What I Love

My journey as a designer started long ago, when I was a kid actually.  It starts out like probably a lot of designer's stories start out.  I loved fashion, loved paper dolls, loved dressing up, loved crafting my own creations.  As I got a bit older, it included designing my own clothing, or altering clothing I bought to make it meet my creative expression.

It was when I saw Romeo Gigli  in the pages of Vogue in 1986 that I was inspired to turn my passion for fashion into a career.

And so, here I sit almost 30 years later, and I still love fashion.  I've been fortunate to earn a living in design and development for 25 years now.  I've learned a lot along the way...  A lot about fashion as a business, a lot about design as a commercial enterprise vs design for art's sake, and a lot about myself.

I've worked very hard in my career.  Fashion is not a leave at 5pm job, it's very consuming - lots of folks get into this business and get back out again pretty quickly.  It's not for the faint of heart.  I've also been very fortunate in my career.  I've been able to work in a number of apparel categories and do design for women, men and children.  I've made dresses, sportswear, suits, shirts, knitwear, sleepwear, swimwear, athletic and technical apparel....I've made cut and sew and seamless products.  I've worked for both large and small companies, from established to start-ups.  I've worked with retailers and price points ranging from Wal-Mart to Dillards to JC Penney to Nordstrom to Victoria's Secret to Neiman Marcus to high end specialty boutiques.  I've worked on branded and private label lines as well as licensed apparel from Tommy Hilfiger to Hang Ten.  I've run production domestically and overseas.  I've also taught fashion at Emily Griffith Technical College and mentored emerging designers through my volunteer work at the Denver Design Incubator.

I was asked recently what my favorite thing about this business is....it's that I've never been bored in my career.  Not for a minute.  I've been happy, sad, crazy, pulling my hair out, excited, angry, frustrated - you name it, but never bored.

You know what else I've found that I love?  It's the design process.  OK, yes, sketching is fun, shopping for fabric is fun - but what I find really fun: getting inside the customer's head, figuring out what kind of product they want, and bringing it to life.  In the past several years, I've gotten more into technical products, and it's really exciting.  I can create a pretty dress in my sleep - but to create something that's technically going to serve a purpose in terms of apparel - that's something I can sink my teeth into!  Yes, you still sketch, and you still shop for the fabric - but it's not just pretty fabric - you're researching performance and finishes to fulfill a need.  

(then)

(now)

We lost a lot of something when the apparel business went overseas in the early 90's.  Our production patternmakers, who really understood fit and how to make clothes fit properly have finally retired.  We left the fit of a garment up to the overseas factories - and we lost a generation of folks here who really understood fit and construction.  It's fine to make a pretty garment, but if it doesn't fit properly, you might as well use it to wash the car.  With a return of interest in American made, we have younger designers starting to realize how critical patterns are, how critical grading and proper construction are.  Making patterns is a science and an art - so is grading.  Testing, which used to simply be part of the design process (fit testing, wear testing, care testing) has become an afterthought to many.  

But to me - that's what the fun part is - the process.  I guess you could call it the craft of the business. Not just drawing pretty pictures, but actually creating product that has purpose, works as it's intended, is priced correctly, fits and wears great, and lasts.  And the "devil is in the details" as it were....from the initial design, which should consider functionality, form and pricing to the development phase, which includes sourcing, patterns, fit, grading, testing, etc to the final product - ready to work for the consumer.  It takes a lot of attention to detail to get all that right, and it takes managing the process well to get it all right and on time.  To some designers - that might sound tedious.  Some designers - they love the fashion shows or the creative sewing to see what they come up with - but to me, it's the design process itself that holds my attention.  

My 2 cents about What I Love....

Salu,

Holli

#adventure #blessing

Yep, this picture pretty much describes how I feel - jumbled and non-sensical.  

After a 2 1/2 year travel hiatus, we finally pulled the plug, threw caution to the wind, a dart at the map, scheduled planes, trains, automobiles, busses and a ferry and bugged out with six days notice to visit halfway around the globe.

Totally crazy, yes.  Best thing we could have done, oh yea.

The last trip was supposed to be idyllic.  Planned and saved for, for years.  It was a bust - left me sadder than I knew was possible.  I've spent the past couple of years in recovery I guess you could say.  If I'm going to venture out again, it has to be different - unplanned, unexpected, an adventure.  The last piece in the puzzle of finding myself again, ourselves again.  Do, don't talk.  Be, don't analyze.  Float, don't think.  Soak it in.  See what happens.  No real expectations, except maybe to heal, become whole again.  And so begins the adventure.....

Denver to San Fran, San Fran to an 18 hour layover in Tokyo (exhaustion and sushi is a wonderful thing).

Tokyo to Manila, experience the Manila airport,

then on to Cebu and a 2 hour van ride to Moalboal.  And finally, sleep.

It takes a bit to get my footing, and it's not just the long hours of travel.  I've forgotten how to breathe.  I've forgotten how to sit and just be.  I've been reading "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp.  She says, "In the end, it's the numbness that kills you."  I am guilty of choosing the numbness.  It takes effort to open up, to the possibility of joy, and with the knowledge that it also brings the possibility of pain again.

This though, is what always brings healing to me....the blue sea....laman blou....it makes me feel small.  And really, don't most of our problems threaten to overcome when we feel too big - too in control - too focused on what we think we deserve?

 I did remember how to be.  I did remember how to breathe.  I even remembered how to smile, genuinely.  It's still all coming back to me slowly.  

The Philippines is an amazing place.  It was just what I needed when I needed it.  Voskamp talks about the "ugly-beautiful" and that all of it is a blessing.  I didn't really understand, but I think I'm starting to.  

I'm glad to be home.  I'm glad that we went.  Beautiful country - lots of poverty.  Happy, amazing people - so open and sharing with others.  Beautiful reefs - that are overfished and damaged from abuse - and still amazing.  From whale sharks to pygmy seahorses.  It was a catharsis trip and we embraced it all - and saw the calm in the midst of chaos, the beauty in the middle of the ugly - and the ugly in the middle of the beautiful - all jumbled together.  

Your experience of it is determined by your focus.  Just like life.

#adventure

#blessed

#thankful

So You Think You Want to be a Designer - What's Your Niche?

I teach the Business of Fashion at Emily Griffith Technical College.  Being a technical college, we have lots of folks coming through that are truly interested in being entrepreneurs.  One of the things we take time looking at in my class is - "What is your Niche?"

One of the big problems some designers have is narrowing that down.  "I want to design for all women!" is a common refrain.  Unless you have unlimited money and resources, it's simply not a reality to start a business targeting everyone.  (It's also highly unrealistic even if you are one of those rare people with unlimited resources.)  Even Wal-Mart has a niche - it's in their mission statement - "To give ordinary folks the chance to buy the same things as rich people."

So what, specifically is a niche?  According to About.com: "A niche market is a focused, targetable portion of a market."  See - TARGETABLE is the key.  Without a niche, you can't target to find your customer (and they can't find you).

As I'm always telling my class - it doesn't mean you have to turn away business that doesn't come from your niche!  You do custom alternative culture wedding dresses - someone comes to you to do a very traditional dress - not your niche, but you don't have to say no.  But without the focus of a niche, your marketing message gets lost in the myriad of noise out there and your best potential customers won't be able to find you as easily.

Another way to refine your niche, and your marketing messaging is to research your competition.  I always get the students who say, "I'm so original I don't have any competition!"  They're wrong.  There is competition, you just haven't found them yet.  No, they probably aren't selling exactly the same thing you will design, but they are selling to your target market, at your price point, in your apparel category.  Find them, research them, figure out how you are different than them.  Analyze what they have going for them that you don't - how will you combat that challenge?

This is a very hard business.  Make your start easier by doing your homework.  Research your niche, your customer and your competition.  Even Ralph Lauren started out with a niche line of men's ties!

What is a Tech Pack? You Ask.......And Why Do I Need One?

I've been getting this question a lot lately from newbie designers.  So here's the short of it.....

A Tech Pack is simply a collection of documents (combined into one - an Excel file very typically) that contain all of the specifications and details necessary to produce a particular style.

And yes, you most likely do need one if you're going to produce a style.

AND - here's the long of it..... (the devil's always in the details in this biz, right?)

Do you need a tech pack to produce a first sample of a style?  Maybe.

If you're working with a local patternmaker and/or sample maker - you don't need a tech pack to communicate to them what that style should look like.  You can do that with your drawing of the style, written notes, verbal communication.  What if the patternmaker/sample maker is in another city?  You probably still don't as long as you have good and easy communication directly with them.

What is you're using an overseas factory to produce your first sample?  Yes - you need a tech pack.  You are not communicating directly with the patternmaker or the sewer - you're dealing with your factory liason.  They probably don't know how to sew or make patterns, so you need a tech pack to convey all of the required information so that your sample arrives looking like you expect it to.

NOW - do you need a tech pack to order production from a factory?  Almost certainly.

A tech pack for production is going to be longer, and have more information in it than a tech pack for a sample.  It will contain the specification measurements for each size being produced, the details for all the colorways being produced, etc.

Here's the exception - you may have a local factory that you work with that does not need a tech pack.  They DO need a complete and accurate Sew Guide as well as a Specifications Measurement sheet and colorway information.  In this case, you've essentially filled out two pages of the Tech Pack (Spec Sheet and Colorways) and the rest of the data required is provided in the form of the Sew Guide.

Is there one specific form that everyone uses for a tech pack?  No.  There are lots of similarities, of course, since the type of information required is similar in most instances - but there are about as many different specific forms as there are companies that produce them.

So let's talk about how you might want to set up your own form.....

If we're using Excel, we're going to have multiple tabs - one for each section.  (You may have all or just some of these sections depending on your style)

• Tech Sketch & Measurements
• Measurement Specifications
• BOM (Bill of Materials) & Costing
• Fabric & Colorway Guide
• Fabric & Knit Structure Guide
• Trim Guide
• Seam & Stitching Guide
• Comments Log

Now let's break it down.....

Tech Sketch & Measurements

Here's an example from a design I did recently for a private label client.  You've got a technical flat sketch front and back.  You've got specific garment measurements that the factory is supposed to achieve.  For measurements that could be confusing - you've got detailed out drawings of how to take those measurements.  You also see lots of blanks - When you get the sample back - you measure it to see how the factory did - did they hit your required measurements?  When you get fit samples before production - are those measuring as they are supposed to?

Measurement Specifications
This is your Spec Sheet that you would provide to your factory even if you don't give them a whole tech pack.  It gives key measurements for each size being produced - CB Length, Chest Width, Elastic Waist Finish Circumference, etc.

BOM & Costing
This is just your costing sheet and bill of materials.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Fabric & Colorway Guide

Here's an example from another style on a fabric & colorway guide - In this case the factory is responsible for sourcing the fabric from the fabric supplier - so they have all the information they need to procure the correct fabric.  Since this pant comes in two colors - it also shows them in both a black and white map and a color representation - they can see that the floral is on the waistband, not the body of the pant and that the pink pant comes with a pink waistband and the blue pant comes with the blue waistband, not the other way around.

Fabric & Knit Structure Guide

This is really just a Fabric Guide for doing seamless garments.  Requires more information because in addition to designing the style, you're also designing the fabric at the same time.

Trim Guide
Just like your fabric guide, but focused on the trim - sourcing, placement, colors, etc.

Seam & Stitching Guide
You may or may not need this.  If you're working in a more sophisticated country like the US or China, you probably don't.  If you're working in a less sophisticated country or factory - you might.  If you have highly technical clothing - you may want to specify the ISO stitch number and required stitches per inch.

Comments Log
Exactly what you think it would be.  Every time you get a sample - here's where you log your comments on it.  It's your paper trail of development of the style, from first sample to production approval.

So - there it is in a nutshell.  Complicated?  Not really.  Very detailed?  Exactly.  Very time consuming to develop?  You bet.  The better your tech pack is, the smoother your development and production will go.

Fall Sorrows

Yes, the leaves are turning - all shades of brilliant yellow and orange and red, fading to brown, fading to dead.  Fall brings heavy sorrows, funerals, waiting for funerals, and reminders of oh so many, too many funerals, standing at gravesites for the past two years.  And I am tired.  Oh, so tired.  Too many funerals, too many gravesites, too much loss.

And yet, I look up, and there are stars.  Too many to count.  Is this the blessing in the midst of all?  The grace only seen in the shadow of tragedy?  I don't know.  I just feel sad.  I just feel loss.  Yet, is there the shine of grace upon it all?  The grace shows only when you look for it.  The grace of my mother calling me to say good bye - without either one of us knowing it..... the grace of a body imprisoned being set free....the grace of....sometimes I don't know.

I am trying to be thankful - thankful before the miracle, thankful precedes the miracle, thankful in the everyday, thankful in the blessing of the small grace. But tonight it eludes me, and the loss and the pain eclipse the thankful.  Yet, I do understand - thanks precedes all - I want to feel it, but in the absence of that, I will DO it.  Thank you God, for life, for friends, for mothers, for aunts, for uncles, for godfathers, for friends.  I will miss them all.  But thank you for having a time with them, thank you for sharing them with me, thank you for allowing them into my life - for they and their influence will never leave me and leave me a fuller existence for having had them in my life.  I do entrust them into your loving care and thank you that I will be with them again one day - a day of rejoicing and reunion in glory.

I still cry - but thank you.

Spring Cleaning

Spring has sprung for certain here in the mountains.  The hummingbirds are emptying a feeder a day, the bunnies are growing like weeds

the deer have their soft fuzzy antlers, the horses have finally shed out.

It's time for spring cleaning!  The paddock is half done - one more weekend with a tractor should finish the job.  the fire mitigation work has begun and will continue for the rest of the month before we hit the hot summer fire danger season.  Spring cleaning is going on inside as well.  

The past year has been challenging, and I really see this spring as a time to clean out all that needs to be removed - beyond the normal spring cleanup.  It's a time to shift gears, re-evaluate priorities, remove what is not working.  Declutter and simplify.

As part of that - we're having a Spring Cleaning Sale - on all our merchandise.  Just shop on our website - enter the coupon code SPRINGCLEAN for 75% off at checkout.  We'll be adding new styles also.  Looking for even more savings?  We've got lots of samples we're selling off - styles starting at $5.  We're setting up a sample sale soon - but don't want to wait?  Contact us and you can come shop at our offices in Denver by appointment.  Spring, summer and fall merchandise - sizes 6 months to size 14 tween.  Mostly girl apparel, but we do have some super cute things for boys in the 6 month to 7 range.

Enjoy your summer - declutter your life - hug your kids - kiss your husband - send up a prayer of thanks.  

Salu,

Holli

The Bunny Escapades!

Spring has sprung and spring cleanup around the ranch brought a few surprises!

The tractor dug up some bunnies.  I'm sorry to say that the nest was destroyed, but 3 managed to hop quickly to safety.  We went back and started digging by hand and managed to dig up another one.  The kids were super excited.  With the nest wrecked, mama won't come back and with a hail storm looming, they quickly found a home in my laundry basket in the sunroom.  Princess and I made a mad dash to the store to pick up a bottle and bunny milk.  On the way, we decided to name the furry little ones.....let's see.....what do you name 4 bunnies?  Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter of course! Then the phone rang, "managed to find another one!"  Rejoicing, then the realization that our naming scheme had been compromised.  #5 became Oswald.

They've become my constant companions for the next few weeks.  Even though mama bunny only feeds them twice a day, we know they don't nurse from the bottle as well as they would mama so we've got four feedings a day going to keep their strength up.  Seems to be working because they're already becoming much more active.  Hand rearing wild babies is always a risky business, I keep reminding the kids (myself too I suppose).  But we're dedicated to doing our best and enjoying them while we can.  5 more weeks and we'll help them find their bunny friends and their own nest outdoors.

bottle feeding a bunny is no easy task!

sleepy bunnies...sweet dreams

bunny pile!