DEMO — fictional range. Local brief only, NOT SENT. No personal data is collected or transmitted.
SIZE
A size grade is built, not scaled.
A grade is the set of measurements each size is cut to. Scaling one sample up and down produces a range that fits nobody at the ends, which is where the returns are.
The four questions worth asking.
They are asked before anything is cut, because each one changes every size in the range.
- Who is it for
- The market and the age group, because the grade is built from their measurements
- Where is it worn
- A relaxed fit and a fitted one need different grades from the same body
- What is the tolerance
- The range around each measurement that still counts as that size
- What does it do after washing
- Because shrinkage moves the grade, and it is measured rather than assumed
Where each decision comes from
| Decision | What it sets | What it costs to get wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Body measurements | The base the grade is built from | A range that fits nobody at the ends |
| Ease | How much room is added to the body | A garment that is right on a hanger and wrong on a person |
| Grade increment | How much each size grows | Sizes that bunch at one end and skip at the other |
| Shrinkage allowance | How much is added to allow for washing | A garment that is the right size once |
The expensive mistake.
Scaling a sample. The middle sizes are close enough and the ends are not, and the returns arrive from the ends. It is a decision made before cutting and paid for after selling.
And the one that looks harmless.
Leaving out the shrinkage allowance. The garment measures correctly in the sample room and a size smaller after the first wash, and the customer assumes they were sent the wrong size.