Becoming a Fashion Designer is not an easy task. Most people believe it's a glamorous job... moving around models, doing runways, and drawing all day. And, at some points, it could be like that. But most of the time, you are down on heart, figuring out what people like, how to make it unique - so they choose you - and make it profitable at the same time.

Creative and Technical Skills

Designing clothing requires both creative and technical skills. The beginning of the process is mainly creative. But after sketching, the development process starts and you need to think technically. You are going to decide exactly what you want and explain it to your technician or manufacturer.

Garment assembly is an important part of this process. To make it clear to your manufacturer, you must specify some construction, finishes, and details.

Sewing seams can join two or more layers of fabric (construction), they can polish the edges (finishing), they can attach other pieces (or trims), or modify the volume (details).

Good Design and Commercial Success

The proper selection of seams will help you get to a great design and commercial success. These decisions affect not only the aesthetic aspects, but also the performance, the quality, and the cost of the garment.

The first feature you will consider is the structure of the seam – the way the fabric lays. The second issue is how to sew it – the type of stitch and the type of topstitch. It's up to you to decide on the "best" way to sew each seam, for the sake of your product design and for your factory. 

These choices depend on:

• the type of product: outerwear, swimming wear, sportswear, etc.

• the style of the product: casual, formal, high-end, etc.

• the type of fabric: woven or knit, its weight, the fibers, etc.

• the part of the garment: necklines, armholes, shoulders, crotch, etc. 

For example; heavier weight products will need a stronger seam. High-end products will warrant seams that look more polished. Knit fabrics that stretch will also need stitches that can stretch.

Being aware of how garments are made will help you not only to boost your career, but also to make better decisions from the beginning. So in the end, you will save time.

If you would like to know more about this, I suggest you start observing your everyday clothing. When you go to the shops, pay attention to how garments similar to yours are sewn. Analyze how they are made and what stitches were used. Also; compare different types of clothing. Then you can try to figure out why they made it one or the other way.

You can also have a look at our last book, Sewing Seams for Tech Packs, which is all about this.