In the blog post “DEVELOPING YOUR CLOTHING LINE - Material Sourcing” I spoke about sourcing fabrics & trims and the difference between ordering custom and in-stock materials. Choosing your fabrics is one of the first and most important steps of product development, so now it is time to dig a little deeper into how to select your fabrics.
Like I mentioned in other blog posts, the steps to developing a clothing line are choosing your inspiration, creating a mood board, sketching styles, and then fabric sourcing. Obviously, after this, we go into more technical things, like tech sketches, pattern making, bla bla bla, but focusing on fabric sourcing right now, your inspiration, your mood board, and your sketches should give you a direction when it comes to choosing your fabrics. As I always say, it is not rocket science! If you are developing a collection of sportswear, do you want to use German velvet on the leggings? Because that would be an amazing idea for a very tight, non-stretch, warm, and heavy kind of legging… lol, but for real.
Some designers start their collections knowing what fabrics to use, so this might seem a silly topic, but it is actually an important step and a lot of people who are new to the fashion industry do not know how to select their materials. Even though this should not be a hard step, it can be a little complicated when you are trying to avoid custom fabrics, stay within your budget and make sure you are choosing fabrics that fit your designs and style. So the first question to ask yourself is: what kind of fit/function do I want/need in my garments?
Going for a flowy and light fit (like in maxi dresses, overalls, or maxi skirts) you definitely want to stay away from heavy and warm materials (like velvet and wool). Going for more of a technical design, like rain jackets, ski or surfing gear, you need to focus on the ergonomic side of the fabrics (does it breathe well? Does it stretch? Is it resistant? Does it hold the body temperature?). Obviously choosing the fabrics will not depend only on how the fabric sits on the body, but also on the composition.
Yes, a lot of people want to focus on natural materials, especially when dealing with silks, linens, and wool, but working with those materials can be tricky. Not only because it is more expensive, but also because, more technically, natural fibers tend to not breathe as well as polyester ones - this is one of the reasons why 100% cotton t-shirts feel good, but they are heavier and if you sweat, the shirt absorbs the sweat and you look completely wet, while a blend between cotton and polyester t-shirt would breath a better, not absorb the sweat in the same way and probably get you through the day a little easier (and dryer, lol) than the 100% cotton shirt.
Some natural materials are unique and cannot be copied, like cashmere. So if you going for this type of fiber, you have to make sure your styles are coherent to what this fabric does (like using cashmere on a bikini can be very innovative, but not sure how cashmere would feel wet, on the beach, under the sun, touching your skin mixed with sand, you know…). Linen is another fabric that people love and, honestly, it does look amazing in overalls, long dresses, trousers, and blazers, but do not forget that linen is itchy, it Hinkle a lot, shrinks, and works in the same way as cotton (absorbs sweat). So if you decide to move forward with linen, you have to make sure you have a lining on your budget because it depending on the garment you will need a lining, and be cool with the Hinkle, some designers are very restricted when it comes to easy designs that you can wash and wear instead of ironing and dry cleaning.
Ok ok, this is a lot of information and a very technical side of the fashion industry which most newbies do not know or just never really thought about. Again, choosing materials should not be the hardest part of line development, but it has to be done right. Mood board and sketches will point in the right direction and the first step of choosing materials. Then creating the first samples, testing the garments, looking back at your budget, and seeing the available options on the market will also direct you to what kind of fabrics (and fabric content) you should go for.
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