The Process

The Process:

I have a very strange and abnormal sleeping pattern. I really don’t sleep very much, maybe 3-4 hours. I can’t seem to quiet my mind as I am always thinking of designs, drawing inspiration from the shape a crumpled piece of paper, of the curve of a bottle. The first thing that comes in my minds eye is a vague form or shape of a garment, then as I focus on it more, I see the lines of the silhouette, then I go to the details and then how each piece is detailed and constructed. From there I go to the bodice form and start forming, shaping muslin, marking, pleating, draping and sizing. When, I work out all the detail problems, I will finally draft the pattern on paper. Funny, this is a lost art. As many interns have come in and asked what 3D auto cad software do I use and where is my architectural printer. I get a kick when I see there panicked faces as I tell them I have neither. If you are truly a designer then you should understand how to use a form and shape a design on a form. Not knowing this is like a painter who does not know how to use a brush to paint. I have met many brilliant interns who show me amazing designs they created on a computer, and I get very excited to see them, but usually the answer is that it is a concept they created on a computer and they could not find a sample maker who can make it for them. They often ask who my sample maker is, and when I tell them I design, pattern, do samples and produce myself, the are panic in disbelief.