A smarter way to develop fashion product.
Built on 20+ years of pattern making and 25 years of garment tech expertise.
The skills gap is real — and getting worse.
Garment techs and pattern makers are disappearing from the industry. The consequences are felt in every range.
Talent pipeline drying up
Fashion schools deprioritised pattern making when production moved offshore. The people who have these skills are ageing out — and they are not being replaced.
Brands skip the fit process
Without an experienced garment tech in-house, brands skip fit foundations entirely. Product suffers. Returns go up. Customer trust erodes.
Factory fit problems
Factory pattern makers use their own blocks built for a different body shape. Brands end up fixing the same armhole, rise and silhouette issues every single season.
Fit is lost when you move factories
You may have a perfect pant at one factory — but they own that pattern, not you. Move supplier due to cost, fabric or timing and you start the fit process from scratch.
You don't own your fit
If the pattern lives at the factory, your brand's fit goes with it. Every supplier change, every staff change — the shape you worked so hard to get right is at risk.
Hidden costs compound silently
The true cost of poor fit — extra sample rounds, fit meetings, rework, missed deadlines — is rarely calculated. It is just accepted as the cost of doing business.
What is Fit First Technology?
A system of 200+ pre-approved pattern blocks — so brands start every new style with the fit of a bestseller.
Built by Techstyle Studio
Over 60+ years of local pattern making expertise
25 years garment tech experience across high-end Australian and international brands.
20 years design experience ensuring every block is functional and commercial.
Every block fitted, tested in Factory systems, and refined through multiple rounds before it reaches you.
Each block includes:
- CLO 3D pattern file — review silhouette before sampling
- DXF pattern file — tested in Factory systems
- CAD sketch in Illustrator — editable and colour-ready
- Excel Tech pack
- Points of measure with full graded spec
- Bill of materials
- Make notes for factory communication
- Australian standard sizing
Two ways to use FFT.
Choose the method that fits where your business is right now.
Block Access
Use proven FFT blocks with the sample comment method. Your in-house garment tech or product developer applies your design to the fitted foundation — reducing complexity and sample rounds.
- Reduces development samples from 4 to 2
- Fitting time drops from 30 to 15 mins per sample
- Blocks owned at year end — yours to keep and use again
- Easiest entry point — lowest commitment
- Best for established brands with an in-house garment tech or product developer
Bespoke Block Library
We adapt FFT blocks into custom silhouettes built specifically for your brand. You own every block and build a library that grows each season.
- Everything included in Method 1
- Techstyle Studio creates your bespoke blocks
- One block creates multiple styles across your range
- Blocks owned — standard plus bespoke
- Best for established brands wanting to own their fit
What traditional development actually costs.
Average internal salaries, fitting hours and sampling — 20 new styles per season, mid-market Australian brand.
estimated annual development cost without Fit First Technology
Fit meeting rate $583/hr includes Creative Director (CD), Designer, Design Assistant (DA), Garment Tech (GT) and Fit Model — based on Sydney market salaries including super, payroll tax and operational loading.
Block Access: year one savings.
Case Study: 20 styles using FFT foundations. 20 styles developed traditionally. 40 style range.
| Cost area | Traditional | With FFT | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit meetings | $23,334 | $5,833 | $17,500 |
| Sample comments | $20,377 | $10,188 | $10,188 |
| Admin & comms | $11,379 | $2,845 | $8,534 |
| Freight & samples | $5,600 | $2,800 | $2,800 |
| Operational total | $60,690 | $21,667 | $39,023 |
| FFT investment (year 1) | −$65,000 | ||
| Annual total (×4 seasons) | $242,759 | $151,667 | $91,093 |
Blocks owned over time
- End of Year 1
- 40 blocks
- End of Year 2
- Buy fewer — reuse what you own
- End of Year 3
- Library largely complete
After year 1 the brand owns 40 FFT blocks. From year 2 there is no onboarding cost, and brands buy fewer new blocks. Figures rounded to the nearest dollar.
Bespoke Block Library: building your asset.
Same operational savings as Method 1 — plus Techstyle Studio creates custom silhouette blocks for your brand.
| Cost area | Traditional | With FFT | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit meetings | $23,334 | $5,833 | $17,500 |
| Sample comments | $20,377 | $10,188 | $10,188 |
| Admin & comms | $11,379 | $2,845 | $8,534 |
| Freight & samples | $5,600 | $2,800 | $2,800 |
| Operational total | $60,690 | $21,667 | $39,023 |
| FFT investment (inc. bespoke) | −$97,000 | ||
| Annual total (×4 seasons) | $242,759 | $183,667 | $59,093 |
Blocks owned over time
- End of Year 1
- 80 blocks (40 standard + 40 bespoke)
- End of Year 2
- Adapt existing blocks
- End of Year 3
- Full bespoke library
Method 2 is an investment in a brand asset — a bespoke silhouette library that grows in value each season. Figures rounded to the nearest dollar.
There's never enough development time.
Every brand needs more time. Timelines compress. Decisions get rushed. Fit gets compromised. Nobody connects it back to the original problem — a process that was always going to take too long.
What up to 1.8 months back means:
- Fewer rushed decisions — your team can focus on design
- Approved fit from the start — less time spent on fit
- Room to change a fabric without panic
- Better factory relationships
- Cleaner handovers, fewer mistakes
- Staff retention — good people leave brands in constant crisis
- Samples that reflect the actual design intent
Fewer samples. Less waste. Lower footprint.
Every unnecessary sample creates manufacturing waste, freight emissions and development waste that is entirely avoidable. Reduce pre-consumer waste while creating product that is worn over and over again, avoiding landfill
How we calculate this
Fewer samples means less manufacturing, less freight and a lower carbon footprint.
The library grows. Savings keep coming.
From year 2 the chart shows running costs only. You add just the new blocks you choose to buy.
Why savings grow
Buy blocks, onboard the system. First season of reduced sampling and fitting.
Library exists. More styles from existing foundations.
Adapt rather than buy. Fewer new blocks needed, so costs fall further.
What a fit meeting actually costs.
Every salary includes super at 12%, NSW payroll tax at 5.45%, and a 15% operational loading. Divided by 2,002 hours a year (38.5 × 52).
| Role | Base salary | True cost to business | Hourly rate | Role in fit meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Director | $280,000 | $370,860 | $185/hr | Decision maker — present every fitting |
| Senior Designer | $160,000 | $211,920 | $106/hr | Design direction — present every fitting |
| Design Assistant / PD | $95,000 | $125,828 | $63/hr | Notes, updates, follow-up — every fitting |
| Garment Tech / PM | $120,000 | $158,940 | $79/hr | Fit assessment and sample comments — every fitting |
| Fit Model | — | — | $150/hr | Present for every sample fitted |
| Total in the room | $583/hr | Every hour a fitting is running |
Salary assumptions based on Sydney mid-market fashion brand rates. Super 12% (from 1 July 2025), NSW payroll tax 5.45%, operational loading 15% covers rent, equipment, leave and overheads.
Choose your entry point.
Tier 1 — Block Access (most popular)
For brands with a factory pattern maker or experienced product developer who want to reduce sample rounds immediately.
- 10 FFT blocks per season
- Full tech pack with every block
- Onboarding session with Techstyle Studio
- 1.5hrs troubleshooting support per block
- Blocks owned outright — yours to keep
Tier 2 — Bespoke Library
For established brands wanting to own their silhouette and build a bespoke library that grows season after season.
- Everything in Tier 1
- Techstyle Studio adapts blocks to your silhouette
- ~4hrs per bespoke block — extra fit changes at $200/hr
- Brand owns both original and bespoke blocks
- Library builds each season — value compounds
Our goal is simple.
Better fit.
Start every style from a foundation that already works.
Faster development.
Fewer sample rounds. Less stress. More time to design.
Less waste.
Fewer samples, fewer shipments, lower carbon footprint.
Smarter budget.
Stop spending money solving the same fit problems every season.
Stronger consistency.
Fit that stays true across factories, seasons and staff changes.
The result: more sales. Fewer returns. More repeat customers. A better bottom line.
Book a free consultation at www.fitfirsttechnology.com.au.
Fit First Technology by Techstyle Studio.