Many fashion entrepreneurs start their brands to solve a problem that they personally experience. They’re frustrated with the lack of options available and decide to create the product they wish existed. Being a designer in your own target market has unique advantages, but it also has some drawbacks. Let’s look at the pros and cons.
The modern fashion toolbox is much more digital – and more complicated. What software do you need? What file type is this? Why can’t I open the file the factory just sent? Let’s take a look at some common file types in fashion so you’ll know what you’re looking at and what tool is required.
I recently had a conversation about whether expensive clothes fit better than cheap ones. This is an interesting question – both for consumers of fashion trying to figure out what items are worth buying, and for brands wanting to make clothes that fit. Is there a correlation between price and fit? Let’s explore.
The design doesn’t look nearly as good in real life as it did in your head or sketch. You’re not sure what’s wrong, but something with the design just isn’t working. There can be many reasons why a design isn’t working. Here are the five I see most often.
High shipping costs, longer freight times, and rising tariffs have made moving production to the USA a competitive option for some brands. With any big logistics shift, the switch can bring some new challenges. If you are considering moving your production to the States, here are four things to prepare for to make the transition.
Have you ever struggled to narrow down your own design ideas or been unsure where to invest in your business? You might be making it harder for yourself than it needs to be. If you are not clear on who you are designing for, you can’t prioritize your design ideas or your budget well.
Different production models can yield very different businesses, garments, customer experiences, and ethical and environmental impacts. Let’s look at a range of fashion production models and their pros and cons.
The fashion industry gets stereotyped as being secretive, exclusive, and competitive about their resources. But, I think the benefits of collaborating and sharing resources far outweigh any downsides. Referrals are a win-win. Asking for referrals benefits your brand, benefits the person giving the referral, and benefits the person or company being referred.
Finding the right factory for your brand is often not a quick and easy process, so it helps if you are prepared. While each factory has their specialties and ways of working, there are certain things that all cut & sew factories will need from you in order to make your design successfully.
3D software offers an array of tools that can help reduce physical samples, speed up design and development, and communicate designs more effectively. If you have been wanting to start using 3D in your process and are wondering how to do so, here are four of my favorite ways to use 3D for fashion.