This week we visited one of the apparel companies to find more about the manufacturing process and the kind of work required in realizing your perfect design. To really understand the method, we visited Wholesale Kurti Manufacturers in Delhi with just a set of paper blueprints and some fabric meters.
Without prior knowledge of the activities in the garment production industry, it might be a little confusing. When a brand requests last-minute changes, those working with clothing manufacturers for the first time may get frustrated with delays, long lead-times or lack of factory flexibility. See also our recommendations on handling clothing manufacturers here.
Observing the clothes manufacturing process helps you to understand it and challenge your preconceptions. This would enable you to build better relationship with the manufacturers of garments. In this regard, after you found the right one, you may go over our blog post on how to contact clothing producers.
Every design starts with a sketch then advances using a tech pack or CAD drawing. Luckily, we completed our pre-production work under the leadership of a lovely Designer and Tech Pack maker who arranged all this for us, thus turning a notion we had into a very accurately looking technical design and a spec sheet. Then we took the CADs to a Pattern Maker we knew had designs cut for us. We visited the factory with them. Keep scrolling this blog to know more about it.
Trends: Digital Versus Paper
The clothing manufacturer immediately noted that certain tasks are difficult with only paper patterns, hence digitalizing our paper designs is essential for efficient production and sampling. In the modern digital world, sewing patterns in a file instead of on paper makes logical. The specialist in pattern fabrication for the factory took our paper drawings and placed them on a large board called the digitiser. It enabled the pattern maker input the paper patterns into their own system—in our case, the factory used Assyst software. Each pattern component was relocated using a hand-held device that tracked the position each dot. They followed the pattern piece all around till all the data was collected; our pattern showed up in their system. Considering some clothes have tens of panels, this takes time. We were lucky; we had few.
Following Digitization And Trend Sorting
The pattern designer saw numerous easily fixable rough places and little defects in the design once it was in their system. Working with digital patterns allows the pattern maker to make accurate changes and corrections. Real time viewing and following of every measurement change is evident. Should we approve the produced samples, the identical set of patterns would then be used to grade at different levels. One applies the same technique to grade size.
Lay-Plan: Drafting Manufacturing Blueprints
The patterns were then to be printed on a plotter. Given data like fabric length, roll width, the total number of items to be created with a breakdown of sizes, the manufacturing expert had to design a proper lay-plan which needed arranging all pattern blocks in a certain order (in our case, sampling). Given patterns match their system, it was done quickly. After considering the quantities we had and other factors to maximize the fabric and reduce fabric consumption, the software utilized for the lay-plan then advised the optimal arrangement of these geometrical shapes (patterns). The software did very well, yet still improvement was needed.
A qualified professional like the one we engaged would notice this and improve the advised layout depending on professional tools. Up until the production specialist believed it was precisely perfect, the layout was altered. We were told that a decent cloth use efficiency is between 70 and 80%. More variety of sizes and more small pattern component details in production will always help to increase the efficiency.
For the same item, keep in mind that mass production and sample consumption of fabric might vary greatly. Imagine the venerable Tetris, in which you are building shapes to prevent blanks and empty spaces.
Noting Once the plotter turned out our drawings from the pre-compiled lay-plan, the cloth workers were ready to cut our fabric. After the cutting, nothing would slide; designs printed on the special paper stuck to the fabric with natural ease. When the cutting commenced, the initial section was done by hand with the scissors; later on, the finer parts were cut using specialized instruments.
Although mass production uses a slightly different technique, we were told that sometimes samples are hand cut. The same kind of fabric items are mass-cut and placed on top of one another, much like a cake. The manufacturer of the clothing told us that the composition and thickness of the fabric would determine whether it could be cut together. One cannot cut cotton and viscose at the same time, for example. Uneven will be the result as different materials react differently to cutting and may deform more than others. This is the reason even a 1% composition change requires a different cutting process. Looking around, we saw plenty of layered fabric already cut and ready for use. Turning now once again back to our samples.
Building Settings for the Seamstresses
After the cutting was completed, all cut pieces were assembled in sets. Similar processes were set up so that staff members could assemble quickly and repeatedly do the same thing over and over again saving production time. Think about how you brush your teeth every single day. By now you most likely have a technique that raised your performance in that sector.
Wrapping up
Kurti Manufacturers in Delhi seldom ever share this information or let someone spend a day observing the manufacturing. We would be happy to impart to you the information we felt we learned about their work. This article will be helpful to everyone who runs factories or is just starting to understand the production stages of sampling as it underlines that sampling is a precise and complex process rather than a one-minute job.
