Blue is the New black. Susie Breuer
the chances of picking up ideas. Staying in an office and trying to invent a new season is almost impossible, because of the day-to-day distractions, phone calls and meetings, but at the same time the reality of walking for eight hours in and out of stores whilst suffering from jet-lag, trying to make notes on styling details without being removed by in-store security is a tough challenge. The result is that whilst the shopping trips are nice, they are hard work, tiring and frustrating, but nevertheless essential. Don’t forget the vintage shops for research. Charity shops and second hand stores are great for the small details on coats, bags and scarves. Many of the luxury labels shop at vintage stores for their inspiration.
STREET STYLE
People-watching and photographing what they are wearing is a great way of spotting new trends and styles. Spending time in a new city will open up a new world of local designers, local clubs, bars and cafes, all with creative people expressing themselves in what they are wearing and how they are wearing it. Small details, like a turn up on a pair of jeans, the neckline of a T-shirt or the length of a jacket can have an immediate impact on the newness of a garment. By using the internet to research the ‘cool’ areas of a city, and sitting in a cafe or bar, the designer obtains a huge amount of information, which can add excitement to the shapes, mood or colours of a concept.
Designers do as the forecasting companies do: they window-shop and people-watch. If they’re working on a limited budget and are unable to hit style hubs such as NYC, Tokyo, LA, Paris, London, Antwerp or Milan, they try something closer to home. Cities, such as those above, are hotbeds for new trends and styling. Getting away from your usual location will help you find different styles, shops and images.
TREND ANALYSIS
Trend forecasting these days is big business, with established companies all over the world working several years ahead on customer profiling, shopping habits, colour analysis and silhouette cycles, formulating analyses targeted for focused demographics, and presenting their results in websites, books, seminars and trade shows. There isn’t a designer or brand that doesn’t use some kind of trend service. They put in the hours of research for you, giving brands the edited highlights in a purely visual display. They work to an international market with editors all over the world who visit shops and exhibitions, follow street trends, look at graduate shows and fabric fairs. There is no possible way that one person could have this much information at their fingertips at any one time. The yearly subscription to the services is expensive, but for any brand it should be a necessary cost.
WORKSHOPS
If money is no object, customised reporting can be commissioned by individual brands, but at the same time many trend companies are represented at the fabric and industry trade fairs with presentations and workshops offered to all participants.
Workshops at the industry trade fairs are free introductions to the trend company’s services. They give examples of how they approach their research, and how it leads to useful and relevant information that can be bought. The workshops are usually split by market, so there are presentations on street fashion, and children’s, men’s and women’s wear.
WEBSITES
Some websites that are highly used in the fashion industry are www.mudpie.co.uk, www.wgsn.com and www.stylesight.com. These have developed in order to cover every element of trend analysis from fabrics to colours, interiors, denim, junior, shoes, hats and garments. For a substantial fee, shop reports can be obtained from major fashion hubs around the globe, giving colour indications for every denomination and age group, and shape analysis for every known product group.
A mid point between the above trend websites and doing the whole thing yourself are companies, such as Mode Information (www.modeinfo.com). Working across all markets and demographics, Mode Information produces trend books and reports each season, which can be used to guide a designer or buyer on colours, fabrics, yarns and also shapes.
DURING REVIEWS
The concept is the creative backbone of the collection, and as a result it is used as a reference at the key review stages. At the proto review, launch and production review stages it is essential to refer back to the concept to ensure that the vision of the designer remains evident. With changes happening all the time on colour, fabric and fit, the developer and the designer will always need to be aware of the concept, and will question the link of the product of the moment to the concept before proceeding.
For instance, if one of the fabrics in the concept was a silver leather, it would be important to have that leather in at least three of the garments in the collection, as well as being used as a colour on a printed T-shirt and, perhaps, an embroidery on a shirt. This way the silver aspect is carried through the range. If in the proto review the silver print is cancelled and the embroidery changed to a purple colour, then we immediately have a problem, as we have lost some links to the concept. If, when we get to the production stage, we find that the orders for the silver fabric are not high enough and the leather is cancelled, we have lost every aspect of the key colour that was in the concept. By referring back to the concept at each key stage we can question the changes, so ensuring the concept stays intact throughout development and production.
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TIPS Chapter 2: The Concept
Understanding how elements of a concept influence a range is very important for the developer. Watch how the designer works and ask questions to get a clear understanding.
Not every colour in the colourcard is used for a fabric, some are just used for trims, but they are still important to the range.
Having a personal interest in fashion and trends will help you with design and style references, which will be used throughout the creative process.
Don’t be afraid to offer up ideas for colour and fabric sourcing. Developing a range is a collaborative process.
Try to keep a copy of the concept with you throughout the development process so that you have a constant reference point and reminder.
Range Planning
From a developer’s perspective, the basis for any fashion collection is the range plan. It is a table of information listing the quantity and type of garment styles to be planned and designed for the collection of a specific season. The merchandise team and development team create it jointly, and its construction is guided by the previous season’s sales.
In smaller companies there may be only a single person making the range plan, but in larger companies the designer, the fashion buyer or financial people can have input too. Each person contributing to the range plan approaches it with a different objective. The merchandise team looks to the financial side, the developer to the technical aspects of the garments, and if there is a separate designer involved, he will look at the conceptual side of the plan.
WHAT DOES A RANGE PLAN LOOK LIKE?
In most companies, a range plan is a chart laid out in a grid with columns and rows. Often the range plan is created in MS Excel, but there is plenty of software designed especially for range planning. Pen and paper can be used as well, but you should be able to keep updating the document, so it is better to use an electronic format. There is a list of tips for relevant software in the back of this book. In some companies the range plan is also displayed on the wall of an office making it easier to physically move the sketches around the board as the fabric is selected for them until the final decisions have been made. Providing you have the physical space, this is a great way to visualize the range as it evolves and bring the Excel range plan to life. If you don’t have the space for a wall plan, a miniature version can