Three Mistakes You May be Making with Your Pattern Grading
I know a lot of you out there are trying your hand at grading your own patterns to save some money. I get it. We all try to save where we can. However, if you have just enough knowledge to be dangerous, and you know it- you could potentially be messing up your products.
If best practices are not applied, you could be repeating the same issues across all your products. If they sell, then great! If your customers complain and you have no reasonable answer to give them then that is problematic. Usually at this point is when designers come to me to help straighten out their products. Unfortunately this is where we have to do some backtracking which usually results in me redoing the work that was already done. I’m never happy to deliver this news. The toughest part is when we have to try to figure out how to reconfigure a bestselling item to adhere to new standards without disrupting the current customer base. It’s tricky.
There are three situations that I see occurring all the time. I know if you are here you are probably wondering “Oh, God. Have I messed up my products!?” Don’t worry, I’m not here to judge, but rather to put an abrupt stop-hit on your processes. Or, at least make you reconsider before repeating the same mistake over and over.
You are not coordinating your size chart with your grade rule
If you are grading a pattern and not being mindful of the the incremental jumps between sizes on your size chart, this means you will end up with an inconsistent fit- especially if you are providing your customer with a size chart to follow. What this means is that potentially the smallest sizes could be too big or the largest sizes too small, and vice versa. Following a size chart ensures that each garment will have the same amount of wearing ease and proportions across all of your sizes.
I once had a client who asked me to grade a pattern. My usual question is- What size is your pattern? Their answer was “I dunno. Let’s say a medium. I may call it a large later. Just apply a generic grade rule and I’ll figure out the rest when I get it.”
Umm okaaaay….. So they invested their money into my services only to have a product that they cannot definitively tell their customer what size it is. This means they also have no size chart so a customer cannot figure out what size to buy. Needless to say this client never returned, more than likely because they realized they were missing the technical understanding to confidently direct their customers. Even if you find your customer base to be pretty casual about standards at first, it is guranteed that as you grow they will be all up in your business about sizing and your advice on what to choose.
Just a PS to the above story and customers expecting standards and you thinking this will never happen - I worked with a mega retailer who posted finished garment measurements on their website. I kid you not- customers were always measuring their purchases to compare against what was provided.
You are using ASTM standards as a grade rule
Whenever I get a grade rule that looks like it’s been pulled off of some sizing standard website there is a split second where the little vein in my forehead throbs and I worry for a moment that my brain may explode. Now I know everyone is trying to do their best and look the most professional, but this is not the route to go down. I get it. It sounds like it should make sense, but it doesn’t.
First of all, if you haven’t heard of ASTM before, ASTM is the American Society for Testing and Materials. It is an organization that collects data for numerous technical purposes and analyzes them into a consensus. You can purchase sizing data on their website. But the thing is, it’s just data. It has a lot of specific measurement points on the body. The way it is laid out, you feel that it should be the solution to your sizing.
But ASTM standards are not a grade rules. Grade rules are averages designed to also ensure that all components of a garment fit together. Grade rules even out sizing into something logical and recognizable and grade rule numbers are easy to utilize in the grading process.
Let me pose this: If your size chart looks like an ASTM standard chart, will your customer know what size to select? Also, can you tell me definitely what these points of measure correlate to? I’m not even certain without a measurement guide illustration. So you are either following something you are unsure of or passing your grader information that you are hoping is ok. Hope is not a strategy.
You are trying to grade too many sizes on one pattern
I get this scenario so often and I get it- inclusivity is a big deal for your brand. However, you can’t grade 16 sizes up and 16 sizes down and expect the fit to look exactly the same for all sizes. Distortions occur the more sizes you add on a base pattern. (READ MY POST ON WHAT GRADING UP TO PLUS SIZES LOOKS LIKE)
I will do workarounds to get your pattern/product rolling so you can test your market. But the best long term strategy will require two base patterns- one for the smaller range and one for the larger range You will need to budget and plan for it if you want to serve these customers properly.
Occasionally you can have success grading on a lot of sizes. Generally skirts work very well this way. I have experimented with different styles trying to make extensive grading work, and more often than not, it’s either a failure or the grading gets really tricky.
Final Thoughts
If you are grading your own patterns, make sure you are following your size chart. Don’t follow the directions of some random Tik-Tok-er who will teach you grading in a matter of minutes and says to do X,Y &Z for the sizing. Chances are they aren’t legit. They have just figured it out just enough to get validation through views.
If you are working with a professional and you don’t know what to provide for a sizing standard, just give your size chart. This is the main thing that we need. If you are interested in developing grade rules for your records, then this is a conversation to have with your grader, not for you to make up in a way that feels like it maybe, possibly works.