How to Develop Your First Fashion Collection

You may have a lot of sketches and design inspiration piled up and is just getting started on designing your first fashion collection. Is there anything you need to know to help the process go more smoothly? Aside from the ideas and the vision, is there anything else you need to work on? Here are some key tips for designing a first collection that stands out from the crowd. 

Work on Your Colours

A collection will not work well as a set if the colour combinations of the different garments are not complimentary. A collection must be tied together in some way by the colours you use. You can stick to one shade, although it is more common for designers to use complimentary colours in the collection to provide depth and interest. Look at different colour schemes and work out which ones will tie together most effectively while helping advance your overall vision. There are tools you can use to help with colour planning, like colour forecasting services and the Pantone range of colours. You can also use paintings, images, or other visual aids to serve as the inspiration for a colour scheme.

Balance Function with Design

Clothing is different from a painting; it must be functional as well as consider design elements. An item of clothing that cannot be worn properly by your intended market is not going to sell, and will not bring good publicity to your brand. It is important to work on how each garment is going to be worn as you design it. Look at the silhouette and how the design will actually translate from sketch to real life.

Work Well With Patterns and Technical Specification

As you pull together all the design elements of the collection, consider how to produce professional patterns that will allow a factory to make them. A variety of clothing manufacturers uk experts will advise you on how to create a pattern that they will work with – different factories often have different technical requirements. It is important to create a pattern that works well, since any variation that is created in the design will translate to wear ability problems in real life. Digital patterns are easiest to create and the most convenient to send to manufacturers. You can also work with hand-drawn patterns if this is the method that is most helpful to you when you design. But check with the clothing manufacturer to see which they will accept. Different factories have different requirements for a designer to work with.