How to create a fashion collection

HOW TO CREATE A FASHION COLLECTION STEP BY STEP

If you want to create a fashion collection, I’m sure that with these examples you’ll clearly visualize the process required to do it!

Next, I am going to explain in detail, everything related to the creation of fashion collections, for those who do not know where to start and have no studies or experience in this sector.

We know that on the Internet is possible find all kinds of information we want, but sometimes, when we search the articles more detailed, accurate and well explained regard to a particular theme we finished unsatisfied. Well, my objective is exactly to avoid you this! So let’s start now.

In my first blog post called “Fashion Industry | What does fashion collection consist of?” I show you how to make a collection from a more business point of view. This time, I want to focus more on the technical and creative part of the design process. I assure you that both articles complement each other, because in addition to containing the examples with images, they are very complete and contain all the information necessary to make a fashion collection.

Activities to be performed in order to create a fashion collection:

I have decided to illustrate this theme using the first project I made in Italy, a fashion collection that I designed on a specialized course in fashion design in 2010.

Despite to have over 10 years of experience as a designer, this was a wonderful opportunity to learn and enter on the world of winter collections because in Colombia do not exist the seasons … (in fact, the city where I lived is called the “City of Eternal Spring”), so for me it was a new experience, especially at the moment of choosing the materials and designing the garments for protection against low temperatures. Then I show you how I did it.

 

FIRST STEP TO CREATE A FASHION COLLECTION

Defining a specific target is the key:

For this, it is necessary to know the consumer profile and the central concept of the each collections, based on the following data:

The season: Spring/Summer, Fall/Winter. But one must also consider the mini-collections dedicated exclusively to special dates such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, etc.

Gender: Male, Female, LGBT, unisex, child, baby, etc.

Type of market: The Income-Sensitive Marketing. It will allow us to target consumers based on their specific income or financial situation. This is a strategy that will guide the prices of our products.

Product Type: Casual, Sportswear, Jeanswear, Brides, Lingerie, Beachwear, etc.

Target: Popular, medium, medium-high, high.

These are some examples of collections with different target types:

Regarding the type of client: We must be clear from the beginning to whom we are going to sell our fashion collection. I recommend starting by identifying the average age of your customer, focusing on a maximum range of 5 to 10 years to be able to establish the most important details of this analysis, which are:

• Who are they? Demographics such as gender, age, education and their personality characteristics, for example: are they friendly, outgoing, cheerful …? or are they reserved, dreamy, shy …?, or maybe are they competitive, meticulous, ambitious …?, etc.
• What is their job role? their title? Company size, industry, and general job responsibilities.
• What is a day in their life like? Describe what an average day is like for them, who they are dealing with, and what decisions they are making.
• What are their primary pain points? Describe the primary challenges they are trying to overcome that relate to your products and services.
• What do they value most and what are their goals? Explain what they value most in making a purchase decision (price, support, etc.), what they are trying to accomplish in each application.
• Where do they go for information? Identify the primary sources they use to gather information in their research and purchase decision process.
• What’s important to them in selecting a vendor? List what is most important, such as being a trend leader, diversity and excellence in design, having market experience, customer support, being a new technological developments expert, etc.
• What are their most common objections? List the reasons you hear most often for why your solutions won’t meet their needs.

Once you have your target customer defined, you can be much smarter about your fashion collections. You need to nurture that person over time, building trust and credibility between your company and the lead as he or she gains knowledge of your products and services.

 

SECOND STEP

At this point, it is necessary to carry out an analysis of current fashion trends (in fabrics, colors, accessories, etc.). This information is the basis that determines the characteristics of the product and it is also essential when exhibiting or supporting our fashion collection, both to our customers or to the media.

Next we will see the color chart (selection of shades), which I will use in the materials:

 

COLOR CHART for FASHION COLLECTION

Now let’s talk about the Collection Concept, I mean the theme that we are going to use as inspiration for our designs. This topic is absolutely free and as it is investigated, analyzed and deepened, little by little it takes shape and begins to throw at us the key words or concepts on which we are going to focus and we will decide to work on our design proposal.

 

COLLECTION CONCEPT

 

Ready to Wear Collection – Fall / Winter

Cosmopolitan Woman, Inspired by young, professional, independent, sophisticated and active women (between 25 and 35 years), with a medium/medium-high profile. I chose to make this collection based on the Urban Life Style concept, where the key word is “City”, proposing seven looks with sixteen versatile outfits, where the ultra-feminine waists stands out and mixed with accessories and sporting details as blocks of colour, drawstrings, snap buttons, zippers and contrast stitching give a fun, youthful and sophisticated touch. As textile bases I used the silk crepe in a beige hue, cotton drill in rusty blue, woven wool jersey with melange effect in blue and ivory and finally I used waterproof fabric with blue and iridescent hue and metallic touches.

 

THIRD STEP

Now we continue with the development of mood board, it’s practically a collage of images, fabrics or materials that we use as a reference and graphical support of the previous profile concept made. As you can see below, the pictures regarding the cities, supporting the profile of an urban woman and the other images have almost the same colors of the fabrics and in some cases try to imitate the textures. I did this in order to maintain a coordinated line but not necessarily all mood boards should be based on this concept:

 

MOODBOARD for FASHION COLLECTION

 

FOURTH STEP

Then we begin to make the Technical Drawings of our designs. In this process of creation we must identify the major factors that dictate the type of silhouette. In this case, we must develop a fall/winter collection, the silhouettes of the “outside” clothes (I mean jackets, coats, etc.), should be protect and therefore will have some type of volume due to internal padded fabrics, while the “inner” clothes (I mean blouses, skirts, pants, etc) should give a little lightweight image and which facilitates movement for example, if we imagine our “cosmopolitan woman” working at office. After creating the first sketches, we select the final garments as having as golden rule that the pieces can be combined easily with each other. All details of clothing should be illustrated in the best way to facilitate their understanding, especially in the production phase:

 

TECHNICAL DRAWINGS

 

FIFTH STEP TO CREATE A FASHION COLLECTION

 Next, we must perform the complete collection plane with the view of the front and back of each garment. Later, each garment must have a reference code or name that identifies it. We should also note the respective materials, colors and names of the factories or suppliers of fabrics. All this will help us to support when keeping track of each garment in the production phase:

 

COLLECTION PLAN

 

SIX STEP

Now is the time to view our full collection, so we should develop the Fashion Illustrations with the main objective to reflect the characteristics of materials such as weight, texture, volume, movement etc.. In this step you need to remember our profile, this way the poses, accessories and general attitude of the figures, will be achieved perfectly identify with it.

 

FASHION ILLUSTRATIONS

 

SEVENTH STEP TO CREATE A FASHION COLLECTION

Finally, it is necessary to complete the production technical sheets in manner minutely and as detailed as possible with all the details related to the product, stitchings and the making of each piece. One of the most tedious processes but certainly one of the most important, because it is from these spec sheets our collection takes shape and becomes in physical garments. Here are some examples:

 

TECHNICAL SHEETS

 

Well, here ends the design process of the fashion collection, but actually the process of the garments should be continued with the realization of prototypes and with the production.

Do you want to know more about this theme?, Have you ever had the opportunity to make a fashion collection?, Do you have any question about this theme?, Do you work or study something related to fashion and would you like to share your experience? Well, then I invite you to send your comments below ⇓

Thanks for visiting my blog!

 

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