Spoiler Alert: You absolutely do not need a pattern maker or a sewing machine and you most definitely should never go fabric sourcing at Mood…
The phenomenon that has been Project Runway took the world by storm in 2004 and changed the way nearly everyone perceived the Fashion industry. I was a die-hard fan in the early days of PR. How could you not love the on-screen chemistry between Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum? Intoxicating.
After 15 years in the industry however, I can assure you Project Runway is not at all an accurate depiction of what the Fashion industry really is or how the industry functions. If anything, the show is more so representative of what Fashion school is like. At least what it was like for me. I spent most of my schooling tied to a Juki sewing machine in the fashion lab or hovering over a pattern table for hours on end. Draping on a dress form, or even hunched over a knitting loom well into the wee hours of the night. If I wasn’t there until 10pm you could find me slinging cocktails at my full-time bar job in an attempt to afford the fabrics and trims I needed to buy for school.
A popular misconception among newcomers to the industry based upon the misrepresentation provided by shows like Project Runway, is that the first place you need to start when planning to launch a product/brand is going on a fabric sourcing trip to a fabric store like Mood. When what you should actually do is go shopping online or in person. Remember the mall? They still exist (in most places LOL). Buy your competitor’s stuff and then reference those styles for any fabric and/or trims that you like by taking photos and creating technical flat sketches of the style and construction you want and compiling them into what should become your tech pack. You should also reference them for fit if you like their fit.
If you can’t afford to keep the samples, you can always return them but if it’s possible to keep them you should. You can then cut swatches from the samples to send to your expert, your factory, and/or designated mill so they can use it as reference in sourcing your fabrics. If you like the fit of your competitor’s samples, you can send the sample to your expert and/or your factory for them to reference for your fit. Their pattern maker will work to create a pattern based on your reference sample. Their sample room will sew your initial samples.
That’s right…you don’t need a pattern maker or a sample maker. Unless you plan to produce your product domestically in your home country (example – within the US, UK or AUS) all you actually need is a tech pack. The factory has all the experts you need on staff, so you don’t need to hire one of your own. I repeat – DO NOT waste your time (or money) hiring a domestic pattern maker or sample maker. All you truly need are competitor samples, and/or fabric swatches and pictures of trims you like. You need a tech pack to provide all of the details pertaining to your product to formally communicate what you want your product to look like, feel like, and fit like. If you don’t know how to make a tech pack, or don’t want to learn and can afford to hire a freelancer or work with an expert like me, all the better! If you are interested in learning how to create your own tech packs, here’s a link to my downloadable Tech Pack bundle which comes with my quick video tutorial to help guide you through understanding tech packs and how to complete one.
With love and light – Stay safe, stay stylish, stay humble…
XO
Erin
Founder
Product Haus
