TECHNICAL DESIGN IN FASHION

Get to know your instructor, explore the course game plan, and get all the need-to-knows on assignments, deadlines, and that all-important final project — your quick-start guide to kicking off the journey ahead.

• Instructor introduction
• Course structure
• Assignments & deadlines
• Housekeeping rules
• Final project overview

Final Project: Completed Tech Pack
Develop a complete tech pack for an original garment, including detailed construction specs, measurements, and diagrams. Consider production processes and sustainability in your design and documentation.

Get the inside scoop on technical fashion design — what it is, how it fits into the industry, and the skills you’ll build to bring your designs to life. Consider this your backstage pass to the creative and technical world of fashion.

• Roles & responsibilities
• Place within the industry
• Design processes overview
• Industry standards & terminology
• Skills you’ll gain

Learn how to tell flats from fashion sketches, explore hand-drawn vs. digital techniques, and understand the difference between croquis, proportions, and garment design. Brainstorm your own ideas, share with the group — give & receive valuable feedback during a workshop.

• Flats & their purpose
• Hand-drawn vs digital flats (Illustrator, Photoshop, Procreate, Excel)
• Fashion sketches: croquis, proportions, and garments
• Examples of creative extensions
• Workshop #1: Brainstorm & share ideas

Assignment #1: Garment Technical Flat
Create a detailed technical flat for a garment, covering all relevant specifications.

Get hands-on with fabric know-how — spot the difference between woven and knit, learn how to pick the perfect material for your designs, and understand fabric testing, quality control, and smart sourcing strategies.

• Fabric types & properties
• Fabric selection for specific designs
• Fabric testing & quality control
• How to source fabrics

Assignment #2 (Optional): Fibre Compositions & Fabric Types
Choose two garments from your wardrobe with different fibre compositions and fabric types. Analyse the fabric choice and propose improvements. Present your findings in PowerPoint/Google Slides.

Learn how to nail base sizes and create custom ones that fit perfectly. Dive into competitor analysis, pick the right pattern books, and sharpen your skills in accurate body measurements.

• Selecting & obtaining base sizes
• Creating custom base sizes
• Competitor analyses
• Measuring techniques

Assignment #3: Competitor Analysis & Base Size
Part 1: Research a competitor’s product similar to your design idea.
Part 2: Create your own base size using the provided template.

Learn how garments come together, inside and out. By the end of this lesson, you’ll know your seams (from ABCs to finishes), construction techniques, and which stitches do what — details and fit make all the difference.

• Basic seam types & finishes
• Garment production techniques
• Stitch types overview
• Construction details & fit
• ABC seams

Assignment #4: Comp Shop
Inspect garments from your wardrobe or do a “comp shop” to analyse seam types, finishes, and construction. Assess whether these choices align with your design plans.

The nuts and bolts of tech packs! By the end of this session, you’ll know exactly what goes into a tech pack, how to navigate one, and gain experience with a real-life example.

• Workshop #2: Template tech pack walkthrough
• Tech pack components

Advancing what you’ve learned last time. Now, understand how to confidently fill out a complete tech pack, collaborate with peers, and swap templates in a practical workshop that brings teamwork into the design process.

• Complete tech pack run-through
• Filling in the tech pack
• Workshop #3: Sharing templates & working in groups

Assignment #5: Tech Pack Template

Work on your tech pack template, including the front cover, sourcing, tech sketch, full-body measurements, and range plan. Further work on the tech pack is encouraged.

Learn how to create, adapt, and manipulate patterns. You’ll dive into draping vs. flat pattern making, and get comfy using measurements to bring your ideas to life on paper.

• Creating & visualising patterns
• Block patterns, pattern adaptations, dart manipulation
• Pattern making techniques
• Draping vs. flat pattern making

Create your own pattern blocks, from bodices to skirts to sleeves, using real body measurements. Master the basics and learn how to turn numbers into patterns that fit like a glove.

• Pattern blocks
• Body measurements
• How to make a block
• Step-by-step bodice demo

Assignment #6: Basic Skirt Block
Create a basic skirt block, and if time allows, develop a bodice and sleeve block as well.

Transform a simple skirt block into a variety of forms, styles, shapes, and fits. Get hands-on in our workshop where you'll team up to brainstorm creative designs and make your pattern block truly your own.

• Adapting patterns
• Skirt adaptations
• Workshop #4: Brainstorm styles, designs, and pattern block options

Assignment #7: Skirt Adaptations
Adapt the skirt block from Assignment 6 into three variations using a quarter-scale block.

Perfect your garment fit. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to spot fit issues, write clear fit comments, and fix those pesky problems. By the end, you’ll know how to analyse and improve any fit challenge.

• Understanding fit & its importance
• Writing down fit comments
• Visualisation
• Analysing & correcting fit issues

Master pattern adjustments and garment measurements. After Class 12, you'll know how to tweak patterns for different sizes, accurately measure garments, and fill in tech pack pages – complete with images and diagrams.

• Adjusting patterns
• Measuring garments
• Filling in the tech pack page

Apply grading rules, create multi-size patterns, and master the ins and outs of fit testing. Plus, you'll get to compare the perks of computerized vs. manual methods — it’s all about making your designs fit everybody.

• Grading: Overview & rules
• Basics: Splitting & exploding patterns
• Creating multi-size patterns
• Fit testing graded patterns
• Grading methods

Assignment #8: Grading Rules for Tech Pack
Add grading rules to your tech pack for size variations.

Learn how to navigate tech packs, partner with suppliers, and ensure quality control while keeping an eye on ethical standards and safety. By the end, you’ll have a clear grasp of everything from sourcing to fault identification — all the key steps to bringing a product to life.

• Production process
• The tech pack’s journey
• Factories & suppliers
• Quality control & inspection
• AQL & faults
• Sourcing outline

Assignment #9 (Optional): Factory Write-Up
Research and write a brief report on a factory and what they offer.