Production

Fashion rule #243: Being polite, gets you places, being a bitch doesn’t

By |May 5th, 2015|

8 months ago I quit my job at a fashion Startup with an idea to create a series of eLearning workshops, based on my book, and focusing on the product development process. 
After 20+ years in the fashion industry I felt it my duty (oh, how noble of me) to […]

Causing a Bottleneck? 3 Tips to Ease the Information Flow.

By |November 12th, 2014|

Whether you are delivering, once, twice or three times a season, the way you plan and execute the development and production of your collection needs to be both documented and shared internally, ideally from the start.

Here’s why:

I recently worked with an accessory company who had grown quickly and organically over […]

Inside the industry tips #4: Factories

By |November 14th, 2013|

Factories:

Without factories the world would have no ‘stuff’, it really is a simple as that; we would have no clothes, no toys, no cars and no books. Referring to themselves as factories, manufacturers, vendors or sources, they are all technically the same entity: they all produce items that are sold […]

Inside the Industry tips # 3: Information Flow

By |October 31st, 2013|

What do you mean by Information flow?

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 […]

Learn to love a list: Lessons applied to fashion or life # 2

By |October 25th, 2013|

Hands up if you are list person? Yes? No? I’m not just talking about work now, in everyday life as well. Still no? Wow, that’s impressive – You should tell me your secret.

I think it’s fair to say that to be good at fashion development or production you need to […]

Realising a creative vision, holy sh*t I’m lucky!

By |July 1st, 2011|

Starting a new project, for me, is all about understanding the what, the when and the how. What is the product, when is it needed by and how is it done and I approach it in a very logical analytical manner.

I’m not a designer, never have been, and truth be […]

Design collectives + local artisans = perfect peonies + origami magic

By |June 21st, 2011|

Every now and then you stumble across websites and initiatives that remind you that the world is getting smaller. And that’s a nice thing, right?

Through posting a discussion on LinkedIn.com to gain insider perspectives on a fashion industry conundrum, I discovered not 1 but 2 design initiatives.

Peonyrice is an accessory […]

1am check-in, 4am check-out, production lines and flight delays, all in the name of research

By |April 1st, 2011|

T’was an exciting week in the land of Colab and the ongoing book research.

A much-needed brush up on production procedures and methods was essential for chapter 8 of the book, so with a specific vendor in mind, the flights were booked and hotels reserved.

Now, I’m not going to go on […]

Balls to cotton and skin like raw hide.

By |March 10th, 2011|

An interesting article caught my eye today from the WSJ about the increase in costs of leather hides due to an increase demand of luxury leather goods primarily from Far East markets.

It seems that an increase in China’s middle class has forced a higher demand of leather goods pushing up […]

Keeping it old school creative

By |February 16th, 2011|

In a world where the majority of people and industry have been drained by economic crisis, the luxury sector has impressively managed to keep its footing and sustained its relevance.

However, rather than celebrating and glorifying their brand names in bigger and bolder print there has been a deliberate step back […]