So I'm not sure what you know of the garment industry....I'd think some of you will know rather a lot, others perhaps a little.
One of the things I always find odd is that you have to work out of sink with the seasons....so the last couple of months I've been working on new designs for Autumn/Winter 12. I'm now having to do all the paper work for costings, and working out how much fabric everything uses. One day I'd love to be in the position to have this wrapped up a year early and in production a season early. Currently designs are done, then samples made for photo shoots, publicity, getting wholesale orders, then production beings. It can take anything from 1 month to 3 - 4 months for things to turn up. During this time lots of sleepless nights occur; what happens if no one likes the design, are too many or too little being made, what if the weathers rubbish an no one buys anything, what if things arrive late and no one wants them, what if they sell out really quickly but more can't be made for a while! Until you become rather Zen about it all as there's little you can do to control the multitude of things and people who influence the speed items arrive at, and spending all that energy being stressed and angry isn't good for anyone and who's going to get stuff done quickly for someone who keeps being angry at them! Fabric supplies, trimmings, manufacturer's, invoices being paid on time, things being in stock, being sent quickly, not coming across random problems.
So, whilst in mid mid-season flap (swimwear coming soon.....! Then back to re-stocks...yes jeans too, I know they've been out of stock for forever!) I'm designing for A/W...and the problem with the being one year in advance idea, is that, anything could happen and things could be come out of fashion in the year wait (becuase even the rockin' scene has ebs and flows of trends). Thankfully being more about a style, particularly a sub-cultural one, a lot of these worries aren't as bad as they could be. Fashions move slower, so the aim is to get really seasonal bits out first....then do re-runs of stock. Sometimes things to go plan, sometimes they don't!
Lady K Loves has only been manufacturing for a year and a half....so there is lots to learn. I hope and think we're getting better and learning each season....This season we've learnt a lot, and next season we'll no doubt learn more too........One of the things I really notice on the rockin' scene is that yes things like winter coats and swimwear are very seasonal...but past that, I can (and have) just as easily see a strapless bustier and peddles on the dance floor in summer as in winter....the same goes for a lot of the lovely Hawaiian print styles and the such like. So, perhaps we're all out of season a little bit?
