All clothes a person sees on the rack started as an idea in a fashion designer’s head. Clothes begin as an artistic sketch. Fashion designers are artists and creators. The ideas for clothes can come from about anything. Designers build collages, find fabric samples, or find inspiration from music or movies.
Once a fashion designer settles on an idea, the designer makes a pattern and clothes sample. They often begin with muslin fabric to see what the piece will look like on a person. Designers adjust their creation, and begin the process of finding fabrics suitable for the project. Then the designer or the designer’s team try to find a show, division, or line of clothing the creation’s theme will match. If the designer is part of a large company, the creation will naturally become part of the clothing line. First, the creation must survive a review process. A team looks at the piece and decides if it fits the planned theme of the company. If it does then it goes to the production floor.
On the production floor, a test pattern is made. The test pattern is taken and graded. Grading involves making different sizes of the piece. At the same time, marketing experts are targeting where best to present the fashion in the clothing business. Once the decision is made whether it is an haute courtier line or mass-market product the piece is presented to the buyers. Here is where fashion designers reputations are made or broken. Clothes bought are clothes on the rack. Ultimately, the consumer has the final say by their purchase of the product. Many purchases confirm that a new clothes trend has begun.
