What is Your Sample Size?
Also known as your fit sample size, the base size is really important to establish for your brand because you are building off of one size standard. Yes, you want to fit as many people as possible once the product is finalized, but when you are doing the initial development this needs to be standardized for consistency.
A pattern is only made in one size
I ask all new clients for their base size because I need to know the body parameters that the pattern I make for them must fit. To make every size for every fit round would be extremely costly so we need to narrow it down to one single size.
As we all know, sizing is subjective. You could be a size small in one brand, but a size large in another. Yes, this is a huge variance, but it all depends on the fit intent of the brand and your brand is no different. There is no right or wrong answer (perhaps better ones than others) but this is up to you and something that only you can determine. Your patternmaker can give guidance, but you will have to make the call on what you are setting as a standard.
You are going to need someone to try on the sample garments
Your base size should match to someone you have access to that can be your fit model. A fit model doesn’t have to be covergirl/guy material, just someone whos body matches to your base size and customer demographic. Example, if you are developing a line of clothing for women 70+ then you probably wouldn’t want to use a 20 year old fit model.
This is critical information for your patternmaker
Once your patternmaker has your base size measurements we know what to do with this information to make a garment that should fit pretty well. It’s like you are sharing your location coordinates and with this information we know exactly how to get to you. The same goes for garments. If you supply the coordinates for chest, waist and hip circumference then whoever is trying on your sample should be pretty darn close to this. It would be unfair to say that the garment doesn’t fit well if a size small sample was made, but the fit model has an extra large chest.
The Sizing Objective
The goal of your sizing should be to find body measurements that represent the midsection of your sizing chart and to align with your fit model who represents the physical body of your customer demographic.
Where to start?
If you aren’t a number cruncher, don’t panic and don’t rush out to purchase ASTM standards that you may not know what to do with. My steps below are the quick and dirty way to get you set up.
1) Determine how many and what sizes you would like to produce. Maybe it looks like XXSmall -XLarge, for example. Ideally, your base size should exist somewhere in the middle, such as a small or a medium in this case.
2) Don’t get overwhelmed. You only need to figure out body measurements for chest, waist and hip circumference to get started. More specificity can come later when you have more data on your consumer.
3) If you have someone in mind already for a model, what size would you assign them? Do you feel like they are more of a medium or more of a small for your brand?
4) If you are using yourself as a fit model, then make the same determinations as above in step three.
5) Study the size charts of your competitors/similar brands. Look at the body measurements they supply on their websites and figure out where you would like to align/differ. Don’t worry about copying. This is only a starting point and your sizing more than likely will make slight evolutions along the way. Sizing does vary, but generally not significantly from brand to brand. You will find many similarities in your research.
Are there better, more scientific ways to determine your base size? Absolutely. Would other pattern makers and service providers be horrified at what I suggest? Probably. However, if you are reading this, I’m guessing that you are just looking to hit the ground running and make a product to test instead of burying yourself in data that may prove only slightly different than my methods. Not discouraging the data dive, just prioritizing.
Don’t worry if you are nervous about your base measurements. Myself or any patternmaker that’s working the right way for you, should be able to call out if we see any issues straight away or potential problems down the road. The important part is that your patternmaker understands your parameters so we have a good starting point.