Posts filed under 'Product Development'
A dear friend of mine has started blogging again and this morning, THIS showed up in my inbox:
What is play and why do I care?
Here’s a part that really struck a cord with me (direct quote):
I have a choice about the attitude that I bring to my art, and that is what determines whether it is play or not. It also is what determines whether I’m available to the flow of inspiration.
If I let my art be about the result, it isn’t play. When I’m focused on the outcome, I’m out of the moment and not available to the spontaneous flow of inspiration that, for me, is a big part of play.
Those two paragraphs hit me like a ton of bricks - I’ve been WAY to focused on the result. I’ve been ignoring my own natural creative process. I blame a lot of it learning!
When I was first discovering that I had a talent for this whole baby clothing design thing, I literally let the fabric speak to me. I would get my hands on it and jumble it around on the table into interesting shapes, until a picture of the perfect little design would emerge in my mind. Then I decided I had a talent for this, a passion for this, I loved it. So I set about learning the process of fashion design and that’s where I chinked my creative process a bit.
The need for technical illustrations and pattern makers has made me sketch first. I don’t think that this is the most natural for me. The lack of fabric availability and minimums hasn’t helped either. I used to just grab any fabric that spoke to me off the shelves, now I have to purchase from suppliers and wait until trade shows - or until samples come in the mail- to see the fabrics.
The post at Reinvention Revolution made me remember how much I love to sit and get lost in creative fun, get my hands on the fabric, let it speak to me, dance for me. I need to get back to that. Doing it my way.
Take a moment to read the whole post at ReinventionRevolution.com, you won’t be sorry. Gorgeous collage and inspiring thoughts…
February 18th, 2009
I feel like I’ve been taken to the cleaners by a used car mechanic, only it was a pattern grader. The fit for the original sample size is great, it’s as the pattern gets bigger that it has problems. Mainly in the sleeve length. Everything else seems to be graded ok, but by the time the pattern gets up to a size 6x, the sleeves are almost 5 inches short.
This guy has since gone out of business, and thank goodness I only tried him out with one pattern. But it’s still a waste of money and time. It might have been a waste of money and time anyways because of course I want to change the pattern. Just call me never satisfied.
So why didn’t I notice the grading issue sooner? Mainly because we only produced two small sizes for the first production run. At that point, the original size was a good fit and the sleeve issue on the one size up was, I guess, imperceptible. Now I want to produce another run w/ the larger sizes too and just happened to make a sample in my daughter’s size. It was as if the sleeves had shrunk, and I was shocked. I’m happy we didn’t have them made, especially considering I pretty much just assumed the grading was right on.
This really drove home for me how important it is to double-check everything and also how important it is to gain enough knowledge to know what you are double-checking. If anyone knows any tricks for verifying that a pattern has been graded correctly, can you share??
February 4th, 2009
Ok, here we go ’round the mulberry bush. New regulations, new regulations, new regulations, we…all…fall…down. No, not really, but this stuff will make your head spin and that being the case, I’m not writing any advice about this - except for this one part:
**You must now issue a certificate of conformity with all of your shipments**
That should raise enough questions in your head. Start at fashion-incubator.com and keep your eyes there. I saw her sending out a request for more info from experts, so if we’re lucky, she’ll be posting even more information soon. Here’s the post to start on:
New product safety regulations that affect all manufacturers (fashion-incubator)
This is all due to the passing of the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act.
Here’s the link to the Consumer Product Safety Commission page that deals with this topic.
Make sure you do your research on this one and that you have all your bases covered. Also note that there are extra special regulations for manufacturer’s of children’s products.
November 12th, 2008
I’m starting to work through some of the email questions. Since I’ve received a few questions about how to source fabrics and find textile suppliers, I’ll try to give as many tips as I can (and please, everyone jump in with what I miss!).
How to locate suppliers that carry the types of fabrics you are interested in:
- Attend a textile show - you can touch and feel all the fabrics, learn about upcoming trends, and meet the reps in person. You also leave with a trade show directory, a virtual gold-mine for suppliers. This is pretty much how I’ve found all of my suppliers.
- Go to a fabric district - I’ve had some luck this way, but not much.
- Purchase directories of suppliers.
- Search for suppliers online.
Next, call potential suppliers and ask them to send you HEADERS, or swatch cards, and ask if they have a price list and / or website:
- If they don’t have a price list, you can call them back after you have the headers in-hand and talk to them about prices for each.
- They should send you cards with fabric swatches attached to a tag that contains the style numbers, care instructions, and fiber content.
- The headers are important - so that you can see and feel the different options they have before making a
- purchase. They can often inspire your collection.
Purchase sample cuts before placing a production order:
- After you select a few fabrics you’d like to try, you will call them back and ask for “sample cuts for testing”. - get enough to make at least two samples.
- Be very open with them about what you are making (and what price point you were hoping for) - they might have recommendations and options you don’t even know exist.
- Find out the availability of the fabric, some are a standard part of the suppliers line, some are seasonal. This will affect your design decisions, especially as a startup.
- Ask about their minimums, policies, payment terms, and method of shipping.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions!!!!
Before you actually go to market with production samples, make sure that you have verified the availability of the fabric. Just because a lot was available when you ordered the sample cut, doesn’t mean a lot will be available when it’s time to produce the actual garments (Oh, yes, I’ve learned this one the painful way).
October 7th, 2007
This is an add-on to my last post on Spec Sheets. Ayomide was kind enough to elaborate on her experience with this aspect of the development process in a comment she left on the blog post. I just wanted to highlight what she shared, because she has valuable input from an industry-insider’s view.
She also points out that they called them “Tech Packs”. Here’s what Ayomide had to say on spec sheets:
“I remember doing spec sheets at work. So much information but we called them tech pack, becuase it was like a pack of paper we would send to the manufacture with so much info. We would have the specs, the style #, size range, black and white line drawing, a colored line drawing with the colors called out, art information, with all the colors called out, sometimes send the actual embellishments, and sometimes a swatch of the fabric.”
One of the main things I gather from reading her comment is that if you have a decent enough color illustration, then you don’t need a full prototype. I’m not that good at drawing yet, but creating a prototype works great for me, gives everyone in the process a real picture of the expected outcome. It would be nice to be good enough at drawing to save the time it takes to create a prototype. Practice, practice, practice.
*Also note she refers to the technical sketch as a “line drawing” - I point out these terminology differences because they are useful search terms, industry slang, which we might not think of on our own.
July 21st, 2007
I have to get the tech sketches and spec sheets together for the pattern maker. If I can get this whole concept to come together by the September tradeshow, I will be very excited. I’m just excited to have a concept. So, fashion design spec sheets tell the pattern maker (and everyone else down the line) all the information he/she needs to know about a style. Here’s the information that I need to get together for the pattern maker:
- Tech Sketch
- Finished garment measurements
- Fabrics and Other Inputs that will be used ( buttons, velcro, snaps, elastic, etc.)
- Style #
- Style# to base the style on (blocks or existing pattern)
- Size of Pattern
- Description of Style
- Prototype is ideal!!!
I’m lucky enough to have a couple of patterns from previous designs that I can tweak to get a decent prototype. I’ll be using the same neckline and armholes anyways - so I think it’ll work. I can tweak it enough to get a decent prototype to my pattern maker.
Every time I look at the list of what still needs to happen by ABC Kids Expo, I freak out. Brochures and photographs and catalogs and posters and a mock display setup - pre-show pr and advertising - and then the design and development of the products we want to launch at the show. It’s better to not say all of that out loud sometimes, better to just chink away at the top item on the to-do list.
July 19th, 2007
I came across a great book on fashion illustration last week. It’s called Drawing Fashion Models by Lee Hammond. The book is a part of the Discover Drawing Series, copyright 1999.
It’s an excellent tutorial book for those of us who both have no clue about fashion illustration and need a lot of help with it. It is designed to take you from beginner to master, with each excercise building on the last.
One of the things that I really like about the book is the that the author really focuses on fashion. She talks about tweaking proportions and flattering model positions. She also goes into detail on how to draw all different kinds of fabrics and folds and even lace.
I have a long ways to go before I have anywhere near the drawing skills of the author, but it’s a great kick off for learning the skill. If I could be even just a little bit better at illustrating the fashions I’m designing, then it would streamline our development process. Better drawings would communicate my vision better.
Fashion illustrations, which attempt to show the viewer what the apparel looks like on a model, are different than technical sketches, which show the viewer what the article of clothing looks like when laid flat on a table and viewed from above. It is a technical sketch that you hand over to your pattern maker.
July 16th, 2007
I work with a variety of contractors to get my products produced. I haven’t worked with an all-in-one job shop, where they do everything from pattern making to final production. My contractors are spread around town, and each runs their own business. My pattern maker is in the north part of our county, sample maker / sewing contractor in the middle part of our county and the cutter is in the south part of the county. The blankets are produced by yet another contractor.
I’m not sure which model is best, but this one works for me for now. I definitely have more control over each phase of the process, because I have checks between each phase. I also definitely have more logistics to deal with this way. I could ship my stuff around, but I generally pick stuff up myself. Especially patterns and samples.
I also like talking face-to-face with each contractor at the drop-off point. Whether it’s a quick clarification of my technical sketch or a question about a missing input for the sample (such as fringe that hasn’t come in yet), there are always things to talk about and to clarify.
But, this model also creates sourcing problems at times. Like right now, when one grader / cutter went out of business. I found a replacement grader a few months ago, but now I need to find a replacement cutter. Luckily, my sewing contractor had someone to recommend who he thinks takes small jobs. So that’s where I’ll start.
So, nothing is ever settled or completely “in place”, and this should be seen as a good thing. It means you’re growing and still going.
June 19th, 2007
When you call or visit a textile supplier, one of the first questions you’ll get from them is “what do you do (make, manufacture, etc.)”? They ask you this because they want to help streamline your shopping experience. They also want to keep from wasting time if they are not going to be able to help you.
The more details you can give a fabric supplier, the easier you’re going to make your life. These people are never going to steal designs, they aren’t looking to see your tech sketches or design specifications. When I speak with a supplier, I’m very detailed about what I’m making, what qualities I’m looking for, and what I need. Right now, I’m scouting for jersey-type fabrics. I tell the supplier’s rep that I’m making babywear, I’m looking to make baby tees and body-suits. This doesn’t tell them anything too specific about my design, but it does give them a good picture of what type of fabric I need.
The other bonus to giving specific details is that the supplier likely knows about some fabric choices that you don’t know about. Keep in mind, they want the sales and they want the repeat business. They want you to grow and they want you to stick with them while you do. When suppliers ask you qualifying questions, or tell you they have high minimums, don’t be offended; but do ask them if they have anybody else they would recommend.
It’s a good idea to make a list of everything you’re looking for in a fabric before you call:
- type of fabric
- special care requirements
- price point
- minimums you’ll be able to meet
- specific color or detail requests
June 13th, 2007
Sometimes after you’ve gone through something and left it far behind, you forget what it was like to go through that experience for the first time. Enter our first contractor experience.
It was going to be our first season - I had all the pieces in place, the sample fabrics I needed and the patterns I needed. One tiny little issue was that I was running late in the season - but, not a big deal, starting small, only need a couple of salesman’s samples to make it to market.
Well, the Big Deal was that being late in the season ensured all the *good* sewing contractors were good ‘n busy. Including the ones who were recommended by my pattern maker. I thought, ok - I’ll find someone by calling around, just like I found the pattern maker. So I started calling and finally got the number of a lady who had some experience with children’s apparel.
Called her and she was available. YES!
So, I went and met with her, showed her my patterns and she said she could do it. I was so clueless at this point that I took her the whole rolls of fabric. Expecting her to do the cutting. She didn’t say anything except “OK”. Here’s the mistakes I made, which, by the way, are mistakes that any respectable contractor wouldn’t even have let me make:
- Dropping off the rolls, instead of the cut pieces - why in the world she was ok with this, I have no idea. My current sewing contractor wouldn’t even consider the idea of doing the cutting. He does the sample making and handles the production.
- Not providing prototypes. I expected her to make the samples from the pattern and fabric swatches alone. Everything that you hand over, to any contractor along the stage, has to be VERY CLEAR and VERY ORGANIZED. I had patterns, with fabric swatches attached to the spec sheet, in the order they were supposed to go in (from left to right, staple the fabrics that are used in the item - self, contrast, trim - to the top right corner of your spec sheet). By the time I’m ready for salesman’s samples, I should have a few prototypes to hand over to my sample maker. Basically, give your contractors as many tools as possible to make the job as easy as possible.
- Did I mention I was late in the fashion season cycle? It should have been a red flag to me that she was even available. (I say this because she was a small shop - I’m sure there are large job shops that can handle rush orders). So, with her doing the cutting on top of the sample making, on top of whatever the heck else she had going on, ended up being a disaster.
Now that I’ve owned up to my part, I get to say that she was the worse contractor I’ve worked with yet. Not only did my stuff come back 6 weeks late (yes you read that right), but about 50% of them came back basically re-designed. Different trim on items, even self and contrast backwords. I can attribute some of this to not providing the sample, but why in the world wouldn’t you call and say “you need to come down and show me what you want”?
Needless to say by now, that season didn’t happen - at all. I still have some of those damn samples like a big gray cloud over my head and the kicker is, now that I’m doing a few cash ‘n carry shows, I’m actually selling them off (the few that were made correctly). So, in the end, those things have given me confidence in my designing ability again. That something I designed a few years ago is selling well today. The colors are even still “hot”…which is pretty amazing to me.
I remember being so nervous making those first calls to pattern makers and sewing contractors. I think I was nervous enough that I let it hold me back from asking a million questions. At that point, I was still worried about being new, so I’d work it up in my head to more than it was. Remember this through the entire process - asking questions is a sign of strength, the more you know about something, the more you’ll ask about it.
My current contractor is brilliant, was recommended by my pattern maker, and is patient enough with all my newbie mistakes to help me learn as I go along. I’d love to hear some other experiences, as I’m sure we could all learn from each other’s contracting dramas.
I forgot to mention my poor husband had to go down to the contractor’s when the samples were finally “complete”, so he didn’t even know what was right or wrong (I didn’t provide him with prototypes either). He counted the number of items, handed over the money, scooped up our daughter and the extra fabric, and away he went. And her parting words were “don’t forget about the little people”.
It’s definitely an experience I’m happy to have behind me. But I learned a zillion things about manufacturing, working with people, project management, and setting expectations. And not being late in the season!!!
June 1st, 2007
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