A cutting ticket is a formal order for production. It is a document that lays out all the details of your production– clearly explaining the specifics of what you as a designer expect as a final result.

So when you prepare your cutting tickets remember, no detail is too small.   Can I beat that point in the ground anymore?

Your tickets should include the quantity, sizes, delivery dates, sewing specifications, technical drawings as well as fabric and trim samples or specifications.

Leave no stone unturned. Pretend as if you’ve never had any discussion with your contractor and they had to complete everything to your liking from this piece of paper.  EVERYTHING.  When in doubt write it out…it will become the foundation for any disputes.

There are designers who fall in love with something they create…but the product ends up just costing so much to produce they could never make a profit.

Design is a passionate field.  We always want to produce what we love.  However when we’re producing a line we have to think more like merchants than designers.  The difference is that designers should think like artists and merchants should think like business people.

If you’re one person doing both things you may have to change your way of thinking when you move from designing product to actually selling it.  My words of wisdom…if you can’t get your margin right (at least a 2.2 markup)..and you’ve done the best costing job you can…you should consider dropping the piece.

Note the word “consider.”   Through consideration you’re making sure that piece has some contribution to the overall profitability of the line.  Even if it has a lower margin it may work to visually support a high profit item or it could be so interesting it adds a dose of excitement to the whole collection.

My point is as a merchant you must think about the “point” of every product in your collection.  After you’ve made the decision to transition from designer to designer/business owner you have to be able to detach yourself from making decisions on emotion alone.

Garment Dying has a lot of great advantages as detailed in the previous post…but there are also some precautions you should take as well.

Talk to your dye house for a full consultation. Here are a few things you should keep in mind before taking your full order to dye.

• Test goods ahead of time…do lab dips with your dye house using pieces of the actual fabric you intend on dying. This will help you get your colors as precise as possible.

• Ask your dye house to put an actual piece you plan to dye in with another comparable dye lot they may have for another customer. This way you can see how the total product reacts including coloring and shrinkage. Don’t forget to test any special softening treatments you plan to use as well.

• Make sure you account for the proper shrinkage in your patterns. Work with your patternmaker as you test dye products and get them to make pre-dye pattern adjustments accordingly.

If you are preparing for a show and your samples aren’t yet true to fit or are lacking in some other SMALL way…don’t fret. Buyers are used to seeing things before they are final.

Of course do the best you can to get things up to snuff….but don’t hold back from selling product because its not production ready.

Grading is making the perfected production pattern into various other sizes that will be available for sale in that style.

The production pattern is usually made in the middle size, probably a Size 8 for Missy and a Size 9 for Juniors.

This would mean a Size 8 would be graded up to a Size 14 and down to a Size 2. A Junior’s Size 7 would be graded up to a Size 13 and down to a Size 1 or 3.

–Excerpt from Fashion for Profit, By Frances Harder

You absolutely should. Especially if you can’t logistically handle their order. If you feel ill prepared or don’t think you have adequate time to meet their shipping demands communicate this to the buyer. You really only have one shot with new accounts so you don’t want to make a huge mistake and have them write you off forever.

The magic word…COMMUNICATE. See if there is a possibility for you to go into less “doors,” if fulfillment is an issue. Talk to them about delaying till next season if you’re suffering from overall unpreparadeness.

But never…ever take and order you think you won’t be able to fulfill on time. It may seem like common sense but we’re all prone to push ourselves when we feel like we have a lot on the line.

As a long term strategy remember what you really have on the line is your reputation…and it’s not worth the risk.

Have you ever wondered about taking your business international? How about selecting overseas distributors, sales agents, manufacturers? Join us for Introduction to Import/Exports Logistics Training.

It’s a 3 hour course suited especially for beginners. You can even bring in projects you’re currently working on for an interactive discussion.

Once you understand import/export you’ll see it really is a small world afterall…

Be There….Wednesday May 21st at 6pm. For more details and to RSVP go to Fashionbizinc.org

The U.S Chamber of Commerce and Fashion Business Inc. kicks off Textile Week with a screening of Illicit: The Dark Trade based on the bestselling book by Moises Naiam tonight in downtown LA.

This National Geographic Special exposes the criminal networks behind the multi-billion dollar global trade of illicit goods.

Join us Today Monday April 14th for The Illicit Screening, Reception and Question and Answer Session…

The California Market Center, 110 E 9th Street, Ste. C700

From 5:30 to 7:30 pm

For More Details and to RSVP : www.regonline.com/illicitinla

Hmmm….This is often the plight of the new company. Your orders are only so big…or small rather and good factories often can’t be bothered.

Few suggestions…

Let your desired factory know your situation…demonstrate that you’re serious about your business and want to find a factory that will grow with you. Some factories actually find this concept appealing if they really like your product…and really believe you will grow.

If that fails see if your samplemaker can give you discounts for small production. It doesn’t hurt to ask…they may have resources they can reach out to in order to help you get the job done.

Randa’s take….

Contact places like Ross…Loehmans…Overstock.com

If you’re willing to go down and dirty I’ve heard of some people selling their product labels cut to other countries.

Although everything is negotiable don’t expect too much financially. Some of these companies will offer you as little as $5 bucks a hanger no matter how much your product is worth.