Microsoft Excel and Adobe Illustrator top the list for essential tools for working in fashion.
While there are plenty of guides and tutorials about the importance of Illustrator in fashion design (I’ve even got a full guide on Illustrator for fashion), Microsoft Excel often gets overlooked.
So, in this article, we’ll explore the many uses of Microsoft Excel for fashion design, including some handy functions you should know, and I’ll also share a curated list of my FREE fashion design templates all made in MS Excel.
Table of Contents
Why is Microsoft Excel Important for Fashion Designers?
Spreadsheets are indispensable in pretty much any job, regardless of whether you’re using Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. In the fashion industry, there are a few specific reasons spreadsheet knowledge is important.
- Required skill in fashion: You’ll always see Microsoft Office / Excel skills required in job descriptions. Employers expect you to be familiar with it because it’s the backbone of many processes.
Pro Tip: It’s common to have a Microsoft Excel-based skills test when applying for a job in the fashion industry. I’ve done a couple before during job interviews! Nothing too complicated, just basic stuff.
- Speeds up your workflow: You can automate tasks such as grading measurements, and costing.
- Keeps you organized: MS Excel is your go-to tool for staying on top of everything – from tracking materials and managing inventory to setting deadlines and overseeing projects.
- Collaborate with your team: You can share spreadsheets, gather feedback in real time, and work seamlessly with your team.
Microsoft Excel vs Google Sheets
If you’re just using spreadsheets for basic tasks such as planning and scheduling, it doesn’t really matter which one you use. Both apps also integrate well with each other, so it’s easy to switch between. But if you’re doing more complicated stuff like tech packs, it’s good to consider whether you should invest in a paid app like Microsoft Excel or just use Google Sheets for free.
Based on my experience, while Google Sheets is a good option because it’s free and accessible, it lacks some features like saving multiple pages as one PDF, inserting page breaks, and some more complex formatting options that Microsoft Excel has. I personally use MS Excel for these reasons, but if you don’t mind the missing features, Google Sheets does the job well enough for free.
See how Afroditi (LinkedIn) is earning $3,000-$4,000 a month working part time as a freelancer by making only tech packs (in MS Excel)!
Where Do Fashion Designers Use Microsoft Excel? (plus FREE Templates)
1. Tech Packs
I’ve always used Microsoft Excel + Adobe Illustrator to create fashion tech packs and stand by it. I explain this in more detail in my guide on The Best Tech Pack Software.
While I use Adobe Illustrator for the technical sketches, I always have my template in MS Excel. MS Excel’s automation capabilities, like auto-calculating variations, grading, and measurements, are unmatched. Plus, it’s easy to organize detailed lists such as the Bill of Materials (BOM) and revision comments.
Get my FREE Tech Pack Guide and Templates and FREE T-Shirt Tech Pack Template.
2. Size Charts
Fashion companies rely on multiple size charts, including internal and external size charts and garment-specific charts for each product. MS Excel simplifies this process by neatly organizing size charts in spreadsheets. With everything laid out clearly, it’s effortless to view, edit, and grade sizes across the board.
Get my FREE Size Chart Guide and Templates.
3. How to Measure Guides
How to Measure Guides are essential tools for technical designers. But with so many Points of Measure (POMs) and numbers to organize, DIY-ing tables on other apps like Adobe Illustrator can be difficult. That’s why I suggest creating flats on Adobe Illustrator and popping them onto Microsoft Excel for easy organization.
Get my FREE How to Measure Guide and Template.
4. Cost Sheets
MS Excel simplifies the process of creating cost sheets by making tasks like listing material details – such as descriptions, yards, and quantities – and automatically calculating pricing a breeze.
Get my FREE Cost Sheet Guide and Template.
5. Fashion Line Sheets
You can effortlessly organize and maintain a template for line sheets, ready to be used season after season. Simply replace the details and photos of new garments.
Get my FREE Fashion Line Sheet Guide and Template.
6. Schedule Trackers
You can easily monitor timelines and updates such as samples, production, and inventory management. Microsoft Excel’s auto formulas also enables you to manage schedules easily by automatically updating related dates when you make changes. For instance, if you input a new start date, MS Excel will automatically adjust all other dates accordingly.
Get my FREE Guide to Garment Production and Production Timeline Template.
7. Sourcing Sheets
Sourcing materials and manufacturers involves handling a lot of information. MS Excel simplifies the process by allowing you to organize everything in one place, including checklists and a place to write down all necessary details.
Get my FREE Manufacturer Sourcing Guide and Template.
Must-Know Microsoft Excel Functions for Fashion Designers
It’s not that hard to learn Microsoft Excel, and you don’t need to be a total pro to work as a fashion designer. A handful of essential MS Excel functions and shortcuts can go a long way. Let’s go through them one by one.
1. Basic Microsoft Excel Formatting
By learning how to format cells, rows, and columns, you can create and edit templates that will make your job easier. Especially if you’re a freelance fashion designer (technical designer etc.), you likely have to create your own templates so knowing basic MS Excel skills is a must.
2. Basic Microsoft Excel Formulas
Mastering basic MS Excel formulas, like addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication (SUM, +, -, /, *) is essential to automate tasks such as grading and calculations. In this tutorial, I show you exactly how you can auto calculate spec sheets in MS Excel.
3. Placing Illustrator Files in Microsoft Excel
Whether it’s for creating tech packs, line sheets, or measurement guides, knowing how to make these two tools work together is crucial. Here’s a tutorial I made on how to get Illustrator files into MS Excel.
