---
title: "What the document that gets a garment made contains"
description: "The document settles how a garment looks, what goes into it, how it is measured and made, and which approved version the maker must follow."
url: "https://surajmalstudio.com/guides/what-a-specification-actually-contains"
---
# What the document that gets a garment made contains
7 min read Developing your product Updated 8 Sept 2026
The document settles how a garment looks, what goes into it, how it is measured and made, and which approved version the maker must follow.
## Quick answers from this guide
### What does a maker need before quoting for a garment?
A maker needs a document showing the garment from the front and back, its materials, measurements and making details, plus instructions for colour, decoration, labels and packing. Choices that affect cost, fit or appearance need particular attention. Any unfinished decisions should be marked, and the quotation should identify the assumptions used for them so that different makers are quoting for the same clothes.
### Does every detail need to be settled before the first sample?
The document for a first sample can contain unfinished decisions, provided each is marked as open and names who will settle it and when. Fabric, measurements, visible buttons or other parts, and decoration need firm decisions early because they affect cost, fit or appearance. A temporary material used in the sample should be identified as temporary so that it does not become the assumed choice for production.
### How should the measurements for a garment be written?
Each garment measurement needs a named size, a target, an allowed amount of variation and an explanation of how to measure it. Drawings with numbered arrows can show where measurements begin and end. Instructions should distinguish details such as a relaxed or stretched waistband. The approved sample and the finished clothes should be checked using the same method and the same approved version of the document.
### Can the maker help write the document?
The maker can help turn the design into drawings, a complete materials list and written measurements. They can also raise questions about how the garment will be made and suggest alternatives. The brand approves the version used for samples and production. Help preparing the document still leaves decisions about the intended clothes to be recorded and approved before materials are committed for production.
### How should the document change after a sample is reviewed?
After each sample review, record what is approved, what must change and what remains open. Update the main document when a decision changes the garment, its materials, decoration, labels or packing, and give the new version a date, number and reason for the change. If nothing changes, record that the previous version remains current. Bring comments together before sending the next instruction to the maker.
The document that gets a garment made contains drawings, a complete materials list, measurements and instructions for making, colour, decoration, labels and packing, all tied to a clearly approved version. It describes one garment design closely enough for a maker to quote, make a sample and later check the finished clothes against what was agreed.
A drawing can show the intended shape. The written instructions settle the choices behind that shape. When a choice is left open without being identified, different makers can fill the gap differently. Their quotations then describe different clothes, and the sample may test something other than the garment intended.
The document develops with the samples. Unfinished decisions can stay open if the file says who will settle each one and when. Before materials are committed for production, the approved version needs to be clear.
Studio illustration The document settles how a garment looks, what goes into it, how it is measured and made, and which approved version the maker must follow.
## 01Front and back drawings show how the garment fits together
Start with clear front and back views of the garment, then add closer views wherever a detail needs explaining. Show the seams and separate pieces of fabric, where pockets sit, and how the garment fastens. Include visible stitching. These drawings give the maker information about how the garment is put together that an image showing its overall look can leave unresolved.
The closer views should carry notes beside the detail they describe. A pocket shape or fastening needs enough information to be made and checked. A description such as “premium finish” gives the maker no particular finish to reproduce.
This section also provides a place to show where measurements are taken and where decoration belongs. Numbered arrows can connect the drawing to the written measurements.
Without these views, a quotation can include assumptions about construction or proportion that the brand has not approved. Those assumptions can carry into the first sample. The resulting review then has to resolve details that could have been stated before the maker began.
## 02The materials list identifies everything that goes into the clothes
Record every physical part of the garment and its packing. The main fabric is only the beginning. Thread and labels belong in the same record as buttons, zips or elastic, with each item identified by where it is used. Include bags and hanging tags too.
“Cotton fabric” leaves too much undecided. State the fibre content, how the fabric is made, its weight and finish, and the colour required. A button needs its material and size, as well as its finish, colour, position and any logo. For a zip, record the type and length, the colour of the fabric tape, the puller and where it sits. Generic names leave choices inside the quotation.
Make temporary choices visible. If the first sample uses a proposed substitute, say that it is temporary and record whether the intended material is still awaiting approval. Otherwise, the sample material can become the assumed choice for the finished order. The approval status answers a practical question: can this item be ordered for production?
Missing material detail makes quotations harder to compare because the makers may have allowed for different things. Fabric makers may also set minimum quantities according to how a fabric is made, its colour or finish. Check those minimums at enquiry against the planned quantities and colours while the material choices can still change.
## 03Measurements need a method and an allowed variation
Give each measurement a name, a target for a stated size and the amount it may vary. Also explain how it is taken. A chest measurement without a clear starting point leaves room for two people to measure the same garment differently. Numbered arrows on the drawing help connect each written instruction to the right part of the clothes.
Small distinctions belong in the instructions. State whether a waistband is measured relaxed or stretched, and explain how to measure a curved hem. The method needs enough detail to be repeated when a sample arrives and when the finished order is checked.
The allowed variation needs to suit the garment. Fit, fabric behaviour and the way the clothes are made all affect what is sensible. Stretch fabric and washed denim need different measurement instructions. The document should record the agreed allowance for each measurement without treating an example from another garment as a rule.
Begin with the size used to settle the fit. Add instructions for how the measurements change between sizes as that fit is agreed. If a sample review changes a measurement, update the document itself. A correction left in an email can leave the next sample or the finished clothes being checked against an older target.
## 04Making instructions settle stitching, edges and reinforcement
Drawings locate the details; making instructions explain how to carry them out. Describe how fabric edges are joined and finished, where stitching is visible, and where reinforcement is needed. Include the shape and construction of pockets and openings where those details affect the result. Any wash treatment or surface effect relevant to the garment belongs here too.
Be specific where an instruction changes appearance, performance or cost. A stitch description can state its type and distance from an edge. A general request for a high-quality finish cannot be checked in the same way. Put the instruction beside a close drawing wherever that makes the intended result clearer, and record any order of making that matters to the garment.
The maker can help prepare these details and propose workable alternatives. Each proposal still needs a recorded decision.
If this section is missing, the maker has to interpret the finish. That affects both the work included in the quotation and the reference available when the clothes are checked. Written making instructions give an agreed basis for judging whether the finished detail matches the decision.
## 05Colour and decoration need references on the intended fabric
Record the physical colour reference, the material it applies to and the version of the document that approved it. Fabric and finish affect colour, so approving a shade on one piece of material does not automatically approve it on every other part of the garment. Keep each approval attached to the material it describes.
A print or embroidered design needs its own instructions. Identify the current artwork file and the method of applying it. Record the position, dimensions and direction of the design, along with its colours and any agreed variation in the result. A picture of the design alone leaves its size and placement unsettled.
Review a print or embroidery sample made on the intended fabric. This shows how the decoration feels, how well it covers the fabric and whether its size and alignment work on the material being used. A screen image or paper proof does not show those properties on the clothes.
Missing instructions here can leave the maker working from the wrong artwork or interpreting where it belongs. A fit change can also affect print placement, so a sample decision may require changes in more than one section. Keep the decoration instructions connected to the current garment measurements and drawings.
## 06Labels and packing are part of the finished order
Include the approved label artwork, its position and how it will be attached. Record the sizes the labels must cover and the details of any hanging tags. Keep the content required for the place where the clothes will be sold separate from the brand's own wording and any shop's instructions. Settle that content through the checks for that destination, then identify the approved artwork in the document.
Packing needs written decisions as well. Describe the fold, any tissue or insert, and the bag, including warning wording where supplied. Record agreed box dimensions or limits, the markings on the boxes and how colours and sizes are divided between them.
If a shop supplies delivery instructions, attach or clearly link the current document and mark its status. A packing sample can settle details that words do not show clearly.
Leaving packing out leaves part of the quotation and finished order undefined. Label and packing changes also need to reach the same approved file as changes to the clothes. Otherwise, the garment can follow one set of decisions while its presentation follows another.
## 07One current version carries the decisions into production
Keep one main file and a short record of changes. Give every version sent to the maker a date, a version number and a reason for the change. After a sample review, bring the comments together and record which points are approved, which need revision and which remain open. If the instructions stay the same, record that the existing version remains current.
The brand approves the document, even when the maker helps write it. Before committing materials for production, confirm the version containing the final decisions and identify the sample production will be checked against. Keep the current materials list and approved artwork with that reference.
Ask the maker to identify assumptions in the quotation, especially where fabric or other parts await approval. An open choice should stay visible through the sample reviews until a decision closes it. Blank space cannot do that work.
A late change can affect material availability, how much fabric is used and the delivery schedule. Record its approval and which clothes it affects so that the maker can account for the consequences. The document's value continues through production: it keeps the agreed garment identifiable as decisions change.
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Read next [Does a manufacturer need a tech pack before quoting? 5 min read · Developing your product](https://surajmalstudio.com/guides/do-i-need-a-tech-pack) [What to decide before a specification 8 min read · Developing your product](https://surajmalstudio.com/guides/what-to-decide-before-a-specification) [What changes when you own the pattern 15 min read · Developing your product](https://surajmalstudio.com/insights/2026/08/what-changes-when-you-own-the-pattern) [What is a grade rule? 4 min read · Developing your product](https://surajmalstudio.com/guides/what-is-a-grade-rule)
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