There are times during the design and development process where color can be distracting.
I’m a total enthusiast of color. Color can influence how you feel, how things look, and add richness and dimension to your design. However, I do think there are times where it is helpful to strip away the element of color in order to perfect the garment itself.
It is like hiding a layer in Photoshop so you can clearly see the one you are working on, or muting notifications so you can focus on the task at hand without distractions. Removing color removes a variable in your design experiment and lets you see the other aspects more clearly. Graphic and textile designers do this by changing a design to black and white to proof the layout and balance.
The two places in development where I find the absence of color helpful is in your technical flat sketches and in fit samples. Black and white technical sketches clearly show off the design details, seams, and stitching for your garment. White fit samples clearly reveal any fit issues.
Once the sketch or garment looks good in white, you can add color back into the equation knowing it will enhance your design instead of covering up any problem areas.