Introduction

Unit 1: The Business of Design and Fashion

Fashion Illustration and

Patterns
 Fashion Design

Fashion Illustration

Fashion design and Fashion illustration are an

integral part of each other
Merchandiser: and need of the subject

 Design and product development

is an integral part of
any organization.
 A merchandiser should be able
to understand and communicate
with a designer in a comfortable
manner
 Both should have a common lingo
 Since both the merchandiser
Merchandiser and Designer
and the designer work in close
proximity, hence there should be
a proper understanding among
the two.
Fashion Designers perform the following tasks:

Sketch their ideas.

Draw and cut patterns to create sample garments.
Select fabric and trimmings.
Combine basic dressmaking and tailoring principles
with flat pattern work and draping techniques.
Fit and modify the finished garment.
Fashion Designers perform the following tasks:

Arrange showings for press and buyers when

the sample garment line is ready.

Compare merchandise with those of the

competitors.

Keep current on trends by reading trade

magazines and attending fashion shows.

Visit textile showrooms to keep up to date

on latest fabrics.
Fashion Designers frequently use the following
skills, knowledge, and abilities:

•Design - Knowledge of design techniques,

principles, tools and instruments involved in the
production and use of precision technical plans,
blueprints, drawings, and models.

•Idea Generation - Generating a number of

different approaches to problems.

•Active Learning - Working with new material or

information to grasp its implications.

•Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and

product requirements to create a design.
Originality - The ability to come up with unusual
or clever ideas about a given topic or situation,
or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

Visioning - Developing an image of how a system

should work under ideal conditions.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to

others' actions.
 Organizational Structure

COO

Head Designer

Asst. Designer Sample coordinator

Pattern Master Embroider

Cutting Master Checker

Tailor
Breakdown of the Fashion design process:
2. Fashion Market Research

3. Fashion Trend Forecasting

4. Fashion Design

5. Sourcing

6. Drafting

7. Sampling
8. Apparel Production

9. Fashion Marketing
10. Fashion Buying
 Fashion Market Research
Importance of Research

1. A designer must know who he or she is designing for.

2. A target market has to be determined in order to
meet customer expectations and produce a garment
that satisfies their needs.
3. Market research for the apparel industry is an
interesting field of fashion.
4. From how much money the potential consumer makes
to the functional aspects of a garment that they are
looking for, details become essential.
5. This data helps designers to make design, cost, and
construction decisions, which can dramatically shape
their creation.
6. Once target market research is completed and
demographics, values, and lifestyles have been
considered, the project can move forward.
 Fashion Market Research

Research

Color trends
Selection of colors that make the line unique
and salable.
Fabric trends
Can be sourced from manufacturers or
customization of fabrics can be done.
Can stick to one kind of fabric or can
experiment.
Styles
Hot numbers can be reused or re fabricated
 Fashion Trend Forecasting

Forecasting

Producing and selling fashion merchandise to

consumers at a profit is what fashion
merchandising is all about.
Fashion Forecasters must:
– Distinguish current trends
– Estimate how widespread they are
– Determine when these fashions will appeal
to the firm’s target market
 Fashion Trend Forecasting

Forecasting

Identifying Trends
Determining if the trend is moving towards or
away from maximum fashion acceptance has a
profound effect on the number of units
produced and stocked by manufacturers and
retailers
Interpreting Influential Factors
Sources of Data
Timing
 Fashion Design

Sources of Inspiration

Street Fashion Internet

Niche Market Films/ Television
Printed Sources Lifestyle
Newspapers Home Furnishing trends
Magazines
Catalogs
Fashion Publications
Color Standards
Historical publications
Scrap book
Sketchbook
 Fashion Design

Creating styles

Re-fabrication
Constraints of the category:
Target market
Price
Product line
 Fashion Design

Knowledge of Customer

Who is the customer?

Where does the customer live?
What does the customer do?
What clothes the customer wears and
at what times?
Why buy a garment?
 Fashion Design

Importance of Price

Price:
Quality of fabric
Garment’s construction
Garment should give good value for price
A designer usually works backward from
price point.
Retail Price->Commission-> Manufacturing Price
->Overheads-> Actual price of garment
 Fashion Design

Importance of Aesthetics

Garment should be attractive to the

specific customer
Hanger Appeal
The elements and the principles are
the dominant factors here.
 Fashion Design

Importance of timing

Requirements change on the basis of

seasons.
Also the life cycle of the particular
fashion trend is an important
consideration.
 Fashion Design

Importance of Fit

The garment should flatter the

wearer’s figure.
Should be pleasingly proportional
Sizing is an important consideration
 Sourcing

1. Once the designers have chosen the trends

that they would like to utilize, someone must
find the materials.
2. Sourcing materials such as fabrics, threads,
buttons, zippers, trims, or other notions is
usually the job of the production or design
assistant.
3. This may seem like an easy task, but take into
consideration that this means working within a
budget while meeting the desires of the target
market.
 Drafting

1. Pattern drafting used to be a task done entirely

by hand, but is now often completed using
computer-aided drafting and design (CADD)
technology.
2. This is a very technical process .When the
pattern is finished, a prototype made of
inexpensive fabric is constructed.
3. The person who does this is called a sample
sewer and is vital to detecting design flaws and
solving construction issues.
4. Once the pattern is perfected, the production
can begin.
 Drafting

Sampling

 
The process of making the working
model from the 2 D sketch.
Types:
– Prototype: First sample
– Size set: 1 sample in each size
– PP sample: Pre production sample
                                                       
– Shipment sample: sent just before the
dispatch of the shipment.
Ok: Approved
Sketch

OK Prototype Not OK

Size set Rectifications

OK
Rectified
Prototype
Preproduction sample

OK

Production starts Shipment sample OK

Shipment
dispatches
 Apparel Production

1. Production of a garment can be approached in

many ways depending on the market that it is
intended for.
2. Jeans that are sold nationwide in department
stores would likely be produced in a factory,
whereas in-house tailors would create a couture
jacket.