Lately, I have been having a lot of trouble sourcing fabrics. I want to make sure my customers will have the best, so my requirements are high. The fabric must come from a respectable mill, consist of all natural fibers, be of top quality, and have outstanding properties. I have been using numerous resources to help me locate mills such as The Small Design Company’s Guide to Wholesale Fabrics and Trims, Alibaba, and recommendations from other designers. Some mills have been very helpful, others have let me down, and some just don’t respond at all. Either I find a fabric that I really love, but they don’t have the exact color I want… or I find the right colors and fabric, but the mill is extremely shady.
After graduating FIDM, I never thought I would be turning to my books for help. I have come to find that they have been the most helpful. I have been able to reeducate myself on the weights of fabric, the properties, and how to spot quality. Of course designing for another company has helped me greatly, but I am surprised how much knowledge I held onto from school.
The Small Design Company’s Guide to Wholesale Fabrics and Trims has a section for fabric converters (an individual or organization that buys greige goods and sells them as a finished product to retailers, cutters, wholesalers, and others) which has been the most use to me. After emailing several converters, thinking few or none would contact me back, I received an overwhelming amount of responses. Each person I dealt with was so supportive and offered to send me free samples (that’s not common) without hesitation.
I should be receiving my samples this week and will give you all a peek of a what goes into your garment that you may not be aware of :)
I am now starting to feel the stress of making my deadline for the S/S release. Besides working every free minute I have, I also design full time for another clothing company. It becomes frustrating when I use all of my creative energy at work and come home to source fabrics (one of my least favorite things to do). Hopefully this week I will have good news for all of you!
… sigh!
Katie
