Thread is an often forgotten component of apparel, but one that touches on design, functionality, and production planning. Whether you are the one actually sourcing and supplying your thread, I encourage you to give some thought to thread as you work on your next design. Here are six considerations to keep in mind.
You know what is fashionable? Shopping small and shopping your values. There is a chicness that comes with being able to respond with a personal story about the garment and the people that made it when someone says “I love your outfit”. That is a luxury that I want us all to experience. This Small […]
As much design goes into the inside of a garment as the outside. The biggest decision about the inside is lining. Does your garment need a lining? Perhaps. Let’s take a look at the inside surface of your garment and talk about the reasons to consider adding a lining and reasons to leave it unlined.
Size-inclusive fit doesn’t just begin with grading more sizes of your pattern. It starts far earlier in the design stage. Size-inclusivity starts with how you think about your customer, conceptualize your designs, and consider each detail for different bodies.
If you use deadstock fabrics, you’re going to need to take a different approach to designing and developing new styles. Knowing your fabric is important for development, but when using deadstock, the process looks a bit different. Let’s break it down.
Not every fashion designer is good at drawing. So, if you can’t draw, how do you communicate your fashion design ideas to your team, patternmaker, or factory? Luckily, there are other ways to describe your vision visually that don’t require art skills.
People love stretchy fabric. It is easy to live in stretchy loungewear. But should stretch fabric be the go-to for all fashion? There are plenty of ways stretch fabric can benefit your design, but I think there are times when stretch fabric isn’t the best choice.
In the last few years, we have entered the era of 3D democratization. Now everyone from designers, tech designers, textile designers, and patternmakers are all using it. There are huge benefits to using 3D, but while both design and development may use the same 3D software, the goals of the two use cases are different.
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.
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.