What does it really mean to be a fashion designer?
A talk with Zuzanna Feliga, designer at Reserved brand.
Episode #3
How do you imagine the position of a fashion designer? As constantly travelling and sketching in a flurry of great inspiration? There is, of course, a grain of truth in this vision: designers often travel in search of inspiration, and they need a large dose of creativity in their work. However, fulfilling artistic visions is not everything – the key to success is teamwork, the ability to work out compromises and great flexibility, because every day looks completely different! Zuza Feliga, a designer at Reserved brand, will tell you more about that.
We encourage you to listen (in Polish) to the conversation with Zuzanna.
“We don’t make designs that are detached from reality. It’s not about what I would like to wear, I have to think about the wider public”.
Summary:
How is the moodboard prepared?
We observe trends and define a theme, a story that will be the basis for preparing a moodboard – an inspiration board that is a visual representation of what we want to create. It encapsulates the mood and style of the collection, the colour scheme and the type of customer it is intended to target. The moodboard can evolve over the course of the design process, and the most difficult challenge in creating it is content selection.
How are collections designed at Re.Design?
Each collection consists of between a dozen and around thirty pieces. We design full looks, rather than individual garments, so that the products complement each other and meet the objectives of the capsule collection. We distribute the elements to be designed within the team, sketch and select the best proposals. Once approved, we prepare the technological documentation in Illustrator. We discuss it with the technicians, who create blanks or tables with dimensions. We send the documents to the suppliers, who send us the first samples. We make adjustments until the model meets our expectations.
What advice do you have for people who want to become designers?
Every designer, no matter what he or she creates, should be passionate. One cannot close oneself to one field, one should observe social changes, art, cinema, literature. We draw inspiration for design from the outside world, from things outside the industry, you can’t just close yourself off to fashion.
About the talks
The 'LPP od podszewki' podcast features interviews with employees about their career paths, development and passions. Each guest tells his or her story and lets listeners in behind the scenes of his or her position, sharing interesting facts and tips. The aim of the project is to show the opportunities for growth in the fashion industry and to raise awareness that each path is different and it is never too late to try.
The interviews are conducted by our colleague Karolina Czajewska, senior employer branding specialist at LPP.