Loose Leaf : Pattern Inspiration
with a soupçon of design process
This one is FREE TO ALL! Enjoy!
Where do you get your inspiration from?
This has been a question I get often on Instagram AMAs but felt it needed a longer format response. Truthfully, this isn’t any sort of insider secrets revealed so apologies in advanced.
To be honest it felt like a very black and white but also grey question to answer because I’ve never really thought about it. Where do I get my inspiration from (I ask myself)? The cut and dry answer here is existing designs. Most other designers would say the same but some like to twist it into something intangible. I’ve never connected with spinning “cocktail hour in Positano” or “Kafka’s Metamorphosis” into a collection and it’s one of the reasons I skipped “fashion school”.
It’s very hard to come up with truly unique ideas in this fashion vacuum. Most things have been done, most shapes have been created. Innovation these days comes more from material development and textile science over new and never before seen silhouettes.
For me my search for inspiration comes from my fascination with construction. I love all the little elements that come together to become a garment and view apparel creation through a sculpture lens. This is why I pursued becoming a pattern maker. It’s a concept that can be true for designers as well but I’ve worked with plenty who are more vibe centric. [I learned early on about the important and rarely spoken about relationship between the designer and pattern maker. It’s the pattern makers job to translates fuzzy vibe into formed reality.]
Thumbing through racks of vintage, going down the Pinterest rabbit holes and paying attention to what is selling in smaller boutiques are my biggest sources of inspiration. My design process always starts with what I personally want to wear, what I think is missing from the market and of course what will sell. Then I will think deeper on those little elements and allow my instincts to interpret a design.
I stumbled across this video recently that I think articulates how I feel about my personal instinct. Tooting my own horn here, I think I’m a pretty good intentional observer which comes from that hunger for construction and how things are made. As a creator, shifting from “I like that, I want that” to “why does a double welt feel more elevated on this blazer than a single” starts to connect you with those deeper details people are drawn to and most importantly how a garment will make them feel.
This does however come with the caveat of leaning too hard into trends. Over the past 2 years I’ve learned that styles that are too trend driven don’t sell as well. The demand for unique newness outweighs the return in purchases in the home sewing world. Elastic waist pants, they sell! But I won’t be giving you just another elastic waist pant I’ll give you my take on an elastic waist pant and that’s where my learnings and thinking takes me. What will sell that also feels very new and have a longer runway because unlike the apparel retail market, home sewing patterns can essentially live forever!
All that being said, I wanted to share some current brands I admire since those are the easiest to share.
I’d love to hear who inspires your sewing below in the comments!
Rachel Comey - The queen of downtown NYC cool
Dries Van Noten - Always in awe of his use of color and print. It will be interesting to watch where his line goes post retirement.
Isabel Marant - Dream guest at my hypothetical dinner party. I feel like she’d just smoke cigarettes with her heels on the table and tell me to stop caring what people think.
Rejina Pyo - I think she’s so sharp. She was bringing vests to the market years ago.
Saks Potts - Copenhagen cool. I lean more SP than Ganni
By Malene Birger - Also Danish but newer to me [even though they’ve been around for 20 years]. I palette cleaners with beautiful details.
Loewe - Would you have guessed this brand was founded in 1846? Yea me neither. If you are ever in a city with a Loewe store GO IN! The craftsmanship and attention to detail is mind melting.
Next Loose Leaf : My 2024 “Make Nine” just in time for the nine months left in 2024. Plus how to add jean style front pockets to the Coe Trouser.
In Case You Missed It -
I put together my Spring Mood Board on last loose leaf.
Shout out to Stacey of The Crooked Hem for doing a deep dive on the Wren Fleece!
I think what attracts me to pattern companies is the POV of the designer and their singular vision or muses. Maybe this is because it infuses the whole process of making which is tedious with more thoughtfulness and intention
I love the idea of viewing apparel creation as sculpture. It explains the DJ point of view so well, there is a conversation with volume, shape, and proportion that I don’t see in a lot of other pattern companies.
Looking forward to seeing your make nine for the year!