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Lecture No 9 1
Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Specifications
 Both manufacturer and retailers develop specifications for the
products they produced and buy
 The extent that specifications are used and the detail included
vary with each firm’s commitment to quality and consistency
 Specifications might be as simple and routine as a grocery list
 Types of Specifications
 Open Specifications
 Closed Specifications
Lecture No 9 2

 Specifications
 Open Specifications
 Use only generic terms and identify the properties that are needed
 This allows more flexibility in buying materials
 Closed Specifications
 Limit the product to a specific brand or vendor

Lecture No 9 3

 Phases of Apparel Specifications Development
 Each firm has its own system for developing specifications,

although specifications tend to develop in phases as a product
designs to evolve and take form.
 Specs are often general at first and evolve into greater levels of
specificity as the requirement for a product become more
defined and exact
 The Phases are

 Design Specifications
 Style Specifications
 Engineering Specifications
Lecture No 9 4

 Phases of Apparel Specifications
Development
 Design Specifications
 Small firms may use simple design specifications that are

nothing more than a few comments or expectations from the
designer or pattern maker
 Larger firms use design specifications that may include a

sketch and product description and indicate top stitching,
detail placement, constructions
Lecture No 9 5

Development
 After line adoption, designs become styles in the line.
 Style Specifications communicate style expectations to

production pattern makers, markers, cutters, sewing operators,
and finishers
 Meetings, coordinated by a technical designer, including the

designer, merchandiser, quality manager, cutting room manager,
production manager and production engineer, are often the basis
of developing style specifications
Lecture No 9 6

Development
 Sample garments provide visual models that should be

accompanied by written specifications describing procedures
and dimensions for producing the finished garments
 Sample garments alone are inadequate for communicating style

expectations
 Details style specifications are especially essential when

products are being sourced in multiple countries
Lecture No 9 7

Development
 Engineering Specifications
 These are developed during the production-planning process
 Engineering specifications interpret style specification in

terms of
 Necessary equipment
 Layout,
 Handling procedures
 Quality system
Lecture No 9 8

 Specifications
 Effective specifications are written documents that provide

criteria for selection, production, and evaluation of a product or
process
 They must be precise, accurate, and understandable
 If garments are being produced in a foreign country, the specs

must be readable and understandable for those working with
them
 Specifications are translated into other languages that might

result in confusions
Lecture No 9 9

 Specifications
 Minimum Requirements
 Specifications establish minimum requirements and allowed
variance for acceptability of
 Materials and materials performance,

 Procedures for production,
 Characteristics of finished garments,
 Size dimensions,
 Measurements for placement of garment components
 Cost and product performance are major factors in

determining the minimum requirements for a product
Lecture No 9 10

 Specifications
 A specified value should reflect the minimum acceptable
level, considering the allowable tolerance
 If the specified value exceeds the lowest acceptable level or

if the specification is really not necessary, the product is
over specified.
 Example
 To specify 100 count fabric when 60 count is adequate
would significantly increase the cost of piece goods and
ultimately the cost of the garment
 However without the count specifications, a 30 count

fabric could be used that would be totally unsatisfactory
for the expected quality and performance level
Lecture No 9 11

 Specifications
 Values and tolerances are also used to specify and verify

garment dimensions.
 Quality control personnel use specifications of minimums to

determine whether a product meets the acceptable and
specified criteria
 When it does not meet the minimum specified, it is substandard

and unacceptable
 The product would be declared second quality

Lecture No 9 12

 Meeting Quality and Performance Standards
 Tolerances
 These allow variations from the specified value in the

specifications
 The more specific the specifications, the less variation is

allowed and the more consistency there will be in finished
products
 Specified minimum values vary by the amount of the allowed

tolerance
 Specification writers must determine what is the very lowest

value that can be used
Lecture No 9 13

 Meeting Quality and Performance Standards
 Tolerances
 Tolerances are included only when variations are

acceptable.
 Tolerances are a means of loosening restrictions and

making the specifications less rigorous, but they should
never go beyond what is acceptable for first quality
Lecture No 9 14

 Specifications
 Rigid Specifications
 Rigid specifications mean zero or very slight tolerances
 Little variation is allowed in properties, quality, size or performance
 These are critical to the manufacturer of hard goods since there is no

flexibility or room for variation
 The more rigid the tolerance, more costly the materials and processes
 Requiring exactly 18 stitches per inch with no tolerance means that all
seams would have to be sewn with 18 SPI
 It is difficult to be that precise with stitching and based on that

specification, there would be a high %age of seconds or rejections
Lecture No 9 15

 Specifications
 As quality standards increases, tolerances are reduced
 Less variance form specifications is allowed thus produces

more consistent products
 Apparel products are more satisfactory when realistic tolerances

are strictly enforced than rigid tolerances have uneven
enforcement
 AATCC and ASTM standard test methods and quality control

sampling are means of enforcing specifications
 Quality control is responsible for monitoring procedures and

checking fabrics and garments for compliance to specifications
Lecture No 9 16

 Specifications
 Reject
 When a product does not meet specifications, it is
considered as second or reject, depending upon the
seriousness of the defect
 Defects
 Defects or flaws are variations from allowed minimums
and tolerances
 Randomly selected finished garments are checked by

quality control personnel to determine whether the
dimensions are with in the tolerance range of the specific
set of measurement for the style and size
Lecture No 9 17

 Specifications
 Consistency is the major reason for establishing a quality

control program
 The primary means of controlling variation is developing

complete and adequate specifications and monitoring their
compliance
 When verifying materials performance specifications, a firm

uses standard test methods to determine the allowable variance
for compliance to specifications
 Specifications often include the test methods or procedures

used to verify the performance criteria
Lecture No 9 18

 Specifications
 Acceptance Sampling
 It refers to the acceptance or rejection of products based on

a system of inspecting a representative sample of fabrics,
components, operations, or finished garments
 Each firm establishes its own system for specific products
 In some cases 100% inspection is used, while in other cases

products are checked on a random sample basis
Lecture No 9 19

 Floor ready Specifications in Retail Purchase
Contracts
 The garments will arrive at the store ready for display
 Garments will be folded and packaged or on the hangers specified

by the store
 All labels and tickets will be in place, including bar codes and prices
 Floor ready specifications include
 Size and type of hanger

 Instruction for folding,
 Size and type of bag
 Number and types of labels and tickets
 Placements
Lecture No 9 20

Contracts
 Retailers have developed book size lists of specifications

communicating their floor-ready requirements
 These include packaging instructions such as folding

techniques, size and type of bag, hanger style, number and
types of labels, label placement and means of attachment
 If vendors do not meet the specifications, the retailers take

chargeback's when the bills are paid
Lecture No 9 21

Contracts
 Retailers believe it is more efficient for the vendor to prepare the

garments for display before the garments are shipped than
using the traditional processes
 The problem with the vendors preparing goods to be floor-ready

is that retailers are often not willing to pay for the service
 Vendors may have to stock hundreds of styles of hangers,

labels, and tickets to satisfy the retailers specifications for floor-
ready merchandise
Lecture No 9 22

 Floor ready Specifications in Retail
Purchase Contracts
 Voluntary Inter industry Communication Standards (VICS)

Developed voluntary standards for floor ready
merchandise
 The biggest challenges was developing agreement on hanger

styles so that the number of styles required of vendors could be
reduced
 Use of the standards is voluntary, so many vendors are still

stocking hundreds of styles of hangers to satisfy their retail
customers

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Lecture No 9 1

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Specifications might be as simple and routine as a grocery list

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 This allows more flexibility in buying materials

 Limit the product to a specific brand or vendor

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Each firm has its own system for developing specifications,

 The Phases are

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Small firms may use simple design specifications that are

 Larger firms use design specifications that may include a

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 After line adoption, designs become styles in the line.

 Style Specifications communicate style expectations to

 Meetings, coordinated by a technical designer, including the

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Sample garments provide visual models that should be

 Sample garments alone are inadequate for communicating style

 Details style specifications are especially essential when

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 These are developed during the production-planning process

 Engineering specifications interpret style specification in

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Effective specifications are written documents that provide

 They must be precise, accurate, and understandable

 If garments are being produced in a foreign country, the specs

 Specifications are translated into other languages that might

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Materials and materials performance,

 Cost and product performance are major factors in

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 If the specified value exceeds the lowest acceptable level or

 However without the count specifications, a 30 count

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Values and tolerances are also used to specify and verify

 Quality control personnel use specifications of minimums to

 When it does not meet the minimum specified, it is substandard

 The product would be declared second quality

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 These allow variations from the specified value in the

 The more specific the specifications, the less variation is

 Specified minimum values vary by the amount of the allowed

 Specification writers must determine what is the very lowest

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Tolerances are included only when variations are

 Tolerances are a means of loosening restrictions and

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Little variation is allowed in properties, quality, size or performance

 These are critical to the manufacturer of hard goods since there is no

 It is difficult to be that precise with stitching and based on that

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 As quality standards increases, tolerances are reduced

 Less variance form specifications is allowed thus produces

 Apparel products are more satisfactory when realistic tolerances

 AATCC and ASTM standard test methods and quality control

 Quality control is responsible for monitoring procedures and

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Randomly selected finished garments are checked by

Writing Specs for Apparel Manufacturing

 Consistency is the major reason for establishing a quality

 The primary means of controlling variation is developing