Common Apparel Industry Terms
Some of the most common terms men’s golf startups encounter when they’re first starting out - and what they mean
When you first start your new golf apparel brand, you’re going to start hearing a bunch of terms you have never heard before.
It can be a little daunting, so let’s cover some basic industry terminology that will help you as you get started.
I was in the apparel industry for more than seven years before I switched to freelance, so all of these terms were second nature to me.
It definitely took me some time to learn how to translate these terms to start ups.
I remember a conversation with a semi established brand who was still pretty new to the industry when I tried to explain to them what a “carry over” style was.
I’ll spare you my monolog, but I watched my client’s increasingly puzzled face as I spoke until he finally said, “…you mean it’s not new?”
Yes. Yes, that is a much better explanation of what I meant. A carry over style, dear reader, is a style that is not new, meaning you’ve already produced and sold it, and now you’re either doing a reorder or you’re adding colors or prints.
So, let’s see how much better at this I’ve gotten.
Here are some common industry terms you might hear:
Carry Over Style:
May as well start here. Like I mention above, a carry over style is a style that you’ve already produced and sold, and now you’re doing a reorder, and/or you’re adding new colors or prints. Essentially, it’s a style that’s “carrying over” from one season or order to the next.
Competitor Sample:
This is another brand’s garment you reference to help create your own garment. It could be a reference for fit, fabric, or for some other detail you like. Competitor samples are helpful to communicate what you’re going for with your designer or factory.
Design:
Design is surprisingly complicated to describe.
Most new brands use the word Design to mean the printed images on a shirt. The print on your shirt is part of your design, but in the apparel industry Design is used to mean something different.
I actually have an entire blog post on this here, but to keep it short, I’ll say that when *I* say “design,” I usually mean things like, what does the placket where the buttons go on your polo look like? What does the side slit look like? How many rows of stitching are on the seam (defined below) at the shoulder? Things that have more to do with how the garment is sewn.
Development:
Development is the process of getting from your idea to production.
Factory:
This is what a lot of startups call a Manufacturer. Your factory is the one cutting and sewing your garment. They may also make or source your fabric and trims for you.
Fit Sample:
A fit sample is a competitor’s garment that you like the fit of and use as a reference for your own garment.
MOQ:
MOQ stands for Minimum Order Quantity. This is the smallest order a factory will accept and one of the most important things you need to know from your potential new golf apparel factory.
Prints:
These are the pictures that go all over a shirt. An example is a Hawiian shirt often has a floral print on it.
Production:
This is when you place your order for your new style(s) and the factory sews up your garments for you to be able to sell.
Proto:
Short for Prototype. These are the first versions of your garment your factory sews for you to review and approve.
Reference Sample:
Used interchangeably with “Competitor Sample.”
Seam:
This is a place where two pieces of fabric are sewn together at the edges. An example of this is where your shirt is sewn together at the sides and at the sleeve.
Spec:
This is a page in your tech pack where all the different garment measurements are called out. The spec calls out how all big all the different places on the garment are.
Tech Pack:
A tech pack is the blueprint for your garment. It tells your factory how to make it, what goes into it and how many, and how it fits in all the places in every size. It serves as a type of contract between you and your factory. A tech pack should be a living breathing document used to communicate changes and comments to your factory as you move through the development process.
Trims:
An example of a trim is a button, an embroidered or heat sealed logo, a zipper, a label, etc. Basically anything added to your garment is a trim.
Ok how’d I do?
Anything still confusing or have you come across a term I don’t mention here? Please let me know! Send me a message here. I’d love to hear it!