SIP by Stephanie Ip

stephanieip.comMarch 15, 2019March 15, 20192019, Fashion + Soft Goods

An industry term that is often used in the world of Fashion. If there’s no plan for your business to sell to retailers, you are more than welcome to pass on this blog post, as a line sheet is primarily a visual tool used for wholesale buyers.

Wholesale buyers typically see hundreds of brands a month – brands that are interested to sell through a retail channels to reach a certain type of clientele. These buyers can be representatives of anything from online retailers, to department stores, to boutiques that buy and sell various brands and products. In order for these buyers to determine whether to buy inventory for their selling platform, they typically conduct in-person meetings with the interested brands, and they will most likely ask to have the line sheets ready for the meeting.

What is a line sheet?

Let’s first identify what a line sheet is. A line sheet basically is a concise form of a catalog page that holds product offering information such as line drawings of the product in front and back view, color and size options, and suggested retail and wholesale price. It functions as a sales tool to communicate necessary information about the product(s) to a potential stockist.

Who needs a line sheet?

Brands that plan to sell to a retailer. Sometimes, private labels that have physical retail stores will also have their own buying department, where buyers usually request line sheets to support their buying decisions during the buyer/sales meeting. In addition, line sheets act as visual notes for design and production team managers to follow when revising designs, executing samples, and creating production plans.

If you have a very clear goal and plan for where to sell your products, my suggestion is to slot in time to generate them. It will for sure assist your team in staying organized and for communication purposes down the road.

What should be included?

There is a standard set of information you don’t want to miss. Below is a list of 6 items you want to include:

Image of the Product
Product Name
SKU or Style Number
Suggested Retail Price
Wholesale Price
Order minimums and any variants (Ex. Size, color)

Are there other important details to include?

In some ways, the line sheet acts as a sales tool to present, promote, and close potential purchasing deals. I have worked on line sheets for many clients in the past, and they are all unique in such a way that tells a story. After all, since it’s going to be an interactive meeting, you want the presenting materials to be fun and memorable – especially to the buyers – so that your brand and products stand out and have a higher chance of getting the purchase order.

Here are 5 essentials I recommend including:

Infuse a cohesive brand image
Clean pages with clear information. Remember: Less is better; don’t clutter the page with unnecessary stuff!
Create a storyline. Place products in an order that brings out the theme of the collection.
Include buyers’ terms and conditions. Don’t forget to go through important terms with the buyers, making sure both sides are clear what the expectations are!
Special buying options.Wholesale price is already a discounted price, what else can you offer to make it a better deal for the buyers?

How to create one?

There are many tools you can use to general line sheets. A few favorite tools I recommend would be:

• Microsoft Excel | Available to everyone. Level: All level users.

linesheet-example — Microsoft Excel generated line sheet exmaple.

• Adobe Photoshop | Make those pages look nice and shiny! Level: Intermediate level users

*Adobe Photoshop generated line sheet example.*

• Adobe Illustrator | Professional look with creative infusion! Level: Intermediate level users

Adobe Illustrator generated line sheet example. Compare to the Photoshop version, the technical drawing is more flat with no shadows, also less fancy graphics.

• Adobe InDesign |Get those layouts as organized as possible!
Level: Intermediate level of Adobe InDesign

Be mindful that every company has its own unique styles and preferences in the sales process. It is best to create a custom version that is tailored to the company’s wants and needs. To get some idea of what they look like, check out our Samples Page.

To help you get started, I have put together a basic Excel format for you! Simply provide your email below, and click Download to get started!

Got questions? You are welcome to leave me a comment below, or send me a direct message at the following social media channels. I hope this post helped clear up some of your questions regarding line sheets!

// STEPHANIE IP

Stephanie is a Creative Director and Consultant, providing creative strategy development support to small and large scale businesses in the industries of Fashion and Soft Goods. She specializes in Design and Development. Learn more about her here.

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stephanieip.comMarch 7, 2019March 14, 20192019, Design + Development, Fashion + Soft Goods

In today’s day and age, there are many aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own brand. If you are reading this, you are most likely operating or looking into starting a physical product brand. Is that right?

Throughout my career in the industries of fashion and consumer products, the most frequently asked questions often go toward production. “How can I turn my idea into a reality product?” Once one gets closer to knowing the process of manufacturing, tons of questions start to come up. Such as…

“What is a tech pack?”

In short, Tech Pack stands for Technical Package. It is a package of detailed information about the item one is looking to produce. The terminology is most often used in the manufacturing industry for consumer products. It serves as a blueprint of the product, including layers of information for the factory to follow in the manufacturing process. Below you will find a general list of items a tech pack typically includes.

Technical Drawing Page

Before the digital age, the drawing was generally hand-drawn and outlined with black ink. Now with software tools such as Adobe Illustrator, it has become easier to create technical drawings with the power to manipulate sizing and to add various line details to indicate construction needs.

Here’s an example of a technical drawing of a men’s basic tee. There are suggestions for the shape and size of the design, stitching details, and placement of labels.

Callouts

Everyone’s interpretation of the fit of a garment can vary, so even though the drawing suggests a lose fit in the designer’s point of view, in the factory’s understanding, the fit can look like a straight fit. Therefore, the callouts can ensure the designer clearly communicates the measurement specifics to the pattern maker at the factory.

For example, do you see the blue brackets and numbers over the technical drawing above? Those are the call outs to be identified on the specs sheet.

Specs Sheet

Moving on! Let’s get the measuring tape out. By providing measurements to the design, you are communicating to the pattern maker the exact size you have in mind for the design’s shape and fit. Numbers are a universal language, but don’t forget there are different types of measuring units. Depending which factory you are planning to use, you want to make sure your specs are in the correct measuring units to avoid confusion down the road.

Tip:

European and Asian countries use centimeters (cm)
USA uses inches (in)

Bill of Materials

So, you found a special fabric you plan to use for your design, how should you include the details?
First, you will want to find out what type of fiber content and weight it holds. The factory can’t read your mind, so you want to provide as much clear information as possible. If you have physical reference samples to provide, the better. Gather all the details and put them on a single page.

There’s a lot more that goes into a comprehensive tech pack. If you are looking to build one out yourself, you are in luck! To get you started, we have put together a Tech Pack Starter Kit for self starter to use. It is a template where you simply enter data, save, and then print! Download our free Tech Pack Starter Kit now.

If you are stuck, and looking for some help, we are just an email away! Reach out to us here.

// Stephanie Ip