FASHION DESIGN PROCESS

FASHION DESIGN PROCESS

Dr. Gauri Goel

Fashion designers create dresses, suits, shoes, men's, women's, and children's apparel and other clothing and accessories purchased every year by consumers. Accessory designers help create and produce items such as handbags, belts, scarves, hats, hosiery, and eyewear, which add the finishing touches to an outfit.

Designers’s skills

·        strong sense of the esthetic and creativity

·        sense of balance and proportion

·        excellent communication

·        sketching ability

·        sewing and patternmaking skills

·        sales and presentation skills

Fashion design process: it includes five steps-

Research: The first step in creating a design is researching current fashion and forecasting the future trends in styles, fabrics and colors. This research can be done by a professional trend forecaster or agency or can also be undertaken by the designer themselves.

Design: With all the research findings on the table a designer will begin to visualize the garment. A designer has to incorporate the research data into a creative form. Some designers may draw sketches while others may use pieces of fabric on dummies to come up with a design that is to their satisfaction.

Designers visit manufacturers or trade shows to procure samples of fabrics and decide which fabrics to use with which designs.

Pattern: This step in the process requires the maximum accuracy and expertise. A pattern maker cuts the patterns for all the sections and pieces of the garment. The pattern maker must understand the design completely. How well patterns are cut out have a direct impact on the stitching and fitting of the garment. The pattern drafting process may be done by hand or using computer-aided design (CAD). Pattern can be made by drafting, flat pattern or draping method, whichever is easier for the designer.

Trial: Inexpensive materials are used to make a sample of the garment and tried on a model. Then based on the feedback of the model and the visual appeal, required adjustments are made and the final version is arrived at, complete with the fitting and the fabric and color to be used

Stitching: Once all the aspects are finalized the samples are stitched for marketing to retailers. The samples can be stitched by an in-house seamstress or by the contractor who is going to mass-produce the garment.