What a tech pack should contain

A tech pack is simply the complete specification of a product, written so that someone who has never spoken to you can build it correctly. You don’t need a perfect one to start a conversation with an atelier — we develop from sketches all the time — but the closer your brief gets to a real tech pack, the fewer rounds, surprises, and costs you’ll see.

The sections that matter

• Technical drawing — front, back, side, and interior views, flat and to scale, with callouts.
• Dimensions — height × width × depth, strap lengths and drops, handle dimensions, with tolerances.
• Bill of materials (BOM) — every component: leather type and weight, lining, thread, hardware, zippers, feet, reinforcements.
• Materials & colours — references for each material, ideally physical swatches or Pantone numbers.
• Hardware specs — finish (brass, palladium, antique gold, gunmetal), dimensions, and any logo engraving.
• Construction & stitching — seam types, stitch density (stitches per cm), thread colour, edge treatment.
• Branding — logo method (hot stamp, blind emboss, foil, plaque) and exact placement.
• Packaging — dust bag, box, hangtag, tissue, care card specifications.
• QC tolerances — what counts as acceptable variation, and what does not.

Why it pays off

Every ambiguity in a brief becomes a decision someone else makes for you — often the wrong way, and always at a cost in time. A tech pack moves those decisions to the table, before the leather is cut. It also makes your quote accurate, because the atelier is pricing the real product rather than guessing.

If you don’t have one yet

Bring what you have: a sketch, reference photos, a bag you like, a written description. A good development partner will turn that into a production-ready specification with you. The tech pack is the destination, not the entry ticket.