a great way to present fabric swatches

8/20/2019 A Great Way to Present Fabric Swatches

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A great way to present fabric swatches, by Katharina Domokosch.

2. Prepare to be flexible, and take things in and out. Because different jobs and courses willhave different requirements, make sure to be prepared to adapt your portfolio according to the

position you are applying for just like you do with a resume, right!" #o if you have five great projects,

maybe you only bring three to one interview, and four to another, because there were elements that

weren$t relevant to one particular school or job. %his also means you need a portfolio where you can

remove content. &ery important, see below.


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A line up of the whole collection, by Katharina Domokosch. %his is a great way to end a fashion design project,

as it allows the viewer to see the collection as a whole.

3. Buy a good portfolio. And have a great digital version. A good portfolio is an indispensable

tool for a fashion person. ' suggest A( or letter si)e bigger makes you look student*y, although some

schools will require this, see point +. " hoose something neutral ie. black. -o logos, no weird colours,

no cheap binding, please." ake sure it is very high quality and has sleeves where you can easily

change the content, and how many pages are in the portfolio. /our portfolio will last you for years,

which is why you want it to be neutral. 0ven though you might be obsessed with pink bows and lace

now, you don$t want your portfolio to be pink and lacy, as you may end up being a menswear designer

in five years. 01pect to spend well into the three digits for a good portfolio and sleeves, but count this

as an investment.

' once saw 2ouise 3ilson course director on the A at #t. artins" refuse an application because the

portfolio looked 4disgusting.5 #he didn$t even open it. But, ' won$t deny she has a good point. 3hat

kind of person are you if you go to a job interview in a sweatsuit! %he same type of person who puts

their pri)ed work into the portfolio equivalent of a sweatsuit.

And don$t forget, a good digital version of your portfolio is also very important since we live in the

digital age. %his needs to be slightly different than your hardcopy, as some things can$t be represented

the same in both formats e1. videos or fabric swatches." ' make my students do a small (B

ma1imum mini version of their digital portfolio, to send out as a taster. %hen they need a larger

version, which can be sent out on request don$t ever send a +66B file to someone unless they have

requested it." ake sure to have fle1ibility with your pages in case you need to do a 76B version, or

you want to remove pages.


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A lovely research and fabric page by at 8atterson.

4. Know your strengths. %his is a life lesson for everyone, and applies to all careers, applications,

and aspects of life. 'f you aren$t good at something, try and avoid including it in your portfolio. 9or

e1ample, if you suck at illustrating, don$t put any in your portfolio this is very possible. :n the A at

#t. artins, the course director thought everyone$s illustrations were 4shit5 ; her words ; and only

one of us was allowed to include proper fashion illustrations in our portfolio. %he rest of us managed

to make beautiful portfolios without them, proof that it is possible." 'f it is presentation skills, have a

graphic designer friend help you with layouts. 'f you can$t spell, make sure your written work is

proofread. -o one is perfect, so don$t try to be and don$t try and do everything yourself.


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>reat use of white space in this design development spread by at 8atterson.

. !o unprofessional photoshoots. ' was just saying to some students the other day, who are

planning photoshoots for their styling class, that it is 0##0-%'A2 that they get professional models.

-owadays, with 'nstagram and photo editing software, a good model is even more important than a

good photographer. %his is one of the reasons why ' organi)e our fashion design graduates$

photoshoots, because most local schools make the students do them on their own, and they end up

with poor photos because they don$t have a pro team. As you can see here, a pro team makes a huge

difference. And spare me the argument about wanting to use 4real women5 as models, that is a load of

bollocks. 'f you want a model that isn$t a si)e four, then hire one who is bigger. :r hire an actress, but

it must be someone that is comfortable in front of a camera. Don$t get your mate to model instead.


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't is great to see research and the designs that followed. By 9ernanda 9ujiwara.

". #dit. 3hen people look at portfolios, they are usually in some type of recruitment process and will

be e1posed to a lot of work. 3hich is why you need to make your short and #300%. Don$t bore people

to death. Don$t start with the :K stuff and save the best for last the interviewer may not even bother

to get through the first half." And don$t include anything mediocre. 0diting seems to be something

that is 9A< more challenging than creating content ' am guilty of this, look at the si)e of this blog

post" and so take the time to edit your portfolio carefully so that it isn$t too long and doesn$t get

boring. 'n the case of applications for courses that require written content, be sure to edit down your

projects and use clear titles, introductions, bullet points, nice diagrams, and subtitles so that the

interviewer doesn$t need to read your (,666 word market research project, they can skim it and get an

idea of what you$ve done. ' am not going to get into specifics of page numbers here, as sometimes a 76

page portfolio will bore me to death, while a +66 page one will be riveting and e1citing the whole way

through. 't depends. And remember point 7, you will probably have a lot of work you want to show,

just don$t include all of it for every submission. 0dit and choose according the job=school=course you

are applying to.


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ore great illustrations and research by 9ernanda 9ujiwara.

$. #x%ellent presentation. 'f ' had a dollar every time a student handed in good work poorly

presented, and got a crappy mark as a result, well, '$d have many dollars. %his is fashion, is is A22

AB:?% presentation@ #o how can you ignore it! /ou can$t. 2ayouts need to be #80%A?2A


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A nice way to present research, and a good use of white space, also by 9ernanda 9ujiwara.

&. 'how your pro%ess. ost people like to see the process in which a person goes through to get to

their final result, as that is the main part of the role in most fashion jobs. #o with design portfolios,

make sure to show research, development, e1perimentation, fittings, and more. %his can be as part of

a project all my students need to show these elements when they hand in a design project" or it can be

in a sketchbook.


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't is nice to see research and development side by side, on this portfolio spread by hichi 2uo.

(. )esear%h and develop*ent+ #ee above. But ' wanted to have a separate point for this because

research is one of the most important elements in a fashion design portfolio and is usually what

separates a #t. artins student from a student from crappy fashion school in the middle of nowhere.

:ur projects and portfolios were probably 6*6C research and development, with a resolution or

conclusion at the end. 3e did research for months before we started designing, and that$s often what

happens in industry. ' don$t let my students even pick up a pencil until they$ve collected a crap load of

research. #o if you are wondering what makes #t. artins and all those other 0nglish schools so good,

it is usually the importance they place on research skills.


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>reat e1amples of showing development on the stand, which is a great alternative to sketches. By hichi 2uo.

-. on/t li*it your %ontent to fashion. 'f you are great in other things, then make sure they get

a mention. #chools and companies aren$t accepting=hiring you based on your work, they are also

making an investment in you as a person. And so if you are good at other things, then that will always

be a plus.

8.#. :ne last very important tip if you are applying to schools, check out the graduate portfolios from

the recent grads. %hat will give you an idea of where the course is supposed to take you, and

demonstrating that you have the ability to get there will only help you. ost schools do public

portfolio shows, or put work online. 'n fact, all of these images came from #howtime, which has the

graduate portfolios of the ?niversity of the Arts grads includes #t. artins and 2ondon ollege of

9ashion", a great resource to see what some of the top 2ondon fashion school grads are doing. '$ve

shown work from students at 2ondon ollege of 9ashion.

http://showtime.arts.ac.uk/http://showtime.arts.ac.uk/http://showtime.arts.ac.uk/


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1. Look aroundIt is easy to create clothes, it’s hard to make clothes that are current and the modern person would

like to wear them.

Usually the trends analysis are expensive, but if you can’t afford them there is plenty of free

information on the internet- take your time to look around.

2. Find an inspirationNow that you’re familiar with the silhouettes, fabrics and colors that will be wanted it’s time to find a

source of inspiration. This could be anythin from a !uote you like to an entire "ra like #aro!ue,

$enaissance or %rt &eco. 'ould be a movie or a book that made you feel special or an abstract

theme such as ()reedom*, (%utumn +hades* (The +ecret &oor*.

The mark here is to pick a topic that really moves you and provokes pictures in your mind. +omethin

that talks about YOU as a desiner and describes the way you see the world and the new fashion.

3. Research

3.1 )ind everythin you can on your topic. If your inspiration was erilyn onroe for instance read

her bioraphy, collect all the pictures you can find, watch her movies, find articles on her, interview

people who knew her. Dig eer!thing about her personality.

/earn what kind of people like the messae it holds. 0hat is it that makes it attractive to them1 0hat’s

their attitude, their habits, their story1

If you were inspired by 2a33 music you would like to talk to a 4a33 musician or o to a place that plays

4a33 music and 4ust feel it5 %sk politely these people why they dress like they do, what do they express

with their clothin1 6et to know the world of your inspiration.

3.2 Think about who’s !our custo"er .

0ho for you will be desinin1 0orkin women from 78-9: or youn women who live to have fun

form ;< to =:1 Think about the lifestyle of your customer does she have the finances to buy

expensive clothes, is the comfort important to her, does she like to be noticed or not1

Tip> &on’t mistake your customer with your Inspiration. ?ou miht be inspired by 2apan and make all

the western women dress in clothes inspired by the "ast. @ip-hop inspired own, a swimsuit inspired

by "skimos..why not1

3.3. Aisit a fabrics store and look around. +earch for fabrics that remind you of your inspiration and

et some samples. Try to think only about your theme and avoid endin up with a senseless ton of

samples. $emember your customer and the colorsBfabrics trends that you’ve researches.

?ou don’t want to make a collection out of somethin that was modern 7 seasons ao5


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#. $rite it do%n0rite down everythin you’ve reached to so far. The text should be a short resume of your idea and

intention for the collection. % man should be able to read it in 2 "inutes and really et what you’re

about to present in your portfolio. %fter all the research you’ve done you could probably write a small

book on your topic, but very few people would have the time to read it. The key word here is 'D().

Aery brief description of what inspired you and why. ention who you customer is, what season you’re

desinin for, the materials that you’re about to use, the details that will be incorporated. % little bit

about the colors and silhouettes. %ll in about ; sheet of paper or so.

*.+oodboardThis is the next thin that one would expect to find in your portfolio. %fter they’ve read the resume of

the pro4ect they would want to see O$ '-/)LY. 'ollect and collae the reference pictures that

you think best represent your vision. ?ou miht want to incorporate color and textile samples, even

some hand drawn parts. +tep away and make sure the final moodboard really shows the thouhts in

your head and the way you see the portfolio theme.

0. FabricsThere should be fabrics and colors samples in your portfolio.

+elect the *& fabrics that you find best for your collection. Think about the comfort of your customer,

whether this textile is easy to work with, if it oes well with the rest of the fabrics and if it’s appropriate

for the season. Is this fabric oin to allow you to create the volumes and effects you’re lookin for1

$eserve a sheet of your portfolio for fabrics and colors samples and make sure it’s presented in

a neatway. ?ou don’t want lue all around or textiles that are fallin apart at the edes. &o your best

to make it look professional.

. Flats %t this point you should feel very inspired already. +o much time in preparation and now finally you

can think about the desin. any desiners prefer to start off with the flats, since it’s easier and faster

to desin and mix-match details on lineart drawin than on a full-color illustration.

If you’re makin a collection of 12 outfits you should have done at least * sketches and selected

the best ;7 out of them. I know it sounds like a lot, but once you start doin it you won’t be able to

hold back your ideas. This is thanks to all the initial preparation that you’ve done that is now ivin

you directions, ideas and keeps you inspired.

&on’t foret to look at your fabrics list and write down which fabric you’re usin.

4. (llustrations %s you see the actual fashion illustrations are one of the last things that you do when makin a

fashion portfolio. The illustrations should really catch the eye of the viewer. @e should be lookin with

interests to see the next pae. Use unexpected poses and fiure compositions, draw different view

anles and use new art techni!ues. &on’t be afraid to cut the fiure in half or make even only aheadshot. The illustrations come to represent 0@C your woman is to tell us about the mood of your


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clothes, to make us %ant to 5' that %o"en.

0hen drawin the illustrations think about all the little thins you would before a runway

accessories, the riht makeup, shoes and attitude of the model are crucial.

. 6hotosDhotos are optional supplement to the portfolio, but they are always a big plus. #y havin them you

will show the 4ury or employer that you not only have the ideas, but also the skills to brin to life your

desins. If you have produced the clothes it is very important to make professional lookin photos. If

you know a photorapher- ask him to help you or hire one.

Cne of the biest mistakes you can make is to take pictures of the desins in your room, with

youByour best friend wearin them.

&on’t ever add photos to your portfolio that Aoue or arie 'laire wouldn’t be excited to publish5

1. La!outThis is the final step, but you should think of it fro" the er! beginning. The cover of your portfolio,

the !uality of the materials you’ve used, the format and colors are the first thin people will see.

?ou can buy a beautiful file and 4ust put all the paes in or you can hand make the whole thin. #e

careful if you decide to and make it on your own you need to be very precise and skilled the final

product must look polished and well-made, not amateur.

If your theme allows it you can incorporate details from it into the cover the font, the texture, the si3e

and shape of the portfolio.

any aspirin desiners make the mistake to overdesin their layout and cover. It’s awesome that

you’re that creative, but remember that good taste is what the viewer is seekin for. /ess is more5

/ove,E

a great way to present fabric swatches

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