Posts filed under 'Designing Fashion & Accessories'
Wow, I feel my inner-designer coming alive again. I feel like I’m tackling my first ‘real’ season for some reason. Once I decided to start my own children’s clothing line, I realized that I had a lot of learning to do. A lot - like, I don’t come from this industry, this part of the world, so where do I start?
I didn’t know how seasonal colors are decided. I didn’t know that pattern making, cutting, sewing, grading, etc. are all seperate functions. I knew nothing of market or how to get to the point of salesmen’s samples.
Then, as I started learning, I had the inspiration to create our personalized blankets. And I went on a whirlwind of a journey to figure out how to get those babies manufactured. All late nights, all phone calls and meetings on my lunch hours, and it took forever.
Meanwhile, I had dabbled in an attempt at one season of designs, but the sample-making process was such a fiasco that it never happened in-time. Then, this last season, I got it down through all the stages and am still working on the sales -so we’re doing good. But honestly, all with old designs or old ideas. Not old to anyone else, they’ve never been launched, they’ve never been seen. But old to me.
So THIS season. This season is like a whole new beginning. Because I’m sitting here way at the beginning of it, and I’m holding and touching the swatches in my hands. And I’m designing TO the fabric. I’m selecting my fabrics and letting them inspire me, the way it all did in the beginning. And I’ve got a lot of ideas.
So, I’m also ready to start messing around with scrap fabrics to see what kind of look and feel I can get. And I’m doing it at the right time. I’m already thinking of the collection coming together as one, about layer-ability, about color and number of styles. And I almost have my project schedule hashed out.
I guess I feel that I finally know the process well-enough to do this right. Instead of being so late in the season that I have to go with what I have, or being stuck on one type of fabric because it will work with my existing patterns.
So, that’s why I’m excited again. Because for the first time since I started this thing, I feel like I’m really designing again. And it makes me so so so so so happy.
May 6th, 2007
I usually use the textile show (which I missed) to kick off my season’s project schedule. So, that was last week for the Spring ‘08 fashion season.
I know I’ve said this before, but I’m going to make a real effort to track the progress and main events of the season’s product development through this blog. I hope that a lot of you will jump in and comment to share what you’re doing to make it to market in time.
First things first, we need to work on a realistic project schedule. Figure out our main deadlines and then start working on the designs. I’m going to use good old MS Excel to create a project timeline and then I’ll create a project calendar.
We go to market for Spring ‘08 in August. We’re going to try to run this like a decent project and not like we’re a couple of chicken’s with our heads cut off.
One week to our big event, so I’m going to make the project schedule due beginning of the following week. This week I will start to mull over the designs in my head. I’m going to try to come up with a theme and then find some fabrics to go along with it.
I don’t think I’ll miss a textile show again. It’s such a great way to kick off the season. Ah well. We’ll work around that. It’s nice that a lot of suppliers have websites now, so you can at least get a visual before you talk to them.
So, here we go. Designing for ‘08 already, it’s amazing.
April 21st, 2007
It seems like it’s always when you give up on something that it finally happens. But you can’t pseudo give-up, you have to really be done with the whole thing. Theory of the day anyways. Today, we got a thank-you note from Brooke Shields. The awesome thing is that this is thank you note from a celebrity for something besides our blankets. She received one of our hooded reversible ponchos. And she mentioned the poncho doubles as a security blanket and thumb sucking aide. Awesome! It was so out-of-the-blue and actually came to a different address than I would have expected.
Last week’s good surprise was a feature of one our our onesies (graphic is my husband’s design) in the print magazine “Yogi Times”. They sent us a copy and said “you’ve been featured” and I flipped!!! Our first free print publicity.
Besides my belief that things happen after you’ve given up on them, (by the way - “giving up” is not a good philopophy to live, or run a business, by), I’m also a firm believer that if you keep working hard towards your dream, you’ll slowly watch it unfold in front of your eyes. Not that I ever specifically dreamed we’d get a thank-you note FROM BROOKE SHIELDS, oh my goodness! especially for a fashion item which I designed, but definitely I dreamed one day a celebrity would notice our stuff.
Each time one of these wonderful *exciting* things happens, it motivates us to kick it up a notch. Which leads to another of my recent theories; if things are going good and you’re working hard, then you’ll never be totally “on top” of things. If you’re truly hungry, each success will push you take on too much, to keep chasing after that next notch on your ladder, never fully satisfied. Which I guess is why I love watching reality shows with design challenges like “Project Runway” or “Top Design” - because it’s so refreshing to see that being overly ambitious is a common trait and that pushing the deadline right up until that moment you absolutly have to run out the door, is just as common; no matter how much experience you have under your belt.
Granted, the above work habits are not the greatest example of stellar project management, or slick organization skills, but I believe they are good signs for success potential - to be able to constantly push yourself to be the best that you can be.
My husband is a coach and it’s one of his best post-game lines which always sticks in my head; which always pushes me on: “On a scale of one to five, how would you rate your level of effort right now?”
Be honest.
April 14th, 2007
With us, it seems like everything is pushed up to the last minute. Rush Rush Rush. And it’s a stressful mode to be in all the time - but I think this is the way it is everywhere. For us, this has been the case for the last two months straight because we’ve jumped at time-crunched opportunities. We’ve opted to go for it rather than pass on the opportunities, but it is crazy-making to the extreme.
I love finding videos, like this one showing designer Mendel preparing a gown for the oscars. If you get the chance to watch it, notice how they are sewing, pinning, and cutting fabric off the dress right up to the minute the dress flies out the door for the fitting. And notice it’s because he had only 7 days to create a couture gown for a celebrity for the oscars. Last-minute opportunity that you do not pass up, no matter what is going on in the business otherwise. I’m pretty positive this dress showed up on Celine Dion during her song performance - imagine that.
When you jump at the opportunities, obviously, the other “already planned and happening” projects suffer. We jumped on an opportunity to do an oscar gift bag event, the timeline of which fell exactly on top of our prep for our first trade show. It was total insanity, and my motto became “make it happen”. We made it happen. There are ways I wish I was a little more prepared for the trade show, gosh I wish we could have accomplished a few more things, but we showed up, we got orders, we spread out around the US, we met a lot of people; we accomplished our main goals. And we met the deadlines for the gift bags with some of the most amazing products we’ve created to date.
And the bags have (supposedly) been delivered, so in the next few months we’ll see if all that hard work was worth it. I’m just hoping to get confirmation everything was delivered as promised, so we can at least say these celebrities have our stuff, even if we can’t claim they love it quite yet.
Back to the last minute thing; we’d like to participate in a fashion show for an event in April; which has given us less than a week to get the look book together with our fall fashions. We pulled off a modelling shoot on Saturda; I’m hoping to pull off at least one more and get the package shipped be end-of-day tomorrow. I’d be nowhere if my husband wasn’t a fully-involved partner. He’ll get the pictures in shape and will get all the catalog graphics and design together. I’m responsible for layout, the clothing, content and shipping. And we’re both dreaming of the days when we have more hands to help. Of course, the more hands we get, the more we take on..so I guess it’s a good sign if you’re rushed all the time.
February 26th, 2007
Three patterns are under production. We’re really pushing it to get these done on time…But we also have a collection of patterns we’ve had made over the last couple of years which will give us a fair launch at KIDShow. Super-cute stuff that I have loads of confidence in. I’ll have a lot more confidence when the new samples are complete and ready to go for KIDShow and our sales reps.
I’ve found that providing the pattern maker with a good-fitting sample is the best way to start the pattern process. She can work from a sketch alone, but my measurements are likely to be a little whacky based on a drawing alone. So, by my providing a sample (doesn’t even have to be the same design) that fits well, we’ve got a lot more concrete measurements to start with.
This is the whole purpose of “blocks”. Blocks are base patterns of styles that have proven to fit well. For example, I’m having our first boys shirt pattern made. If this pattern fits well, I’ll use it as a block for a short sleeve style, one with a butterfly collar, one that buttons down all the way - I’ll create numerous styles using one base style. This way, I capitalize on the work and time we’ve invested to get the garment to fit right in the first place.
Our pattern maker is busy because it’s that busy time of the year. She is an independent contractor, which means we have no choice but to get in line. I’m already doing “worse case” scenario planning in my head. Making plans for a) the patterns not coming through at all; b)the patterns coming through too late to have samples made by our standard contractor and c) the samples not coming through or coming through too late.
We’ll make a plan to go to KIDShow without those extra samples, so that our booth is sufficiently covered if they don’t make it on time. But we’ll also plan BIG, as if it all will come together like a magic carpet ride.
We actually napped today while the kids napped. It’s oddly refreshing and disturbing at the same time. I guess it’s because I know that there is so much to be done, I feel guilty slacking off. But slacking off we have to do, to regroup, to say thanks and give praise, and to have much-needed downtime.
January 21st, 2007
OK!!!! It’s all done in my head. The Fall and Holiday line. In my head, in my head, in my head. One of my dearest friends gave me some insight into myself this year (because one of her dear friends gave her some insight into herself & we’re very similar). She told me to pay attention to how much work I’m really doing in my head and not knock myself down for being a procrastinator. And it’s so true. So much happens when I close my eyes and go inside and focus.
Today I drew out the plan for my whole line. And I feel good about it. Here’s the key points and next steps:
- Small Line: I’m already going bigger than I had originally planned because I’m doing a couple of boy’s designs too. I would slap myself on the wrist for this if it didn’t feel so right in my gut. Still, it’s small. 7 designs (8 maximum - which is about double what I originally planned) - and 2 colorways for each design.
- Technical Sketches: I need to do drawings of each design that are technically accurate and contain the design specs. Mainly, measurements and finished lengths. This is one of the hardest parts for me. I was learning how to do it on the computer, but I’m not sure if it’s easier to do it on sketch paper. I think I’ve mentioned this before but my pattern maker always gives the pattern back to me with a better technical sketch than I handed over.
How’s that for awesome? But I need to get better so she doesn’t have to redo my work. Bless her patience.
- Source Fabrics: I’ve heard it’s best to get the fabrics first and then do the design. I agree that this is the best way to be inspired and do a design. I’ve been careful to do designs with standard types of fabric that I know are easy for me to source. The only challenge will be for me to find a new print or weave that I’m happy with for that design. I’m taking this route with a couple of my designs because I want to capitalize on some of my previous work and what sold well. But I know this will make sourcing the fabric more of a pain for me. On project runway they certainly did the sketches first, looked for the fabric second. Of course, they often changed their designs after they selected the fabrics. Either way, this is bound to be a journey for me.
After I’ve got the fabrics and technical sketches solidified, I take my spec sheets to the pattern maker. I’m so happy this came together in my head because I was in this wierd fog where no new design ideas were coming out and it was making me nuts.
P.S. I’m also prepared to cut my line down even more based on fit testing and costing estimates. We’ll see.
December 2nd, 2006
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