Do you speak fashion?

If you have studied fashion design then you may have some understanding of the lingo – but for many people, when you first start working in the industry it feels like everyone is speaking a different language. Here are a few of the key terms you really need to understand …

CMT, Cut Make and Trim – this is a type of factory or manufacturing unit. You will source all elements of your production and then the manufacturer will cut the fabric, make the pieces and trim them

Fully Factored or Vertical Manufacturing – this is where the manufacturer will manage the whole process from patterns, sourcing the fabrics and making the pieces

MOQ – minimum order quantity – for example, this is the lowest number of pieces a factory will produce or the lowest number of metres of fabric or quantity of buttons

MCQ – minimum colour quantity – this term can be used if a supplier is prepared to split an order by colour. For example, your MOQ is 100, but you can have an MCQ of 50

Tech Pack – a document that contains all the technical information about your product including details on materials, colours, sizes, trims, construction and detailing

Spec Sheet – a garment specification sheet is a technical document that details the construction elements of the product including stitching, seam allowances and all measuring points

Look out for further posts in the future for more key fashion terms