Pull a new suit jacket off the rail and try the pockets: often they will not open. The vents at the back are held with a cross of thread. Sometimes there is a label stitched to the sleeve cuff. None of it is a defect. These are temporary tacking stitches that hold a garment's shape between the factory and the first wear — and they are a regular source of confused customers and over-eager scissors.
For a private-label brand, tacks are a spec decision: which ones the run carries, and who removes which before the garment is sold. This post gives a tack map and a card for your stores.
Why garments are tacked
Pocket mouths stretch when handled, vents splay on a hanger, and a jacket pressed with its pockets basted holds a cleaner line through packing and display. Tacks are cheap insurance on that shape. The catch is that some are meant to come out before the customer wears the jacket, and one or two are sometimes left by choice.
The tack map
Hip pocket mouths (flap or jetted): loose basting across the opening; removed before sale or at the first fitting, by the store or customer.
Breast pocket: basting across the opening; removed before sale or at the first fitting, by the store or customer.
Back vents: a cross-stitch holding the vent closed; removed before sale by the store.
Sleeve label: a brand label tacked to the cuff; removed before sale by the store.
Trouser back pockets: basting across the jetted opening; removed before sale or by the customer.
Trouser pleats: a light tack to keep the pleat set; removed at first press by the store.
Your brand decides each row. Write it on the order, and the run arrives the way your stores expect.
What to write on the order
Which tacks the run carries. Use the rows above as a checklist.
Thread colour for tacks. A contrasting thread is easy to find and remove; a matching thread looks neater on the rail but is easier to miss. Say which.
Sleeve label: yes or no. Many brands skip it; some like it for the shop floor. If yes, say where on the cuff.
Which tacks stay on for sale. Some brands leave hip pockets basted so the jacket keeps its line on the rail, and tell customers to open them at home.
Tacks are sealed with the sample like any other detail, and checked again at the first bulk garment — see first article inspection.
The store card
A one-paragraph card for staff saves the most common mistakes:
Before sale: remove the vent cross-stitch and the sleeve label. Use small scissors on the tacking thread alone, never on the cloth or the buttonhole. Pockets: leave basted on the rail; open at sale if the customer wants. Never cut the bar-tacks at the ends of a pocket or the stitches at the top of a vent — those are permanent.
The last line matters most. A bar-tack at the corner of a jetted pocket looks like a tack and is structural. Pocket styles are covered in flap, jetted and patch pockets, and vents in single vs double vents.
Tacks and packing
Folded shipments put more stress on pocket mouths and vents than hanging ones, which is one reason to keep tacks on through transit. Packing choices are in hanger vs fold packing; judging a sample that arrived folded in transit creases before fit judgement.
MTM and bulk
On bulk from 50 per style, the tack spec is written once and repeats across the run. On MTM from 1, the shop usually removes tacks at the final fitting; write any preference on the order. The sample takes 7–14 days; production takes 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. Production days are not delivery days.
A worked example (illustrative)
A brand's stockists report customers asking whether its pockets are real. The brand's next order adds a line — "contrast tacking thread on pocket mouths" — and a store card agreed on the thread. Questions stop; so do the cut linings from staff trying to open a pocket with a blade.
Bulk programmes are on our private label suit manufacturer page and the steps from order to packing on our process page. Send your tack list on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838.
FAQ
What are Shi Yuan's order tracks and clocks? Shi Yuan Suit Factory (Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi, Tianjin, est. 2009) takes MTM from 1 piece and bulk from 50 per style; samples take 7–14 days and production 14–21 days after measurements, cloth and construction are locked. WhatsApp +65 8013 8838.
Are pockets sewn shut because they are fake? On a tailored jacket, usually not; they are basted to hold shape. Opening the basting shows a working pocket.
Should customers open the pockets? That is your brand's call. Many tailors suggest leaving them closed for a cleaner line; others open them at sale.
Can the store card go in each carton? Ask on the thread when you place the order; packing inserts are confirmed per order.
Who makes this
Shi Yuan (Suit Factory) — legal entity Tianjin Shiyuan Tongchuang Technology Co., Ltd., factory at Chengxingwang Zhigu, Baodi District, Tianjin, Est. 2009. Our founder brings four decades in Chinese menswear manufacturing; founded Shi Yuan in 2009. acumenwear.com is the export domain for Shi Yuan Suit Factory. Order threads: WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 · houzhenying226@gmail.com. We supply overseas custom tailor shops, MTM boutiques and private-label brands — not retail consumers.
Shi Yuan Suit Factory is not affiliated with Tianjin Shiyuan Clothing Co., Ltd.
Next step: sample or inquiry
Send your tack list and how your stores handle them today. Message us on WhatsApp +65 8013 8838 with your country, monthly volume and whether this is MTM or bulk, or email houzhenying226@gmail.com. We reply with the sample route and what we still need from you.
Last checked: 2026-10-29. Figures on this page were checked against Shi Yuan's own published terms (sample policy and process pages). Anything not listed here is confirmed in writing on the order thread.
