If you called me a nerd, you’d be right. After eight years in business, this is my continuing mission.
I distinctly remember when it first caught my eye. I was walking down the sidewalk of a quaint Michigan town. We had just finished our blue moon ice cream (northern midwesterners, I know you know) and were on our way to the boardwalk with the family. There, in the window of one of the boutiques, […]
Have you ever wondered what makes brides so stunning? I think the clothes have something to do with it. The things that make bridal fashion so special don’t have to be exclusive to bridal, though. Ready-to-wear brands can say yes to the same approach and create clothes their customers will fall in love with.
Designers, do you know how your design decisions affect the garment production cost? Each detail you choose, fabric you select, or seam type you go with influences how much that garment will cost to make. When you are aware of the cost consequences, you have the power to fit both your vision and your budget.
There is no one answer for how much a design will cost to produce. There are many factors in play and the top influences might not be what you think. In my experience, these are the four things that contribute the most to your production cost.
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.
I often talk about how fabric sourcing happens at the beginning of development because the pattern and fit depend on the fabric. However, it is possible to start sourcing fabrics too soon. There are a few decisions that need to be made before it makes sense to start sourcing.
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.
In episode 97, Patternier founder and designer Heather Rose Rauscher gives us a tour of the intricate layers of her innovative artwork and business. Working in the industry for over a decade, she’s learned the rules of textile design. Now, with her own brand, she breaks them. Her luxury fashion and home pieces juxtapose vintage […]
