Blog 004 - Designing Products

Designing a product has many steps that can get very frustrating at times. We get lots of questions on who designs and how do you do it, so I figured I would write a brief summary on the steps we take to turn a concept into an actual product. 

Step 1: Determine what product you are wanting to decide. Makes sense right? How else would you start if you don't even know what product you want to sell. I always like to look at what people are wearing, what are big companies releasing, what is missing in my own outfits when I go play. All these help determine what product we want to come out with. At this step we look at fabrics of each product to see which one will work best for the product we are wanting to release. 

Step 2: Determine the vibe you are going for. This year, we are focusing on releasing products that have a common theme to them. In the past we have never truly been color coordinated and it does not look very organized. Our goal is to make sure we understand the season and understand what people are looking for. This step happens at the same time as step 1, especially when looking at fabrics. 

Step 3: Dive deep into designs. This is where it can get frustrating if the creative mind is not cooperating. Some days the mind can come up with tons of ideas and the next it can simply go blank. The best is when you go back to the design a few days later to look at what you've done. Usually it's oh wow that's great, but sometimes it turns into what in the world were you thinking. We design everything in house. Of course we get influenced by other products we see, but our products are ours. We will never come out with a pattern that another brand has done. 

Step 4: Make the final decision and order away! Typically once we order a product it takes 2 months to get in. 

This year, we are stepping it up and really looking into how do we grow into the wholesale world. We have been able to get into 3 pro shops in El Paso, Texas so far and by the end of this year, I am hoping that we can get into at least 8 shops in the surrounding area. This does take planning to another level as instead of designing 5 months in advance, we will need to start at least 8 months in advance for marketing purposes. 

Custom orders are fun since Steps 1-4 will involve the customer and when you have someone who is as excited as we are, the designing gets electric!

There you have it, a quick simple summary on how we make a concept turn into an actual product! 

If you have any questions, ask below! 

Talk soon!