Now, let’s talk about the design process, shall we? From conception to finished product, this is the process that every garment goes through. Let’s keep it simple and break down the process into nine parts. Of course, there may be some more steps along the road for specific styles, or in some cases steps may even be omitted for an established brand, but let’s keep it this way to make things straightforward.
Keep in mind that every business is different, and as a result, you may take these steps and mould them into something that is most effective for YOU and YOUR BRAND.
STEP 1: MOOD BOARD / IDEATION / INSPIRATION
The Designer is Responsible for (This)
Your Designer (or you, if you’re doing it yourself) will build a collection of inspiration into a mood board that will represent the aesthetic that will be used for the design. Before you can make a design that flows together, you need to first compile all of your thoughts and sources of inspiration onto a mood board. Investing some time in organising your thoughts will pay off in the form of a finished garment that is well put together and functional.
For sewing different thing you can check this site: mrsewguru.com
FIRST PHASE: Collect Photographs for Inspiration One of the best ways to compile images for your inspiration is to use Pinterest. You can also hunt for ideas by consulting books, journals, photographs, the natural world, and websites that track trends. There is no cap on potential! You should compile all of the ideas that you get from wherever you decide to go for inspiration and save them in a single place. This may be a notebook, a Pinterest board, or an album on your phone.
STEP 2: Compile Ideas
Let your inspiration lead you. Make some notes or do a fast sketch of some ideas you have for the style, silhouette, construction, material, and colour of the clothing or item you are going to make. Croquis are really helpful in situations like this because they can swiftly explain your views! This comprehensive tutorial will teach you all there is to know about croquis, as well as how they fit into the Design Process.
Alternatively, take a look at the pre-made templates that are provided later on in this post.
CREATE A MOOD BOARD Once you have your ideas and sources of inspiration arranged, you can start to link them together using a mood board that you create. Are there particular qualities, such as patterns, colours, or textures, that tend to work well together? Create a mood board by grouping your ideas according to a specific topic after which you will compile them. You have the option of creating many mood boards if required. Anything that does not fit should be thrown away (or saved for later use).
You might not be familiar with the concept of a mood board or how to actually make one. Watch the making of a mood board that I put together in this process video. Your design can benefit from having a visual reference like a mood board. It has an arrangement that exemplifies the aesthetic that you want to achieve with your garment, as well as illustrative photographs, colours, and textures that exemplify the design of your garment.
and you can also stitch leather stuff using cobbler sewing machine.
Listed below are some suggestions for using mood boards:
It is important that the beauty of what you’re designing be reflected in your layout.
Images of fashion shouldn’t be the only thing that inspires you! Make use of aspects such as interior design, nature (feathers, leaves), and other components to convey the emotion that inspired your design.
It doesn’t matter what size it is, as long as you give yourself enough room to create!
I find that creating real mood boards allows me to add more richness and volume to the final product, but doing them digitally is just as effective.
The designer is responsible for putting together the fashion illustrations and sketches in Step 2.
Croquis will be used by your designer to begin the process of sketching up concepts for your garment based on the completed mood board that was created in step 1. Don’t worry about getting it absolutely flawless just yet if you’re going to be doing this section yourself; at this point, the important thing is to get your ideas down on paper. You never know what will spark those breakthrough design ideas, so why not try some combinations that haven’t been done before? Carry on in this manner until you have produced a design that you find appealing. You can now sketch this “final” design as a formal fashion illustration complete with colour and movement, either by yourself or with the assistance of your Designer. If there is a particular textile or material you have in mind, you should make sure to attach a sample of it or a swatch of it.
STEP 3: TECHNICAL SKETCHES It is the Technical Designer’s Responsibility to Create These (or sometimes the Designer)
Next, a computer-aided design (CAD) of your creation will be made, either by the Technical Designer or by you, if you’re doing it yourself. There are a few different titles for the drawings of your clothing that are flat and accurate technically. Some of these names are CAD, Flat Sketch, Technical Sketch, and Technical Flat. Since the Technical Sketch is the blueprint for your design, it is essential that the sketch accurately depict the garment’s construction in order to avoid any problems down the line.
STEP 4: TECH PACK Responsibilities of the Technical Designer and Sourcing Information (Development Team)
After that, a Tech Pack for the clothing will be developed with the assistance of your Technical Sketch. The silhouette and design will be utilised by the Technical Designer in order to determine the building specifics and specifications. They will collaborate with the sourcing agent or the developer to create a variety of options for the fabric and the trim. As soon as all of the particulars have been ironed out, the “Tech Pack” is sent so that the factory and the fabric may be sourced.
Find out what a Tech Pack is and how you may make your own by reading this article.
Check out this ready-made do-it-yourself kit instead:
SECTION 5: SOURCING The Sourcing/Developer Is Responsible For This Step
After the creation of your fashion Tech Pack, you will be able to distribute it so that the many components of the design can be sourced. If you do not already have a certain manufacturer in mind, you can consider this stage of the design process to be the “shopping around” phase. The following are examples of things that you will wish to source:
The process of manufacturing (also known as assembly)
Trims (supplier) (supplier)
Fabrics (provider) (supplier)
Step 6: Labels and Packaging
You might be lucky enough to find a factory or a supplier that offers comprehensive services and can do all of these tasks on your behalf. Alternatively, your factory might collaborate with an agent who can assist you in sourcing.
Do you require assistance in locating a factory? You can learn more about sourcing by reading the information provided on this page, and the Fashion Resource Directory provides a comprehensive list of resources.
The Factory or Manufacturing Facility Is Responsible for the Sampling of the Product at This Stage
You can now edit your Tech Pack to reflect the fact that you’ve located your factory and materials, and then you can submit the updated Tech Pack to your factory so that they can begin the sampling process. Until the time that your garment is ready for manufacturing, the samples for it are crafted in a distinct area of the factory that is separate from the production line. Your factory will build an initial pattern based on the specifications included in your Tech Pack. Your factory can use an alternative that is nearly identical depending on the fabric and trims that you’ve selected. This is especially important to keep in mind if you are designing original fabrics or trims. During the time that your fabric and trims are being developed, the factory will proceed with sampling with substitutes in order to get a better handle on the fit. This shortens the amount of time needed for development and may reduce the costs associated with sampling. Be aware that the colours of your samples may also be strange when they arrive! This is simply due to the fact that the factory is making use of whatever is available. Your final sample need to comply with the specifications in every way.
The method of taking samples involves a number of steps, but the following diagram offers a clear illustration of how the procedure is carried out:
STEP 7: FIT AND REVIEW
It is the responsibility of the Development Team as well as the Technical Designer.
When your samples arrive, the Technical Designer (or you, if you’re doing it yourself) will need to review the sample and make any necessary adjustments to the Tech Pack. If you’re doing it yourself, this step falls on you. The process of evaluating your sample involves quite a few steps, but I’ve laid out each one in this post so that you can follow along easily.
You will repeat the process of [Tech Pack > Sample > Review > Update Tech Pack > Send] until you reach a point where you are satisfied with the final prototype. This post contains further information regarding the comprehensive sampling method, which you can read about.
Are you interested in gaining a better understanding of fitting and developing a consistent fit for your brand? I have now created an entire series called Fitting for Apparel Design that explains everything in detail for you! And if you feel like you could use some assistance along the road, I’ve put together two kits to aid you: the Fitting DIY Kit and the Foundation Patterns Kit.
STEP 8: APPROVAL OF THE DESIGN Responsibilities Assumed by the Development Team
It is time to give your design the go-ahead now that you have completed the process of sampling it and found that you are pleased with it. You are going to want to check all of the details twice and make sure that your Tech Pack is completely up to date and accurate.
The design should be approved, and you should ask for a TOP (Top of Production Sample) and/or PP (Production Part) (Pre-Production Sample). You are now ready to begin production provided there are no other adjustments!
STEP 9: The Factory Is Responsible for the Production of the Goods (Manufacturer)
Your clothing will be made on the factory’s assembly line after they are finished. If you haven’t done so previously, you and the factory that will be producing your product will settle on a target ship date once the design has been approved. Your garments will be tagged, packaged, and delivered to your distributor if you have specified that you want to do so in your Tech Pack.
After the garments have been received, checked for quality control (QC), and repackaged with new tags (if required), they are prepared to be sent out to your various retailers. Do you require assistance in locating factories, suppliers, packaging, or other Fashion Resource options? Examine the following entries in the Fashion Resource Directory: