In the apparel industry, which is so fast-growing, many small and large businesses are entering the space to make their presence known. While starting a production process, it is important to understand the various complexities involved and steps required to complete the apparel production. The steps in apparel production need to be studied for smooth execution. This also helps to avoid and create fewer errors in the production process that might cause imbalance. From pre-clothing production stages to post-production, it includes various procedures that need to be followed for an efficient production process. There are various steps from fabric selection in apparel production to executing the final product.
Here are detailed steps from fabric selection process to final product in apparel production
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1. Fabric Selection
The first and foremost step in apparel production is searching for market trends that are popular and what kind of fabrics are available for apparel production. They should properly analyse everything that is in demand for your clothing collection. Then the garment manufacturing process includes fabric sourcing. There are various fabric materials available, like cotton, synthetic, or wool. Brands and manufacturers have to decide whether they will buy good-quality fabrics or cheap-quality ones. Along with purchasing from local suppliers or to import from international markets. Then comes testing fabrics durability and shrinking components. After fabric selection in apparel production, there comes sample testing of fabrics to know if they are according to design.
2. Design Development
After fabric selection in apparel production, the next step in apparel production is to design sketches through designers according to the latest trends and fabric properties and style. According to the fabrics to finish guide, there are technical designers that curate garment sizes. And measurements according to patterns, which are useful in fabric cutting. After that sample product is created based on details, it is decided to check fits and various proportions and do adjustments if required.
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3. Pattern Making And Grading
The next process step in apparel production is making patterns, which can be done either digitally or manually. This clothing production stage is helpful for defining the shape and structure of each part of a designed garment. After fabric selection in apparel production, along with design development comes the grading step, where the pattern created is used to make different patterns fit in sizes. It is to adjust them according to different size ranges, such as small, medium, or large for the apparel production.
4. Fabric Cutting
The fabric decided during the fabric selection in apparel production is then placed carefully and precisely. The next step in apparel production is fabric cutting, which is mostly done on various fabric layers to reduce time consumption and efforts. Then there are layers arranged to understand the pattern in the garment manufacturing process. Then, using the pattern, fabric is cut either by machines or manually. There is also the laser cutting method or other computerised machines for cutting fabrics. This method can be decided according to requirements and business capabilities.
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5. Sewing And Assembly
Then comes the next step in apparel production, which is sewing of fabric to create garments. This step in the clothing production stage is executed by various skilled artists and an experienced workforce. They use sewing machines for this step. There are also various steps such as stitching, overlocking, and helmimg of garments. This is required to assemble the garment. Buttons or hooks are also attached to clothing pieces during the sewing and assembly process. All of this was inspected to improvise any errors or defects.
6. Finishing
This is a step in apparel production where any kind of excess thread on a garment is trimmed to give a proper finish. Garments are then pressed and ironed before packaging so there are no wrinkles and lines on it and a clean look. Few garments are even washed in this step, such as enzyme washing or dyeing the clothes. This is done to provide a certain feel to the garment as required by the designer’s vision according to the fabric-to-finish guide. That starts with fabric selection in apparel production and ends with the finishing and packaging of garments.
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7. Quality Inspection
After all the clothing production stages are completed, there is a quality check and inspection done by the team according to steps in apparel production. They inspect the finished garment and check for any kind of defects. And whether it is meeting the standard requirements. The quality inspection includes various things. Checking fabric quality if it was ignored during fabric selection in apparel production or the right stitching method or thread works too.
8. Packaging And Distribution
Garments are folded rightly by the packaging department and packed into packets and boxes before shipping after the garment manufacturing process is completed. All the tags and labels are attached during this step in apparel production. Brand labels or care labels talking about fabric components or wash methods are attached according to fabrics to the finish guide. These are then transported through various transportation mediums or even to consumers directly through e-commerce websites or applications.
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9. Sales And Feedback
Garments, after getting dispatched and delivered in retail stores or on websites, are sold to consumers after clothing production stages are completed. When a certain period of time passes, brands can collect sales data to get a clear report on responses from consumers in the market. Customer feedback is also an important part of the postproduction step in apparel production. The collected feedback helps in improvements and adjustments required in clothing lines. This can be used for future improvements and new-designed collections. The data gives a clear idea about consumer demand about fabric selection in apparel production or design preferences.
How Does Maker’s Row Help in the Production Process?
Production is a complex process that involves various technical steps that need to be followed. Brands and businesses require good guidance and understanding to achieve this aspect of the production process. Maker’s Row as a platform provides help to brands and manufacturers to execute a smooth production process. They collaborate with brands and manufacturers according to the right capabilities and requirements. It is important to meet brands visions and manufacturers skills. It also provides guidance where industry experts give experienced knowledge along with various tools and resources available on the website that help you learn about industry trends and production processes.
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Conclusion
Hence, there are various aspects and steps in apparel production that need to be followed for a good production process. There are precise details that cannot be avoided. For a production process to be successful, few steps cannot be ignored. Thus, brands need to do proper research, from fabric selection in apparel production to all aspects of streamlining the apparel production process. It is also important for them to find the right manufacturers that help you execute the various steps of the garment manufacturing process. There are various guides and also the above-mentioned fabric-to-finish guide that can give clarity and needed details for apparel production.
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