Clothing manufacturing is a massive distributed process in which all operations are performed in different departments/divisions. apparel manufacturing is a continuous series of methods and procedures, such as designing, laying, marking, cutting, sewing, finishing, pressing, packing, sampling, etc. This is how clothing goes from raw material to finished product.
The beginning to end process of apparel manufacturing
The apparel manufacturing process includes different methods such as cost, quality checks, size and fit assessment, cost and more strategies to produce various product combinations. This is the whole start to finish process of apparel manufacturing.
Design and development
Design and development are the initial stages of product manufacturing. During this process, the style and design of the fabric will be set. At this stage, the main goal is to create the design of the product according to your requirements, making it functional. The initial steps to exploring design ideas are research, attending trade shows, following trends, following fashion ICONS, fashion magazines, etc.
Customers make whatever is popular, so you can start with whatever is popular in the market. Select the product and start sketching the design. After the design is complete, you need to choose the fabric to make the fabric. You must choose the product according to the customer’s requirements.
Clothes dyeing
Custom dyeing comes in handy when customers are looking for personalized clothing. In this case, fabric dyeing is the best option for manufacturers to get any type of design they want. Fabric dyeing is a popular method where you can give fabric a new look by dyeing it bright, vibrant and in new shades.
There are countless custom options for fabric dyeing, such as tie-dye, sulfate dyes, dip-dye, neon dyes, direct dyeing, reactive dyes, spray colors, and more.
Different chemicals are used when washing fabrics. There are different types of fabric finishing
– Improve the appearance of the fabric.
– Improve fabric performance and durability.
– Make clothes have special functions.
Plate making
Once the design is complete, a pattern will be created for a T-shirt, hoodie, shorts, or any product. To do this, you need to outline the design on paper and then cut and sew the various parts of the costume.
The pattern of the apparel helps to shape the apparel. After creating a pattern for the fabric, the product construction process begins. There are many ways to create patterns, but the most widely used method is cardboard.
Cardboard is used to shape the outline of the apparel. After tracing, the fabric is cut. In addition, CAD (Computer Aided Design) is another way to make clothing samples.
The template is an important and useful part of the process as it helps to ensure the correct size, fit and measurement of the fabric.
Fabric grading
After the template is made, the fabric is graded to ensure that the product fits a variety of sizes. The material is graded according to different templates to make different sizes. After cutting, the apparel goes through a series of processes called “grading.” Grading refers to making different sizes of clothes according to the template developed.
Grading is done by making minor changes to the template. There are two types of grading: vertical and horizontal. Horizontal grading refers to changing the width from the bottom, while vertical grading refers to changing the length of the template.
The grading of fabric templates allows for the making and manufacture of clothing in various sizes from a limited number of templates.
Cutting process
In this step, the fabric is marked and cut into different sections. The marking process indicates to the operator where to cut, which is how to cut with marks and lines. You can mark the fabric in a variety of ways. After the fabric is marked, the cutting process begins.
Now, a different machine is used for cutting. Commonly used machines are rotary cutters, scissors or knives. Always use sharp tools when cutting the fabric, otherwise you will face problems with tearing and wear of the material.
Marking and cutting are essential elements of apparel manufacturing. Most cutting and sewing manufacturers do this. Marking the cut on the fabric helps to create a finished product that meets the requirements.
Sewing process
The sewing process begins here, with the individual parts of the apparel stitched together by hand or machine. Different products are connected together in this process to form a piece of clothing.
Hand sewing is relatively slow and requires more effort, but can produce high-quality complex stitches. Machines sew faster, but with less precision. Depending on the type of fabric to be sewn, different stitches will be used. Here are some stitch types:
– Button holes.
– Zigzag stitch
– Straight stitches
Finishing process
This is the final step in apparel manufacturing. This part consists of pressing and adding any minute detail changes that the customer requires to make it a complete finished product.
Hand sewing is relatively slow and requires more effort, but can produce high-quality complex stitches. On the other hand, machine sewing is faster, but not as accurate as manual sewing. Depending on the type of fabric you are sewing, different types of stitches are used. Here are some types of stitches:
– Buttons.
– Zipper
– Button
– Applique
It includes all the ways to help improve the function and appearance of clothing. Clothing finishing is suitable for both types of clothing, whether woven or knitted. Standard finishing processes include bleaching, custom fabric dyeing, printing, washing and coating.
The workflow of the apparel manufacturing process
Here is the workflow of the apparel manufacturing process, from start to finish, and all the process changes involved in the apparel manufacturing process.
Fabric Development → Fabric lab impregnation preparation → Fabric approval → Plate-making → apparel sampling → sample approval (prototype, fit, sizing, salesman sample) → Final plate-making → plate-making grading → Fabric purchasing → Fabric inspection → Fabric ribbon classification → Fabric ribbon classification → Fabric testing → Fabric distribution for cutting → fabric layering → material layout → cutting → cut component classification → layer numbering → Cutting, binding and marking → Delivery to sewing workshop → Sewing process → Quality inspection of clothing online and at the end of the production line → clothing repair → clothing washing → clothing finishing → Folding and packaging of finished products → Shipment inspection → Approved apparel ready for shipment.
This chart mentions all the processes involved in the apparel manufacturing process and mentions all the processes so that you can easily understand the whole process. In addition, a pre-production stage is involved in the manufacturing process. Listed below:
Manufacturing plants use different types of clothing manufacturing processes. Here is a brief overview of the various manufacturing processes:
Departmental production system
Manufacturing plants use different types of clothing manufacturing processes. Here is a brief overview of the various manufacturing processes:
In this apparel manufacturing system, the operation is divided into different parts. All machines performing similar functions are grouped to perform operations on the product.
For example: For the making of T-shirts, all the machines with similar functions are put together and run in one department, for example, making collars, sleeves and cuffs is developed in one department and then transferred to the next department in the assembly section.
Production system
In the production system, the tailor handles the apparel alone. The tailor is the sole person responsible for making the plate, cutting the fabric, sewing and finishing the apparel through to packaging. In short, from cutting the material to packaging the finished product, the entire fabric production is the responsibility of the manufacturer.
Progressive baling system
This production system is similar to a staged production system, but all the machines are lined up in a row, and each machine is operated by a different operator. The cut parts of the apparel are placed in bales. The operator receives the bales, performs their operations, and then hands off the cut portion to a subsequent operator for different processing of the apparel.
Several operators sew the apparels. One of the practical advantages of using this method is that the operator is skilled and efficient, resulting in increased work efficiency.
In this way, consistency is created between products. Many export manufacturers use this method of apparel manufacturing.
In this way, consistency is created between products. Many export manufacturers use this method of apparel manufacturing.
