The importance of a Line Sheet

I miss a good Line Sheet. It’s that document that shows the entire collection at a glance with most of the pertinent development information you need:

-         Style Name, Style #
-         Main Material Name, Article #
- Content, Width, Weight, COO, Price, Minimums, Leadtime
- Color Name, Color #/Pantone #/Print Name
-         Manufacturer
-         Target Wholesale/Retail Price$
-         Estimated bulk quantities
-         Delivery Date
-         Status of: Sample, Sample Fabric, estimated costing
-         A physical swatch of the fabric & colors
-         Black/white technical sketch

When I first started out in Design, it was individual Design Cards hanging on a wall with handwritten updates & sticky notes. They were usually organized in deliveries & categories in a communal Design Room, and each department was responsible for their updates. Now, of course there was still a miles-long Excel spreadsheet with this information plus so much more, but this was the one place where you could visually see the overall picture of the brand seasonal product offering....emphasis on visual.

When PLM came along, the handwritten design cards went away somewhat, as did the Line Sheet. Yes, you can filter to your heart’s content in many platforms but they leave a bit to be desired to a one-stop-shopping Line Sheet. I have a template in Excel that I use for every project to help me stay on top of due dates, key details, and quick hits of info. That way, when I’m working in CLO I’m not clicking all around Dropbox, Excel Tech Pkgs, and Status spreadsheets for a Pantone color standard # or fabric weight to complete the 3D asset. It’s a bit a data entry, but so worth it.