Blog

A Step By Step Guide To Navigating A Virtual Sourcing Trade Show

Fashion Resources, How To, Industry Basics

Despite the lack of physical samples to touch and feel at a virtual show, though, virtual sourcing is totally possible and doesn’t have to be daunting. Here’s my step by step guide to navigating a virtual sourcing trade show before, during, and after the show.

The Numbers Every Fashion Designer Needs To Know

Costing, Fashion Business, Industry Basics

If you’re designing for a business and not just for yourself, the numbers are important. It is true you can delegate much of the number stuff to an accountant, technical designer, or production coordinator, but there are some numbers that you as the designer really need to know and understand yourself.

How to Ask for Feedback on Your Design (In a Way That Will Get Helpful Answers)

How To, Mindset, Product Development

Like good design, being able to ask good questions and get helpful feedback takes creativity, thoughtfulness, and practice. It is the thoughtful, specific questions that probe a bit deeper that prompt the meaningful answers. Knowing how to ask for feedback will provide you answers you can actually use to improve your design.

5 Tips for Designing Apparel That Minimizes Online Returns

Fashion Business, Fashion Design, Product Development

One of the biggest challenges of a digital society is how do you keep returns low when customers don’t have the opportunity to touch, feel, and try on the clothes before they buy? There are things even on the design side that can help minimize returns. Here are five tips for designing apparel to sell online that will keep your return rates low.

Calculating Fabric Usage For Your Design

How To, Industry Basics, Product Development

Part of running a successful fashion brand is managing your resources well. That includes ordering the right amount of fabric you need without running short or sitting on a bunch of leftover yardage. Having a better understanding of what affects your yields will help you order materials more efficiently.

Don’t Forget About These 5 Things When Designing Apparel

Fashion Design, How To, Industry Basics, Product Development

Fashion is art that is functional. Art that works in three dimensions on a curvy body and moves with the wearer throughout her life. Because of this, think beyond your two-dimensional fashion sketch. If your goal is to design successful apparel for real people to wear, don’t forget about these things when designing.

Is Slow Fashion Quickly Becoming The New Normal?

Fashion Business

Fast fashion has conditioned consumers to constantly expect something new more and more frequently. But, as the pandemic has changed our routines, needs, and buying habits, fast fashion may be suddenly losing its popularity contest as it’s counterpart, slow fashion, becomes the new normal.

Want Solid Production Tools? Test These Things During Development

Product Development, Tech Design

Product development is a time to test and tweak your design before mass production. Each step has a purpose to help you evaluate different aspects of the product and how it’s manufactured — from performance, to fit, to ease of care. Once the testing is done, you’ll have all the tools you need for production.

The Difference Between Full Service and Cut & Sew Factories

Industry Basics, Product Development

There are many different types of factories that specialize in different fabrics, products, price points, and size of brands they serve. But, overall, factories fall into two main categories – full service and cut & sew factories. Let’s look at the difference between the two and the pros and cons of each for your brand.

The Samples You Need to Develop Apparel Products