Leather goods patternmaker

Description

Leather goods patternmakers design and cut patterns for various kinds of leather goods using a variety of hand and simple machine tools. They check nesting variants and estimate material consumption.

Includes people performing activities starting after the sample model is approved for production.

Leather goods patternmakers typically do the following:

  • Examine sketches, samples of articles and specifications of designs to determine number, size and shape of pattern parts and assess the amount of cloth required to make a product
  • Draw, lay out and cut master patterns of products
  • Outline parts of patterns on paper and mark patterns to indicate details such as the placement of pockets and pleats on garments, decorative stitching on shoe parts or eyelets on canvas products
  • Create pattern size variations from master patterns using computer or drafting instruments, or forward patterns to computer operator to create pattern size variations
  • Lay out master patterns on fabric and cut sample patterns
  • Mark size, identification, style and sewing instructions on sample patterns.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to leather goods patternmaker:

leatherware modelist
leather goods modelist
leather goods pattern-maker
leather goods pattern maker
pattern maker leather goods
leatherware pattern-maker

Minimum qualifications

A high school diploma is generally required to work as a leather goods patternmaker.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Leather goods patternmaker is a Skill level 2 occupation.

Leather goods patternmaker career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to leather goods patternmaker.

leather goods CAD patternmaker
leather goods finishing operator
leather goods warehouse operator
leather goods packing operator
leather goods hand stitcher

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of leather goods patternmaker. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of leather goods patternmaker with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

leather goods product developer
leather goods quality control laboratory technician
leather goods quality technician
leather goods manufacturing technician
footwear quality control laboratory technician

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of leather goods patternmaker.

  • Leather goods manufacturing processes: The processes, technology and machinery involved in the leather goods manufacturing.
  • Leather goods components: The various procedures and methods in the processing of leather materials and leather goods components like manufacturability and properties.
  • Leather goods quality: The quality specifications of materials, processes, and final products, the most common defects in leather, quick tests procedures, laboratory tests procedures and standards, and the adequate equipment for quality checks.
  • Leather goods materials: The wide range of materials used in leather goods production: leather, leather substitutes (synthetics or artificial materials), textile, etc; the way of distinguishing among various materials based on their properties, advantages and limitations.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of leather goods patternmaker.

  • Make technical drawings of fashion pieces: Make technical drawings of wearing apparel, leather goods and footwear including both technical and engineering drawings. Use them to communicate or to convey design ideas and manufacturing details to pattern makers, technologists, toolmakers, and equipment producers or to other machine operators for sampling and production.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of leather goods patternmaker. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Footwear creation process: Footwear creation projects starting from inspiration to technical design and manufacturing by following several stages. Latest trends in footwear materials, components, processes, and concepts.
  • Ergonomics in footwear and leather goods design: The principles used in the design of various styles of footwear and leather goods for the correct anatomic and ergonomic proportions and measurements.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of leather goods patternmaker. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Develop leather goods collection: Transform leather goods design ideas and concepts into prototypes and, finally, a collection. Analyse and check the designs from various angles like functionality, aesthetics, performance and manufacturability. Manage the development process of all the leather goods prototypes in order to meet the customer’s needs and to properly balance quality with production costs.
  • Prepare leather goods samples: Create, test and verify prototypes or samples of leather goods against a predefined set of criteria throughout all stages of the manufacturing process. Revise the initial design concepts and implement technical improvements.
  • Apply development process to footwear design: Understand the needs of the consumer and analyse the fashion trends. Innovate and develop the footwear concepts from an aesthetic, functional and technological point of view by using a wide range of methods and techniques, selecting materials, components and suitable technologies, adapting new concepts to manufacturing requirements and transforming the new ideas into marketable and sustainable products for mass or customised production. Communicate visually the new designs and ideas.
  • Reduce environmental impact of footwear manufacturing: Assess the environmental impact of footwear manufacture and minimise environmental risks. Reduce environmentally harmful work practices in different stages of the footwear manufacturing.
  • Use communication techniques: Apply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages.
  • Sketch leather goods: Be able to use various sketching and drawing techniques, including artistic representation, by hand or by computer, being aware of proportion and perspective, to sketch and draw leather goods in an accurate manner, both as 2D flat designs or as 3D volumes. Be able to prepare specification sheets with details of materials, components and manufacturing requirements.

ISCO group and title

7532 – Garment and related pattern-makers and cutters


References
  1. Leather goods patternmaker – ESCO
  2. Patternmaker – Textile, Leather and Fur Products in Canada | Skills – Job Bank
Last updated on October 20, 2022

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