What a Lace Bodysuit Tech Pack Must Carry
A bodysuit tech pack for a lace factory is not a fashion sketch. It is a manufacturing instruction. Here is what it must contain, in the order we need it.
1. The Lace Specification Sheet
This is the core. Do not write "black lace." Write this:
Material: Lace, raschel knit, 90% nylon, 10% spandex.
Stretch: 25% in the width, 12% in the length.
Weight: 180 gsm, ±5%.
Colour: Black, Pantone Black 6 C.
Construction: 4-way stretch, scalloped edge on the hem and neckline.
Width: 150 cm, rolled on a tube.
If you do not know the stretch percentage, send us a 30cm swatch. We will test it on our stretch tester and put the numbers in the spec for you. That costs 150 USD and takes two days. It saves you the cost of a failed bulk.
2. The Construction Sheet
This is where the bodysuit becomes a bodysuit. It must show:
The flat sketch: Front, back, and side views, in black and white line art. No shading. No colour. We need to see the seam lines.
The seam list: Every seam, named and numbered. "Seam 1: Overlock, 4-thread, 0.6cm. Seam 2: Coverstitch, 3-thread, 0.3cm."
The elastic placement: Where the elastic goes, what type, and the tension. "1.2cm picot elastic at the leg opening, 60% stretch, applied with a 3-step zigzag."
The snap or closure: Type, size, and placement. "Metal snap, size 0, centred at the crotch, 3cm from the front and back seams."
3. The Measurement Spec
This is the part that causes the most rejects. It must list every point of measurement (POM) with a tolerance. For a bodysuit, the minimum POMs are:
- Bust, at the underbust seam
- Waist, at the narrowest point
- Hip, at the fullest point
- Torso length, from HPS (high point of shoulder) to the crotch seam
- Leg opening, from the front crotch to the back crotch
- Strap length, from the HPS to the bust seam
Each POM needs a tolerance. "Bust: 86cm, ±1cm." If you write "±2cm," we will use it, and the garment will fit loose on the small end and tight on the large end. A bodysuit cannot have a ±2cm tolerance on the bust. It will not fit the same body across the run.
4. The Bill of Materials (BOM)
This is the parts list. It must include:
- The main lace (as specified above)
- The lining fabric (if any), with the same spec format
- The elastic, with the width, type, and stretch percentage
- The thread, with the fibre and tex size
- The snap or closure, with the size and finish
- The care label, with the language and format
- The hangtag, with the material and string type
Each item needs a supplier name if you have a preferred one. If you leave it blank, we will source it, and you will pay our sourcing fee.
5. The Colour and Print Sheet
If the lace is a solid colour, list the Pantone number. If it is a print, send the digital file at 300 dpi with the repeat size. "Print: floral, 25cm repeat, 4 colours, Pantone 186 C, 286 C, Black 6 C, White." If the lace has a pattern repeat, tell us where it must align. "Pattern repeat must align at the centre front seam."
6. The Label and Packaging Sheet
This is the part that gets forgotten and then rushed. It must list:
- The main label, with the size and placement
- The care label, with the wash instructions in your language
- The hangtag, with the string type and attachment point
- The polybag, with the material and closure type
- The carton, with the size and the marking
If you do not specify the polybag, we will use a 0.04mm LDPE bag with a suffocation warning. If your market requires a biodegradable bag, tell us. We will not guess.
The tech pack is the instruction. The factory is the student. You need to pick the right student before you write the test. Here is how we tell buyers to do it, and how we would do it if we were buying.
Step 1: Define the Product Before You Define the Factory
A lace bodysuit is not a single product. It is a category. A seamless lace bodysuit with bonded seams needs a factory with ultrasonic bonding machines. A cut-and-sew lace bodysuit with overlock seams needs a factory with standard sewing machines. A lace bodysuit with moulded cups needs a factory with a cup moulding press. If you do not know which one you are making, you will source the wrong factory, and your tech pack will be useless. Write the product brief first. One page. What it is, what it does, who buys it, and at what price. That brief tells you the factory type.
Step 2: Find the Factory by the Machine, Not the Website
A factory’s website tells you what they want to sell. Their machine list tells you what they can make. When you find a factory, ask for the machine list. It should include the machine type, the brand, and the year of purchase. A factory with 50 Juki single-needle machines from 2018 can make a cut-and-sew bodysuit. A factory with a Karl Mayer double-needle bar raschel machine can make the lace itself. A factory with a Branson ultrasonic welder can make a seamless bodysuit. If the factory cannot send a machine list, they are a trading company, not a factory. That is fine if you want a trading company, but you should know.
Step 3: Ask for Three Samples, Not One
When you ask for a sample, ask for three. One from the current production line. One from the sample room. One made to your spec. The first tells you the factory’s baseline quality. The second tells you their best work. The third tells you if they can follow your tech pack. If the third sample is worse than the first two, the factory cannot read a tech pack. Move on. The cost of three samples is 300 USD. The cost of a bad bulk order is 30,000 USD.
Step 4: Audit the Factory, or Pay Someone to Do It
You do not need to fly to the factory. You need to see the factory. Ask for a video walkthrough. Not a promotional video. A live video, on a phone, walking the floor. If the factory will not do it, hire a third-party auditor for 300 USD. They will send a report with photos. The report must show the cutting room, the sewing lines, the finishing area, and the packing area. If any of those are missing, the factory is outsourcing that step, and you will pay for the markup.
Step 5: Negotiate the MOQ Before You Negotiate the Price
A lace bodysuit has a high cutting loss because the pattern does not nest well. The MOQ for a cut-and-sew bodysuit is 500 pieces per colour. The MOQ for a seamless bodysuit is 1,000 pieces per colour because the machine setup is longer. If your order is 200 pieces, the factory will charge you a setup fee, or they will not take the order. Know your MOQ before you ask for a price. If you ask for a price on 200 pieces, the factory will quote high to cover the setup, and you will think they are expensive. They are not expensive. You are ordering the wrong quantity.
The Tech Pack as a Filter, Not Just a Tool
A good tech pack does more than instruct the factory. It filters them. When you send a detailed tech pack to three factories, the responses tell you who can read it. Factory A sends a quote in two hours. They did not read it. Factory B sends a quote in two days with three questions. They read it and found the gaps. Factory C sends a quote in a week with a revised spec sheet. They read it, understood it, and improved it. Factory C is the one you want. The tech pack is not just a document. It is a test of the factory’s competence. Use it that way.
The Final Check Before You Send
Before you send the tech pack to the factory, check it against this list:
- Is the lace spec complete with stretch, weight, and construction?
- Is the flat sketch in black and white line art?
- Are the seams named and numbered?
- Are the POMs listed with tolerances under 1cm?
- Is the BOM complete with supplier names?
- Is the colour spec in Pantone numbers?
- Is the packaging spec complete with bag and carton details?
If any of those are missing, the factory will guess. The guess becomes the sample. The sample becomes the bulk. The bulk becomes the reject. The reject becomes the cost. The cost is yours. The tech pack is the only thing between you and that cost. Make it complete. Make it clear. Make it before you source the factory, not after.
That is how you source a lace bodysuit factory and get the product you designed, not the product the factory guessed at.
What to send us
If the specifications above match what you are sourcing, send your tech pack to Orange Sea Clothing. If the pack is not written yet, sketches and a reference sample are enough to start — sample development covers the design review, fabric and trim sourcing, pattern making and the first prototype, so you see fit and construction before you commit to a production run.
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