A usable OEM brief answers four questions without ambiguity: what the bag is, what it is made of, how it is put together, and what standard it must meet. Supply it as a single indexed document containing dimensioned drawings, a complete bill of materials, construction notes, branding artwork, packaging specification and the agreed inspection level. A brief that answers those four questions produces a first sample worth reviewing; one that does not produces a round of questions.
The asymmetry is stark. An hour spent stating a plating thickness saves a week of correspondence and a sample round. Most of the frustration brands experience with OEM production is not caused by weak partners but by briefs that were never finished, and by decisions that were left to be made on the floor by someone who has never seen the brand.
Programme parameters at a glance
| Parameter | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Minimum order quantity | 500 pieces per style / colourway |
| Sampling lead time | 6–10 working days (12–15 days for complex constructions) |
| Bulk production lead time | 35–50 days after sample approval |
| Inspection standard | AQL 2.5 (ISO 2859-1), single sampling, general level II |
| Incoterms | FOB Xiamen — EXW, CIF and DDP available on request |
| Payment terms | T/T 30% deposit / 70% before shipment; L/C at sight for container loads |
| Verified production floor space | 4,950 m² (SGS-verified) |
| Team | 137 staff across 7 production lines |
| Equipment | 149 machines including computerised saddle-stitch and edge-painting units |
| Monthly capacity | 200,000 pieces |
| Entity | Founded 2014; principal has worked in bag development since 2004 |
Why the Brief Decides the Outcome
The technical package is the contract between your intent and the line. Everything downstream reads from it: the pattern maker, the cutting room, the material buyer, the line supervisor and the inspector. If a dimension is missing, somebody will assume one. If a finish is undefined, somebody will choose one. Those assumptions are rarely wrong in isolation, and frequently wrong in combination.
This is why the quality of a first sample is a better measure of your documentation than of your partner's skill. Two brands can brief the same floor; the one that specified tolerances, hardware plating and colour standard gets a sample that can be approved, and the other gets a sample that can only be commented on.
There is a commercial dimension too. Sampling is quoted in working days, and each additional round extends the calendar. Cutting three rounds to two is often the difference between launching on time and launching late, and it costs nothing except preparation.
We run OEM and ODM programmes from Quanzhou, Fujian, and the brief is where our programme team does its most valuable work. A feasibility review that flags an unbuildable seam or an unavailable hardware finish before sampling begins is worth more than any correction made afterwards, because at that stage nothing has been committed.
Every line in that list is preventable with an hour of preparation, and each one is expensive to correct once bulk has begun. The brief is therefore not an administrative step that precedes the work; it is the work, and production is the consequence of it.
The Anatomy of a Bag Tech Pack
Formats vary, but the contents do not. Whether you work in a spreadsheet, a PLM system or a marked-up PDF, the following components should be present and internally consistent before the file leaves your office. Inconsistency is the most common defect: a bill of materials that lists a lining the drawing does not show, or a dimension that contradicts the grade.
- Cover sheet: style name, style code, season, revision number and date, with a change log.
- Technical drawings: front, back, side and base views, dimensioned, with interior views where the layout matters.
- Bill of materials: every component, with supplier reference, substance, finish, colour standard and consumption.
- Construction notes: seam types, stitch density, edge finish, reinforcement, interlining and assembly sequence.
- Hardware schedule: drawings or supplier codes, plating specification, colour, and functional test requirement.
- Colour standards: Pantone or approved physical swatches for every material, including thread and edge paint.
- Branding specification: artwork, placement coordinates, emboss depth or foil reference.
- Testing and compliance: destination market, required standards, and who holds the reports.
- Packaging specification: polybag, dust bag, carton, labelling, barcode and packing method.
- Inspection standard: AQL, defect classification and any special acceptance criteria.
Version control is unglamorous and decisive. Every revision should carry a number and a date, and the partner should confirm which revision they are working from. Programmes that fall apart late in the process usually have two versions in circulation, one with the buyer and one on the floor.
Dimensions, Tolerances and How to State Them
Dimensions without tolerances are opinions. A width of 300 millimetres is meaningless unless you state what range is acceptable, because leather moves, seams compress and every measurement is taken by a human with a tape. State the nominal dimension and the tolerance, and state where the measurement is taken from.
| Measurement | How to state it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Overall width | Nominal at base, plus or minus 2 millimetres | Determines whether the bag sits correctly on a shelf and in a carton |
| Height | Nominal to top edge, excluding handle, plus or minus 2 millimetres | Prevents proportion drift between sample and bulk |
| Depth or gusset | Nominal at widest point, plus or minus 1.5 millimetres | Controls capacity and the silhouette in profile |
| Handle drop | From top edge to apex of handle, plus or minus 3 millimetres | The most noticed dimension on any handbag |
| Strap length | Extended, at hole intervals, plus or minus 5 millimetres | Affects how the bag is worn and how it photographs |
| Symmetry | Difference between left and right not exceeding 1 millimetre | Asymmetry is the defect customers notice without naming |
Measure the same way the inspector will. If you specify a dimension taken on the flat and the floor measures it stuffed, the two numbers will never reconcile, and the disagreement will be resolved by whoever is holding the goods. Agree the measurement method in the brief, not during inspection.
Grading is a related trap. If you intend to offer the style in two sizes, say so at briefing stage, because a pattern graded later will not share the proportions of the original and the two sizes will not photograph as one family.
Materials, Hardware and Finishes: Specifying Without Ambiguity
Material specification is where a brief either protects the brand or abandons it. The phrase genuine leather specifies almost nothing: it does not state the animal, the cut, the tannage, the finish, the substance or the performance requirements. Two hides can both satisfy it and differ by a factor of three in price.
| Component | Minimum specification | Typical omission |
|---|---|---|
| Outer leather | Animal, cut, tannage, finish, substance in millimetres, colour standard, performance standard | Generic description with no substance or tannage |
| Lining | Fibre composition, weave, weight, colour, and any OEKO-TEX requirement | Weight and rub-fastness omitted |
| Interlining | Type, weight and where it is applied, per panel | Applied at the operator's discretion |
| Hardware | Supplier code or drawing, base metal, plating type and thickness, colour, salt-spray requirement | Plating thickness and corrosion standard omitted |
| Thread | Fibre, ticket number, colour, and stitches per inch | Stitch density not stated |
| Edge paint | Colour reference, number of coats, matte or gloss | Finish level left undefined |
| Adhesives | Type and any solvent restriction for the destination market | Not mentioned until a compliance question arises |
Hardware deserves particular care because it carries the longest lead time of any component. A new plating colour or a custom puller can add weeks, and the tooling cost is real. Where a design can accept an existing hardware family in a new finish, that is almost always the better commercial decision.
State the fallback explicitly: which substitutions require your approval and which the partner may make without asking. A brief that says no substitutions without written approval protects you and slows everything down. A brief that names two acceptable alternatives per material keeps the programme moving when a tannery is short.
Construction Notes: Seams, Stitch Density and Reinforcement
Construction is what separates a bag that looks right in photography from one that survives five years of use. It is also the least specified part of most briefs, because it is invisible in a drawing. State the seam type at each join, the stitch density, and the reinforcement at every load point.
- Seam type per join: closed, bound, turned or butted, with the allowance stated.
- Stitch density in stitches per inch, separately for structural seams and topstitching.
- Reinforcement at handle roots, strap anchors, magnetic closures and base corners.
- Interlining specification per panel, including where it is deliberately omitted to preserve drape.
- Edge finish: painted, turned, bound or raw, with the number of coats where painted.
- Assembly sequence notes where the order affects access, such as lining before or after closure fitting.
- Load testing requirement for handles and straps, stated as a cycle count and a force.
Load points are the single highest-value item on that list. A handle that pulls away from the body is the most common serious failure in a leather bag, and it is almost always a reinforcement specification issue rather than a materials issue.
Where a brand has a construction it considers signature, a physical reference is more effective than prose. Send a cut-open sample if you have one. Pattern makers read construction far faster from an object than from a paragraph, and the sample removes the interpretation step entirely.
Do not specify construction you cannot verify. A requirement that cannot be checked at inspection is a requirement that will not be honoured, and an inspector can only test what has been defined: stitch density, seam allowance, reinforcement placement and edge finish are all verifiable, whereas instructions such as make it feel substantial are not.
Branding, Labelling and Packaging Specifications
Branding is usually specified late, which is unfortunate because it frequently requires tooling. A logo plate, a bespoke zip puller or a printed lining all carry a minimum and a lead time, and discovering that in the second sample round puts the launch date at risk.
| Item | What to specify | Lead-time note |
|---|---|---|
| Emboss or deboss | Artwork, depth, position coordinates, heat and dwell if known | Requires a plate, usually one to two weeks |
| Foil or print | Foil reference, artwork, position, and rub-fastness requirement | Plate plus approval round |
| Metal logo plate | Drawing, base metal, plating, fixing method | New tooling, two to three weeks |
| Woven or printed label | Artwork, dimensions, fold, stitch position | Minimum print run applies |
| Care and composition label | Wording, fibre composition, country of origin, language set | Must match the destination market |
| Dust bag and carton | Material, print, dimensions, barcode and carton markings | Print minimums and carton tooling |
Labelling is a compliance matter rather than a design one. Fibre composition, country of origin and care instructions are regulated differently by market, and the requirement attaches to the finished article. Confirm the destination market in the brief and ask for a packed sample before bulk packing begins.
Carton markings deserve a line in the brief. Weight limits, carton dimensions, stacking requirements and barcode placement affect freight cost and warehouse handling, and they are far cheaper to specify at the start than to correct at the port.
Inspection, Testing and Acceptance Criteria in the Brief
The inspection standard should be stated before production, not negotiated afterwards. Naming the standard tells the floor what it is being measured against, and it removes the argument that arises when a buyer rejects a lot on criteria that were never communicated.
Testing should be scheduled rather than discovered. If the destination market requires specific tests, or if you are making a performance claim, book them early: results take time, and a failed test late in the programme has no cheap remedy. Test once per material family and keep the reports on file for reorders.
Finally, state who pays for what. Inspection fees, testing fees, rework costs and the treatment of a rejected lot should all appear in the brief or in the agreement attached to it. Ambiguity here does not cost money immediately; it costs the relationship later.
One further item belongs in the brief: the acceptance gate itself. State who signs off, what evidence accompanies the sign-off, and what happens if the buyer is not available when the goods are ready. Programmes stall at this gate more often than at any other point, and a clause agreed in advance turns a potential standstill into a scheduled decision.
Sending the Brief: Format, Sequence and Follow-Up
How you send the brief matters almost as much as what it contains. A single indexed file that can be read on a phone, in a PDF and a spreadsheet, with every page numbered and every revision dated, will be used. An unzipped folder of unnamed files will not.
- Send the complete pack in one transmission, with a contents list on the first page.
- Flag the three items you consider non-negotiable, so attention goes where it matters.
- Include a physical reference sample or swatch card if any element is hard to describe.
- Ask for a written feasibility review before sampling starts, listing anything the partner cannot build as specified.
- Confirm the revision number the partner is working from, and date every subsequent change.
- Book the sampling slot and agree the date the first sample will be shipped.
- Review the sample against the brief clause by clause, and return marked-up feedback in one document.
Consolidated feedback is the discipline that saves the most time. Five emails over five days, each adding a correction, produce a sample that reflects none of them completely. One marked-up document, with every point on the drawings, produces a second sample that can usually be approved.
Trade estimates suggest that brands which standardise their tech pack across styles cut sampling rounds measurably and reduce disputes in bulk by a larger margin than any inspection intervention achieves. The brief is the cheapest quality tool available, and it is the one most often rushed.
Have your tech pack reviewed before sampling
Send the drawings and bill of materials, and the programme team will return a feasibility note covering buildability, material risk and costed options before a slot is booked. Email service@junyuanbags.com or message us on WhatsApp at +86 177 5002 0688.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a tech pack for bags?
A tech pack is the specification document that tells a production partner exactly how to build your bag. It contains dimensioned drawings, a complete bill of materials, construction notes, hardware schedule, colour standards, branding artwork, packaging specification and the agreed inspection standard, with a revision number and date.
What should a bag tech pack include?
Include front, back, side and base drawings with tolerances, a bill of materials naming every component with supplier reference and substance, construction notes covering seam type and stitch density, a hardware schedule with plating thickness, colour standards, branding placement, testing requirements and the packaging specification.
How do I specify tolerances on a bag?
State the nominal dimension, the acceptable range and the point from which it is measured. Two millimetres on width and height, 1.5 millimetres on gusset and three millimetres on handle drop are workable in leather. Agree the measurement method in the brief, because a flat measurement and a stuffed measurement will not reconcile.
Why does my first sample differ from my drawing?
Usually because something was not specified and therefore had to be assumed: interlining, edge finish, stitch density or hardware plating. Drawings show shape, not construction. The remedy is to add construction notes and physical references rather than to redraw, because the shape was probably interpreted correctly.
How detailed does a bill of materials need to be?
Detailed enough that two suppliers would quote the same article. Name the material, its substance, its finish, its colour standard and its supplier or mill reference. Generic descriptions such as genuine leather or polyester lining are the most common source of quote variance and of disappointment in the finished article.
Do I need to specify hardware plating thickness?
Yes. Plating thickness determines corrosion resistance, wear performance and price, and it cannot be inferred from a colour. State the base metal, the plating type, the thickness in microns and any salt-spray requirement. If the design can accept an existing hardware family in a new finish, that is usually faster and cheaper.
What is stitch density and why state it?
Stitch density is the number of stitches per inch, and it determines both seam strength and the visual grade of the bag. State it separately for structural seams and topstitching, because they serve different purposes. Without it, the operator selects a setting and every subsequent batch may differ from the first.
Should I send a physical reference sample with the brief?
Yes, whenever an element is hard to describe. A reference communicates hand, drape and proportion in a way that a drawing cannot, and a cut-open sample communicates construction faster than any paragraph. Mark clearly where the reference differs from the intended production version so the differences read as instructions.
How should I state the inspection standard?
Name the standard, the sampling plan and the defect classification in the brief. AQL 2.5 under ISO 2859-1, single sampling, general inspection level II is the usual reference, with critical defects at zero tolerance and written definitions of major and minor defects agreed before bulk begins.
Who should hold the test reports?
Both sides should hold them, and the brief should say so. The brand needs the documentation for its own compliance records and for any retailer onboarding; the partner needs it to confirm that the current specification is covered. Keep reports per material family rather than per style, and re-test whenever a material changes.
How do I manage changes after the brief is sent?
Issue a new revision number with a dated change log, and confirm in writing that the partner has received and accepted it. Never send corrections piecemeal across several emails. Consolidated, marked-up feedback produces a sample that can usually be approved, whereas scattered feedback produces partial corrections.
What should be specified for packaging?
Specify the polybag, dust bag, carton material and print, carton dimensions, barcode placement, packing method and any weight limit per carton. Include the care and composition label wording for the destination market. Ask for a packed sample before bulk packing, because labelling errors surface late and are expensive to remedy.
Can a factory build from a sketch alone?
A sketch can be quoted approximately but cannot be sampled accurately. Without dimensions, a bill of materials, hardware specification and construction notes, every one of those will be assumed, and the first sample will reflect the assumptions rather than your intent. A sketch is a starting point for a brief, not a substitute for one.
How long should a tech pack take to prepare?
For an experienced designer, a full pack for one style takes a concentrated day, and less when reusing a standard template. That day typically saves one to two sample rounds, which is a week or more on the calendar. The return on preparation is the highest of any activity in the development process.
What is a feasibility review and should I ask for one?
A feasibility review is a written response before sampling, confirming what can be built as specified and flagging anything that cannot. Always ask for one. It is the last cheap moment to change a design, and it surfaces material availability and construction risk before any commitment is made.
Should the brief state acceptable substitutions?
Yes. Name two acceptable alternatives per critical material, and state which substitutions require your approval. A brief forbidding all substitutions protects you but stalls the programme when a tannery is short; a brief naming alternatives keeps production moving without compromising the specification.