A Day in the Life of a Designer
The other day was a day of me finding myself in just about all aspects of my work. And when
I say work, I do mean WORK.
The day started with me working on my clothing line - JEAJA. I had done two holiday pop-ups the previous weekend (two pop-ups in the same weekend after years of none - what was I thinking?!) and now it was time to put everything I took back in the studio.
This meant driving my car as close to my door as possible and unloading racks, a mirror, a mannequin, shelves, 8 garment bags of clothes - half being wool coats - display boxes of children's clothes (Lil’ JEAJA), a box of signage and...a bulky dressing room divider.
Lotsa lugging. By the 5th trip up the stairs I’m muttering, “never again...never again.”
The trouble with a lot of entrepreneurs is that they got there by sheer stubborn determination. “I’m going to create a business on my own.” Many of us, at times like this, lament the “on my own” part. Not that this can’t be remedied, but there is a mindset that I battle, that I can do it all on my own. I’m fine, I got this, and... I am .....but the overall picture points to the obvious fact that you can get more done working with others and you're about 58% less likely to be muttering “never again...never again”.
When the gym hour of lugging was over I sat and thought about what I learned at this pop-up:
1. Wooden hangers are nice, but the clothing falls off of them and they are bulky and heavy to travel with..
2. Light weight fold up shelving instead of metal assemble torture devices. duh.
3. The dressing room divider never got used. Skip it next time.
4. Signage works. Consistent low key signage and photos of someone modeling my garments can do close to the same work as a mannequin.
5. Bring less. This is the one that confounds me. I try not to make my racks look like Ross Chaos. Someone told me this weekend, “The rule is 80% is ignored, 20% is considered...something like that”. It’s difficult to decide what to bring when you have men’s, women’s and tot’s clothing and a 10’ by 10’ space. I think cohesiveness and to maybe not treat the space like a storage unit. ...Yeah, I am still learning.
Moving along with the day…
Etsy sales. My Etsy sales pretty much match the energy I put into the site. I packed up two sales and got them on their way. It's always a great feeling knowing that someone across the country or across the world (Australia!) found your work and chose it and is going to be wearing it.
My client, Tim came by and dropped off 10 new coats that need labels and buttons for his line, GLOR. These new coats are made from Argentinian blankets and they are gorgeous. The blanket fabric creates a heavy warmth. I wonder about the person who will purchase these beauties. This wool is more dense and yet softer than the Moroccan blanket coats he has been known for. The colors are even more brilliant. My designer mind wonders about the calculated risk: weight vs. beauty. My entrepreneur mind says I can see this. No one else is doing this, I am going to give it a shot.
Another client calls. She is in the area and would like to meet instead of doing a phone call. I have never met this client in person. It will be great to finally meet her.
J. came by with her husband and she brought the robe fit sample that we have been working on.
J: I don’t want the robe to gap open at the bottom.
Me: Can you try that on for me?
J. begins to slip it on over her hoody.
Me: Take the hoodie off J. I don’t think anyone will be wearing this over a hoodie.
I can now see the issue. The side seams are pulling towards the back. J had sent me a robe to reference that she purchased online which she said fit her perfectly. It was made in a lightweight jersey fabric. She didn’t yet know what fabric she would be using for her sample, but eventually decided on a heavy, plush terry. While it is sumptuous and cozy this fabric caused the robe to fit much differently than the lightweight jersey. The garment needed to be sized up to allow for the width of the fabric being used. I draw a diagram of the robe with exact measurements to be added or subtracted.
I always say, sourcing fabric is 50% of the work. Ideally, a designer would start with the fabric. Know where it's coming from, how much is available in what amounts and how long it will take and cost to get to the sew house. But most minds don’t work that way so we start with the look, the fit and then make the necessary revisions along the way. Designing is always a process. Often a trial and error process. Along the way, discoveries are made and different directions are explored.
The day is winding down. I settle in front of my computer screen and pull up J’s digital pattern and make revisions. I print it out to make a new sample. After that, I move on to another client’s pattern. All of their pieces are finished except for the grading. They have decided on 6 sizes: XS to XXL. Their base size is a size XS and the grade will go up 2”-2”-3”-3”-4” Confused? You aren’t the only one!
Stay tuned for the next article on grading. Sizing in America- a psychological thriller.
