MANAGING YOUR OWN WORKSTATION

Sourcing is stage in the development involving the actual planning to change the ideas taken from the mood board and range plan into a real product.

• Sourcing

Sourcing is stage in the development involving the actual planning to change the ideas taken from the mood board and range plan into a real product.

All goods needed to manufacture the garment need to be located such as fabrics, fastenings, threads and any other final garment detailing and the actual manufacturing methods itself.

• Fabric

Before the garment construction can begin it is vital to ensure the right fabric is selected. Many fabric properties need to be considered including thickness, elasticity, flammability, weight, water resistance and durability. There are also many other properties concerning fabrics when choosing the right one, so it is important to consider what is needed and wanted for the final garment.

Once a fabric has been chosen, certain fabric tests will also need to be carried out to test is strength against tasks such as ironing and washing, and sewing tests.

• Colour

As well as ensuring the most suitable fabric is used, the colour is too an important design decision. Looking back to the mood boards and range plan will help to determine if the final colour selected best suits the trend direction and garment finish.

• Ethical Issues

As consumers continually grow more environmentally aware and the fashion industry grows more eco-friendly, it is important to consider your own ethical issues. There are many ways in order contribute to lowering the carbon footprint generated by your products which are shown here:

1. Workers – Ensuring that production workers are paid fairly and able to work within good working conditions.
2. Green Textiles – The use of organically grown textiles without the use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals which damage the environment and the health of the workers/farmers.
3. Dying Processes – Avoiding the use of chemically treated fabrics which are both toxic to the worker and environment.
4. Recycling – Aiming to recycle unused textiles and garments to prevent more fashion products ending up in landfill sites.
5. Charity – Contributing to charity projects that aim to help restore areas of the environment damaged by fashion production methods. There are also many other charitable organizations that may be appropriate to donate to.

These areas will need considering when it comes to deciding which fabric, colour and manufacturing processes will be used for the final garment, as well as any other additional materials that may be used.

• Overseas/UK

It will also need to be decided if the chosen supplier or manufacturer will be from within the UK or Overseas. Overseas suppliers have a larger delivery distance which will lead to increased carbon emissions, and there will also be the import/export restrictions and difference in technical standards to consider; although UK suppliers can come to higher cost.

• Dockets

A Docket is a form that is given to the manufacturer giving the amount of garments required in different sizes. A swing-tag which is added to the final garments produced is also known as a docket.

• Trimmings

Trimmings are usually materials and items such as buttons, buckles, beads, lace and Velcro; these are extra items that may be added to the garment for added detailing depending of the garment design. These will also need locating during the sourcing stage of the production.

• Line Drawing

A line drawing, also known as a technical drawing, is used to communicate the garments design details to manufacturers. It is essential that the designs are drawn accurately to convey the style and details to ensure pattern cutters and machinists understand the construction methods needed. Like that range plan it can also contain colour and fabric swatches to help communicated the desired effect.

• Size Specification

Size Specifications is a guide for manufacturers identifying the size requirements of the different pieces of you garment. The size spec explains the measurements and sewing techniques to follow in order to maintain a level of consistency during the production of clothing. It may also include information indicating where trimmings are to be added such as button sizes, sippers and waistbands.

• Patterns

The pattern blocks needed to construct the garment will also need identifying to manufacturers. Standard pattern blocks may have been altered and refined to create the final garment; therefore these alterations will need transferring to the manufacturer.