The Process of Creating Your Fashion Collection

Product development refers to the complete process of bringing a new fashion piece or product to the market. In the fashion industry, many companies have developed continuous practices and strategies to meet the demands of their customers and increase their market share. 

The product development process in the fashion industry usually involves several stages that designers employ to deliver their products and designs into the market. Some key components in the cycle include fashion design, manufacturing, marketing, and retailing. While details such as colours, materials, trims, and accessories contribute to apparel production development, it is more important to get the foundation right.

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Step 1: The creative brief

For many fashion designers, the easiest way to start their design process is to follow a brief that is set by either your company or clients. Solo designers who are unsure of setting a creative brief can also choose to attend a product design and development course to refresh their skills.

It is recommended for you to come up with specific aims and objectives before setting your brief. Some of these include the occasion and season you are designing for and your target consumer profile. By identifying these factors, you will be able to decide on the materials to use as well as costing.

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Step 2: Develop quality tech packs

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As apparel designers, a tech pack is the foundation of your product. They provide the manufacturers with information on how to put the pieces of your product together. A tech pack without sufficient information may cause confusion to the manufacturers, and result in a longer approval time and extra costs. To help your stakeholders streamline the product development process, your tech pack needs to include:

• Detailed CAD product sketches which should have multiple views and close-ups of any unique elements such as branding treatments and pockets. Don’t forget to include key measurements in these sketches.
• Reference images to show specific construction or design details. These reference images can be taken from your mood boards.

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• Specs, also known as detailed measurements for all Points of Measure (POM) that your product requires in the development process. Without these specs, the design can be left up for the manufacturer’s interpretation, which may not turn out to be what you had in mind. 
• Bill of materials (BOM) is a list of materials and trims that you would like to use in your product. It is best to include as many details and descriptions as possible to reduce the risk of errors.

Step 3: Prototyping

Prototyping is a multi-stage process which involves the design being thoroughly tested and workshopped. Prototyping usually happens before the final production stage, and is built based on the design specs. It is not ideal for you to rush or overlook this stage as prototyping is essential to ensure that the product looks, fits, and performs as it is supposed to.

With the advances in technology in the Fashion industry, prototyping can now be done virtually, hence minimising the physical constraints of a cross-border collaboration. It also reduces fabric and material waste involved in the prototyping stage, as you can fully visualise the product before production. 

If you are interested in prototyping and watching your designs come to life, then you can check out our Virtual Prototyping course.

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Step 4: Looking for a suitable manufacturer

The best way to ensure that you are getting the best quality materials and prices is to do your research and shop around for a manufacturer. It is not very easy for fashion designers to obtain estimated costs from manufacturers upfront, hence it is important to ask the right questions so that you can understand their workflow and manage your expectations. Some questions that you can ask are: 

• What are your product development fees and what do they include? 
• What are the types of products you specialise in producing, and are there any examples or samples that I can look at? 
• What is your Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) and how much would the cost be?  
• Can I at least have an estimated cost range if you are unable to give me an estimated cost?

Even though there are many variables that affect the product development process, a potentially reliable factory should be able to provide you with an estimated cost range after reviewing your tech pack or understanding your design. 

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Step 5: Stay organised

As there are many moving parts and vendors that you work with along the way, it is imperative that you stay on the top of everything. Staying organised throughout the process keeps your production on schedule, saves you lots of time, whilst ensuring that your quality product is one that aligns with your vision.

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Aside from offering a range of fashion design courses like the Apparel Design Diploma in Singapore, the Textile And Fashion Industry Training Centre also has professional product development courses to help students understand the basics of turning your designs into reality.