Leather Jacket Tech Pack: What to Include Before You Sample
A leather jacket tech pack is the document that tells a workshop exactly what to build: which hide, which color, which zips, how the edges are finished and where your label sits. A clear one removes guesswork, and with it much of the back-and-forth of extra sample rounds. Below is what to include, section by section, plus what to do if you are starting with only a photo or a sketch.
Quick answer: A leather jacket tech pack is the instruction file for your sample: front, back and detail flats, a bill of materials naming the leather, color code, lining, hardware and thread, a measurement spec with grading, construction notes, and branding and packaging specs. The more complete it is, the fewer sample rounds you need.
What is a leather jacket tech pack, and why does it save sampling rounds?
A tech pack, short for technical package, is a set of pages that turns a design idea into build instructions. It usually holds technical flat drawings, a bill of materials, a measurement spec with grading, construction notes, colorways, and label and packaging instructions. A cover page with the style name, style number and version date keeps everyone working from the same file.
Every gap in the pack becomes a guess, and each wrong guess means another sample. Leather raises the stakes: needle holes stay in the hide, so a panel sewn the wrong way often has to be recut, not restitched.
What sections should a leather jacket tech pack include?
Use this table as a checklist. The right column covers details generic templates often skip for leather.
| Section | What to include | Leather-specific note |
|---|---|---|
| Flats | Front, back and side views, plus close-ups of collar, cuffs, pockets and closures, with callouts | Mark every panel seam; hides have a limited usable area, so a large back panel may need a yoke |
| Bill of materials | Leather, lining, interlining, zips, snaps, thread, trims, labels, packaging | Name the leather type, finish, thickness and color code |
| Colorways | Each color version and which parts change | Pair each leather code with its thread, lining and hardware finish |
| Measurement spec | Points of measure at the base size, with tolerances | Measure the finished jacket; note quilted linings that take up room inside |
| Grading | How each measurement changes from size to size | Say which points get longer in tall sizes |
| Construction | Seam types, stitches per inch, edge finish, pockets, reinforcement | Stitch holes are permanent, so mark topstitch lines exactly |
| Branding and packaging | Label types and placement, hang tags, bags, boxes, folding | Say whether a logo is embossed into the leather or embroidered |
What goes in the bill of materials for a leather jacket?
The bill of materials, or BOM, answers most leather questions. List every component, even small ones; anything left off gets filled in by default.
- Leather type and finish: name the hide and the look, such as "lightweight cowhide, smooth finish" or "lambskin, soft hand." Lambskin, cowhide and goatskin feel and wear differently, so compare the leather types we work with first, and state thickness if it matters to you.
- Color: White Buraq offers 48 leather colors, each with a WB-C code. Put the code in the BOM rather than a description like "dark brown," which two people will picture differently.
- Lining: fabric, color, quilted or plain, and any inside pockets. If you are undecided, this guide to leather jacket lining types explains the common options.
- Hardware: describe zips by tooth type (metal or coil), size, one-way or two-way separating, and puller shape. List snaps and buckles too, with one finish for all, such as nickel, gunmetal, antique brass or matte black.
- Thread: color and weight, and whether topstitching matches the leather or contrasts with it.
- Trims: knit cuffs and waistband, collar snaps, zip garages, belts, patches and anything else that is not leather or lining.
Add one line on natural variation. Genuine leather has grain, small marks and slight shade differences from hide to hide. Say what you will accept, for example "natural grain marks fine on lower panels, none on the front chest," so the cutter can place each hide to match your standard.
To see how specs show up in finished garments, here are three styles a store can stock as they are or put under its own label. More shapes like the first and third sit in our cafe racer jackets collection.
Men's Black Lightweight Cowhide Cafe Racer Jacket
Men's Black Leather A-2 Flight Jacket
Women's Black Lambskin Cafe Racer Leather Jacket
The two cafe racers share a silhouette but differ in leather and hand, a BOM decision. A flight style like the A-2 typically adds knit cuffs and waistband, which means extra BOM and construction lines.
How should you write measurements and grading?
Give finished garment measurements for one base size, using points of measure such as chest at the armhole, across shoulder, sleeve length from the shoulder point, back length from the high point of the shoulder, hem width and cuff opening. Add a tolerance to each point so both sides agree what counts as on spec.
Next, attach your size chart and grade rules: how much each point changes between sizes. If you plan tall sizes, say which points get longer, usually body and sleeve length. White Buraq grades leather styles up to 8XL in regular and tall, with no development charge for larger sizes, so an extended range can go into the first pack instead of a later revision.
What construction details matter most on leather?
- Seams: seam type, topstitch placement, single or double needle, and stitches per inch.
- Edge finish: turned and stitched edges, raw edges with edge paint, or bound edges.
- Pockets: welt, zip, flap or patch, with opening size, depth and pocket bag fabric, inside pockets included.
- Reinforcement: where tape or interfacing goes, such as the front zip placket, pocket openings and shoulder seams.
- Quilting or perforation: pattern, spacing and which panels carry it.
- Closures and finishing: zip garage at the neck, snap collar points, sleeve zips or vents.
See how our jackets are made to picture where each step happens.
How do you spec labels, branding and packaging?
This is the private label section. White Buraq can add woven neck labels, logo embroidery or embossing, hardware finishes, patches, names and numbers, custom linings, hang tags, garment bags and boxes. For each item, give:
- Neck label: size, colors, artwork and how it is attached.
- Logo: technique, size and position measured from a fixed point, such as the center back seam.
- Hang tags: size, artwork and where the tag hangs.
- Packaging: garment bag or box, and whether jackets ship folded or hanging.
Send logos as vector files at actual size, and use only logos and artwork you own or are authorized to use.
Which decoration options belong in the tech pack?
Decoration deserves its own page with the technique, artwork, size and placement. On leather, the options are embossing, debossing, hot foil, laser engraving, perforation, UV printing, hand painting, quilting, studs and fringe.
For each, name the panel, measure the position from a seam or edge, and give colors for foil or printing. Hand painting varies slightly piece to piece, so treat the approved sample as the reference.
What if you do not have a tech pack yet?
You can still start. Send a photo, a sketch, a tech pack or your own sample garment. The pattern master drafts a cardboard pattern in about 2–3 hours and grades it to your size chart. With more than 10,000 patterns on file and 246 designs in the design library on the wholesale page, you can also begin from an existing style and change the details.
- Send what you have, with your size chart and branding files.
- Review the quote. Minimum, sample fee, price, lead time, payment, freight and duties are agreed in writing before work starts.
- Check the sample. A sample is made before every new style, and any sample fee is shown in the quote.
- Approve in writing. Production starts only after written approval.
After the sample, update the pack with every agreed change and raise the version number. Reference photos help describe a style, but the design must be your own or a generic classic; the workshop will not copy another brand's design, logo or trademark.
Planning an order? Leather styles start from 10 pieces per style, sizes mixed as needed, and a sample is made before production on every new style.
FAQ
Do I need a tech pack to start a private label leather jacket?
No. A photo, sketch or sample garment is enough. The pattern master drafts and grades the pattern, and you approve a sample before production.
What is the minimum order per style?
Leather styles start from 10 pieces per style, with sizes mixed as needed.
How do I specify leather color in a tech pack?
Put the WB-C code from the 48-color range in the bill of materials and on each colorway, instead of a color name.
Can one tech pack cover several colorways?
Yes. List each colorway with its leather code, lining, thread and hardware finish. Confirm in the quote whether each additional colorway needs its own sample.
Whether you arrive with a full leather jacket tech pack or a single photo and a size chart, the path to a finished jacket is the same: pattern, sample, written approval, production. See how our private label leather jacket program handles each step.