To create original designs that STAND OUT in this training you will explore the elements that need to happen BEFORE you start to design!

PRO TIPS TO PRODUCE YOUR MOST ORIGINAL DESIGNS

Fashion design is an art form that requires creativity, knowledge, and skill.  As a designer you must understand the needs of your CUSTOMERS and create designs that meet those needs.  You must also be able to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and create garments that are both fashionable and timeless. 

Additionally you want to be open to using various TECHNIQUES to create unique designs and ideas for the most unique designs are conceptualised much earlier than the actual design process.   There is a lot of RESEARCH and TESTING to develop something truly unique and in this lesson I will help you develop your own unique process to do that.

THE LAUNCHPAD TO YOUR MOST STANDOUT COLLECTION

The first step in developing a STANDOUT fashion collection is to start by carrying out some RESEARCH and decide on a CONCEPT. This concept should be based on the current trends in the fashion industry and also what you and your target audience find exciting.

Once you have decided what your concept will be immerse yourself in it and start to BRAINSTORM ideas. This could include sketches, fabric swatches, and other visual elements to inspire new original ideas. 

Developing a concept for fashion design is more complex than you might think .   It requires creativity and knowledge of the fashion industry and in this lesson I break down different elements that will help you do this.

WATCH TRAINING 1 VIDEO BELOW ⬇

In the PRE-DESIGN phase RESEARCH is vital to identify the concept & direction for your collection and get your creative juices flowing.   

PRIMARY & SECONDARY DESIGN RESEARCH

As mentioned, you start your pre-design process by carrying out some research to help identify a concept and to fill your brain with lots of ideas to inspire new ORIGINAL DESIGNS.  

It is a vital part of the process and in the training video I talk about the difference between primary research and secondary research. 

WATCH TRAINING 2 VIDEO BELOW ⬇

In the PRE-DESIGN phase a MOODBOARD is really helpful to help focus & visualise your concept  and get your creative juices flowing.   

 CREATING AN INSPIRATIONAL MOODBOARD

Creating a mood board is an essential part of fashion design. It is a way to visually express the concept of a collection and is used to inspire the creative process and your most STANDOUT designs

It is often used to communicate the concept of your collection to your team but it's main focus is to get your creative juices flowing and help you stay focused on the overall DESIGN CONCEPT.

When creating a mood board, it is important to consider the overall concept feeling or EMOTION you want to convey.     What colors, textures, and silhouettes will help you achieve this?

CREATING AN ON-LINE RESEARCH BOARD

One very easy quick place to start is on-line on places like Pinterest so in this video I created a hypothetical collection concept and walk you through how I created two sub-boards to explore two different THEMES within the overall concept. 

A mood board helps to visually express the concept of your collection.    Here you are curating images that convey the concept and direction of your collection and get your creative juices flowing.

CREATING A PHYSICAL MOOD BOARD

I walk you through how I create my physical mood boards on a huge mount board.

MY (VERY OLD!) MOOD BOARD EXAMPLES

In this video I also show you some old mood boards that I created for my first few collections.   I think it was around 1999 and 2000.....    a long time ago!!     My boards were actually made with the back of an Ikea wardrobe... so I had plenty of space to be creative but you will be fine with an A2 mount board.

WATCH TRAINING 3 VIDEO BELOW ⬇

As a fashion designer, it is essential to understand how to select the best colours for your designs because your choice will affect the overall look of the garment.

DEVELOPING A BALANCED COLOUR PALETTE

Colour is the first thing your potential customer sees when they come across your designs and in this lesson, you will learn how powerful it is to convey the NARRATIVE and MOOD you want to convey and to create a colour palette that will excite your potential customer.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to select a unique COLOUR PALETTE that creates a cohesive look for your fashion collection and entices your potential customers to buy.

Firstly it is important to consider the overall look and feel of your collection.  Think about the colours that will appeal to your ideal customer and that best represent your brand.   Also consider the narrative you want to convey and how the fabric you are using will affect your choice of colour.   

When selecting colours, it helps to bear in mind the colour wheel and the different shades and tints to create an aesthetic balance with a really individual look.

WATCH TRAINING 4 VIDEO BELOW ⬇

As a fashion CEO, it is essential to understand how to select the best fabrics for your designs because your choice will affect not only the overall look and feel of the garment but also your price points, brand identity, market position and customer perception.

INTRODUCTION TO FABRIC SOURCING

What you first need to think about before  fabric sourcing so that you choose the most suitable fabrics for your design, budget, customer needs and narrative.

A successful fabric story will support the theme and narrative of your collection, align with your brand values and provide cohesion while addressing your customers needs and  lifestyle.

FABRIC EXPERIMENTATION

Now you are ready to start testing your fabrics.   Start draping some fabric on a mannequin to get a feel for how it falls and moves.

Draping your fabric on the mannequin can lead to many new discoveries that you would never achieve just from flat sketching alone.

If you don't have a mannequin you can drape on a friend if you can find someone willing to stand still while you experiment on them.....   Just remember not to pin the fabric to a human!!! 😱.

WATCH TRAINING 5 VIDEO BELOW ⬇

In this training I talk about how to develop your design ideas and the basics of illustrating your designs even if you can't draw!   I will also show you how to create a technical drawing for your manufacturer.

DEVELOPING YOUR DESIGN IDEAS

You will start to develop your design ideas through sketching and also 3D experimentation.  There are many ways to do this so I give you a few of my favourites and talk about how I like to combine 2 or 3 to create the most original designs.

It's really important to have fun and keep your mind open at this stage so that you are open to new original ideas.     

Be as free as you can because later you stared editing these to your actual marketable designs. 

WATCH TRAINING 6 VIDEO BELOW ⬇

 USING DESIGN TEMPLATES

You don't need a fashion degree or to be able to draw to communicate your designs.    There is a very easy quick process using templates and I walk you through how to do that in this video.

You will find several templates to help with your designs and also working drawings in your workbook that you can download.   You will find a link to your workbook at the top (yellow button)

WATCH TRAINING 7 VIDEO BELOW ⬇

WORKING DRAWINGS / TECHNICAL DRAWINGS 

To achieve a finished garment your manufacturer needs specific instruction and the way you do this is with a technical drawing, sometimes known as a working drawing.

This is a very simple flat sketch and it has to very accurately show the specific details such as stitching, details, hems etc.

This can also be drawn up by a freelance technical designer for a very reasonable cost.

You also show some measurements on your technical drawing however a more comprehensive list of measurements will be added to a separate specification (spec) sheet. 

TOOLS & RESOURCES

In our final lesson I briefly refer to editing your collection to achieve maximum results with minimum resources and I give you some suggestions for tools to invest in:

• Fashionary design templates
• A layout pad (45 to 50 gsm)
• Sketchbooks (approx 170 gsm)
• Mechanical pencil
• Rubber
• A fine line waterproof / smudgeproof fibre tip pen (0.5)
• light box
• Fashion Entrepreneur Academy's 3 X Fashion Launch Formula Modules 2, 5 & 6

n.b. other than Fashion Entrepreneur Academy, my coaching and consultancy programme,  I have no affiliation with any of these.   They are just a few options I found within the quality I personally like to give you an idea of what to look for but look around and find your own preferences.

WATCH TRAINING 8 VIDEO BELOW ⬇