Garment technicians or technologists and pattern makers are engaged in the design process for the fashion industry.

A garment technician’s typical duties include:

• fabric sample review and approval
• overseeing the construction of garments
• overseeing fit sessions of designs to trouble-shoot measure and construction issues
• development of tech packs
• approval of care instructions and labelling.

A pattern maker’s typical duties include:

• liaising with designers to interpret designs from sketches and develop patterns
• creating or reworking specifications for designs
• grading sample sizes
• working with machinists to ensure the pattern translates to a quality product
• use of pattern making computer programs.

Industry award coverage

An industry award can cover garment technicians and pattern makers if:

• their employer operates in the industry defined in the award
• there’s a classification which matches the employee’s duties and qualifications.

An employer’s business may operate across a number of industries. Where an employer is covered by more than one award, the award that covers the employee depends on the principal purpose of their role and whether there’s a classification in the award for them.

Textile and Clothing Award

The Textile and Clothing Award covers employees working in the clothing and footwear industries.

Example

Kunal and Janine are employees of a popular fashion brand.

Kunal is a pattern maker.

He creates templates from a fashion designer’s designs that can be used to cut out the fabric for the clothing.

Janine is a garment technologist. She provides technical support to the company’s fashion designers and Kunal about clothing fabric and construction. Janine reviews the fabric choices of the fashion designers to ensure they are suitable for the designs and can be produced cost effectively.

Kunal and Janine are both covered by the Textile and Clothing Award.

Retail Award

The Retail Award covers employees working for employers in the retail industry, if the employee’s primary role is in retail sale or hire of goods for personal, household or business use, or clerical work at a retail premises.

The Retail Award won’t generally apply to employees who are employed to perform the duties of a pattern maker, garment technicians or technologist.

Example

Caro works for a small wedding dress retailer. She works in the showroom, showing and processing sales of wedding dresses to customers. She undertakes fittings, guides customers to dress designs that meet their needs and measures customers for customising patterns.

She shows customers design books with the designs available, fabric choices and the changes that can be made to each design to personalise them. Occasionally Caro will make suggestions about suitable designs or fabrics.

The dress designs and manufacturing are done by other people in an attached warehouse.

Caro is covered by the Retail Award.

Other industry awards

Other awards with classifications for garment technicians and pattern makers include:

• Amusement Award
• Live Performance Award.

To work out whether another industry award covers you, you may wish to contact us on your own situation.

No industry award coverage

A pattern maker or garment technician not covered by an industry award will be covered by the Miscellaneous Award, unless they’re a managerial or professional employee.