When folks ask me what I do….(if I work outside the home or if I’m a SAHM (stay-at-home mom), I say: both. 😂
I work from home as a freelancer in fashion while running a household and caring for our two children. One is in school 📚 and the other in diapers. 🍼
THANK GOODNESS my husband supports us in every way 🙏🏻💙
So, for those who found this tiny sector on the internet and aren't in the industry, here is a brief overview of one service I offer :)
Flats!
What are flats?
These! 😃
Flat sketches, (also called technical flats, or CAD flats - computer-aided design), are what every apparel brand needs to get their product from concept 🧠 to development 🖥 to production. 🪡
Flats are drawn based on inspiration or reference. Typically the inspiration is fashion illustrations, but of course, they can just be from the person's own ideas. These illustrations are the "sexy," the ones we drool over on Instagram or Pinterest :)
Flats also are drawn based on preexisting garments, like this one.
Flats are created in Adobe Illustrator and finished sometimes in Adobe Photoshop, (rendering fabric, applying shading and highlights, etc). Some brands prefer more stylized sketches and other brands want strictly technical representations. Either way, all brands that plan to manufacture their styles need these flats to communicate to the factory what they intend the garment to look like.
Brands that offer custom/bespoke/made-to-measure garments don't really need tech packs because the garments are made in-house, on a smaller scale, usually by hand. Think- some wedding dresses, custom suits, or even custom dirndls :)
After flats are created, they are placed in what is called a tech pack (technical package). This is a spreadsheet-styled document - a blueprint, created typically in Excel (industry standard).
All the information in tech packs are how brands communicate to their factories how the garment should be made. Every single detail is included- from the button size & type, construction call-outs, colorways, to the B.O.M. (bill of materials), measurements, types of stitches, label size, etc.
This is how garments are manufactured. (I don't offer this service quite yet, but will later this year :)
There are other ways to create tech packs using softwares like BackbonePLM, or TechPacker.
Side note- based on the demo's I've seen, these softwares seem much more user friendly, and look very robust, as they are all-in-one cloud based systems that can interact with Illustrator and Photoshop. A PLM (product lifecycle management) system is definitely the way to go, if brands can afford the subscription costs.
So, what kind of flats do I create?
Because there are a LOT of categories within the fashion industry, like:
👙 swimwear
🏃🏻♀️ athleisure
💪🏻 activewear
💋 lingerie
👰🏽♀️ 👔 bridal, evening wear, suits, or formal wear
👛 accessories
👠👞 footwear
👖 denim
🏂 outdoor apparel
👗 ready to wear
👚 casual
👶🏻 baby & kids, etc
Not to mention all these categories WITHIN women's, men's, juniors, baby & kids, unisex and genderless fashion.
I work specifically in denim 👖 (mostly women’s). But, I not only work in denim but with denim brands who’ve chosen to be a part of solutions to big problems this industry has.
Problems like:
👎🏼 Overproduction & overconsumption
🙅♂️ Low wages for garment workers
🚫 Toxic fiber contents & toxic chemicals
✋🏼 Unsafe working conditions & exploitive practices
💨 Pollution to our environment and local communities
💦 Excessive water use and many more 😟
In other words, I work in the "sustainability" sector. And yes, this is a buzzword. It's not my favorite way to explain it, but because of how well known the term is, for people outside the industry, it helps explain things a bit easier.
A couple of years ago I was at a crossroads in my work life. I found myself unsure of how to reconcile loving an industry while knowing how harmful and upside down it is…. all in the name of creativity. 💛 Not to mention that the fashion school I went to (FIDM), taught nothing about these deeply rooted issues :(
During months of feeling unsure, I took deep dives into the industry and found information that proved to be much different than what I had learned at school. Because at school, I learned how to create products and how to be the best employee. Not how to solve the problems that creating products in irresponsible ways.....creates…
I discovered a whole other side that I honestly didn't really know existed. (Aside from seeing the "organic" labels on some products here and there or hearing about the Rana Plaza disaster. And honestly, just wondering where all the extra unsold clothes at Forever21 went…..?).
This whole other side had devastating information that people don’t want to see. Images, reports, articles, books, podcasts, and documentaries of destroyed waterways, burning landfills, toxic chemical usage, people being exploited, and many more.
But I also found companies that try to help solve these problems. Yes, they are still creating more products but at least they have the integrity to do it in a more wise, respectful, transparent & responsible manner through better practices like:
safer working conditions for their garment employees
more responsible fibers that aren’t made from plastic, oil, or toxic chemicals
creating smaller collections
Opening a platform for educating and discussing these issues
Working with factories that pay their employees a living wage
Forgoing the use of animal products
Redesigning products so they require less water, & fewer emissions to make
And many more
And yes, of course, I found the greenwashing too.
In short, (after feeling devastated, disheartened, and depressed), an ultimatum presented itself: either I leave this industry behind, abandoning a career in fashion entirely, or stay in the industry and aid in the change that needs to happen.
More me, I felt moving forward with the intention of helping make the right changes was a worthwhile and noble pursuit. 💛 So I niched down & chose denim (for many reasons 😉 ) and have been asking a million questions since.
Why are things the way they are in this industry?
How are these everyday products exactly harming people and our environment?
Why are garment factory workers paid so little?
Why is there such little knowledge about these issues?
Can we make more [products] responsibly? (Or is making more irresponsible?)
How can we help people in need through fashion?
Is there a way denim can be made with much less environmental impact?
What is "regenerative fashion"? Is it another buzzword?
What were the events, mindsets, laws, and behaviors that started the very notion of consuming more and more?
How can this industry communicate the real issues at hand for everyone to understand?
How can we help solve the overconsumption problem at a household level?
Where can people take their unwanted clothing? (And know where exactly it's going and who it's helping)?
How can we get the industry to shift from using polyester to natural fibers- and would those fibers have the same performance?
How can brands effectively and accurately communicate how a garment is a more"sustainable" garment to consumers? (In a quick, easily digestible way).
What is the most effective way to educate people about the problems of this industry and how they affect everyone?
What steps can be taken to standardize safer and more sustainable production practices?
How can we convince corporations to put people and the environment above profits?
Is “sustainable fashion” a “class” issue?
Should education around this topic start at an elementary level?
How can we make better products more accessible and affordable?
How can we overcome this “out of sight, out of mind” mentality that (I believe), is one of the cornerstones of why a lot of people don’t care about what they do with their clothes, where they shop, or what fabric and fiber content they are purchasing?
These are just some of the questions I've tossed around in my head and continue to speculate possible answers and solutions to.
And right now, working with denim brands who ask these same questions is what I do :)
Oh, and make dinner, run errands, hockey practice, etc :)
😘
Comments