Chapter 03 · Bespoke Garment Architecture

Bespoke fashion systems & metafields

What sets Averdane apart from general-purpose templates is its connected garment lifecycle: sizing before purchase, online alterations saved onto the order line item, mill and fiber provenance, post-purchase garment care, hang-tag gifting, and service-aware retail stockists.

1. Size guide system (cm ↔ in)

Assign the size-guide template to a page in Online Store → Pages, then customize it in the Theme Editor. While product pages show garment flat measurements, the Size Guide page answers “What size am I?” through a clear three-step path (Body → Size → Garment), an anatomical How to measure figure (points A–F), and a single cm / in unit switch that converts every chart on the page instantaneously.

Entering measurement tables

All measurements are entered once in centimeters using pipe-separated rows (|), with the header row on line 1. When shoppers toggle to in, Averdane converts whole centimeters to the nearest ½ in and decimal values to 0.1 in (with full centimeter tables intact if JavaScript is disabled).

Size | Chest | Waist | Low hip | Sleeve
XS | 84 | 68 | 90 | 81
S | 88 | 72 | 94 | 82.5
M | 94 | 78 | 100 | 84
L | 100 | 84 | 106 | 85.5
XL | 106 | 90 | 112 | 87

Optional size_guide metaobject (shared with PDP drawer)

1. In Settings → Custom data → Metaobjects, create a definition with type size_guide and text fields: name, note, measurements_heading, measurements (multi-line text), conversions (multi-line text), lengths (multi-line text), and measure_note.
2. On the Size Guide page, enter the entry’s handle in a Size guide block’s handle field.
3. Create a Product metafield custom.size_guide (Metaobject reference → size_guide) and assign the relevant chart to each product. In Product information → Variant picker, select your Size Guide page under Size guide page—the PDP side drawer will automatically display that product’s exact chart!

2. Online alterations (saved to order line item properties)

Averdane allows tailoring and ready-to-wear merchants to capture exact hem, sleeve, or waist alteration measurements directly on the product page before Add to bag, saving the specification onto that specific garment in the cart and Shopify Admin order.

Step 1 — Configure global alteration settings

1. Create a page assigned to the alterations template (page.alterations.json) to explain what can be altered, measurement methods, and store fitting options.
2. In the Theme Editor, open Theme settings → Alterations:
   • Alterations page: Link the page created above.
   • Enable online alterations: Check this box to show interactive measurement fields on eligible PDPs. (When unchecked, eligible products display a quiet “Alterations available →” link to your Alterations page instead.)
   • Returns note: Write your store’s return policy for altered pieces (for example, “Altered garments are final sale and cannot be returned.”). Leave blank to hide.

Step 2 — Create the alteration metaobject & product metafields

1. Under Settings → Custom data → Metaobjects, create type alteration with fields:
   • name (Single line text — e.g. Trouser hem)
   • measurement_label (Single line text — e.g. Inside leg finished length)
   • unit (Single line text — cm or in, defaults to cm)
   • min, max, step (Decimal — e.g. 64, 86, 0.5 for range validation)
   • help (Single line text — measurement guidance shown below the input)
   • permanent (True or false — warns if cloth is cut rather than folded)
   • silhouette_note (Single line text — notes proportion impact on tapered hems)
2. Under Settings → Custom data → Products, add two metafields:
   • custom.alterations_available (True or false)
   • custom.alterations (Metaobject → List of entries → alteration)
3. Ensure the Alterations block is present inside your Product information section. When a shopper selects an alteration and enters 72, the order line item receives Alteration: Trouser hem — 72 cm. Because Shopify line item properties do not alter item price, online alterations are complimentary; for paid alterations, use a companion service product or app.

3. Materials library & Care and repairs

Materials library (page.materials)

Assign the materials template to a page to present your house fabrics—opening with a cloth-to-garment study, a swatch index bar, full material chapters (Hand, Weight, Drape, Warmth), Surface and finish rows, and Fiber blends.

• Optional material metaobject: Create metaobject type material with fields name, summary, description, material_image, garment_image, material_caption, garment_caption, hand, weight, drape, warmth, why, care, sourcing, certification, and collection. Reference its handle in each Material library block and link products via custom.material so PDP specifications and library chapters stay synchronized.

Care & repairs (page.care-repairs)

Assign the care-repairs template to guide customers through Care → Prevent → Identify → Repair, including tabbed material care sheets (optionally backed by a care_guide metaobject), daily garment habits, an interactive coat Repair map with numbered pins, a Common repairs ledger, and your Repair service intake steps.

4. Gifting hub & Stockists directory

Digital gift cards vs. physical gift orders

• Digital gift cards: Create a native Gift Card product in Shopify Admin → Products → Gift cards. On the PDP, enable Show gift card recipient form inside the Buy buttons block so buyers can choose For me or Send to someone with recipient email, name, 200-character message, and scheduled send date (up to 90 days ahead). Issued gift cards render through templates/gift_card.liquid as an atelier stitched hang tag with balance, copyable code, 160 px QR code, Apple Wallet pass button, and print stylesheet.
• Gifting page (page.gift): Combines curated Gift edit products, a live Gift card denomination band, and a 4-step Gift presentation showcase.

Stockists & stores directory (page.stockists)

Assign the stockists template and create a Metaobject definition with type retail_location to power an auto-scaling global retail ledger (1–5 locations render expanded; 6–20 group by country with service chips; 21+ add a sticky country index and compact rows):

• Key retail_location fields: name, kind (Averdane store, Stockist, or Pop-up), country, region, city, address, postcode, latitude, longitude (Decimal), opening_hours (lines formatted Mon–Fri | 10:00–19:00), services (List of single-line text, e.g. Alterations, Care and repairs), featured_image, phone, email, website, directions_url, appointment_url, active (Boolean), start_date, and end_date (auto-hides expired pop-ups).
• Zero external map keys required: Opt-in Use my location calculates real Haversine distances client-side, and the optional Map view renders an inline public-domain vector world map with zero Google Maps or Mapbox API keys needed. Deep links such as /pages/stockists?service=alterations pre-filter the ledger automatically.

5. Quick reference: All optional product & article metafields