taadevsite2023, Author at The Apparel Agency

Posted on June 7, 2023July 15, 2023 by taadevsite2023

Meet The Apparel Agency – Making it – Episode 3: The Build Process At The Apparel Agency

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in the fashion industry. To make it as an artist, the hustle behind launching your own label, pursuing a career in music or any other creative industry? Halfstack has been pursuing these stories in print form for the last four years. This fall, we’re bringing the insight story to YouTube. We connected with some of Chicago’s most iconic creatives to hear their stories and share their journeys with you. We take you behind the scenes and offer candid, personal conversations with people pursuing their dreams. It’s not as glamorous as the media would like you to think. We are sharing the raw reality behind making it.

In this episode of making it, we talked with The Apparel Agency’s, production team about the production process and all of the steps necessary to prep a line for manufacturing. This is the final step in The Apparel Agency’s client process. We learn about how a product goes from idea to pattern, to sample, and then into production run.

The team gives us some insight on how they take raw materials and transform them, all the while keeping in mind production volumes, the needs of their manufacturing partners, and their clients supply chain. If you haven’t already, please let us know if you’re enjoying the series, give us a thumbs up or subscribe to keep up with the newest episodes of making it.

Can You Tell Us What The Build Process Entails For Clients?

All of our build phases around our technical department, so everything will be the tech packs, patterns, and getting that first prototype cut and sewn so that we can test all of the fit and function of the garments.

What Are Some Of The Key Steps Involved In The Build Function & Process?

It starts out by our designer handing off the finished design specs to our technical team. And so from that point, the technical team gets all the information they need around the aesthetic and the way the garment should fit, and then they take the ball and they start developing the patterns size specs, finishing it, and routing out the garment. From that point, the next step really is taking it to make a sample, and then we go into fitting stage where the customer gets to see the garment for the first time made into a sample.

What Team Roles Are Involved In This Phase?

We have an office, the pattern maker, and then we have our technical designers who will do the tech packs and all the specs and sizing specs, etc. And then we have our sample sewer who’s in office as well. And they’ll do the cutting and sewing of those prototypes.

Do You Use Any Special Type Of Software During Tech Design Work?

The main piece of software that we use that isn’t generally something everybody uses is Optitex. It’s a software specifically for the apparel industry for making the patterns, marking, grading, and it’s kind of expensive piece of software. So it’s not something that everybody will have at their home doing it themselves. So that’s the main thing that sets us apart. And then we have our own plotters so we can print patterns in house, which is very useful. All the production markers and everything that you need to kind of prepare to send off for cutting. We can do all of that in office instead of having to farm that around to printers and things like that. Then all of our tech packs and things like that, we use Excel or Adobe illustrator. So typically those are a little more typical programs.

What Are The Final Steps In The Process Before The Product Hits The Factory?

The key things we’re looking at is when we have the first fit sample, we meet with the clients and we get their feedback. So the most important thing is that they like the way it looks on a model, it fits well, and it functions the way they expect it to function, if there’s a specific functionality to this garment. After those are all approved, then it gets approval for going to production.

Great cut tickets. We’ll lay out the markers for whatever the production order is, whether it’s samples through a full production run. And then we bundle up anything material-wise components for the garments, and then that’s kind of what we send off for the product.

Do The Factories That You Work With Require Any Minimum Orders?

It depends. We work anywhere from small batch manufacturing, sample making, and then we can scale up to import manufacturing, where they do have slightly larger minimums. We’re really set up to meet the needs of the client. So anywhere from small sample making up to somewhere in the couple of thousands. We can do pretty much that and everything in between.

How Do You Balance Factory Needs Vs. The Needs Of Your Clients?

So definitely working with the clients on the minimums, what’s going to get them best pricing because a lot of times they want to keep it smaller, but we can have a little bit of wiggle room to be able to work with our factory and have a better order for them. And then whether we’re bringing that down to different color ways or making it a little easier on the clients, they can have some different skews. We can definitely do things like that. The contractors that we work with really enjoy working with us. We’ll go back and forth if it doesn’t really work well to kind of meet the needs of the startup type clients, so that we can keep going and keep getting those orders back and forth for each season.

We really built a network of contractors and larger factories that are willing to work with many different types of clients. It’s very tailored. Our, our factory base is very tailored for this type of business. So they kind of rely on our repeat business.

Do You Work With Only Local Or Do You Also Have Ties To International Factories?

We’re tied with factories all over the world. So we do a great deal of our manufacturing in Chicago. We also partner with a few on the west and east coast, but then for larger clients or specific orders that make the most sense to do import, we also do work with factories that we partner with anywhere from India, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Morocco, Italy. So we have a pretty wide network.

What Is The Biggest Obstacle That A Brand Might Face During Production?

A lot of it is pre-production, a lot of it’s costing, figuring out the timing of your production. And that’s where we come in and we try to help bring everything together and make it a little more seamless for them, but during production, the biggest thing really comes to just managing the time and trying to make sure that everything comes together and then gets delivered on time.

What Other Services Do You Offer After Production?

We actually do like pick and packing or fulfillment of their orders. We have Apparel Magic, its one of the programs that we use and we can sync up different Shopify accounts or websites that they can sell it, and we’ll actually send the order directly to us and we can ship it out from our warehousing. That way they don’t have to store everything. If they can’t get into a regional distribution centre because they don’t have the amount of units that are required. We can still offer that and that same pricing, but at a lower quantities.

Follow us on Instagram @theapparelagency!

Original video & interview by The Freelance Life
Link: Meet The Apparel Agency – Making it – Episode 3: The Build Process At The Apparel Agency

Posted on June 7, 2023July 15, 2023 by taadevsite2023

Meet The Apparel Agency – Making it – Episode 2: Exploring & Planning Concepts For A Fashion Label Launch

In this week’s episode, we learned all about the explore and planned phases behind launching a label with The Apparel Agency. We talked to their design team about what it takes to bring an idea to life, as well as what people should keep in mind when designing. We look at the process of creativity and the elements that help a concept transform into a tangible product. The team also gives us insight on the evolution of the fashion industry, the growing fashion scene right here in Chicago, and what designers can do to stand out from the crowd. Make sure you subscribe to keep up with future episodes. Next week we’ll be learning more about the final phase in the process. Build.

What Does The Explore Process Entail For Clients?

Explore is all about sourcing materials and figuring out what materials are needed for each of the designs. So it works very hand in hand with our creative designer and our sourcing manager, and they take all the blend concepts and start to implement real life fabrics, costing everything that needs to go into a BOM for clients with their designs.

What Are The Steps Involved In Developing A Concept For A Collection?

Sometimes they come in with a loose idea too and it’s not very defined, and then it’s sort of like pulling images, doing some rough sketches, and trying to fine tune it. Like, what do you really want to make? Who’s your market? Where are you selling this to? How old are they? And trying to kind of pull that information out of them, because maybe they’re thinking about it in their heads, but it hasn’t necessarily come out yet. Then I’m always designing with fabrics of mine. I’m always sort of like, they’re very readily available here. So by the time it gets to explore, I’ve already spent and narrow down like this design uses this sort of fabric, and talking to them about what kind of fabric and feel. We’re very good at going through costings and have a realistic manufacturing type of mentality while designing so that we’re not over designing. So that’s something so impossible to make either domestic even, or overseas as well, but just having that in the back of your mind so that the concepts are going to relate easily to production.

Why Is Costing Important When Launching A Label?

It’s going to be based on everything that they’re doing. So if your cost of goods are far too high before you even get labor pricing, how are you willing to produce it? And especially if new designers want to keep lower minimums and try to keep it at low inventories that they don’t have to have a lot on hand, then they definitely need to keep that cost of goods and all of their materials during that explore phase or that sourcing phase. They need to keep that in mind so that they’re not adding too many zippers into a garment so that the labor price is going to get skyrocketed, and then you have to order seven different size zippers for one style, keeping it very as simple as it can be, but still having the stylized concepts. Present, but just in a good way. Using that fabrication more than one place. I think a lot of new designers, and I remember when you get out of school, you’re like, everything needs to be really special, and so you have each design with different fabrics, but in the real world, You want to use the same fabric in a couple of places, if not the majority in a small collection so that you’re saving money because the goal at the end of the day is to make money and have a business, and to have a full consumption of your goods as possible. Any of your cost of goods, depending on what level of market you want to be in, you gotta back out what should your labor pricing and your goods be, so that you can meet your margins for however you’re marking it up. Whether it’s wholesale retail, just keeping all of that in mind. I think of those discovering, exploring are a little bit like puzzle pieces. You’re trying to get it all together. Like where can we use this fabric? Are we going to use it? Okay. Wait. That’s too many zippers. If we do that we’re going to run into a problem there. So you’re kind of working out all those issues. You don’t want to work it out while you’re making it. So it is a little bit of looking at the big picture on everything while you’re designing.

What Is The Creative Process That Goes Into Your Design & Sourcing Work For Clients?

Well as far as when you’re designing a fabric, a garment, that kind of leads you to what fabrics you need and you’re like, okay, well, it has to be on made out of this kind of stuff. So I’ll just tell a sourcing manager, I’m thinking this vendor and this kind of fabric, then they’ll pull that, and then anything else. So I kind of lead her in the right direction, so that we’re not just running around in circles and fine tuning it. A lot of times they have inspiration, but maybe I’ll give them some inspirations of particular governments that I think would really work for them. Tell them why more than just overall inspiration. I think for us, it’s a lot more fine tuned. It’s not like this big mood board. I mean that’s nice, but I think its little bit more fine tuned as far as like garments, the detail, and really communicating it out like that, because sometimes when I draw, some people can envision it and some people can’t. Sometimes I need pictures to understand. Maybe I draw something that has a cut out and then I’m like here, see it, this kind of has something similar, and that kind of brings it together for the client. It’s basically just you’re supporting your designs with reference images, like see, it can be made. That kind of thing, just so that it just doesn’t seem like just a drawing. How can I make it fit their market? We have that production focus always. So trying to make it realistic for them and for whatever their needs are for their type of business, more than just “here’s a pretty shirt… We love your idea too… We’ll design, whatever you give us”, we’d like to have that background so that we can put factual things behind a garment, so they understand what’s needed to get to that production level. With source and explore, there’s all these materials here you can have, but then when you really get into the nitty gritty of it, like how many pieces are you doing? What’s their minimum? Are you going to buy 8,000 yards? You have to select the right vendors for each client. They’re only gonna make this much, then we have to find a vendor that’s also gonna sell them small amounts so that they’re not spending all their money on fabric. You’re only using that fabric for the next three years. It’s a little tricky. Again, you’re like, okay, well I want that, but here’s the realistic view. Sometimes those are the best designs. You’re like, here’s the box that I’m in. We have this design, we can have a piece of fabric with these vendors, but I don’t think people should look at it as limiting. I think you should just find a way to be more creative with that to make it work.

What Does The Plan Process Entail For Clients?

Sourcing, planing, and design would start at the same time. They’re really hand-in-hand with each other. They play off of each other. So it’s really happening all at the same time. At the very end of plan, you’re going to have both design specs with all the construction details called out. Anything that’s going into it for trims, components, and then that’s when our lead designer would then meet with our technical designer and pattern maker. They would kind of go through what the design is and then it moves into technical, then start pattern making.

What Is The Key Difference Between Your Explore & The Plan Phase?

Plan it’s all about design. Sourcing & explore is all about finding the right materials to embellish those designs and what works with those designs. Usually during my designing, I talk with our pattern makers, and I ask them all the time like, “Hey, I think this is going to work as far as technically, what do you have problems with this?” If you’re trying to make something that’s too complicated, it’s not going to look good. So I always talk to them if I feel I’m thinking about doing this… is there a better way that I could do this, so it would be a great production? Because it’s about consistency. I definitely can solve it through the whole process, and then again we’d meet again to pass it off before they pattern it. And a lot of times clients even come in at the end, if they can, and we talk about the final in a meeting with our patternmakers, before it goes to the pattern making.

Is The Chicago Fashion Scene Growing & Developing?

I think Midwest in general, I think we have a lot of inquiries that come from Midwest and they love that we have the Chicago hub, especially for manufacturing and they realized that we do all the services as well. So that’s great for them because they can’t always get into one of the coasts and they might be a smaller brand that a New York developer or manufacturer may not want to work with because they’re not up to par with what their normal plans are. Something with the west coast, I feel like if they don’t think you’re as serious, then they may not be somebody who is willing to work with you as much. And I think Chicago, we work with any type of small company and we have a wide range of skillset here that we can definitely utilize for a lot of brands that are emerging and starting.

I look at it like you can kind of do anything anywhere now. It’s really changing. I think it used to just be two places, but it’s very oversaturated and with how prevalent online sales are, and you really can run your business from where you want to. It’s just a matter of shipping goods sometimes to you that you can really do it anywhere. For us, we still have clients that live in the west coast for various reasons, so I think things are changing. I’m starting to see a lot more companies being all over the United States. I don’t think it’s going to be as localized or just certain areas anymore. It’s gotta spread out. I don’t think it’ll just stay in those two areas.

What Can New Brands Do To Stand Out From All Of The Competition?

Really knowing who you want to be and not trying to be, and not trying to be super trend based. I think right now you have to have a story about who you are and its a little be more personal. Really tell that story with your flow in the market. That is the best thing to do. Find that small niche where there isn’t something and try to fill it.

Follow us on Instagram @theapparelagency!

Original video & interview by The Freelance Life
Link: Meet The Apparel Agency – Making it – Episode 2: Exploring & Planning Concepts For A Fashion Label Launch

Posted on June 7, 2023July 15, 2023 by taadevsite2023

Meet The Apparel Agency – Making it – Episode 1: Launching A Fashion Label

In this episode of making it, we’re introducing you to The Apparel Agency. The Apparel Agency is a full service development and production management agency. They worked to bring success to apparel brands for worldwide through their comprehensive plans in private labeling, located in the heart of America’s Midwest. The Apparel Agency is based in Chicago and has a fully equipped team of industry professionals, creative and technical designers. Pattern makers, sample makers and access to production facilities to aid in the development and the manufacturing of apparel accessories, and so much more. We visited The Apparel Agency over the span of a few months to learn more about the process behind launching a clothing label. They let us get a behind the scenes glimpse of what they worked through with clients. In this second episode, we learned all about discover. This is the first step in their creative process with working with brands to launch a label. Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can keep up with the next episodes of making it, where we feature the next steps in The Apparel Agency’s creative process. These include explore plan and build.

What Does The Discovery Process Entail For Clients?

The first step of discovery is in most businesses and in primarily most agency settings. We have such a variety of clients, especially being that we cater to small businesses or startups. So what we have to do is understand and define an end goal because development is driven by an end result, prototype salesmen samples, full launch production run. We really have to understand what is that end goal? What is the size, the scope of their business, their intentions for sales and their market launch. Then we have to back out timelines, back out resources, back out pricing and costing, and almost develop it conceptually, and strategize the development path before we even begin.

What Inspired You To Launch Your Private Label “The Line”?

It definitely started with the inquiry process. We were getting a lot of inquiries for athletic wear and leisure, and it really spun some ideas in our end that we could develop this wholesale line that can cater to these types of clients who maybe can’t develop right now, or just need some product available, to screen print on, or be able to sell as their own. Then that kind of spawned the whole idea to bring in some trend forward, athletic and leisure pieces. You just sell them outright. Versus having to go through that development process for each person looking for an athletic line. The unique part about our private label is that it’s fully customizable.

The solutions that are layered within the actual line that you see, or the collections that you see are limitless. You can buy it as is, and you can embellish it, screen print it. Our tagline is put your label on it, but then you can also engage with us on our custom development services and tweak it even further. Maybe put in a special color palette, fabrication, or expand on the design details.

That’s what I love about it because you don’t find that with existing distributors or blanks lines. You kind of get what you get, cut their label out of it, and put your spin on it from a very topical place. We wanted to promote our ability to customize (if they want to), and also just simply run production on a turnkey basis.

The other thing about it too, is that we’re not limited. We’re not taking any position in athletic or athleisure. That’s just where we started. So you’ll see swimwear, children’s, and men’s shirting. We’re currently in the process of running restaurant aprons, chef wear… we can develop anything being that we have the foundation of a development agency.

I think the main reason is because there’s, we just saw a lot of potential in there. There’s a void in the market for the type of design we’re doing and fabricated the way we’re doing it and specialty materials. There wasn’t anything in the market that offers clients this type of accessibility to align of this caliber, where they can buy it as is, or they can customize it. That’s really why we launched it. We started off with athleisure and sportswear because that’s what we find is the hottest trending position in the marketplace now. But we’re going to continually grow it, change it and evolve.

What Should Someone Have Prepped Before They Meet With Your Team?

Concepts. Whatever that may be. Is it sketches? Is it Google images? Retail examples that they bought at a store? Any type of fabrication or material inputs? Maybe they have a shirt that where really love the material, but they want to see what they can expand with it. Bring us as many examples as possible. It can direct us to bring all the options to the table that are available within that market. Then kind of helping them just work through different options that they may not know of, but having that initial sample, sketch, or retail image really helps guide us to what is currently available that we could show to them.

Any idea of the direction that they want to take their line in. Oftentimes we offer a fair amount of consultative services even before discovering. We’re helping people understand what they start with, and what type of budget might they need. If you don’t know, it might be nice to just get an hour or two of consultation and say this is what I feel I can handle.

Knowing your role. This is a multi-faceted industry. A brand has more than one position. Oftentimes our clients wear several hats, but what are your strengths, what are your weaknesses, and where will you fill in those weaknesses? Who will you be to the company, and where do you have to hire out or fill in order to keep it going?

Once they go through inquiry phase where they’ve defined the concept, and then they enter into planning phase, we looked to draw that information out of them. What does this look like to you, this new business, how is it running? And then it helps us understand how to build it, not to promise the sun, the stars and the moon, which we can do, but maybe for now, we have something within reach, and we can build a great plan for them to get started.

What Are Your Capabilities When It Comes To Working With Potential Clients & Brands?

I would say first and foremost, we are a high level pool of resources. So we’re not just freelance individuals with a focus on pattern making specifically or limited access to the industry. We work with all markets, all products worldwide. So we have this unique collective of knowledge. Some of us are from small business and domestic manufacturing backgrounds. Some of us are from corporate and overseas production with backgrounds in fabrication technology. We’re very well-rounded. Other than that, we really focus ourselves around our core services, which is what you need to get factory ready. There’s a break between designer and factory. There’s this space in between where you really have to do it the right way to get the results that oftentimes our designers are dreaming up there in their mind, but they don’t know what it took to go from that dream to the factory floor and get results that are on the retail floor. So we really pride ourselves on the fact that we have industry standard tools, templates, staffing, knowledge, resources, and software, and we implement all of that into our projects whether they are small or large.

What Kind Of Brands Has The Apparel Agency Worked With In The Past?

We have many different markets. Athletic and athleisure is a huge one right now. We have a lot of inquiries in companies that we work with for that. Different types of tennis wear, restaurants, entertainment, swimwear, men’s wear, bridal, ready to wear, suiting, anything like that. We cover pretty much all markets, even plush, accessories, handbags, belts, pet clothing, etc. Anything that can be cut in sewn, we can get you to the factory.

Where Can People Learn More About The Apparel Agency?

Everything’s on our website. You can view all of our Services and then be able to contact us through the web (Start Your Project).

Follow us on Instagram @theapparelagency!

Original video & interview by The Freelance Life
Link: Meet The Apparel Agency – Making it – Episode 1: Launching A Fashion Label