We wear clothes all day and every day, but most people don’t think about how their garments make their way from the fashion designer’s imagination to the store. Sure, we know that designers come up with the concepts, and that stores sell the clothing, but what happens in between? As you’ll see, the fashion design process has many steps and countless professionals involved along the way. It really makes one appreciate the work that goes into what we wear – and how large the fashion industry is.1. Research. Before any design can begin, the fashion designer has to do some research. First of all, who is the target market? Is it men or women? What age group? How much money do they make? What are their interests? The second type of research needed is trend forecasting. Since it can take up to two years before a garment makes it to retail, designers have to know what will be popular in the future in terms of styles, trends, and colors. Fortunately, there are companies who specialize in market research and trend forecasting, so apparel companies can subscribe to the information without actually doing all the legwork.2. Design. After digesting all the research, the fashion designer begins creating. He or she will hand sketch the designs using the industry standard Nine Heads drawing technique, or sketch them with a computer program. In the margins, the designer will write specs, e.g., the color, fabric, texture and other details. The fashion sketch is called a “croquis.”3. Sourcing materials. Once the sketch is completed, the materials need to be found. Either the designer or a design assistant looks for fabric, buttons, trim, zippers, anything that is necessary to complete the garment. It sounds like a fun shopping trip, but keep in mind that the person sourcing has to stay within a budget.4. Pattern making. Next, the pattern maker takes the fashion designer’s sketch and creates a workable pattern from which the actual garment can be sewn. The pattern maker also develops the marker, a layout for how the pattern goes onto the fabric. All the pieces of the garment, in every size, are configured on the marker so there is minimal fabric wasted.5. Production. When the pattern is created, apparel manufacturing can begin. This step involves many areas including costing, production planning, global dynamics, and quality control. At this stage the company must decide whether to manufacture locally, or even within the United States, or overseas, where labor is cheaper. With so many components and production channels involved, the manufacturing aspect of fashion design is an industry within itself.6. Buying. Unless apparel companies have their own stores, they will present their merchandise at trade events to fashion buyers. Buyers then choose the pieces they feel will sell at their stores at the best price. Just as the fashion designer must forecast the styles that will appeal to consumers in the future, so must the buyer.7. Marketing. Behind the scenes, the fashion marketing machine is in full motion so that when the clothes are manufactured and hit the stores, shoppers will want to snap them up off the racks. Marketers need to understand consumer attitudes and behavior and develop a keen sense of the emotional triggers that will persuade them to make purchase decisions.8. Merchandising and retail. Once the clothes hit retail, it’s the job of the fashion merchandiser to create a visually appealing merchandise display to lure consumers into the store to buy, buy, buy. Mannequins, props, and sometimes very unexpected elements all work together to stop customers in their tracks. But merchandising is only part of the equation at retail. Savvy fashion design companies educate retailers on their merchandise so the sales staff can be knowledgeable about the product line and more effectively sell one-on-one with customers. Marketing and merchandising hooks them in; the retail staff closes the deal.Although the preceding was a very basic rundown of the production of a garment, it’s clear that the fashion design industry is huge, with many layers and players. It bodes well for those interested in a fashion career, as there are myriad job positions besides the fashion designer. Therefore, whatever interests or skills one might have, there’s probably a career in fashion for them.
Kitchens and Baths Receiving More Attention in New Home Design
At the height of the housing downturn the most impacted areas in new home design were also once the most lucrative: kitchens and baths. For several years new home owners passed on popular and expensive add-ons to their kitchens and bathrooms such as water filtration systems, large pantry areas and natural wood cabinets. However, a recently published A.I.A Home Design Trends Survey indicates these functions and more might see a comeback.Renovation and remodeling contractors want to make the most of a renewed interest in these once popular amenities. Homeowners who passed on the functions to save money during construction are now more interested in having it installed after the fact. Meanwhile, some architects report an upward trend in the kitchen space requested by customers during the design of their new homes. What might it mean for renovation and remodeling contractors? More business.The area that received the most attention was the kitchen. 22 percent of respondents in the A.I.A report said the size of the kitchen is increasing in new home design and construction. The rediscovered focus on size opens up the possibility of remodeling and addition work that can be done in this popular and lucrative sector. The dominant feature requested for new kitchens are renewable materials. Almost half of the surveyed architects said that materials such as bamboo, cork and concrete are becoming increasingly popular.Bathrooms are a different story. The report suggests their size and quantity is remaining stable but with an added emphasis on accessibility of design. The trend towards more accessible, safer bathrooms has long been anticipated by contractors as current generations choose to stay in their homes into old age. Doorless showers and handheld shower heads are a popular addition to customer bathrooms.Contractors are already beginning to mount advertising campaigns aimed at these unique customers. It remains to be seen if homes constructed in the residential downturn will become the latest, hottest market.Overall, the report indicates a trend of stabilization in the design of kitchens and bathrooms with notable upticks in certain areas. Savvy renovation and remodeling contractors are cashing in on the number of households that renounced popular features during the downturn. Meanwhile, others expect more remodeling and addition options as the size of kitchen and bath design continues to increase in new home construction.Check out the AIA’s full fourth quarter of 2010 Home Design Trends Survey Report.
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Hiring a Home Designer
It is finally the time you have been looking forward to. You have given it quite a bit of thought and planning, made all the sketches and gathered photos and are now are ready to build your new home. The problem is that most builders will not work from sketches and photos. And to aggravate the matter, not only does your local building inspector require specific technical working drawings, but so does the subdivision planning review board.The solution is to hire a home designer. These professionals are trained to take your ideas and hopes and put them to a working drawing. Not only drawing the plan, but also helping you to put the right design elements into your home to give it a beauty and charm that reflects your personality and taste. A home designer, also known as an architectural designer, is trained with the skills needed to make sure your home meets codes and is functional.Once you have found a designer, there are several things you will want to discuss with him or her. The first is your budget. An experienced designer will know how to keep you within your spending limits. I personally have met with clients that had elaborate kitchen designs which went well beyond the expected amount of money allowed for its construction. The solution was that we found a cabinet builder who made the same type of cabinets the clients were wanting at a fraction of the cost that the national brand asked for theirs.Another thing would be your sketches of the proposed layout of the home. Some people do not realize that the single line drawings they made of their plan will loose four inches or better when the wall thicknesses are properly drawn. Space, among many other things is sometimes misunderstood or improperly account for.For instance, you may be expecting a ten foot by ten foot room but after the wall thickness is added, the room ends up something like nine feet four inches by nine feet eight inches. The designer will posses the skill to gain this lost area back to the planned size but rest assured, it will be at the cost of some other room or area of the home. Make sure to spend time discussing the layout so that you are happy with the finished product and its dimensions.There are many other things that will be involved in the final design of your home that I am sure your designer will mention. Always try to be available to your designer should they have questions as this will make things flow more smoothly to a finished product.
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