The goal with a fit model is to get the garment to fit your average customer, not to make a bespoke garment just for the model. I think that makes a difference. Here are things to keep in mind during fittings to make sure you are fitting your customers and not just your fit model.
It is pretty obvious that you will get a pattern when you hire a patternmaker – it’s in the name. Working with a patternmaker can benefit your brand in many other ways as well. What you get when you hire a patternmaker is more than just a pattern. Here are some additional things you’ll receive.
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.
Mixing fabrics or prints within the same garment is a fun way to add a unique twist, interesting texture, or creative design detail to your style. But, beyond patchworking a beautiful design, mixing fabrics in a way that is efficient in production and holds up to consumer use, takes some technical planning to get right.
You want to keep a high level of quality for your brand and want to feel in control of doing so. There are things you can do as the brand owner to stay in control of product quality even if you aren’t technical, can’t open your production files, or don’t know how to sew.
When doing anything for the first time – including starting a fashion brand, it is inevitable that mistakes can be made. But, many mistakes can be avoided. These are the four most common mistakes I’ve seen new brands make and what you can learn from those mistakes in order to avoid them in your business.
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.)
The goal with development is to arrive at a pattern that fits well on as many people in the target market as possible, but even the best-fitting pattern can’t fit everyone perfectly. Because of this, it is worth considering how your designs might be altered so you can design with ease of alterations in mind.
With Illustrator being so widely used and accessible and traditional patternmaking software being so cost prohibitive, you might wonder if you can just make patterns in Illustrator. The short answer is, yes, you can. However, depending on your goals and how you will be using the patterns in your business, you might not want to.
The feast turned out great all around and we’re still enjoying the leftovers, but all the debate, guesswork, and phoning a friend about the family recipes got me thinking about how not having a tech pack results in similar commotion for similar reasons.