Sheree

Amy…miss ya! So what are you making now? Don’t have enough hats to juggle? LOL! You’re productivity makes me look lazy!

Hey Teri!…thanks! Ya know, you’re smart enough to know this is way too much work…but I’m a glutton for punishment.

Kathleen…you rock! I knew I could count on you!

P.S. Kathleen wrote a great post about the subject on Fashion Incubator today…go check it out:
http://www.fashion-incubator.com/mt/archives/how_to_issue_style_numbers_pt130.html

With friendship,
Lisa

I know a lot of people do this but I strongly discourage it. It makes it way too complicated. I think many people missed the nuance in the entrepreneur’s guide to sewn product manufacturing (one of the things I’ll be changing). When I said to code to fabrication, I meant if the cost difference was extreme. The example I used was leather but it was NOT the cost of leather per se that was the issue. It was the cost of DIES. Like I said, I think most people missed the nuance. Most people think of leather as being very expensive and to be sure it costs more than cotton but it is costly for a reason few people realize. It’s because of DIES. I don’t know what they cost lately but over ten years ago, they were $5,000 for a short leather jacket. Iow, it’s a cost above and beyond fabric; an infrastructure cost for custom made tools you’ll need which requires their own time line and production schedule to have them made in time.

I also think one shouldn’t code to season for at least two reasons. One is unnecessary complexity. KISS (keep it simple stupid). Two, what if you’re re-running the style for subsequent seasons, the only thing that’s changed is the fabric you’re using but it’s the same pattern? You’ll have to change the style number for the exact same product when you really didn’t need to do anything. That it is being re-run for another season is obvious from costing sheets, line sheets etc.

An additional sub-reason to not change style numbers according to season is guidance to buyers. Buyers notice style numbers. Numbers SAY something. Let’s say a buyer sees style no’s 21034, 22045, 13068, and also stuck in there is 21001, 31001 etc -iow, all low numbers. What do you think that says? To buyers (and service providers) it says that these are strong sellers, maybe your signature pieces, pieces that consistently sell well for you and have from day one. If a buyer is considering picking up your line, they will view those pieces with low numbers as less risky. That you’re obviously rerunning those because they’ve sold well in the past and that they should probably buy those too being solid performers. Iow, if you reassign numbers according to season, the buyer has no way of knowing that those styles have a good track record and have performed consistently season in and season out.

On a personal note, glad to hear the transplant meeting went successfully! .

it is fun to watch the development of your clothing line. people often do not realize how much work it really is. it takes more than just sewing up some cute clothes. people have asked why i don’t do my own line. i tell them that it is too work! thanks for letting me live vicariously.

teri

Funny about the style numbers, I was just reading this on Fashion Incubator this morning researching for my next project.