Whilst I currently have more time to dedicate to freelancing, I wanted to go into a bit more detail about my services and how the pricing structure works.
The questions I’m asked most are usually centred around costing, it’s an important element and something that I would emphasise needs to be discussed early on.
The ‘going rate’ varies from designer to designer and is based on the level of experience, location, project and their time. I undercharged massively on my early projects and found it disheartening when I wasn’t clear on how much time a project would take, which is why I’ve since introduced a ‘phases’ approach.
I also now ask for a 50% deposit before starting any stage of the work to be completed. This is like a safety net for me and implies the client is happy to work together. Also based on experience, I once spent 5 hours creating some activewear sketches for a client following lots of emails discussing styles and manufacturing options, they then decided they wanted to 'put the project off for a while' (obvs I never heard from them again) but thankfully they also didn’t receive my sketches. Anyway.. lesson learnt.
I've introduced two pricing ‘phases’
Phase 1 is charged per day (8 hours). This is the concept and development stage where any modifications to designs take place, through feedback and discussion we can decide fabric and colour direction as well as branding and range building.
Phase 2 is charged per hour. Design complexity is something that can increase the amount of time needed on one tech pack. Usually the more detailed and complex the design.. the more detailed the tech pack so the higher the cost.
Heidi from Successful fashion designer has worded this perfectly:
‘A tech pack for a basic t-shirt is going to be a lot easier and quicker to do than one for a fully lined piece of outerwear’.
Side Note: A separate tech pack is needed for each item of a collection (not my rules), so if you’re creating a bikini, a separate tech pack is required for the top and the bottoms.
Not sure what a tech pack is? A tech pack is a blueprint to help manufacturers interpret them and begin sampling your garment. Take a look here