development, helping to prevent production issues by considering every detail. This knowledge guides decisions on stitching techniques, thread selection, and ensures the desired behavior with the chosen fabric. Not all textile bases suit every design, and adjustments can be made to achieve a satisfactory final result.
It is extremely important to know the end use of your garment when setting fabric performance standards. Using standard test methods is preferred as this allows for test results to be duplicated anywhere in the world.
Same, this is not really a next step... If you want permanent pleats, you won't choose viscose and dye it etc before testing if the fabric will be still pleated after wash ! No, if you want permanent pleats, you choose polyester... Non iron is a finishing, with + and-. Same, you have to know the end use of the fabric before dyeing it : the colorant is selected regarding the brightness, durability...
The fourth step is to document the requirements of your fabric, such as the quantity, delivery time, packaging, and labeling. These requirements affect the production, distribution, and inventory of your fashion line, as well as the compliance and safety of your products. You can use standard formats, such as Excel or PDF, or you can create your own templates for your textile specification sheet.
Our work can't proceed without documents, every style we get from our clients, we must make the document immediately, such as style photo,style no,fabric detail, description of the style, remark like emb or print,delivery date, the date for sending the proto sample, comments,balabala.......including all the detail we has to write in document. in this way once we open this documents, all the team notice how is proceeding of this style and the team can follow up the work... since every month we has 100 style, how can we remember the detail if we don't have the document,imagine...
Although I am a designer and trend forecastor I actually like the design documentation process. This a sure way to watch over the design at all stages so that the outcome is the quality and design that is desired. I use Excel 99% of the time to produce my tech packs. It's seems to be a universal format that most factories can translate no matter where in the world you send them. I once had someone who used InDesign and then converted to PDF formats. This was so difficult because the client didn't know how to use Excel. It's hard to only submit fabric tech packs in a form that isn't editable. Fabric specification sheets also allow a form of tracking and price negotiation, providing a great historical document for product expansion.
The fifth step is to review your textile specification sheet and make sure it is clear, accurate, and consistent. You need to check for any errors, omissions, or discrepancies in your fabric specifications, performance, and requirements. You also need to ensure that your textile specification sheet meets the expectations and standards of your suppliers, manufacturers, and customers.
# Material Details: List fabric type, composition, weight, and texture for each garment component. # Colour and Print Specifications: Describe colour codes, Pantone references, and print details, ensuring accuracy. # Construction Guidelines: Outline stitching techniques, seam allowances, and any specific assembly instructions. # Sizing and Measurements: Include size charts with precise measurements for each size in the range. # Care Instructions: Specify washing, ironing, and maintenance guidelines to maintain fabric quality. # Regulatory Compliance: Note any legal requirements or certifications necessary for the textiles used.
The sixth and final step is to update your textile specification sheet whenever there is a change in your fabric type, specifications, performance, or requirements. You need to communicate any modifications or revisions to your textile specification sheet to your suppliers, manufacturers, and customers. You also need to keep a record of the changes and the reasons behind them for future reference.
Extra considerations is for sustainability and durability and you need to not only test the stretch but also the recovery of the fabric. In addition for performance no mention of finish on the fabric for comfort. Do you want wick ability or water proofness or repellency. Also for comfort cand easy care you want soil repellency as well as anti microbial anti fungal so you don’t have to wash the garment after every wear since these finishes keep garment fresh. Washing weakens the fabric causes pollution etc.