In the fashion industry or not, it seems like the assumption is that plus sizes are harder to fit. But, is it actually true that plus sizes are harder to fit or has our society spent so much of its attention dressing thin people that it has made us wary of dressing larger bodies?
It is rare that that very first sample will be 100% exactly what you wanted. So how do you relay to your patternmaker the changes you want to make? In this post, we’ll look at five things you can do to clearly communicate your desired changes even if you aren’t a technical designer.
When there are fit issues, both of the look and function are compromised in the final garment. There are certain fit issues that I see over and over and there are five I find the most egregious. The good news is that they can all be fixed with a well-fitting pattern!
As realistic as 3D has become, though, there are still things that only a physical sample can do for your brand. For these reasons, I recommend using a combination of 3D and real life samples during product development so your brand can get the best of both (digital and physical) worlds.
Many brands I’ve talked to want to become size-inclusive, but have had to limit their initial size range due to financial or logistic reasons in the meantime. So, when you are able to invest in extending your size range, how do you go about adding the new sizes to your existing styles?
The thing about design is that it is subjective. So, how do you know which designs to produce and when the development process is complete? Today’s post is all about how to know when you’ve perfected the design and fit of your garment. (Hint: it has almost nothing to do with the garment itself.)
There are many reasons why I think fit is important. It is certainly important for your customers. It is important to me as a patternmaker, too, as I care about making quality and well-thought-out clothing. Fit is even important when you look at the business side of running your brand.
These last five years has taught me so much about business. And, specifically, about fashion business. Today I’m reflecting on the top five things I’ve learned that have made a difference in my business (and the businesses of my clients, colleagues, and podcast guests) that I think can make a difference in yours as well.
It takes a lot of knowledge of your customer, research and expertise, and sometimes trial and error to get the perfect sizing for your brand. How will you know when it might be time to improve your sizing? If any of these five things occur, you might need to give your sizing an update.
There are many aspects of ethical fashion and they are all important issues in this industry that go back to our values and business ethics. But I think there is another important aspect that gets left out of the ethical fashion conversation – good fit.