Design Process
Design Process outlines the
technique a designer employ to
create a collection for a leather
apparel/shoe manufacturer.
Naturally, one cannot exactly define
how a designer should approach the
creative process.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
Many of the great designers
approach it quite differently.
However, the approach described in
here is recommended because it is
both thorough and effective.
Collection : A collection is a range of
Styles designed for a particular
market.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
Design Process
1. Research and Inspiration.
2. Organizing and Planning the
collection.
3. Designing and merchandising the
collection.
4. Remaining steps in the Design
Process.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
Research and Inspiration.
DEFINE THE CUSTOMER
• Know your customer’s profile, that is,
his or her age and socioeconomic
background, in order to design
shoes/clothes that he or she can
afford and will want to wear.
• For example, if your customer is
young, design shoes/clothes that are
trendy, fun, and affordable.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
• Pay particular attention to the price
of the leather/material you select for
your design.
• Similarly, if you have an older
“missy” customer, you may want to
design a more conservative or classic
shoe/garment, paying particular
attention to interesting details.
• Leather/material would be chosen
based on the price range of the
shoe/clothes designed.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
Shop the Stores
Market research is the best way to
discover firsthand what the
competition is doing as well as to
learn what your customer is buying.
It also gives the designer the
opportunity to see what types of
leather other designers are using,
what silhouettes are being shown
that season, and what the price
points are.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
ATTEND FORECAST AND TREND
SHOWS
• Most designers want to know what
the fashion industry trend services
will be predicting for the upcoming
season.
• While there are no trend services
exclusively for shoes/apparel,
forecast services such as Here &
There, Promostyl, and Pat Tunsky
provide information that can be used
by shoes/apparel manufacturers.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
• These services predict color, fabric,
silhouette, and trend information for
a membership fee.
• Cotton Incorporated and DuPont are
fiber companies that offer free trend
and color information.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
ATTEND TRADE SHOWS
• Numerous leather/material shows
are held throughout the year.
• The shows allow designers to stay
abreast of the latest trends and
advances in hides & skins tanning
and design.
• New treatments, colors, and skin
textures are continually being
introduced there.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
• Leather designers also should keep
up-to-date on textile trends by
attending the top fabric shows.
• For example, Premier Vision in Paris
(October and March) and the
International Fashion Fabric Exhibi-
tion in New York (October and
March).
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
MAKE TRAVEL PLANS DESIGNED
TO CREATE INSPIRATION
• Many manufacturers find traveling to
Paris, Amsterdam, London, Milan,
Florence, Munich, Dusseldorf, Montreal,
Tokyo, Barcelona, and Brussels
inspirational.
• They might photograph merchandise in
store windows, sketch items they see,
and/or purchase items they might wish to
copy or interpret for their own collections.
• This way, management can see firsthand
the new merchandise and trends.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
READ MAGAZINES AND
NEWSPAPERS
• Designers should always read fashion
magazines for color and trend
directions.
• In addition to the specialized leather
apparel magazines, designers should
read ail of the most important
fashion magazines, both American
and European, such as Vogue,
Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Marie Claire,
L’Uomo, Collezioni, and Outerwear.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
• Designers also should regularly read
trade papers, for example, Women’s
Wear Daily and the Daily News Record
for up-to-the-minute information.
• If a designer is affiliated with a
manufacturer that is a member of the
Leather Industries of America or the
Leather Apparel Association, then he or
she also should be reading the
newsletter produced by these trade
organizations for current information.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
ACTIVELY RESEARCH MUSEUMS
AND LIBRARIES
• Designers can gain inspiration from
numerous sources, but one of the
best ways is by studying what
previous designers have done.
• Many museums throughout the
world, such as the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York, exhibit
the costumes of a particular designer
and/or of a certain period in history.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
• These shows can have a surprisingly
great influence on modern-day
fashion trends.
• The Fashion Institute of Technology,
also in New York, features wonderful
exhibits and an extensive costume
library, as does the Musee de la
Mode in Paris.
• All of the above-mentioned
institutions also have book and
magazine costume libraries.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
NOTE NON-FASHION EVENTS AND
TRENDS
• Designers should always be aware of
all events occurring in the world.
• Current trends in music, movies,
dance, theatre, and even local news
can be potential sources of design
inspiration.
• Some of the major fashion trends of
the past have resulted from such
influences.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
• For example, many designers have
tied their collection to the musical
trends of grunge and hip-hop.
• Sometimes, just people watching
from a park bench or from a table at
a sidewalk cafe can provide enough
inspiration.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
[Link] and Planning the
Collection.
Once the designer has accomplished
the preceding steps, he or she
should possess information to
organize and plan a collection.
By focusing on the fashion interests
and economic means of the
customer, the designer should be
able to forecast what fashions must
be created.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
The designer, having properly
researched his or her market, should
know what materials will be
important during the coming season.
A color story should be established
for the line, that is, two to six colors
(per material quality) should be
selected that will best complement
the line.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
One of the best ways the designer
can organize his or her thoughts and
ideas is to create a theme/mood
board.
Later, a style board should be
created.
These not only help the designer
visualize the line, but also are
extremely effective in helping
present concepts to the
manufacturer’s sales staff and retail
buyers.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
The combination of a theme and style
board can be very cost- effective.
Since they help the designer and
manufacturer determine the viability
of a line concept before the expensive
process of sample making is initiated.
In brief, by making Theme Board and
Style Board, designer organize and
plan the collection.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
Theme Board
A theme board is a visual
presentation used by the designer to
communicate the general concept or
mood that will help sell a particular
line to a target customer.
It is also called concept boards, story
boaeds or mood boards.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
Creating a Theme Boaed
Most theme boards consist of
1. a collage of photographs
2. tear sheets,
3. photocopies from books or magazines,
• These are mounted on ¼” or ½” foam
core board.
• Typically, the dimensions of the foam
core board are either
• 20 x 30 inches or 30 x 40 inches.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
The photographs, photocopies, and
tear sheets should complement the
designer’s color story.
To make the best impression-
1. assemble the board using the
proper artist supply materials.
2. Remember, when boards are
presented, the audience will be
several feet away.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
[Link], make sure that visual
materials are large enough to be
easily seen by everyone in the
audience.
[Link] visuals should also be chosen
to create an effective, immediate
impression.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
The following visual materials should
be included :
[Link] or two photographs of tile
target customer.
It is important to describe exactly
who is going to be buying the final
product.
[Link] to five images that depict the
recommended theme or convey the
mood trying to be created
Make sure these visuals are
meaningful, that is, not vague.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
3. Several real leather swatches
including buffalo split, distressed
cow, oily cow, calf split, rugged
leather, embossed crocodile leather,
and deer. Also add other materilal,s
swatches.
[Link] trims or other objects
If a certain button style captures the
gist of the design idea, attach a few
buttons to the board.
If a military feel is to be conveyed,
attach a real epaulet and several
medals. Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
5. Artist’s materials or objects may be
used to illustrate a desired mood.
• The choice of paper can help define
the theme.
• Note that a textured paper with
ragged edges helps evoke the rough
and rugged aspect of the concept.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
[Link] use of color, lettering, and
graphics also is useful.
• For example, it may incorporate
neutral-colored papers to emphasize
the earth tone color palette of the
leathers and suedes used in the
theme board.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
TIPS FOR MAKING AN INTERESTING
THEME BOARD
There are many ways one can
approach designing a theme board.
Specific ideas follow to make it
interesting and effective:
1. Carefully plan the layout of the theme
board.
[Link] with positioning the
photographs, tear sheets, swatches,
and other materials in different places
on the board until the best result has
been achieved. Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
3. The theme board should be visually
exciting as well as able to effectively
convey the designer’s message.
4. Always include several swatches of
recommended Leathers.
[Link] sure the swatches are cut
large enough so the intended
audience will be able to distinguish
individual characteristics.
[Link] should not be smaller than
2x3 inches.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
7.A three-dimensional quality can be
created on the board if swatches are
artfully arranged and/or occasionally
folded.
[Link] patterned or printed
leathers/materials are used, swatches
should be large enough to effectively
show the complete pattern.
[Link] designers mount swatches
on theme boards with velcro, which
makes it easier for the audience to
remove swatches for a detailed
inspection. Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
SYLE BOARD
The style board includes flat sketches
of all of the styles in a particular
theme.
Generally, the sketches show the
inside view, outside view, front view
and back view of the shoe.
They should be large enough to view
the details of each shoe, that is,
never smaller than 3X4 inches each.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
However, sometimes style boards
depict certain styles on a fashion
figure for a more dramatic effect.
The board must always include color
swatches and style numbers.
For large collections, designers
generally present both a theme and a
style board to fully present their
design concepts.
For smaller groups, many designers
combine their theme and style
boards.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
Style Board depicts:
The target customer.
The featured material
The color story
The mood
The styles offered in the line
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
Benefits of theme and style boards
A collection that is well-researched,
designed, and presented with theme
and style boards can ensure a
company both increased sales and
reduced costs.
The boards act as organizational
tools for designers, selling platforms
for salespeople, and merchandising
aids for buyers.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
They also can stop a manufacturer
from proceeding with a poorly
conceived line before it is too late,
that is, before precious production
time is wasted, and expensive
samples are made.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
[Link] and Merchandising
the Collection
Different designers initiate the
design process in different ways.
Some begin having been inspired by
a particular leather or material.
While other designers begin by
designing into a theme.
In either case, most designers start
by doing rough sketches first.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
Once they feel comfortable with a
particular direction, they focus on
perfecting those sketches they feel
will work.
Some designers mount all of their
rough sketches on a wall before
beginning the editing process.
A good designer will merchandise his
or her individual designs into
appropriate groups, being careful to
create a balance within each group.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
For instance, a balanced line of
footwear would include a range
of styles within each group, such as
sneaker, sandals, casual shoe, and
ankle boots.
The line will also include a balanced
assortment of collar treatments, such
as padded, foolded, gimped edge,
and so on.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
The merchandising objective behind
the creation of well-balanced groups
is to maximize sales by motivating a
buyer to buy several styles within a
group.
For example, if a buyer is offered
only a range of sneakers, he or she
will then concentrate on deciding
which one of the sneakers to buy.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
However, if a buyer is offered several
groups, each consisting of a pair of
sneakers, a pair of snadal, and a pair
of casual shoe, he or she will tend to
concentrate on deciding which entire
group of three styles to buy.
In the end, by presenting a balanced
collection, the designer is more likely
to make three sales from each buyer
instead of only one.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
The same principles apply to
merchandising footwear and
sportswear, except that each group
should be balanced by offering a
variety of looks and combinations.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
4. Remaining steps in the Design Process.
Once the best styles have been
approved for sample making, the
process is as follows :
1. The pattern maker makes the pattern.
2. The sample maker sews a muslin,
synthetic or canvas prototype.
3. The designer fits the canvas and
makes any needed corrections.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
4. The sample maker cuts and sews the product
using production leather/material.
5. The designer fits the final sample and makes an
additional adjustment.
When a company manufactures overseas, the
process is different. Once the designer creates
the product and it is approved for sample
making, the process is as follows:
1. The designer completes a design/spec sheet
that specifies everything the overseas pattern
maker needs to know about the design,
including exactly which leather/material to use.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
2. The overseas factory will follow the
design/spec sheet and return the
sewn sample in the specified sample.
3. The designer will find and inspect
the product and tell the overseas
factory what corrections need to be
made.
4. The overseas factory will continue
to revise the product until the
designer is happy with it.
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
Dr. Amal Kanti Deb
