Garment (100)

Photo via Flickr/Kelly Melissa Photography


If you’re anything like us, whenever you need more room in your already packed apartment, it means another humiliating trip to Buffalo Exchange or Beacon’s Closet only to find out that your spare threads are “unsellable” and all you’ve got in your hands is three drawers worth of landfill. Well, if you’re a New Yorker, fitting the hottest fall trends in your closet just got a lot easier. This September, NYC is finally going green by launching a massive te

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Image via umass.edu


Designers, when something goes wrong in the workroom and let’s be honest here; you usually hang the blame on your sewing-machine operators. The idea that these essential garment workers refuse to alter their practices to suit the job at hand is as old as Italian lace.


An article on Fashion Incubator, however, suggests that the problems on the sewing-room floor aren’t necessarily the fault of the operators. Rather, it may be an issue of communication. Despite the monotonous prod

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americanappare_nail_collection_8590666.JPGAmerican Apparel, the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based indowntown Los Angeles, is announcing the addition of six new colors toits successful line of nail polish. The company timed and designed theexpansion of American Apparel Nail Lacquer for the upcoming summerseason.

The colors continue the theme of representing the brand and the culturewhich surrounds it. A khaki shade called "California Trooper" alludesto the uniforms of the ubiquitous California Highway Patrol, while"Malibu
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Air_8545841.jpgRupa & Co. Ltd., India’s largest hosiery manufacturer with a turnover of over Rs. 500 crores, brings another cutting-edgeinnovation that will change the way men dress and feel within.

Rupa, the manufacturer of Frontline – India’s highest-selling brand ofvests – now introduces Rupa AIR. For the first time in India, a vestthat is made of 100% American Pima Cotton, one of the most exclusive and luxurious natural yarns in the world.

American Pima Cotton isExtra Long Staple (ELS) cotton cultivated

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I’m in the process of updating the Flats section of my portfolio with 80-90 new flats!

Visit FashionEngineers.com and scroll down for blog post.

I welcome your comments.

Thanks for visiting.

Elizabeth

PS Don't forget to sign up for the RSS feed.

If you would like to hire me to do your fliats, specs, line sheets, patterns/ samples or artistic fashion illustration, contact me at Elizabeth@FashionEngineers.com

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A Hybrid Model for Garment Production

The traditional model seems so wasteful: make $20,000 worth of samples which you will distribute to your showrooms, ALL of which cost 3X the standard garment production cost, FEW to NONE of which will ever be sold to recoup any of the money.

In launching Pixyworld, we just couldn't do it. Why not do a real production run right off the bat, with reasonable production costs, and sell direct to the retail customer, at a reasonable retail price?

Well, this approach turned out not to be the whole solut
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MFG.com: The Fashion World Is Not Ready

It sounds like such a great idea, doesn't it? Sourcing made simple via the internet. A site that connects designers and manufacturers using spec sheets and a formal bidding process. No more phone calls, faxes, or sending samples just to get a bid.

But in practice, I just don't think we're ready for mfg.com. When I submitted spec sheets for Pixyworld's dresses & shorts last summer, the response I got was somewhat puzzling.

Of all the hundreds of suppliers (domestic and overseas) they had listed, th
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Visit

We are working to bring a Guide to buy in the biggest textile cluster of SouthAmerica. If you need to know where to buy a garment or need to take a service ( cutting, sewing, printing,embroidering,etc) in Gamarra ( La Victoria,Lima- Perú) we can help you. Visit We would like that you enjoy to buy in Gamarra.
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Yummy Yarn-Dyed Stripes

Fabric quality is such an important element in producing a pleasing and long-lasting product. The average consumer does not necessarily know the technical terms for different types of fabric, but she knows good fabric when she sees and feels it.

My aspirations in this area, for my toddler girls' line, are high. One aspect of high-quality knit fabrics is that striped knits are yarn-dyed rather than printed.

Having a yarn-dyed fabric custom made for a small boutique line is virtually impossible, be
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Hiring a Sales Rep: A Big Decision

So, Pixyworld is taking the plunge. In a certain way it feels like we're signing away our freedom. But, all things considered, I think signing on with Lace and Denim for the Southeast US region is the best next step for us in building our line.

When we first considered a different showroom in 2008, we were scared off big-time. In fact, it was that experience that inspired us to start selling to the retail customer through our own website! It was my husband Jon who spoke with the first showroom, a
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Cluttered Studio, Cluttered Mind??

The classic retort to the aphorism "Cluttered desk, cluttered mind" is, "Well, then what about an empty desk??"

I might say the same for my design studio, the wellspring of Pixyworld children's fashion, should it ever be accused of being... shall we say, less than tidy? I had to admit to finding a large piece of unused marker paper the other day, after having made do without any (thinking I'd run out) for several days of pattern making.

But I like to class myself as "artistic" (as if that somehow
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Spec Sheets, Schmeck Sheets.

As much as I love Mary Gelhar's The Fashion Designer Survival Guide, there is one area in which it hasn't tallied with my experience.

Tech sheets. Spec sheets. Whatever you want to call them. The fact of the matter is, I have rarely ever been able to get a manufacturing quote for my little girls' clothing line with one.

When I first started looking for a factory, I made beautiful tech sheets. By the book. One production manager even went out of her way to compliment my flats. But the response I in
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Overseas Manufacturing: Pros and Cons

Pixyworld is dipping its toes into the deep waters of overseas manufacturing. We're starting with one collection, as an experiment, this season. Amazingly enough, we found a factory that is willing to come low on minimums and even make one fabric in an extremely small quantity.

But there's more to overcome than high minimums. How about shipping cost -- not just shipping for the product, but back and forth for sample fabric, patterns, samples, & counter-samples!! Using a courrier service like FedE
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Email, Anyone??

It took me awhile to get used to the fact that the fashion industry still uses fax over email. I don't own a fax machine, and I find myself sending faxes to work with my husband, in order to order stock garment labels and other production supplies. What's up with that??

Strangely enough, these faxing businesses seem to proliferate in the USA, whereas I stay in touch with my overseas contacts via email.

Hey -- whatever it takes!! It's a privilege to work with people who have years of experience in
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20 year of experience shooting Apparel, Fashion, beauty & Accessories for manufacturers.Please stop by for a look!Pricing is Per shot or by time and my pricing schedule is posted to the website.http://www.chuckgoodenough.comGive me a call - Chuck - 213-624-1600Partial list of clients served:Frankie B, Windsor Fashions, Girlfriends LA, Guess Jeans, Max Factor, Redken, Blue Dot Clothing, Neutrogena, Lucky Brand Jeans, Charles David Footwear, A.K.A., Jnco Jeans, Mattel Toys, Visual Story Tools, Joe
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Saurer Industrial Co Ltd

You would like to know about Saurer? We tell you our predominance!·Competitive Price with High Quality·Sourcing Expert Providing the Largest Range of Products·SEM Expert Offering Marketing Service·Looking for Cooperationl We are Offering Competitive Price with High qualitySaurer Industrial Co., Ltd., locating in Guangzhou, China, is manufacturing and supplying high quality nonwoven products and fabrics at competitive prices both for home and abroad. We have established good relationships with pr
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Photography for the Apparel Industry

Hi gang,I'm an experienced (20 years) tog shooting in Los Angeles.I shoot by the piece or by time & pricing is here:http://www.martphoto.comClinets:http://www.chuckgoodenough.com/clients.htmlNew Work:http://www.chuckgoodenough.com/newwork.html'cmon! Lets get your Fall line shot!I'm Fast, Affordable & Experienced!;-)Chuck213-624-1600http://www.chuckgoodenough.com
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