Host Heather Zager shares valuable insights for new and small brands looking to simplify their manufacturing process to save time and money. Listeners will hear practical tips, such as how to learn more about material sourcing and pattern-making to save time and money in the long run. These strategies not only simplify production but also ensure that brands make informed decisions, minimizing risk, and maximizing profitability.

Host Heather Zager talks all about tech packs, spec sheets, and patterns in today’s episode. She explains the differences between each one and the function each one performs. A spec sheet is short for a specification sheet. The single difference between it and a tech pack is that a spec sheet is just one page. A tech pack - or technical package or technical specification package - is essentially an instruction manual with all the information needed to create a sewn product. A pattern is a paper pattern used for sewing a product.

Host Heather Zager talks about manufacture in this final episode of her four-part series called Concept to Customer. This is the fourth of the most common areas of confusion or misunderstanding among new designers, areas that Heather wants to demystify. Having already covered design concepting, material sourcing, and size and fit, she now discusses manufacturing. She explores what manufacturing is, what types of manufacturers are available, and imparts advice and all the necessary details about getting a product to the manufacture stage. 

Host Heather Zager talks about size and fit in this third of her four-part series called Concept to Customer. She explains exactly what fit and size are, technically speaking, and what they should mean to a garment and the customer wearing said garment. Historical context and a modern-day leaning towards vanity sizing are also addressed in Heather’s deep dive into how to best size and fit the garment being made for the ideal customer to wear.

Heather Zager talks with guest Kyla Sayre about all the questions new designers have when getting ready to manufacture their sewn product ideas. Kyla is the Director of Business Development for Lefty Production Company and Stitch Texas. While Kyla has been in her current role for roughly four years, she’s been in the industry for ten years and has experience in many different aspects of the business.

Host Heather Zager welcomes Jay Arbetman, owner of The Sourcing District, a fabric and textile products sales agency, to the show to talk in-depth about fabric supply. Jay was, as he says, born into the industry. He started working in the family business - coat manufacturing in the Chicago area - at age 14 and has been in the fabric business ever since. Jay shares a wealth of experience and knowledge about fabric with Heather.

Heather Zager discusses the second topic in her four-part series called Concept to Customer in this episode. In the first episode she introduced us to design concepting and today she talks about material sourcing. She explains the foundation of fabrics and how they are made, differentiating between natural and man-made fibers as well as how fibers are turned into yarn. Everything from roll size to fabric weight is addressed in this episode to aid in swatch searching.

Heather Zager welcomes Robbin Block, the Creative Marketing Strategist at Blockbeta Marketing, to the show to explain the ins and outs of building an e-commerce website.

Heather Zager welcomes Jennifer Porter, the owner and operator of Satsuma Designs out of Seattle, to the show to talk about the different types of manufacture and what the manufacturing process entails.

Design concept boards ensure that your idea is being developed correctly. Heather noticed that many clients don’t know what design details to communicate and how to communicate them effectively through their concept boards. So to start, she defines a concept board as a single-page illustration of your design idea that visually describes all the features and details of your design. She then lays out five easy steps for understanding and creating a design concept board.