FAQ
The following are a list of questions I receive most frequently. If you have questions you don’t see answered on this page or in a blog post, email me at: JC [at] studio9apparel [dot] com.
Q: What is your fee structure?
A: We operate on a quote-to-order piecework basis. Unless you make significant changes, the estimate will be really close to what you should expect to pay. A link to our general pricelist can be found on the Contact page.
Q: Do we pay up front for service, during or after?
A: All customers are required to pay 50% of the estimate in advance with the balance due upon delivery. A link to our Terms of Business can be found on the Contact page.
Q: Do you offer volume discounts?
A: We do extend a discount on development services if you place more than 5 styles with us. We do not quote packages. Each piece is estimated and invoiced as a separate work item.
Q: Can you be hired on retainer?
A: Retainer arrangements require a deep relationship history before they can be considered. That said, we do have a couple accounts that have retained our services for very specific days.
Q: What is the turnaround time from when I bring in a product (garment, bag, T-shirt, etc.) to when the pattern is factory ready?
A: Every piece is different. When I provide you with a written estimate, I will discuss options with you. When your deposit and all materials are received, I will contact you to discuss next available dates and to schedule your job.
Q: Is there a confidentiality clause in your contract? Are all of your employees or contractors held to the confidentiality agreement? If so, how?
A: Our boilerplate confidentiality clause can be found in our Terms of Business document on the Contact page. We are happy to review the language in your confidentiality agreement if you don’t like ours. But, whatever our agreement might be, it does not cover any business entity other than Studio 9 Apparel.
Q: What type of guaranteed satisfaction do you offer?
A: We are a services business, so our reputation is extremely important to us. We are also human, so mistakes will sometimes happen. We do our best to prevent mistakes. And when we make one, we will present you with options to remedy the problem.
Q: Do you have client eligibility requirements or do you work with designers at all levels?
A: We do need to assess your business needs so we can determine if we’re the right resource for you. Please fill in the New Client Questionnaire and email it to me for review. Instructions and the form can be found on the Contact page.
Q: What type of sourcing do you provide? Are you paid commissions or referral fees?
A: We have relationships with a number of suppliers, so our resource library is constantly growing and updating. We provide sourcing services for an hourly fee, which is listed in our general pricelist on the Contact page.
Q: As a designer, why should we use a development facility vs. going direct to a factory?
A: It depends on the factory you’re using. If your factory has patternmaking and samplemaking capabilities, you should continue working with them as long as you are satisfied. If your projects are too small for your current factory or you need to augment your technical design department, give us a call.
Q: How do I place an order?
A: We work on a quote-to-order basis. You can email me with an inquiry; and, I will respond with an estimate. Once your materials and deposit are received, I will advise you of next available dates and schedule your job.
Q: Do you do large and small runs? What is max/minimum you handle?
A: We typically do production sewing on lots with 12 to 25 units, sometimes more if the item is small and fits the cutting table. Small runs like this are typically enough product for you to service two or three accounts to prove the concept before you scale the sales effort and build the production model. It’s a good thing if you outgrow us… really.
Q: Do we come to you or do you pick up from our location?
A: Pickup and delivery services within the metro Denver area can be arranged for a modest fee. If you’re working with Studio 9 Apparel remotely, we use Google Talk or Skype to conduct video conference calls, remote fittings, etc.
If you need to ship something to us, please call to make arrangements, first. If we need to ship something to you, we will invoice you only the cost of shipping. If you prefer to use your own shipping account, email us the shipping label and we’ll attach it to the box.
Q: What projects do you/do you not accept?
A: When you ask us to look at your job, we consider three things: a) do we have the right equipment to make this? b) do we know enough about your market?; and c) how soon can we pull this together for you?
Our preference is for fashion-oriented apparel destined to better department stores (e.g. Nordstrom, Fred Segal, etc.) or independent boutiques on par with those stores. That said, we occasionally make athletic apparel, utility items and other soft goods.
Q: Do you use fit models?
A: Yes. In fact, we prefer to use live fitting models. The brands we work for typically furnish fitting models or customized dressforms for the duration of the project. If you do not have a fitting model, then we will fit and develop on an industry standard dressform.
Q: How is your pattern approved by a factory?
A: You need to hire a factory to sew samples. During the sample sewing process, the samplemaker will give notes or instructions that you review with your patternmaker. The patternmaker makes an assessment of the notes and applies changes to your pattern before creating the production marker.
Q: What is the next step after we utilize your services?
1. Hire several factories to sew samples
2. Get acquainted with each factory’s terms of business – you may require credit
3. Finalize the technical package and production pattern
4. Hire the best factory you auditioned to sew a sales run (~12-25 units)
5. Sell the hell out of it!
6. Keep a running balance of orders so you know what your cutting ticket looks like at all times
7. Close the order period
8. Produce your stuff with the factory that sewed your sales samples
9. Inspect your product; and,
10. Ship it to your stores.
Oh yeah (!)… pay out commissions (a birdie had to remind me about this)
Q: Do you need a rough sketch or can you create a pattern based on a garment or sketch?
A: The Project Requirements document on the Contact page lists the information we need to engage each step in the process.
Q: Do you understand my customers? (high end gowns, suiting, skaters who only wear hoodies, etc.)
A: We ought to… You should probably take a look at the question, above: “What projects do you/do you not accept?”. If we don’t know your market, we shouldn’t work on your project. Maybe one of our colleagues can help?
Q: Do you do spec work?
A: No. There’s too much demand to justify working for free.
Q: Do you work for a share of profits?
A: No. There’s too much demand working for-hire.
Q: What clients have you worked with?
A: Unlike other industries, apparel prefers to be hush-hush about who’s doing work for whom. We recently implemented a policy to enable us to publish our portfolio. Clients who wish to be named now have the option to donate sample garments and marketing materials to our portfolio. As samples become available, we’ll publish our portfolio online.
Q: Do you do CADs and/or pattern tag boards?
A: We use Optitex and Gerber as our CAD patternmaking systems. All patterns are delivered in digital format. Paper printouts of your patterns are available for a small fee. And, we can also transfer your patterns to oaktag (or, .020 plastic) for a fee. A link to our general pricelist can be found on the Contact page.
Q: What is a tech pack? What is included?
A: Tech packs are the engineering documents for your garments. The amount of information in a tech pack depends on the factory you work with and your business administrative processes. At absolute minimum, a tech pack should include: a) a technical drawing of your product, b) a pattern card, c) a points of measure chart; and, d) something resembling a bill of materials (BOM) report.
Q: Why is a tech pack needed? Is it for outsourced production? In-house production? Or historical reference?
A: It’s difficult to sum up the value of a tech pack in a sentence or two. A lot of your business, operating and manufacturing processes depend on this document to define and communicate what the product is. Without it, your developers can’t develop. Your manufacturing staff can’t make. Your sales staff can’t sell. And, your administrative staff can’t administer. If you cut & sew in-house don’t be tempted to go without this documentation. If you think you’re busy now, wait until you have to coordinate and administer a product recall or need to respond to a retailer’s chargeback invoice.
What is your quality assurance program?
What industry organizations do you belong to and are active in?
