Profitable Fashion Product Design & Development

We have a 6 step development process to take you all the way through from idea sketch to shelf. We customise this process depending on your product, desired supply chain, budget and timelines. It can be shaped to best fit with your goals! The starting point is flexible, so that we can meet you where you’re already at.

We will meet bi-weekly to discuss and strategize. The team will be working on your deliverables in the background in between calls.

// Weeks 1 - 2: Planning & design

Use our market research framework to find early signals, validate ideas, learn your customers desire, map and prove your “problem” and “solution”. Create a custom timeline so you can plan and execute in good time. Use our proprietary framework to create the “right” product. We’re creating a brand following and legacy, not just making nice clothes.  

Deliverables: Development roadmap, budget, market research, design brief and design sketches

// Weeks 3 - 4: Materials & Sourcing

Access our network of contacts and resources. We will define your sustainability and supply chain requirements, and find you partners who’ll be a good fit for your unique needs and set up. We’re not just looking for vendors, we’re finding your key stakeholders who’s partnerships you’ll nourish as everyone works together mutually to grow. 

Deliverables: Supplier lists and introductions

// Weeks 5 - 6: Technical

Dive into the technical details and flesh out every detail of your product intentionally. The strategy is to balance customer functionality, quality and cost. We’ll translate all the details so you’re able to hand off the sewing to your suppliers. We make the most reliable tech packs in the industry, they can be used in perpetuity to manufacture and scale.

Deliverables: Tech packs

// Weeks 7 - 8: RFQs, costing & first samples

Cost your idea so that your profit is planned and you have a realistic idea of costs and appropriate budget. Compare quotes from multiple sources and find the right supplier for you. We will onboard your chosen factory and hand off the tech packs to them. We will have them complete a first sample for you so we can see your version 1 IRL (the most fun step!)

Deliverables: Supplier quotes, costings

// Weeks 9 - 10: Test & Evaluate

We will fully review your first sample against our specifications, quality standards and all design briefs. If needed a fitting on a live fit model can be done. Any comments or improvements will be documented and submitted to suppliers for review. We use our honed evaluation method to keep iterations efficient and get to the approval stage ASAP.   

Deliverables: Test/fit sessions, sample evaluation forms

// Weeks 11 - 12: Pre-production & beyond

We will execute on any pre-production tasks needed for a smooth and on time production run. 

We will help you create your “block” or base styles, so that future development projects can stack (so you don’t have to start development from scratch each time). We will explore the “ecosystem” method (generates revenue) and the “bricks” method (cost saving) for new product development.

Deliverables: Size set samples, salesman/photography samples, lab dips, strike offs, next products in half the time!

We’ll plan, strategise and design your products or collection in the first 14 days. This includes a custom weekly planning doc so you can see when all internal deadlines are set.

After 30 days we will have sourced your suppliers + materials

After 45 days we will have created all the technical documentation you need to work with your chosen sewing factory.

After 60 days we will have requested quotes from suppliers and done costing for your products.

Typically suppliers take anywhere from 1-4 weeks to make a first sample. While we wait for that we will work on any 3D assets, patterns, graphics or branding that you need.

As soon we receive your first factory sample we will get to work testing and evaluating it. So we can give your factory any improvements needed as quickly and efficiently as possible.

If you’ve already started development no problem, we can start or meet you where you are at, and continue on! For example, we could jump in at step 2 or step 4, wherever best serves your goals.  

That’s ok, we can help you with that! This package is designed to contract or expand with whatever your unique products needs are. If you need additional: graphic design, sewing patterns, samples, strike offs, lab dips, etc, we will provide you a time estimate for your specific scenario. Same with materials sourcing and supply chain, we will work with your unique requirements and use those to guide the process.

We will help you decide which route is best for your goals, your budget and your brand. It might be the case that 1 route is better for your first collection than it is for your second, or 1 route is better for a specific product but not for others. We can advise you on the options that will best fit your situation, and one of the first things we will complete is a production plan, showing you what is going to be completed and when the target due date is.  We can even use 1 production method for 1 product and a different method for another.

​​We have a standard agreement that we use for all clients, with confidentiality, intellectual property and ownership clauses for your privacy, which states that all design rights belong to you. If you’d like to preview a copy let us know.  

We will handle all design, technical and sourcing tasks. Our team in the Philippines will be working on creating the deliverables you’ll need for development, while your US based product development manager will be accountable for moving your project forward and your communications. We will be working with a third party supplier (likely a sewing factory), pre-approved by you, for your sample making. 

You’ll be setting up a bi-weekly recurring call with your PD manager. In between calls you’ll receive email updates when needed in between. 

Your retainer includes 18 hours a month of work from your product developer and the rest of our team, including our tech designers and pattern maker. Our first step together is to create a development calendar to plan what needs to be done and when. Work will be completed to schedule so that we can reach your goals on time! We also have add-on hours available to purchase in case of emergency.

Our process is designed as much as possible to get you results. If the case (as sometimes happens), that a particular supplier, route or decision isn’t working out… we won’t let you get stuck. We’ll be strategising with you what the best way to pivot is. Then guiding you through that updated direction.

Because we start with a written plan and schedule, it’s easy to see if ever anything is falling behind. And quickly figure out how we catch up that product/fabric/sample, etc.

We will also have bi-weekly recurring meeting to update you on all progress and deliverables. So you’ll never be left in dark.

Faster and cheaper doesn’t equal better. And faster and cheaper initially… does not equal faster and cheaper by the end!

We invest a little more time at the beginning of your project to create very intentional designs, tech packs, patterns and sourcing. This is to achieve the following:

• We’re making your development process as easy and simple as possible, with the least amount of questions and revisions. The result for your business – you can stay focused on what you do best, marketing, sales, operations etc without distraction.

• We’re making sure your factory has everything they need to SPEED through so you can be done quickly. The result for your business – you can reach your sales goals faster, start on next products faster (more product, more sales).

• We’re making your development and manufacturing process more cost effective ultimately. By making strategic design and material choices, and by doing extensive sourcing, we’re engineering the best unit costs keeping in mind, margins, return rates, your competitors pricing and more. The result for your business – holistically higher profits at the end, rather than providing you with the cheapest price service to start.