going on a design journey
May 14th, 2010
“come go with me -oh wo oh – have no fear” – I’m pretty sure those are the right words to the song that’s playing in my head.
Here we are coming out of a recession. And I’ve been quieter than ever in the last few months because the sudden growth spurt almost killed us quicker than the recession did. All kinds of stuff fell apart at the same time, but really, it all boils down to the fact that I got in over my head. Looking back, I don’t know if there is much I could have done about it. And “it” isn’t really that bad. “It” is just falling way behind on a few orders..but there were a lot of root causes to those orders falling behind (sewing contractor falling off the face of the planet) that had me questioning our viability for awhile.
But bygones – we are here and a good half (okay more) of those customers have forgiven us and been patient during our delays. And now that we’re growing and getting out of the “keep-spending-beyond-tight” times, I see, finally, the possibility of growing our product lines. Which brings me back to “come go with me” – we’re launching a new collection for Fall ’11. I know a lot of you are in the design and development phase, so I’m hoping that if I share my design experiences for this collection, it will help move you through the steps too. And maybe I can keep you from making the numerous, costly, and very painful mistakes I made during my first round.
Sharing with you helps keep me on track, and I hope that you will join in the conversation often – I can not tell you how much it helps to hear from you, no matter where you are on your design journey. That means whether you have a question to ask or advice to give – please join in!
And I’ll find out if I can design a collection from scratch better and more efficient this time, knowing what I know now. So, this week we’re going to start planning and exploring potential themes. Come go with me – oh wo oh – have no fear….
Entry Filed under: Design Project Schedules,Designing Fashion & Accessories,Product Development
4 Comments Add your own
1. Danielle&hellip | May 16th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Hi There! I wasn’t sure where to post this question. I am trying to figure out a time frame for when I should have a fall/winter collection ready and a spring/summer ready. I haven’t actually ever created a collection. I just fill in whatever the boutique’s need. Now, I would like to create a collection catalogue and expand. During planning for this fall/winter 2011 I feel like I’m already behind. Any comments or suggestions would be very appreciated! Have a great day!
2. amber&hellip | May 16th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Hi Danielle – Great question and you can always post questions anywhere!
So – I’m basing my Fall ’11 timeline on the time I need to be ready to go to market. We want our collection samples, marketing materials, price lists, line sheets, and look books (and websites, if applicable) ready to by around the middle of January.
The October Textile show in LA bills itself as the Fall/Winter (following year) show. So, this Fall is when you should plan on sourcing your sample fabrics.
I have designed a collection and I have one item that I managed to get through the whole process, and it’s still a hot seller. But I have a lot of patterns that never even made it to the sample stage! all having to do with my complete inexperience. Up to this point, it has worked out really well for us to offer “seasonless” items. Even our organic collection is “immediates” – so, like you said, we fill when the boutiques need them. But I’m very eager to get back to full-fledged designing.
Thanks for taking the time to ask your question -it’s great to know you are on the same timeline for your collection. I wish you much success and maybe we’ll meet at market
3. Maria&hellip | May 17th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Yes, yes, yes! Please share your experiences. I look forward to reading and learning from them.
4. Start Up Kids Line » goi&hellip | June 1st, 2010 at 9:05 pm
[...] 0 We want our collection samples, marketing materials, price lists, line sheets, and look books (and websites , if applicable) ready to by around the middle of January. The October Textile show in LA bills itself as the Fall/Winter … Visit link: Start Up Kids Line » going on a design journey [...]
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