FROM IDEA TO DESIGN

Starting out with an idea is sometimes the easy part, but how do you keep the ideas coming?

The high streets

When I worked for the high streets, there was two ways the designs were decided, one was from the buyer, they would bring samples from other designers that they liked, and it was my job to convince them to not copy it but to take elements from it to get the design they wanted. Unfortunately there were times that they were like “nope I want it exactly like this”, and it was all then done in lower quality fabrics and trims to get it in price point, and in times like that I questioned my job?

The other way was presenting my ideas and designs, and to get to these, you would not only have to come up with a design that the buyer liked, but it had to be commercial enough to sell, different enough to bring the customer in and all the designs then had to be backed up by proof of where you had thought of them. For example it wasn’t just a case of designing something you thought would work for them and their company but I either had colour trend or shape trend boards to back up every design. Everything concept was related to what was already out there, and depending on which high street store it was depended on how much they wanted to stand out and trust a new design.

Ideas generally came from exploring magazines, fashion blogs and WGSN was sought out and followed, as well going to trend talks. An understanding what influenced trends also helped, the climate, the politics of the world, the social economic state all play a part in the fashion world.

Designer Brands

Designing for brands is different in way that your designs are narrowed down to start with, you have to understand the brand and it’s expectations and by that it’s always best to look at their back catalogue and their best sellers, so you can execute designs for them which fit in aesthetically as well as monetary for them.

I think the hardest part for designing across both these areas was making the patterns for them, from the designs you made. As not only were you making the patterns you were making patterns to fit their core customer. Even taking an existing pattern and dropping in new fabrics wasn’t that simple as the fit could alter from the new fabrics so you had to re-fit it, and the time that the companies like to move you could only really afford one fit, a refit then sign off on it.

Designing for brands is different in way that your designs are narrowed down to start with, you have to understand the brand and it’s expectations and by that it’s always best to look at their back catalogue and their best sellers, so you can execute designs for them which fit in aesthetically as well as monetary for them.

Ideas generally came from their past collection, how to move their label on and build onto their brand whilst still sitting with what they have previously executed. Fabrics played a big part, as because you generally only dealt with a certain amount or type or colour of fabrics, it was useful to have these before you designed.

My Brand Vanjo

My brand came out solving a problem for women who have small backs, big boobs, so from the get-go certain fabrics were out, and certain styles weren’t considered. The main consideration was for the boobs to be supported and not look egg shaped (like some bigger bras can do). So a vertical seam was always going to be in the design rather than the standard three-piece cup that quite a lot of bigger cups provide.

Also regarding the soft bras, these had to provide support yet not be clunky looking and not squash your boobs, or have them fall out when you leant forward if the bra was a triangle shaped bra.

Colour plays a main part in the collection and so does the colour black. The two sided collection of offering a playful vibe and also a elegant feel. When I first started out, I would bookmark images on the internet, or keep a sketch book with ripped out pictures from magazines that I could look back on and draw inspiration. I would also usually have fabric in stock, or at least a loose idea of colour or types of fabrics before I designed each collection.

Nowadays Pinterest plays a huge part, I have ‘secret boards’ for Vanjo, one is full of shapes and styles that I would like to incorporate into the brand, most of the images are full of vintage swimwear shapes which I think will translate well to modern day lingerie with a few tweaks and changes and the other is a board full of images that inspire the brand, pictures of beaches (as the brand started out as lingerie that could be worn comfortably whilst travelling - so no more unclipping that bra whilst on that plane). Basically images that made you feel rather than the fashion aspect of it. It’s from this that I make a mood board from.

Scribbles are made in books at any time of shapes or styles, as I don’t usually have my blank sketch book to hand the whole time, and it’s when I go to design to the collection that I re-look through to see which shape or design has cropped up consistently and out of the maybe 30 or so designs only probably 4-5 make it in. Then I sit with the fabrics to make the final decision.

Also another big factor to me is when I finally design is that I look at the board of inspiration rather than of shapes or styles otherwise I think you can subconsciously design something already out there.

Final part

Once everything has been decided then everything gets sampled up, more and more into each collection, less gets rejected as I start to feel what can work or not work sooner rather than later. When sampling up I always start with the brief, as they are the quickest to sew up and I gain a bigger view of the fabric so can see if it works and if it sits within the brand.

Then the final bit is a wearer trial and making it up in a different size to see if it fits and if it still has the support, and when it passes all of these, that’s when it makes it through. Although I have been know to reject a certain style based on the feel of things, even if I can’t work out why it should be rejected.