Start A Clothing Line: Secrets To Picking THE BEST Fabrics

Start a Clothing Line – Step 3: Choosing Fabrics

Table of Contents:

Essential Steps to Start a Clothing Line: From Fabrics to Final Design

Launching a successful fashion brand involves meticulous planning and creativity. To start a clothing line that stands out, you need to master fabric selection, trend analysis, and design cohesiveness. This guide walks through the process, from choosing the right fabrics to assembling a mood board and selecting prints and colors for a standout collection.

Understanding Fabric Selection When You Start A Clothing Line

Choosing the Right Fabrics

Fabrics set the foundation for any clothing line. In the video below, I shared insights on sourcing materials like shearling, faux fur, and premium fleece, all trending for fall/winter 2022. When selecting fabrics, consider how their weight, content, and construction will influence your designs.

Using a Fabric Reference Guide

A fabric reference guide or “fabric bible” is essential, especially for beginners. This book typically details fabric types, content, and common uses, making it easier to choose materials suited for specific pieces like blazers or pants. The video highlights that having this resource can streamline the design process by helping you match fabrics to different clothing categories.

Creating a Mood Board to Start A Clothing Line

Importance of Mood Boards

A mood board acts as a visual guide to align your design concepts and keep your vision cohesive. It combines images, color swatches, and textures to inspire your final designs. When starting your clothing line, include elements that capture the aesthetic you wish to achieve, from sleek, neutral palettes to bold accents.

Assembling Inspiration

Collect inspiration from runway shows, trend reports, and platforms like Pinterest. For fall/winter 2022, popular men’s fashion colors include deep reds, olive greens, and mustard yellows, paired with staple neutrals like black and gray. These hues provide a versatile yet modern foundation for your collection.

Choosing Prints and Patterns When You Start A Clothing Line

Balancing Solids and Prints

While men’s fashion often leans towards solid colors, incorporating subtle prints can add variety. The video notes that prints such as jacquards and tapestry patterns were featured in recent trend reports, though sticking primarily to solids may align better with current market demands.

Customizing Prints

When using inspiration from trend reports or online resources, make sure to customize prints so they’re unique to your brand. Directly copying existing patterns can lead to legal issues. Instead, modify and personalize designs to maintain originality while still capitalizing on trending aesthetics.

Finalizing Your Color Scheme to Start a Clothing Line

Pantone’s fall/winter 2022 forecast provides great insight into trending shades. Colors like caramel café, midnight blue, and martini olive are sophisticated and versatile for men’s collections. Adding subtle accent colors like purple or jade can modernize your lineup.

Creating a Digital Palette

Tools like Canva can be helpful for assembling your color scheme. Use the eyedropper tool to pull exact shades from images or trend reports to create a cohesive palette. Group colors by neutrals, darks, and accent tones to make selection easier when designing.

Conclusion: Start a Clothing Line – Picking Fabrics

To start a clothing line, focus on detailed research, thoughtful fabric and color choices, and cohesive mood boards. This process sets a strong foundation for moving forward with the design phase, which includes sketching and creating tech packs. Once these elements are in place, you’re ready to begin production and bring your vision to life.

I walk through step by step on how to start a clothing line as I develop my men’s line, Mr.Riche. Be sure to follow along!

FAQs

1. What fabrics should I use for men’s fall/winter clothing?
Shearling, faux fur, premium fleece, and basket weaves are all trending for men’s fall/winter collections.

2. How can I create a cohesive clothing line?
Use a mood board to align your vision, select fabrics that match your brand’s aesthetic, and develop a unified color scheme.

3. Should I include prints in my men’s clothing line?
While prints can add interest, balance them with solid colors to align with current market trends.

4. What tools can help with fabric selection?
A fabric reference guide is invaluable for understanding fabric weights, content, and common uses.

5. How do I find trending colors for my collection?
Refer to Pantone’s color forecasts and runway shows to identify shades that align with your brand.

Watch the full video below.

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Key Timestamps in this video:

00:00 – Introduction
Kicking off the video with a focus on selecting fabrics, prints, and colors for a men’s fall/winter 2022 clothing line.

00:05 – Recap of Last Week’s Episode
Reviewing the process of creating a mood board and identifying key items for the collection.

00:49 – Starting with Fabrics
Explaining the importance of fabric selection before designing and incorporating trims and features.

01:12 – Exploring Fabric Trends
Discussing shearling, faux leather, and all-over prints as standout materials for the season.

02:07 – Using the Fabric Bible for Research
Showcasing a fabric reference book that includes fabric names, weights, and typical uses.

04:36 – Reviewing Suiting Fabrics
Examining fabric samples for blazers and suiting, focusing on twill and neutral shades.

06:12 – Identifying Preferred Fabric Types
Finalizing fabric choices, including plain weaves and basket weaves for jackets and pants.

07:03 – Transitioning to Color Selection
Using Pantone’s New York and London Fashion Week color reports to choose a palette.

08:01 – Highlighting Neutral and Bold Colors
Selecting colors like caramel cafe, midnight blue, olive, and mustard for the collection.

10:13 – Creating a Color Scheme in Canva
Organizing the chosen colors into a cohesive palette using Canva’s eyedropper tool.

12:13 – Adding Accent Colors
Incorporating bright accent colors like burnt orange, deep red, and jade green for variety.

13:30 – Investigating Prints
Browsing Pinterest for print ideas, with an emphasis on solids and minimal patterns.

16:33 – Deciding Against Busy Prints
Choosing to stick mostly with solid colors and classic styles for men’s fashion.

16:46 – Wrapping Up
Summarizing the selections of fabrics, prints, and colors while preparing for the design phase.

17:07 – Preparing for the Next Steps
Looking ahead to creating tech packs and working with factories to produce samples.

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