Design a clothing line with a plan

If you watch Project Runway or believe any of the stereotypical Fashion Designer drivel, you may think a line is designed by pure inspiration. A designer goes to a museum and is inspired by a piece of artwork and can magically create 5-7 pieces that all work together. Or perhaps a designer flips through some swatches and tosses some to an assistant to make samples out of. This kind of thinking is silly nonsense and will lead to disaster.

It is true that a designer can be inspired by a piece of artwork, a fabric print, color, etc. But unless one designs with a plan, or end goal, it will only be an exercise in design for design's sake. A design plan should follow some basic steps and answer basic questions:

1. Review the past line.
1. What sold best/worst?
2. Customer comments
3. Returns
2. Review past goals and set new ones.
1. Did you meet sales expectations?
2. What are my sales goals for this season?
3. How is my budget?
4. Set design budget for the next season.
3. Shop the market between seasons.
1. What are my competitors selling?
2. What are their price points?
3. Do I hang with them?

You'll notice that none of these questions have anything to do with design. They are ordinary business questions and it is good practice to review them at the end/start of a new season. Finally, I sit down and actually "design" my line.

1. Shop for fabric/trims. (this is where I find my "inspiration".
1. Does the fabric express the brand?
2. Does it fit within the price point for raw materials?
2. Determine number of styles/pieces.
1. Can any styles be carried over in new color/print?

I then sketch, come up with words to describe the group and generally get lost in the design process for about 2 days. I sample my styles directly in the real fabric. I don't do muslins or toiles - those are only to work out pattern problems. The sample making process can take a few weeks and gets a little nitty gritty, but at the end of the process you will have designed you line.

Make a Design Storyboard

As I was designing Prairie Roses for Fall 2007, I created a digital design board. In school it was all about literally cutting and pasting paper onto illustration board. I like the digital version because it is much faster and more professional looking.


I had a hard time identifying and explaining the look I wanted. When I started it was simply a feeling. I decided a story board was the best way for me to explain my line to myself. I have rarely done this in the past - it always seemed like busy work. This time, I have convinced myself of it's necessity. As I struggled to find pictures that explained the mood, everything else seemed to fall into place. The words A Country Sensibility came to me and it was perfect for so many reasons. It made me think of Sense and Sensibility and Jane Austen - how can I translate Jane Austen's "look" into little girl's dresses. It made me think about sensible country living. Being grateful for what you have. Not living too extravagantly - but comfortably.

Anyway, I headed out with my camera and took pictures of the flowers growing in my flower beds and nearby scenery. There was my mood. I already had purchased the fabrics and they meshed perfectly. The red ombre ribbon roses were the highlight and the key to the brand name.

Prairie Roses was a difficult brand name to nail down. Do you know how hard it is to find a brand name that is not already in use? One that fits the mood and explains the look without the customer ever seeing the clothing? This is complicated by trying to find an internet domain name that is available. It took weeks of research.

The work required to pull all of this together had other benefits. I emailed a graphic designer a copy of my design board and she was able to design my logo (which is shown on the right). I am fairly pleased with the results of the line, the logo, the brand. It all meshed together so perfectly. It feels good to be focused and I am excited about designing more for this line.

Next week is even better. I have been working on toddler patterns and I have a fitting/photo shoot scheduled. I am excited!

Making Children's Clothes by Joan Moloney

I received my copy of Making Children's Clothes Using Block-Pattern Method (1971) by Joan Moloney today.

Just so you know, this book has no measurement charts, detailed drafting instructions, or sewing instructions. Think of it as looking on the back of a home sewing pattern envelope. The author shows the pattern pieces that make up a style next to an illustration or photograph of that style. The text is full of ideas but little how-to.

On the positive side, this is one of the few books I have seen that show all of the pattern pieces that make up a complete style. This may help designers who struggle with the complete design. Also, the book clearly illustrates the shapes of the pattern pieces. Sometimes that is all one needs to draft your own version. The illustrations are charming and I will add this book to my collection as a possible source of inspiration.

The author does describe how to make your own children's dress form, although briefly. Her version made me laugh for a second and then I wondered if I should be scared. It may give you an idea of how to make your own dress form. I did make my own, which I am using now. Children do not have the patience to be fit models for very long - so I do recommend obtaining dress forms at some point. Still, it is worth the time to try clothing on a child because you may notice differences in how the fabric drapes on a moving child.

This is not a must-have book to add to your reference collection. Used copies are available through Amazon for as little as $1 plus shipping so there is really no reason to not add it either.

Children's Fashion Magazines

One way to keep up with the latest fashion trends is to read fashion magazines. Over time a designer can get a feel for what is coming next even though fashion magazines focus on the now. It will at least help you keep up with your competitors.

And yet, there are few US children's fashion magazines. Occasionally, I will flip through the latest Child magazine. Child Magazine has less to do with children and more to do with parents. Their children's fashion section has always been disappointing. The latest issue especially (I am sorry I can't provide a link, so check out the newsstand). The pictures of the fashion section were ALL softened and obscured. Sure, you could get an idea of the feel or mood, but no clue what the actual clothes look like. Their fashion section is usually about 3-5 pages, featuring as many items. The photographs are very well done, but they don't help promote any fashion. Their website is even more annoying with pop-ups, flash, and survey requests.

One the best children's fashion magazines is Bambini. It is an Italian glossy magazine that comes out only twice a year and is fairly pricey. The issues and pictures correspond with Italian fashion runway shows. Most of the fashion shows are sportswear related and are very forward for the American market. Still, it is worth picking up one every now and then.

My personal favorite, and affordable, childrenswear fashion magazine is Burda Kids Fashion from Germany. The magazine comes with patterns, a definite bonus. I use the patterns for reference and ideas of how to create innovative fashion. They have lots of details that are forward for the American market, but still practical. Unfortunately, it only comes out two times a year. Ottobre is a similar magazine out of Finland that comes out four times a year

There are various other childrenswear and fashion/style magazines, but most of them come out of Europe. Some include Enfants (France), Baby & Junior (Germany), Childrenswear Buyer (UK), Divos Moda (Spain), Sasame (Japan), Studio Bambini (Australia), Vogue Bambini (France). There are two main US magazines, but they are definitely trade magazines focusing on business - Childrens Business (which was merged with WWD and is essentially defunct) and Earnshaws. I would really like to see an American version of Bambini. A magazine that has pictures from American childrenswear shows. This is a definite niche that could be filled.

To be fair, there are a few American-based online children's fashion blogs. Many of them focus on celebrity's babies and gossip. Not really that useful for following trends.

What do you read to keep up with fashion trends?

Button style can add interest to a design

Sometimes design inspiration comes from the most utilitarian part of a garment. And yet, if one pays attention to such small details, you can take an ordinary piece of clothing and turn it into something special.

This tiny little flower button jazzed up an otherwise boring knit jacket. The jacket is made from a french terry knit with a ruffle trim on the hems. If this had a regular two-hole button, the jacket would have been plain boring.

A regular two-hole button costs less than one cent each. They are generally one of the least expensive items found on an item of clothing. That changes when you start to add novelty buttons. There are tons of special and extra special buttons available. Most manufacturers can't afford wholesale button costs of 20 cents a piece or more. This flower button would be less than 5 cents because it is still rather basic. Special buttons are saved for the front of the garment where they can be seen.

If you truly want to set your garment apart, pay attention to details like buttons on the back of a dress, for example. Special occasion girl's dresses sometimes have interesting and fun button details. Buttons on the back may match a colored sash, skirt band, or trim. Maybe use some of the buttons as part of an embellishment. Can you imagine using a different thread color to sew the buttons on this jacket? How about a soft yellow center to correspond with a flower embroidery on a pocket? Boutique children's designers can certainly play with this seemingly small detail.

While the jacket is not cutting edge fashion, this manufacturer did some interesting things that I may blog about in the future. Knits can be difficult to work with, especially when topstitching or adding a woven fabric trim. Knits and wovens do not like to work together happily. One or the other ends up stretched or distorted. You can see how nicely this trim lays with no stretching of the knit jacket.

This jacket was obviously well loved. It is worn and stained. Even so, the previous owner did not clip the threads left by the manufacturer. You can see one of five errant threads in the picture above. This is a big pet peeve of mine. Any finishing and inspection should include clipping threads.

Where do you get your inspiration?"

Over the last few years, I have given a few speeches to high school classes. The inevitable question you hear is, "Where do you get your inspiration?" I wish I could nail down a specific thing that inspires me, but it is not as simple as one thing. Many designers have a specific thing that motivated or inspired them to start. The more difficult thing is maintaining that inspiration.

My first job, right out of college, was with a children's design company. I will never know why they hired me - I was so green to the business. I had assumed that I would work with this company for a few years and then move onto a category that I truly wanted to design. I knew nothing about children's clothing and really didn't like it. Little did I know how important that first job would be. None of the advisors in college advise you to look for a job in the category you want right from the start. My advisors were more concerned with making sure their graduates had ANY job in the fashion industry - a topic for another blog.

Over time, I grew to like children's clothing and then to be inspired. Now, I can say I love designing children's clothing. I can't even imagine working in any other category. (In fact, it would be difficult for me to move to another category based on my skill set and experience - again another blog entry). Inspiration came to me through exposure to the category and hard work.

I have been surrounded by children's clothing and products for years now. If a new idea comes to me, I can immediately apply it to various children's products. Part of the exposure to the category came simply because of my physical work environment. Past clothing lines hung on the walls, fabric swatches hung in the design library, and more. One of my job requirements was to shop the market. Meaning, I was literally paid to shop. I went to the mall and boutiques every two weeks. I got to learn how frequently stores changed their displays, what things were selling, what was discounted, when sales occurred. I not only shopped the children's departments, but others too. Sometimes, categories that were completely unrelated. I would come home with sketches in my notebook of things I had seen or ideas to try.

Another important job requirement was to walk trade shows. It is difficult as a designer to attend retail trade shows because salesmen know why you are there (your tag usually says designer). This is probably the best way to check out the competition before their products hit the retail floors. You can spot which booths are busy and which are not. You can identify trends that are hot. Fabric trade shows is another way to pick up on color and print trends.

Eventually, you get to the point as a designer where you can predict what is coming next. It is in your blood. I can remember when a co-worker/designer and I both showed up at work wearing the exact same shade of lilac top. We had both sensed that color would be important next season and had made personal purchases accordingly.

So, my original inspiration was the need for a job - and to succeed in it. Today, it is so much a part of me, that I can't imagine doing anything else.