Everyone’s favorite bit. The design stage is where the creativity flows and is not yet limited by practical realities. 

During this stage, we work up a design brief that will help the pattern maker with accomplish the goals of the design, as well as select the fabrics, colors and artwork.

Patterning is a key step essential to achieving the look and feel of the design. 

Patterns can be built either manually the old school way or digitally using software. Both are perfectly acceptable. 

However, digital patterns have the advantage of being easier to save and transport, simplifying the process.

The prototyping process is the most important stage of all. During this stage the product is built for the first time and all the bugs are worked out through fittings.

Many people rush through this process, but that’s a rookie mistake. Prototyping is the process by which you perfect your design and get it ready for sale to the public.

Once the prototype has been finalized and approved, the next step is to product a tech pack. 

Much like blueprints are to an architect, tech packs are a stack of technical documents that describe the product in its entirety. 

A great tech pack can be used to accurately recreate a product without even having a sample. 

Details, details, details are the key to a great tech pack.

Sampling is the step that everyone is most anxious to reach. Sometimes so anxious that they skip the previous ones!

Yet, sampling is really just an approval stage. Samples are used for checking fit, sizes, and getting quotes from manufacturers.

They may also be used for a huge variety of other purposes, such as photography, promos, and more.

A successful production means that you have to have everything dialed in as much as possible to avoid any opportunities for miscommunication and error. 

That why, here at Prototype, manufacturing comes only after all the previous steps have been completed. The resulting production will be more efficient and yield better quality results.