After 20+ years in the fashion industry I felt it my duty (oh, how noble of me) to take my knowledge and experience and pass it on to the crowd of makers, crafters, designers, and all round creatives who themselves had a vision of creating.

All too often I have seen companies who do not appreciate the complexity of a development process, the concept of planning, the need to identify a market, and most importantly, the need to treat their suppliers with common curtesy (being polite, gets you places, being a bitch doesn’t): things I believe are essential to the longevity of a collection and of a brand.

So I’ve made it my mission to educate and preach these aspects to anyone who is interested in listening.  To pass on these nuggets that will fundamentally change your business and make a random selection of products into a cohesive line.

My goal is simple: I want people’s businesses to succeed. I want to enable a beautiful product to be made and appreciated. Whether it’s for a huge international brand, or a maker with a spare room and a vision. I want to be part of it.

So join me on the 12th and 13th May in person in San Francisco, or on the live stream at:

https://www.creativelive.com/courses/diversifying-your-product-line-susie-breuer

My consultancy is co-lab54.com

I’m based in San Francisco

It can take anything from six months to one year for a collection to be designed, developed and produced so how does the collection come about and where do designers get their inspiration from?

Designers can find inspiration anywhere, some designers look to historical costume for shape and design, some are inspired by an art exhibition for a colour or texture and some use street culture as a starting point for the mood and overall look. There are also companies who make their living producing trend research for designers which can be used to validate their initial findings, add to what they have already researched, or act as a start point for the season.

The website http://www.styleindicator.com is a great industry resource for trend information and shows you in detail the source of the inspiration and how it has been translated to the collection.

http://www.styleindicator.com/en/style-inspiration-18e-eeuw/

This shows some great examples of colour, fabric and shape from 18th Century clothing, and next to it is the interpretation on the SS15 catwalk.

http://www.styleindicator.com/en/resort-2015-communicating-reds/

Another shows an example of historical dress meeting modern styling.

Design teams across the globe have already started their design research for the Spring Summer 2016 collection. At this early stage they are collecting their ideas of colours, fabrics, shapes and overall mood that they feel are integral to the concept or design direction, for their collection. These concept attributes (colour, fabric, shape and mood) all have an impact on the collection that you see in the stores and each of them starts with one simple moment of inspiration and develops out.

In my book, Blue is The New Black, The 10 Step Guide to Developing and Producing a Fashion Collection I devote a whole chapter the concept creation as it influences not only the start of the collection, but also how it’s displayed and sold to the customer as a finished product. Taking a look at each element, will help you to understand and appreciate the thoughts and actions behind the clothes you buy.

Fabrics are very important to the feeling of the concept as they provide a tangible expression of the feeling you want to convey. If you want to evoke a 1920s romantic, nostalgic feeling in a concept, chiffon would be perfect to conjure up an image.

Sitting alongside the selection of fabrics is the colour palette. The palette is a collection of colours (or tones, tints, shades, hues, stain wash or dyes) that is used throughout the collection. The shades selected have to work not only in many of the types of garments but also in the colours of buttons, zips, prints and embroideries.

Shapes within a concept refer to the sizing aspects of the garments in the collection ( length of skirt, height of a heel), and every season the shape of garments and accessories changes for both men and women. For example, in the early 70s the style for trousers was flared at the hem and tight at the waist and hip whilst In the late 70s there was the drain pipe jean that was super tight all over.

When I talk about ‘mood’ I’m talking about an emotional connection that a concept will give. A spring collection for the Hilfiger Runway line had the theme: ‘New York’ Country Club. The concept began with the words Country Club, and from there, images of 60s and 70s women’s sporting clothes, pleated tennis whites, halter neck tops and mini dresses were added to the concept visuals. Images of Katherine Hepburn in her signature high-waist wide leg pants matched with bra tops gave the movie star reference, and the fabrics for the mood were fine chiffon, and checked linens. This ‘mood’ element to the concept can also be used for packaging,  a shop display or an advertising campaign.

Example of a concept from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute AW09 collection.

Above shows the mood, colour, fabric and shape.

So next time you are looking at a collection online or in a store, take a look at the colours and fabrics to see if you can understand the concept and mood that the brand is trying to express. Sometimes, it’s easy to see and sometimes it’s quite subtle, but every collection will have one.

Here’s why:

I recently worked with an accessory company who had grown quickly and organically over the past 2 years to a stage where they successfully managed an online, and retail business. Their product was very strong, and they had a polished leathery future ahead of them, but as they’d grown they’d failed to document their timelines and processes resulting in a vulnerable position without an internally shared knowledge base and virtually no formal planning. The knowledge was in the heads of the management with no consistent planning tool in place for the team below them to follow and implement. What this meant was that the leadership team, instead of the team of assistants, were driving the day-to-day workings instead of being the face of the growing business and tending to the business development side. They were creating the bottleneck for their own company.

This is not a unique position. It happens a lot with companies as they grow from one person into a team, heck, I’ve done it myself, often finding it easier to manage the process myself instead of delegating it down to my team. But believe me, it is a false economy and it will come back to bite you. There are, of course, simple processes that you can implement which can alleviate this problem. I’m sharing some below:

Assumptions:

Make a list of assumptions for each departmental process which can be shared as the companies grows. These assumptions should include timelines for trim, fabric, washing, manufacture and shipping by location. It should also list the timelines relating to company process: proto reviews, concept building, range plan creation etc.  With this list anyone can make a simple plan to determine a time and action. Without it and no one know how long each process could or should take. These assumptions will be used in the next point:

Matrix/Linelist:

This matrix/linelist is a document that should contain all the styles you are developing, (by style name, fabric, colour, factory and by product group). At the beginning of each season, build the clear and simple document that lists the details of your whole collection and treat it as a one stop shop for all collection information. Add in the financials (cost price, retail price and margin), the delivery drops planned, and also the production planning with milestone dates for fabric and trim buying and you have a complete and very detailed document.

By adding in the product planning section and the delivery drops, and by using the assumption sheet in point 1, you can build out a data driven set of reminders and milestones to enable more strategic bulk raw material procurement and seamless manufacturing order placement (with buffer time included). The pain of spending 2 hours of data entry can save you days of confusion, late deliveries and cancelled orders. Yes, it is time-consuming to build this out half way through a season, but so is having to find a second source for trims or materials when you have missed a deadline to order and your production is jeopardized.

Shared ownership:

Ever heard of the phrase, “A problem shared is a problem halved”? Have at least 2 people in the company that can manage or at least articulate these processes so there is a sharable system. If you are a team of 3 people, at least 2 of you should know how long every process takes in the company. If 1 person is travelling, the other can manage the ordering. Keeping the information in your head and not shared will damage the growth of your business.

So, whether you are starting out, or at the next level growth stage, look at your development, procurement and production processes and ask yourself:

• Are your timelines documented?
• Is there a document in place that lists the collection details with milestone reminders to help you plan?
• Is it in a shared drive and available?

If it’s a no to all to 1 or more, you may be causing a bottleneck.

For more information of product development, planning and production, check out my book Blue is The New Black.
My consultancy Co-lab54 specialises in strategic product development for fashion companies.

What is a concept?

A concept is the design direction for the colour, shape, mood and fabric for any fashion collection, and is created at the beginning of the season. It creates the mood of the collection and is always open to different interpretations. The initial idea first needs to be analysed carefully and translated into something that people can actually look at, and that can set out the direction of the collection.

Tips:

• 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.

For more information of the concept or other aspects of building a fashion collection, check out Blue is The New Black

Susie / Co-lab54.com

Blue is the New Black: The 10 Step Guide to Developing and Producing a Fashion Collection

Below I give a prime example of one of these sweeteners from my past.

Many years ago at the start of the 90’s, I worked for a men’s retailer in the UK as a buyers assistant on the accessory team. Jokes, directed my way, many times included:

I was “big in men’s socks” or I was ‘finding an opening in men’s underwear’. Both funny, and both accurate.

My buyer at the time was a very strong-willed Scottish lady, fantastic to work with but scary at the same time due to her volcanic temper. She held nothing back when it came to swearing and to get on the wrong side of her was quite frankly foolish. She missed nothing, had an amazing eye for detail, and was very giving when it came to responsibilities in the job. As such, I received a great training in buying and merchandising from her.  She still, however, scared the living life out of me.

During my 1-year stint on that department, one of the projects she worked on was to create a plastic hanger upon which displayed pairs of socks. Specifically it allowed a tiered ladder effect, which displayed a 3 and 5 pack perfectly, whilst keeping the socks flat and in line. This helped for the shop floor display and also meant that all the colours of the pack could be seen at once without the customer having to flip through a lumpy pack to determine the option.

This sock ladder was her baby. It took months to design and even longer to develop, but the vision of the coloured socks, water falling with such ease and refinement was the motor that drove the process. So much so, that I discovered that this ladder and its vast array of colour combinations was this buyers sweetener to the extent that even the briefest of glimpses, led to a Scottish coo of excitement and a proclamation of love towards the article and its contents.

I picked up on this ‘cooing’ at an early stage and kept the board both close at hand and updated with new shades ready in preparation for the crisis de jour (short shipment of briefs or delivery extensions for ties were commonplace explosions).

For several weeks, the effect of ‘The board’ was quite amazing…… a hushed silence was requested….. The board surveyed and the proclamation of joy and love was made across the department on the functionality of the hanger and the aesthetic pleasure of the socks. Each time, after calm was restored, the board was gently removed and the day continued.

Of course, this particular sweetener didn’t last forever. She found me out and she also found it funny (which was lucky), but it still worked for what I needed which was to distract away from the negative, if only for a second, to focus on the positive.

Delivery delays, short shipments, late fabrics and floods in factories are always going to happen, but shouting and screaming won’t change the fact.  Even now, I make a point of always having a sweetener close by, even if it’s just for myself to step back from the crap and focus on the good.

It works, it helps and it reminds us all, especially our leaders that it’s not just about the one thing that is bad, it’s about the 10 things which are good. Which in this case, was in fact 6 things, 1 hanger, 5 pairs of socks.

Co-lab54 is my consultancy

For more industry tips and stories check out my book:  Blue is the New Black.

The creation, design, development and production of a collection involve the generation, sharing and distribution of a huge amount of information. The information flow from the start of the development process to the end of production is a crucial element for the successful internal workings of the brand and for the external relationships with the factories, trim suppliers and customers.

Tips:

• In development and production you need to manage the flow of information. If you don’t consider yourself organized or able to multi task, choose a different area of the business.
• Writing up technical information needs to be clear and precise. Never make assumptions that the factory understands; check and double-check everything until they are clear.
• As the development matrix is the hub for the style information, keep it updated and without error, as it will reduce problems at a later stage. This is your responsibility.
• If you are using more than one factory, be careful when sending the matrix to them. Filter the sheet so that only the information relevant to that factory goes out.
• If more than one person uses the planning sheets and you are concerned about other people changing details without your knowledge, password protect it so only you can change details.

For more information on the Information flow or other aspects of building a fashion collection, check out Blue is The New Black

Susie / Co-lab54.com

At the time, I was working as a product developer for a large clothing brand which produced near Bangalore and for this trip I was due to travel with my designer to hand over a new package of styles which would later be sampled. We arrived in India at around 1 am and once through customs and baggage reclaim made it to the hotel around 3am,  tired and in desperate need of a shower.

Upon checking in we received the message from our factory contact that instead of being collected at 9 am the next day for a 10am flight to the factory, we would instead be picked up at 6am for a seven hour car journey instead (apparently due to bad weather and a delayed flight). So with the prospect of three hours sleep and another epic journey ahead, we went to our rooms to ‘settle in’ for the night.

My bathroom was less than basic with a bucket and hose for a shower whilst in the bedroom itself I discovered a broken fan instead of  the aircon, but water is water and if you lie still and don’t move, you don’t get hot. This was my tactic for the three hours before the pick up.

6am came round and a bleary eyed designer met me outside with bags and what looked like a beaten up VW Golf and a 13 year old standing next to it with car keys.

The designer, being six feet tall, took the back seat to stretch out whilst I sat in the passenger seat next to our driver, the child. My seat was an interesting arrangement with the seatbelt stuck at my shoulder and the position of the back support stuck at 70 degrees. So leaning forward and gripping both the dashboard and door handle, to steady myself, we set off on the trip to the factory.

One hour into the journey, the young driver reached into the glove compartment and took out a tape. He gesticulated that he should put it into the cassette player, to which I nodded. After a whirring and a click, the enthusiastic voices of the Backstreet Boys came blaring out in broken stereo waking up the designer and causing him to smash his head on the roof of the car.

Nice! I said, we’ll have a sing along!. The designer declined whilst the driver stared blankly at me. I was on my own.

After a full run though of the tape, I had been brought up to date with the back catalogue of this talented US teen group and I felt it time to perhaps have a snooze. Trying to support my head to avoid lolling ( thanks to the angle of the seat), I found myself drifting in and out to the same song on the tape.

How could this be? Was I dreaming ? Had I actually been asleep? No, it wasn’t a dream and Yes, I had been asleep!

What transpired was that this was the only tape we had in the car, and it was on loop…for the next  7 hours. The initial joy of a sing along to A.J, Howie and friends was now less of a ‘joy’ and more of a joke, and a bad one at that.

For the rest of the journey, I continued to drift in and out of sleep, waking to hear “I Want it That Way’ and wishing I could only make such demands on the musical choice or at least, the angle of the seat.

But both, alas,  were fixed and I had no choice but to learn each and every song, making a mental note to myself that, in future, I will pack my own musical arrangement that would carry me through at least a 7 hour journey.

I still work in Fashion but now run Co-lab54, a consultancy set up to assist companies large and small with product development solutions.

My book, Blue is The New Black was published last year and is available online.

What I found, certainly for the tips and the true stories was that with the exception of a few, most of what I learnt could be relayed outside of the fashion industry. For example:

– Don’t be too proud to take advise

– Respect local cultures

– Keeping your cool when face to face with an icon,

and,

– Never date a co-worker.

So I decided that over the next few months, I would take these tips and stories one step further and compile a ‘blog-a-logue’ of sound bites and snippets which I have discovered along the way which I think could be useful to pass onto fashion industry peeps, or just those who want to have a laugh at my misfortune or occasional case, glory. Some of the tips will help you get organised in your job, some will help you get ahead and some will make you attack a problem from a different angle. All, I hope, will be useful in some way.

But for now that’s it. This mini-postage was just an intro before I launch weekly into an avalanche of pearls of fashion wisdom and wall kicking mistakes that never happen twice.

So until next time,  I will leave you with this comment from an industry professional. A man who has been in the industry for 30+ years and has built international brands from the ground up. Sure he can be high maintenance but with his background, he’s allowed to be.

“Fashion is an industry built on emotion”

Remember that!

All tips, interviews and some of the stories can already be found in Blue is the New Black.

“It’s important for me, for my own creativity, to have our own point of view in the whole market. Being a small business, you’re offering a different a point of view that hasn’t been offered everywhere else”

Of course staying small has it’s downsides, with no financial security blanket you need to be very business savvy, responding quickly to market downturn with new lines, changes of product etc, but that’s what fashion is about, isn’t it? Keeping it fresh?

The article on style.com talks more to Maria about the companies structure and goals and highlights an initiative by American Express to host for the second year ‘Small Business Saturday’ where customers are rewarded for shopping in smaller stores.

Am unable to withhold my excitement at the release of the docu-film. Watch Mr Smith in all his glory talk you through how a collection is formed, what his inspiration is and why he still rummages around in vintage shops. It’s a joyous experience.