MADE Apparel Services Podcast
Heather Zager
All episodes
Best episodes
Top 10 MADE Apparel Services Podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best MADE Apparel Services Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to MADE Apparel Services Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite MADE Apparel Services Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Creative Nobility Interview
MADE Apparel Services Podcast
Host Heather Zager interviews social media strategist Rebecca Scott about all things social media, including how often to post, where to post, and how much time business owners should spend on the task. Rebecca shares practical tips to help entrepreneurs improve their social media strategy, starting by identifying their ideal customers and choosing the platforms that align with their interests. From there, Rebecca shares tips for what to post, what not to post, and why engagement matters.
When Heather asks about how much time business owners should realistically spend on their social media, Rebecca outlines a basic social media management strategy for business owners, emphasizing efficiency through content batching and consistent engagement. The approach involves creating monthly content in advance, followed by daily engagement to foster audience interaction. The key steps include establishing content pillars, brainstorming ideas, organizing formats, setting posting frequency, and balancing content types. Time is divided across planning, creating, and scheduling, with daily engagement given high importance to boost algorithm performance. Below is a breakdown of these steps and the time allotted for each.
This episode contains insights, useful tips, and inspiration for business owners of all experience levels.
Rebecca’s Basic Social Media Strategy for Entrepreneurs:
- 1-2 hours planning and batching content
- 2-3 hours filming, editing, creating content, writing captions
- 1-1.5 hours creating graphics for posting
- 30-minutes scheduling posts
- 2.5 hours weekly for engagement
About Rebecca Scott
With a decade of entrepreneurship under her belt, Rebecca Scott is an experienced social media manager and founder of Creative Nobility. Originally trained in graphic design, she began her career specializing in branding and print media. However, as the demand for digital solutions grew, she expanded her services to include social media management—developing a new passion that transformed her business.
Today, social media management makes up the core of Rebecca’s business, serving clients across Canada and the United States in various industries, including podcasting. Known for her dedication to staying ahead of trends, Rebecca is committed to providing her clients with innovative strategies to help them grow their businesses online.
Resources discussed in this episode:
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
Contact Rebecca Scott | Creative Nobility:
- Website: CreativeNobility.com
- Facebook: CreativeNobility
- Instagram: CreativeNobility
- LinkedIn: CreativeNobility
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome to the Made Apparel Services Podcast. My name is Heather Zager and I will be your host for this series. I am also the founder of Made Apparel Services, which is a sewn product development company for small brands. Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned pro, I have a lot of resources to help you on your journey to manufacture. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter and follow me on social media for other fun updates. Links to both are always in the show notes.
Heather Zager: [00:00:30] Hello everyone! Today we have Rebecca from Creative Nobility with us. We are interviewing her on everything social media. So Rebecca, welcome. Let's just start off by having you tell me a little bit about your business and what it is that you do.
Rebecca Scott: [00:00:44] Awesome. Thanks for having me here today, Heather. I guess I'll start off by saying I'm a social media manager. I have had my company for, actually this month is year 10. S...
Host Heather Zager interviews social media strategist Rebecca Scott about all things social media, including how often to post, where to post, and how much time business owners should spend on the task. Rebecca shares practical tips to help entrepreneurs improve their social media strategy, starting by identifying their ideal customers and choosing the platforms that align with their interests. From there, Rebecca shares tips for what to post, what not to post, and why engagement matters.
When Heather asks about how much time business owners should realistically spend on their social media, Rebecca outlines a basic social media management strategy for business owners, emphasizing efficiency through content batching and consistent engagement. The approach involves creating monthly content in advance, followed by daily engagement to foster audience interaction. The key steps include establishing content pillars, brainstorming ideas, organizing formats, setting posting frequency, and balancing content types. Time is divided across planning, creating, and scheduling, with daily engagement given high importance to boost algorithm performance. Below is a breakdown of these steps and the time allotted for each.
This episode contains insights, useful tips, and inspiration for business owners of all experience levels.
Rebecca’s Basic Social Media Strategy for Entrepreneurs:
- 1-2 hours planning and batching content
- 2-3 hours filming, editing, creating content, writing captions
- 1-1.5 hours creating graphics for posting
- 30-minutes scheduling posts
- 2.5 hours weekly for engagement
About Rebecca Scott
With a decade of entrepreneurship under her belt, Rebecca Scott is an experienced social media manager and founder of Creative Nobility. Originally trained in graphic design, she began her career specializing in branding and print media. However, as the demand for digital solutions grew, she expanded her services to include social media management—developing a new passion that transformed her business.
Today, social media management makes up the core of Rebecca’s business, serving clients across Canada and the United States in various industries, including podcasting. Known for her dedication to staying ahead of trends, Rebecca is committed to providing her clients with innovative strategies to help them grow their businesses online.
Resources discussed in this episode:
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
Contact Rebecca Scott | Creative Nobility:
- Website: CreativeNobility.com
- Facebook: CreativeNobility
- Instagram: CreativeNobility
- LinkedIn: CreativeNobility
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome to the Made Apparel Services Podcast. My name is Heather Zager and I will be your host for this series. I am also the founder of Made Apparel Services, which is a sewn product development company for small brands. Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned pro, I have a lot of resources to help you on your journey to manufacture. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter and follow me on social media for other fun updates. Links to both are always in the show notes.
Heather Zager: [00:00:30] Hello everyone! Today we have Rebecca from Creative Nobility with us. We are interviewing her on everything social media. So Rebecca, welcome. Let's just start off by having you tell me a little bit about your business and what it is that you do.
Rebecca Scott: [00:00:44] Awesome. Thanks for having me here today, Heather. I guess I'll start off by saying I'm a social media manager. I have had my company for, actually this month is year 10. S...
10/09/24 • 29 min
Tips for Production
MADE Apparel Services Podcast
Host Heather Zager shares valuable insights for new and small brands looking to simplify their manufacturing process to save time and money. She emphasizes the importance of narrowing down design options to keep costs reasonable and avoid overwhelming inventory numbers. Heather suggests starting with one design in a size range with limited colors to keep costs manageable. Once success is reached with that design, other options can be explored.
To help streamline the process and validate design ideas, Heather recommends sharing design options on social media to gather feedback. This also helps build a strong social media presence and encourages engagement. Listeners will also 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.
About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner
Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.
After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture.
Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.
Resources discussed in this episode:
- Episode 4: Concept to Customer Part 2: Material Sourcing
- Choosing Fabrics: Fabrics 101
- MADE Apparel Services Newsletter
--
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
--
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome to the Made Apparel Services Podcast. My name is Heather Zager and I will be your host for this series. I am also the founder of Made Apparel Services, which is a sewn product development company for small brands. Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned pro, I have a lot of resources to help you on your journey to manufacture. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter and follow me on social media for other fun updates. Links to both are always in the show notes.
Heather Zager: [00:00:29] Welcome back to my podcast. Today I'm going to talk about a few things you can do to simplify your design idea to better prepare you for manufacture. And by prepare, I mean helping you to understand ways you can keep the development and production of your idea moving forward so you save time and money. It's totally fine if you decide against these tips. My goal is only to help you to see the consequences of each of these so that you can more confidently make a decision now about your production plans. So the first and most obvious way to reduce costs and simplify getting to manufacture is to really think about how many designs you actually need. I've had clients with upwards of 15 design ideas, and this is because they feel their website should be full, but 15 is usually too many to start.
Heather Zager: [00:01:21] Even if you have a following on social media, you don't have any historical data to tell you what they will like or not like. Also, having fewer designs is much easier to track, especially when you realize that each design will have to come in a size range. And if you have colorways for each design too, you'll end up with dozens of inventory items to keep organized and keep track of. Instead, share your designs on social media and ask your following to pick their top three looks. Depending on how many peo...
Host Heather Zager shares valuable insights for new and small brands looking to simplify their manufacturing process to save time and money. She emphasizes the importance of narrowing down design options to keep costs reasonable and avoid overwhelming inventory numbers. Heather suggests starting with one design in a size range with limited colors to keep costs manageable. Once success is reached with that design, other options can be explored.
To help streamline the process and validate design ideas, Heather recommends sharing design options on social media to gather feedback. This also helps build a strong social media presence and encourages engagement. Listeners will also 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.
About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner
Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.
After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture.
Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.
Resources discussed in this episode:
- Episode 4: Concept to Customer Part 2: Material Sourcing
- Choosing Fabrics: Fabrics 101
- MADE Apparel Services Newsletter
--
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
--
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome to the Made Apparel Services Podcast. My name is Heather Zager and I will be your host for this series. I am also the founder of Made Apparel Services, which is a sewn product development company for small brands. Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned pro, I have a lot of resources to help you on your journey to manufacture. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter and follow me on social media for other fun updates. Links to both are always in the show notes.
Heather Zager: [00:00:29] Welcome back to my podcast. Today I'm going to talk about a few things you can do to simplify your design idea to better prepare you for manufacture. And by prepare, I mean helping you to understand ways you can keep the development and production of your idea moving forward so you save time and money. It's totally fine if you decide against these tips. My goal is only to help you to see the consequences of each of these so that you can more confidently make a decision now about your production plans. So the first and most obvious way to reduce costs and simplify getting to manufacture is to really think about how many designs you actually need. I've had clients with upwards of 15 design ideas, and this is because they feel their website should be full, but 15 is usually too many to start.
Heather Zager: [00:01:21] Even if you have a following on social media, you don't have any historical data to tell you what they will like or not like. Also, having fewer designs is much easier to track, especially when you realize that each design will have to come in a size range. And if you have colorways for each design too, you'll end up with dozens of inventory items to keep organized and keep track of. Instead, share your designs on social media and ask your following to pick their top three looks. Depending on how many peo...
09/25/24 • 12 min
Tech Pack, Spec Sheets and Patterns (oh my!)
MADE Apparel Services Podcast
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.
Heather goes into great detail about what a tech pack could and should include. The summary of the points she discusses is:
- A cover page or an overview page.
- Fabrications page.
- Pattern layout page by fabrication.
- Bill of materials
- Pattern pieces list, also known as a cutters must or a pattern parts list.
- A sequence of construction, also known as the order of operations.
- Several pages of annotations which are callouts:
- Just stitch types, just the fabrications, and just colorways.
- Possibly a close-up or a more detailed illustration.
- Supplier information.
- You might also include packaging information.
- A space for special notes and another space for version updates.
The possible variations and trade-offs in information included in tech packs are explained by Heather and she breaks down exactly how a pattern works, when spec sheets are useful, and what other episodes of her podcast will explain certain pieces of information in greater detail. Heather’s knowledge and expertise help to make the process of designing and manufacturing sewn goods easier to understand and less daunting to attempt.
About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner
Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.
After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture.
Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.
__
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Episode 8: Concept to Customer Part 4 - Preparing for Manufacture
- MADE Apparel Services: Sample Tech Pack
__
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome to the Made Apparel Services Podcast. My name is Heather Zager and I will be your host for this series. I am also the founder of Made Apparel Services, which is a sewn product development company for small brands. Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned pro, I have a lot of resources to help you on your journey to manufacture. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter and follow me on social media for other fun updates. Links to both are always in the show notes.
Heather Zager: [00:00:29] Hello and welcome back to my podcast channel. My name is Heather Zager with Made Apparel Services. And today I'm going to talk about the difference between a tech pack, a spec sheet and a pattern. And by pattern I mean a paper pattern you use for sewing a sewn product, not the pattern on your sheets or your wallpaper. First, they are all something different and it is very straightforward. But let's start with talking about a spec sheet, as this is the one that people seem to misunderstand the most and may not even be realizing it. So a spec sheet is short for specification sheet. The single key difference between this and a tech p...
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.
Heather goes into great detail about what a tech pack could and should include. The summary of the points she discusses is:
- A cover page or an overview page.
- Fabrications page.
- Pattern layout page by fabrication.
- Bill of materials
- Pattern pieces list, also known as a cutters must or a pattern parts list.
- A sequence of construction, also known as the order of operations.
- Several pages of annotations which are callouts:
- Just stitch types, just the fabrications, and just colorways.
- Possibly a close-up or a more detailed illustration.
- Supplier information.
- You might also include packaging information.
- A space for special notes and another space for version updates.
The possible variations and trade-offs in information included in tech packs are explained by Heather and she breaks down exactly how a pattern works, when spec sheets are useful, and what other episodes of her podcast will explain certain pieces of information in greater detail. Heather’s knowledge and expertise help to make the process of designing and manufacturing sewn goods easier to understand and less daunting to attempt.
About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner
Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.
After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture.
Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.
__
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Episode 8: Concept to Customer Part 4 - Preparing for Manufacture
- MADE Apparel Services: Sample Tech Pack
__
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome to the Made Apparel Services Podcast. My name is Heather Zager and I will be your host for this series. I am also the founder of Made Apparel Services, which is a sewn product development company for small brands. Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned pro, I have a lot of resources to help you on your journey to manufacture. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter and follow me on social media for other fun updates. Links to both are always in the show notes.
Heather Zager: [00:00:29] Hello and welcome back to my podcast channel. My name is Heather Zager with Made Apparel Services. And today I'm going to talk about the difference between a tech pack, a spec sheet and a pattern. And by pattern I mean a paper pattern you use for sewing a sewn product, not the pattern on your sheets or your wallpaper. First, they are all something different and it is very straightforward. But let's start with talking about a spec sheet, as this is the one that people seem to misunderstand the most and may not even be realizing it. So a spec sheet is short for specification sheet. The single key difference between this and a tech p...
09/11/24 • 14 min
Preparing for Manufacture
MADE Apparel Services Podcast
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.
Manufacturing is the process of putting the garments together into complete products. Mass manufacturing involves machines because machines are generally considered to be faster than humans. Heather breaks down all the things needed to have a successful mass manufacturing run, what a tech pack is, why a complete tech pack is so important, and the differences between a factory, a manufacturer, and an agency. Each of these steps can be a point of confusion which is why Heather explains them in detail here.
What is the difference between small-batch manufacture and large-scale production? Which is better in what circumstance? Heather answers these questions from experience and with a detailed explanation of how each works. She also gets into the five most common misconceptions about manufacturing that she encounters. Can manufacturers sew anything? Do you need to share confidential design information with them? Do you need to sew samples for each new design? These questions are why Heather and MADE Apparel Services are here, and why this episode is so important for designers to grow.
About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner
Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.
After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture.
Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.
__
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Blog: Why You Need a Tech Pack for Clothing Manufacture
- MADE Apparel Services: How It Works
__
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone, and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services.
Heather Zager: [00:00:12] Hi everyone. Heather here from Made Apparel Services. Welcome back to my channel. In this final episode of my four part series called Concept to Customer, I'm going to talk about types of manufacturers. But before I start, if you haven't listened to the other podcasts, that is okay as they aren't in any particular order. I only numbered them to distinguish them from my other podcasts that aren't in this series. Now, the topics I discuss in this series of Concept to Customer are on design concepting, material sourcing, and size and fit. Those are the other three. These, along with today's podcast, are the four most common areas of confusion or misunderstanding that I've found that new designers have when it comes to visualizing and understanding how the entire process of getting an idea to market works. To understand the types of manufacture for garments or sewn goods, we first need to understand what manufacture is. So the idea of mass manufacture is founded in the concept that machines can do better work faster than people. Technically, it is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products at a constant flow. Now, humans can certainly accomplish this wh...
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.
Manufacturing is the process of putting the garments together into complete products. Mass manufacturing involves machines because machines are generally considered to be faster than humans. Heather breaks down all the things needed to have a successful mass manufacturing run, what a tech pack is, why a complete tech pack is so important, and the differences between a factory, a manufacturer, and an agency. Each of these steps can be a point of confusion which is why Heather explains them in detail here.
What is the difference between small-batch manufacture and large-scale production? Which is better in what circumstance? Heather answers these questions from experience and with a detailed explanation of how each works. She also gets into the five most common misconceptions about manufacturing that she encounters. Can manufacturers sew anything? Do you need to share confidential design information with them? Do you need to sew samples for each new design? These questions are why Heather and MADE Apparel Services are here, and why this episode is so important for designers to grow.
About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner
Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.
After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture.
Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.
__
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Blog: Why You Need a Tech Pack for Clothing Manufacture
- MADE Apparel Services: How It Works
__
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone, and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services.
Heather Zager: [00:00:12] Hi everyone. Heather here from Made Apparel Services. Welcome back to my channel. In this final episode of my four part series called Concept to Customer, I'm going to talk about types of manufacturers. But before I start, if you haven't listened to the other podcasts, that is okay as they aren't in any particular order. I only numbered them to distinguish them from my other podcasts that aren't in this series. Now, the topics I discuss in this series of Concept to Customer are on design concepting, material sourcing, and size and fit. Those are the other three. These, along with today's podcast, are the four most common areas of confusion or misunderstanding that I've found that new designers have when it comes to visualizing and understanding how the entire process of getting an idea to market works. To understand the types of manufacture for garments or sewn goods, we first need to understand what manufacture is. So the idea of mass manufacture is founded in the concept that machines can do better work faster than people. Technically, it is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products at a constant flow. Now, humans can certainly accomplish this wh...
08/28/24 • 21 min
Size and Fit
MADE Apparel Services Podcast
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.
Fit is how the garment fits onto the wearer and how that fit suits the activity the garment is designed for. Generally speaking fit aims for comfort but specific items fulfill different purposes wherein that might not be the top goal. A swimsuit and a ski jacket will be designed to fit very differently, for example. Size is then sizing that garment larger and smaller to accommodate different bodies while making sure the fit is the same on every shape.
Heather explains all the nuances of sizing, covering vanity sizing, historical custom-fit clothes, how sizing affects fit, and standardized sizing. She discusses why the average standardized sizes don’t necessarily fit every body and how those sizes were initially calculated. How should a designer tackle the questions of size and fit for a garment? Heather sheds light on the answer with guidance and context based on her extensive knowledge and experience in the industry.
About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner
Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.
After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture
Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.
__
Resources mentioned in this episode:
__
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone, and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services.
Heather Zager: [00:00:11] Hi, Heather here from Made Apparel Services, welcome back to my channel. In this episode, which is the third of a four-part series called Concept to Customer, I'm going to talk about size and fit. Before I start, I should mention that if you haven't listened to the other two podcasts, don't fret. These aren't in any particular order. It's just a series of podcasts that I've created to help sort through some common misconceptions that new designers tend to have, and I numbered them based only on the fact that I could narrow them into four categories. And those categories are: Design Concepting, Material Sourcing, Size and Fit and, yet to come, Types of Manufacturers. Let's start by talking about what fit is. First of all, it's relative. For an individual, it depends on their particular preferences and style and how they want to look or feel. For a clothing company, they may have their own vision of how their customer is shaped and sized, and they will fit to that vision. Vanity sizing is another relative aspect of fit. This is where the labeled size of a garment decreases, despite the garment itself not changing at all in size. In other words, a smaller size label is known to boost the self-esteem of the customer. Thus, a brand gains customer loyalty and sells more product because the customer feels better that they are buying a smaller size label.
Heather Zager: [00:01:35] If vanity sizing is still a little bit confusing to you, you can just Google it and you will g...
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.
Fit is how the garment fits onto the wearer and how that fit suits the activity the garment is designed for. Generally speaking fit aims for comfort but specific items fulfill different purposes wherein that might not be the top goal. A swimsuit and a ski jacket will be designed to fit very differently, for example. Size is then sizing that garment larger and smaller to accommodate different bodies while making sure the fit is the same on every shape.
Heather explains all the nuances of sizing, covering vanity sizing, historical custom-fit clothes, how sizing affects fit, and standardized sizing. She discusses why the average standardized sizes don’t necessarily fit every body and how those sizes were initially calculated. How should a designer tackle the questions of size and fit for a garment? Heather sheds light on the answer with guidance and context based on her extensive knowledge and experience in the industry.
About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner
Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.
After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture
Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.
__
Resources mentioned in this episode:
__
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone, and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services.
Heather Zager: [00:00:11] Hi, Heather here from Made Apparel Services, welcome back to my channel. In this episode, which is the third of a four-part series called Concept to Customer, I'm going to talk about size and fit. Before I start, I should mention that if you haven't listened to the other two podcasts, don't fret. These aren't in any particular order. It's just a series of podcasts that I've created to help sort through some common misconceptions that new designers tend to have, and I numbered them based only on the fact that I could narrow them into four categories. And those categories are: Design Concepting, Material Sourcing, Size and Fit and, yet to come, Types of Manufacturers. Let's start by talking about what fit is. First of all, it's relative. For an individual, it depends on their particular preferences and style and how they want to look or feel. For a clothing company, they may have their own vision of how their customer is shaped and sized, and they will fit to that vision. Vanity sizing is another relative aspect of fit. This is where the labeled size of a garment decreases, despite the garment itself not changing at all in size. In other words, a smaller size label is known to boost the self-esteem of the customer. Thus, a brand gains customer loyalty and sells more product because the customer feels better that they are buying a smaller size label.
Heather Zager: [00:01:35] If vanity sizing is still a little bit confusing to you, you can just Google it and you will g...
08/14/24 • 18 min
Apparel Manufacture with Kyla from Lefty Production Co.
MADE Apparel Services Podcast
Heather Zager talks about all the questions new designers have about getting to manufacture with guest Kyla Sayre. 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. Heather does a deep dive into all the common things new designers run into in manufacturing with Kyla.
In answering the question of whether Lefty Production Company is a factory, manufacturer, agency, or wholesaler, Kyla defines the differences between each type of facility before identifying Lefty as a manufacturer that owns their own factories domestically. In her role as Director of Business Development, Kyla routinely connects with brands to help them with development and production assistance, performing costing exercises to see if domestic or overseas production would best fit their brand, and explaining all the costs and minimums that go into the process.
Heather’s discussion with Kyla Sayre explores a vast number of questions, from materials sourcing to wholesaling, PFD (Prepared For Dyeing) to MOQ (Minimum Order Quantities), and from what’s needed to be production-ready to assessing the benefits of domestic versus overseas production. Kyla explains what Lefty specializes in, how she walks her clients through the process, and offers a lot of inside information that is invaluable for new designers to have access to. This interview shines a light on the intricate decisions faced in the manufacturing process with straight-forward answers to common questions.
Resources discussed in this episode:
- MADE Apparel Services Design Concepting Course
__
About Kyla Sayre:
Kyla is the Director of Business Development for Lefty Production Co. and Stitch TX, sister companies that offer a one-stop-shop solution for apparel and accessory development and manufacturing both domestically and overseas.
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
Contact Kyla Sayre:
- Website: LeftyProductionCo.com
- Website: StitchTexas.com
- Kyle Sayre on LinkedIn
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services. Hello and thank you for tuning in to our podcast today. And our guest today is Kyla Sayre of Lefty Productions, which is a California-based manufacturer who can do both domestic and foreign production. We're going to ask and answer questions that are common to new designers about getting to manufacture. So let's just start things off by, Kyla, tell us a little bit about who you are, how long you've been doing this, and how you got to where you are today.
Kyla Sayre: [00:00:39] Of course. And thank you so much for having me today on the show. I'm super excited to be here. Answer all of the questions that you have for me throughout this podcast. And as a bit of background about me, I'm the Director of Business Development for both Lefty Production Company and Stitch Texas, and on a daily basis, I connect with brands to help them with development and production assistants, going through different costing exercises and processes to see if domestic or overseas production would be a better fit for their brand, and all the costs and minimums that just go on into it. And this is about my fourth year in this specific role, but I've been in the industry for about ten years now altogether.
Heather Zager: [00:01:22] Okay. And what did you do prior to this four years?
Kyla Sayre: [00:01:26] Prior to this, I was actually in a lot of different places in the industry, so I did more of the retail side of things, but also wholesale. So I worked at the World Trade Center in Dallas for a while in a showroom. So, definitely a lot of different sides of things, which is nice because every single different side of the business goes into helping you understand the industry as a whole.
Heather Zager: [00:01:46] Yeah, that's exactly why I was curious with, before Lefty what you did. So pe...
Heather Zager talks about all the questions new designers have about getting to manufacture with guest Kyla Sayre. 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. Heather does a deep dive into all the common things new designers run into in manufacturing with Kyla.
In answering the question of whether Lefty Production Company is a factory, manufacturer, agency, or wholesaler, Kyla defines the differences between each type of facility before identifying Lefty as a manufacturer that owns their own factories domestically. In her role as Director of Business Development, Kyla routinely connects with brands to help them with development and production assistance, performing costing exercises to see if domestic or overseas production would best fit their brand, and explaining all the costs and minimums that go into the process.
Heather’s discussion with Kyla Sayre explores a vast number of questions, from materials sourcing to wholesaling, PFD (Prepared For Dyeing) to MOQ (Minimum Order Quantities), and from what’s needed to be production-ready to assessing the benefits of domestic versus overseas production. Kyla explains what Lefty specializes in, how she walks her clients through the process, and offers a lot of inside information that is invaluable for new designers to have access to. This interview shines a light on the intricate decisions faced in the manufacturing process with straight-forward answers to common questions.
Resources discussed in this episode:
- MADE Apparel Services Design Concepting Course
__
About Kyla Sayre:
Kyla is the Director of Business Development for Lefty Production Co. and Stitch TX, sister companies that offer a one-stop-shop solution for apparel and accessory development and manufacturing both domestically and overseas.
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
Contact Kyla Sayre:
- Website: LeftyProductionCo.com
- Website: StitchTexas.com
- Kyle Sayre on LinkedIn
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services. Hello and thank you for tuning in to our podcast today. And our guest today is Kyla Sayre of Lefty Productions, which is a California-based manufacturer who can do both domestic and foreign production. We're going to ask and answer questions that are common to new designers about getting to manufacture. So let's just start things off by, Kyla, tell us a little bit about who you are, how long you've been doing this, and how you got to where you are today.
Kyla Sayre: [00:00:39] Of course. And thank you so much for having me today on the show. I'm super excited to be here. Answer all of the questions that you have for me throughout this podcast. And as a bit of background about me, I'm the Director of Business Development for both Lefty Production Company and Stitch Texas, and on a daily basis, I connect with brands to help them with development and production assistants, going through different costing exercises and processes to see if domestic or overseas production would be a better fit for their brand, and all the costs and minimums that just go on into it. And this is about my fourth year in this specific role, but I've been in the industry for about ten years now altogether.
Heather Zager: [00:01:22] Okay. And what did you do prior to this four years?
Kyla Sayre: [00:01:26] Prior to this, I was actually in a lot of different places in the industry, so I did more of the retail side of things, but also wholesale. So I worked at the World Trade Center in Dallas for a while in a showroom. So, definitely a lot of different sides of things, which is nice because every single different side of the business goes into helping you understand the industry as a whole.
Heather Zager: [00:01:46] Yeah, that's exactly why I was curious with, before Lefty what you did. So pe...
07/31/24 • 46 min
Fabric Supplying with Jay Arbetman of The Sourcing District
MADE Apparel Services Podcast
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.
Fabric sourcing is a key component in the manufacturing process and Jay is a sales agent for wholesale fabric companies like KenDor Textiles, Sextet Fabrics, and Oriole Textile, among others. He explains the benefits of working with a sales agent like him as he breaks down the differences between being an importer, converter, or US-based mill and how fabrics are purchased and sold. It can be a bewildering step to tackle for first-time designers but Jay and Heather’s conversation demystifies a lot of the process.
Heather and Jay talk about what jobbers are, the benefits and limitations of deadstock fabric, why product development must start with fabric, and the limitations in retail store purchasing. Jay’s many years in the business have given him a wealth of contacts and industry knowledge that he is happy to share with first-time designers and beginners. This episode is the first step in breaking down a key component of manufacturing and a must-listen for understanding fabric supply.
Resources discussed in this episode:
__
About Jay Arbetman:
Jay is the owner of The Sourcing District, a sales agency that sells fabric, textile products, and garment production necessities to companies in industries like apparel, hospitality, event planning, and uniforms.
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
Contact Jay Arbetman | The Sourcing District:
- Website: TheSourcingDistrict.com
- Website: InterfacingAndMuslin.com
- Phone: (708) 386 8586
- Text: (708) 351 7278
- Email: Jay@TheSourcingDistrict.com
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone, and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services. Our guest today is Jay Arbetman of The Sourcing District. He represents some of today's best suppliers such as KenDor, Sextet, Oriole Mills and Blue Desert Co, and even Made In USA Mills. He can also give us guidance on labels, hang tags and other findings such as elastics, interfacing and the list goes on. And he can add to that more here in a minute. But Jay, let's start off by having you tell us a little bit about who you are, how long you've been doing this, and how you got to where you are today.
Jay Arbetman: [00:00:39] Well, I was born into the business. That's the best way to put it. My dad and my uncles were coat manufacturers, actually, my grandfather was and they manufactured coats in Chicago and then in the western suburbs of Chicago and then in the western suburbs of Chicago and overseas. And the business was active from 1902 when my grandfather started it, until 1999, when my brother and I, who were the survivors of the business, put the key in the door. So I had a long career. I started working for them full-time in 1971, and so I had close to 30 years in the apparel manufacturing end of the business and actually worked for them as a teenager and, you know, picking orders on Saturdays or, you know, whatever I could do. And so I've been doing this for a long time. In the early 2000s, about 2003, a friend of mine in New York who was in the zipper and button business called me up and asked me to reach out to a local dress manufacturer who I knew, and I did, and I wrote an order, and a couple of weeks later, I got a check in the mail and I thought, wow, this is something I should explore.
Jay Arbetman: [00:02:02] And so over the years, I develo...
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.
Fabric sourcing is a key component in the manufacturing process and Jay is a sales agent for wholesale fabric companies like KenDor Textiles, Sextet Fabrics, and Oriole Textile, among others. He explains the benefits of working with a sales agent like him as he breaks down the differences between being an importer, converter, or US-based mill and how fabrics are purchased and sold. It can be a bewildering step to tackle for first-time designers but Jay and Heather’s conversation demystifies a lot of the process.
Heather and Jay talk about what jobbers are, the benefits and limitations of deadstock fabric, why product development must start with fabric, and the limitations in retail store purchasing. Jay’s many years in the business have given him a wealth of contacts and industry knowledge that he is happy to share with first-time designers and beginners. This episode is the first step in breaking down a key component of manufacturing and a must-listen for understanding fabric supply.
Resources discussed in this episode:
__
About Jay Arbetman:
Jay is the owner of The Sourcing District, a sales agency that sells fabric, textile products, and garment production necessities to companies in industries like apparel, hospitality, event planning, and uniforms.
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
Contact Jay Arbetman | The Sourcing District:
- Website: TheSourcingDistrict.com
- Website: InterfacingAndMuslin.com
- Phone: (708) 386 8586
- Text: (708) 351 7278
- Email: Jay@TheSourcingDistrict.com
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone, and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services. Our guest today is Jay Arbetman of The Sourcing District. He represents some of today's best suppliers such as KenDor, Sextet, Oriole Mills and Blue Desert Co, and even Made In USA Mills. He can also give us guidance on labels, hang tags and other findings such as elastics, interfacing and the list goes on. And he can add to that more here in a minute. But Jay, let's start off by having you tell us a little bit about who you are, how long you've been doing this, and how you got to where you are today.
Jay Arbetman: [00:00:39] Well, I was born into the business. That's the best way to put it. My dad and my uncles were coat manufacturers, actually, my grandfather was and they manufactured coats in Chicago and then in the western suburbs of Chicago and then in the western suburbs of Chicago and overseas. And the business was active from 1902 when my grandfather started it, until 1999, when my brother and I, who were the survivors of the business, put the key in the door. So I had a long career. I started working for them full-time in 1971, and so I had close to 30 years in the apparel manufacturing end of the business and actually worked for them as a teenager and, you know, picking orders on Saturdays or, you know, whatever I could do. And so I've been doing this for a long time. In the early 2000s, about 2003, a friend of mine in New York who was in the zipper and button business called me up and asked me to reach out to a local dress manufacturer who I knew, and I did, and I wrote an order, and a couple of weeks later, I got a check in the mail and I thought, wow, this is something I should explore.
Jay Arbetman: [00:02:02] And so over the years, I develo...
07/17/24 • 47 min
Material Sourcing
MADE Apparel Services Podcast
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.
Natural fibers are either cellulose-based, which comes from a plant, or protein-based, which comes from an animal. Man-made fibers are constructed by humans and they are comprised of two types: manufactured and synthetic. Heather breaks these categories down with examples of which fibers comprise the fabrics we’re used to. She details how they are turned from fibers into yarn, either non-woven, woven, or knit. Each type creates different attributes in the resulting fabric that work best for different types of apparel.
Understanding fabric packaging is the next important piece of material sourcing, so Heather explores rolls, fabric width, fabric length, and weight. Understanding how fabric is measured, what the grain line is, and how it’s weighted will allow for easier swatch selection according to what type of garment will ultimately be made. Heather’s four-part series on the basics of design imparts a foundational understanding of exactly what is required for product development in manufacturing.
About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner
Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.
After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture.
Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.
__
Resources discussed in this episode:
- Spinning wheel
- Thread Science article
- Types of Weave and Types of Knit
- Textile & Fabric Weight and Conversions
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: Hello everyone, and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services. Hi Heather here from Made Apparel Services. Welcome back to my channel. In this episode, which is the second part of a four-part series called Concept to Customer, I am going to talk about sourcing materials for your project. But before you start, just a quick background on why I created this series. Over the last couple of years, when working with my clients, I noticed a consistency in their misunderstanding of four issues or areas of product development in manufacture. Those were Design Concepting, Material Sourcing, Size and Fit, and Types of Manufacturers. This information was creating a lot of confusion and in some cases blocking their progress. But once I explain things in more simplified terms and as smaller steps in relation to a bigger picture, things got much clearer and a lot simpler. So if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed and don't know where to start, I think this series will help you gain some perspective.
Heather Zager: If you are a new designer, sourcing materials can feel overwhelming. However, I've found it's because new designers tend to think a little bit too far into the futu...
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.
Natural fibers are either cellulose-based, which comes from a plant, or protein-based, which comes from an animal. Man-made fibers are constructed by humans and they are comprised of two types: manufactured and synthetic. Heather breaks these categories down with examples of which fibers comprise the fabrics we’re used to. She details how they are turned from fibers into yarn, either non-woven, woven, or knit. Each type creates different attributes in the resulting fabric that work best for different types of apparel.
Understanding fabric packaging is the next important piece of material sourcing, so Heather explores rolls, fabric width, fabric length, and weight. Understanding how fabric is measured, what the grain line is, and how it’s weighted will allow for easier swatch selection according to what type of garment will ultimately be made. Heather’s four-part series on the basics of design imparts a foundational understanding of exactly what is required for product development in manufacturing.
About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner
Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.
After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture.
Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.
__
Resources discussed in this episode:
- Spinning wheel
- Thread Science article
- Types of Weave and Types of Knit
- Textile & Fabric Weight and Conversions
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: Hello everyone, and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services. Hi Heather here from Made Apparel Services. Welcome back to my channel. In this episode, which is the second part of a four-part series called Concept to Customer, I am going to talk about sourcing materials for your project. But before you start, just a quick background on why I created this series. Over the last couple of years, when working with my clients, I noticed a consistency in their misunderstanding of four issues or areas of product development in manufacture. Those were Design Concepting, Material Sourcing, Size and Fit, and Types of Manufacturers. This information was creating a lot of confusion and in some cases blocking their progress. But once I explain things in more simplified terms and as smaller steps in relation to a bigger picture, things got much clearer and a lot simpler. So if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed and don't know where to start, I think this series will help you gain some perspective.
Heather Zager: If you are a new designer, sourcing materials can feel overwhelming. However, I've found it's because new designers tend to think a little bit too far into the futu...
07/03/24 • 22 min
Building Your First E-Commerce Website with Blockbeta
MADE Apparel Services Podcast
Host 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. Robbin has an MBA from Boston University and a BA in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany, and through her more than 30 years in the industry, she knows exactly what is needed to start marketing and selling your product effectively.
Heather asks Robbin some of the basic questions she gets asked by her clients so Robbin can weigh in from an experienced professional point of view. The first question everyone asks is which website platform is best for selling products. Robbin answers that question with examples and information on options for differing experience levels. There’s a solution for every question.
Heather and Robbin dig into the topics everyone who sells online needs to know. The difference between a full website and a squeeze page, what a landing page is and why it’s important, the advantages and disadvantages with platforms like Etsy and Amazon, and all about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and keywords. Robbin Block offers what is essentially a crash course in E-Commerce 101 in this interview. It’s a vital discussion for everyone who wants an online sales platform and needs marketing advice to drive those sales.
About Robbin Block:
Robbin Block is the Creative Marketing Strategist at Blockbeta Marketing. She has an MBA from Boston University and a BA in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany, which enables her to deliver marketing solutions focused on an entire business, not just a particular marketing tactic.
During her more than 30 years in the trade, she’s developed a unique perspective, having worked with almost every niche business imaginable, from cannabis to mobile tech, and creative makers and designers. This helps her get right to the point when guiding clients through the increasingly complicated online marketing space, from developing high-converting websites through concepting media strategies
An experienced speaker, she’s also the author of “Social Persuasion: Making Sense of Social Media for Small Business” and various marketing ebooks. A background in economics and an MBA are the foundation for her big-picture approach that gets her clients results.
Robbin excels at explaining marketing in a way that makes total sense, so business owners can make better decisions about how to spend their marketing resources.
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
Contact Robbin Block |Blockbeta Marketing:
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone, and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services. In today's episode, we're going to be talking with a marketing and website expert. She has worked a lot with new designers selling product, so she has a lot of good answers for some common questions about building your first website and how to drive traffic to it, how to engage your social media and establish a strategy around that. Also, she'll talk a little bit about some of that background stuff, like SEO and keywords and analytics and how to read those. So stay tuned. We hope you enjoy the show and let's get started.
Heather Zager: [00:00:41] Welcome everybody. We are here with Robbin Block with Blockbeta Marketing. And she's going to talk to us a little bit today about websites for emerging designers who are just launching new product and trying to get the word out there and gain a following. And we have a few questions lined up for her. But first, Robbin, welcome and tell us a little bit about what it is that you do.
Robbin Block: [00:01:03] Well, I've been in marketing for quite a long time and I focus on providing creative marketing strategy. Everything from helping companies figure out what their strategy should be overall from a business perspective, then working with them to develop websites that are high converting and then ampl...
Host 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. Robbin has an MBA from Boston University and a BA in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany, and through her more than 30 years in the industry, she knows exactly what is needed to start marketing and selling your product effectively.
Heather asks Robbin some of the basic questions she gets asked by her clients so Robbin can weigh in from an experienced professional point of view. The first question everyone asks is which website platform is best for selling products. Robbin answers that question with examples and information on options for differing experience levels. There’s a solution for every question.
Heather and Robbin dig into the topics everyone who sells online needs to know. The difference between a full website and a squeeze page, what a landing page is and why it’s important, the advantages and disadvantages with platforms like Etsy and Amazon, and all about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and keywords. Robbin Block offers what is essentially a crash course in E-Commerce 101 in this interview. It’s a vital discussion for everyone who wants an online sales platform and needs marketing advice to drive those sales.
About Robbin Block:
Robbin Block is the Creative Marketing Strategist at Blockbeta Marketing. She has an MBA from Boston University and a BA in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany, which enables her to deliver marketing solutions focused on an entire business, not just a particular marketing tactic.
During her more than 30 years in the trade, she’s developed a unique perspective, having worked with almost every niche business imaginable, from cannabis to mobile tech, and creative makers and designers. This helps her get right to the point when guiding clients through the increasingly complicated online marketing space, from developing high-converting websites through concepting media strategies
An experienced speaker, she’s also the author of “Social Persuasion: Making Sense of Social Media for Small Business” and various marketing ebooks. A background in economics and an MBA are the foundation for her big-picture approach that gets her clients results.
Robbin excels at explaining marketing in a way that makes total sense, so business owners can make better decisions about how to spend their marketing resources.
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
Contact Robbin Block |Blockbeta Marketing:
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone, and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of Made Apparel Services. In today's episode, we're going to be talking with a marketing and website expert. She has worked a lot with new designers selling product, so she has a lot of good answers for some common questions about building your first website and how to drive traffic to it, how to engage your social media and establish a strategy around that. Also, she'll talk a little bit about some of that background stuff, like SEO and keywords and analytics and how to read those. So stay tuned. We hope you enjoy the show and let's get started.
Heather Zager: [00:00:41] Welcome everybody. We are here with Robbin Block with Blockbeta Marketing. And she's going to talk to us a little bit today about websites for emerging designers who are just launching new product and trying to get the word out there and gain a following. And we have a few questions lined up for her. But first, Robbin, welcome and tell us a little bit about what it is that you do.
Robbin Block: [00:01:03] Well, I've been in marketing for quite a long time and I focus on providing creative marketing strategy. Everything from helping companies figure out what their strategy should be overall from a business perspective, then working with them to develop websites that are high converting and then ampl...
07/03/24 • 34 min
Steps to Success in Apparel Manufacturing with Satsuma Designs
MADE Apparel Services Podcast
Host 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. Jennifer has been in the business for twenty years and through that experience walks listeners through how to prepare for manufacture and addresses some common misconceptions about how it all works.
Jennifer got her start in infant and children’s clothes which is reflected in how Satsuma Designs offers a kid’s uniform recycling process as well as cut and sew services and informational courses for product businesses. She is a big supporter of US-based manufacturing and breaks down the differences between working in the US and overseas with Heather. Jennifer’s strength in communicating the process clearly for emerging designers and new entrepreneurs makes things seem less complex and more achievable.
Heather and Jennifer discuss everything from tech packs to labels and samples. They explain the acronym MOQ, why the rule of three is an efficient cost-saving technique for start-ups, why fabric choice can affect time and process, and what the greatest misconception among designers often is. Heather’s conversation with Jennifer sheds welcome light on the inner workings of the manufacturing process and Jennifer’s enthusiasm for the industry will inspire new designers to push through hesitation and succeed.
About Jennifer Porter
Jennifer Porter is the owner/operator of Satsuma Designs, a Seattle-based apparel design and manufacturing company founded in 2007.
Satsuma Designs’ most recent initiative started in February 2020 includes Satsuma Uniform, a social enterprise devoted to skills development for women refugees and immigrants in the Pacific Northwest. Through the design and manufacture of school and healthcare uniforms with strategic partner, Refugee Artisan Initiative, Satsuma Uniform is changing the sewn goods industry in the region.
Jennifer graduated from Santa Clara University and started her career on Wall Street. She has worked for non-profits in D.C., designed, marketed and sold other peoples’ products as well as her own online and IRL.
She’s a passionate teacher of etiquette (courtesy people!), Sunday School, and crafting. When not juggling these, she’s making mom jokes to get her middle-school-aged kids’ attention. Thankfully, she already has her husband and co-comedian, Tim’s, attention.
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
Contact Jennifer Porter | Satsuma Designs:
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of MADE Apparel Services. In today's episode, we will be talking with a manufacturer based in Seattle who has a lot of experience working with new designers. She's going to talk to us a little bit about the different types of manufacture, what it is that you need to do to prepare to get to manufacture, and then some common misconceptions that she's seen about getting to manufacture and what that process entails. Should be a great interview. We hope you enjoy the show. So let's get started.
Heather Zager: [00:00:36] Welcome everybody to the MADE Apparel Services podcast. Today we are interviewing with Jennifer Porter with Satsuma Designs, a Seattle based small batch/large batch manufacture company. She is live on the floor also, so if we hear any background noise we will know that it is legit. How are you today, Jennifer?
Jennifer Porter: [00:00:55] I'm great Heather, thank you. I'm so happy to be here and hopefully share some helpful information with your clients and folks that you work with. Your partnership has been so valuable to me, and I really appreciate all the professionalism that you bring to this business, your communication, your tech packs, your patterns, and just a lot of creativity. So I'm really happy to be here.
Heather Zager: [00:01:18] Wonderful. Thank you so much. I know I will have a lot of liste...
Host 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. Jennifer has been in the business for twenty years and through that experience walks listeners through how to prepare for manufacture and addresses some common misconceptions about how it all works.
Jennifer got her start in infant and children’s clothes which is reflected in how Satsuma Designs offers a kid’s uniform recycling process as well as cut and sew services and informational courses for product businesses. She is a big supporter of US-based manufacturing and breaks down the differences between working in the US and overseas with Heather. Jennifer’s strength in communicating the process clearly for emerging designers and new entrepreneurs makes things seem less complex and more achievable.
Heather and Jennifer discuss everything from tech packs to labels and samples. They explain the acronym MOQ, why the rule of three is an efficient cost-saving technique for start-ups, why fabric choice can affect time and process, and what the greatest misconception among designers often is. Heather’s conversation with Jennifer sheds welcome light on the inner workings of the manufacturing process and Jennifer’s enthusiasm for the industry will inspire new designers to push through hesitation and succeed.
About Jennifer Porter
Jennifer Porter is the owner/operator of Satsuma Designs, a Seattle-based apparel design and manufacturing company founded in 2007.
Satsuma Designs’ most recent initiative started in February 2020 includes Satsuma Uniform, a social enterprise devoted to skills development for women refugees and immigrants in the Pacific Northwest. Through the design and manufacture of school and healthcare uniforms with strategic partner, Refugee Artisan Initiative, Satsuma Uniform is changing the sewn goods industry in the region.
Jennifer graduated from Santa Clara University and started her career on Wall Street. She has worked for non-profits in D.C., designed, marketed and sold other peoples’ products as well as her own online and IRL.
She’s a passionate teacher of etiquette (courtesy people!), Sunday School, and crafting. When not juggling these, she’s making mom jokes to get her middle-school-aged kids’ attention. Thankfully, she already has her husband and co-comedian, Tim’s, attention.
—
Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:
- Website: MADEApparelServices.com
- Facebook: MADEApparelServices
- Instagram: MADEApparelServices
- Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
Contact Jennifer Porter | Satsuma Designs:
—
Transcript
Heather Zager: [00:00:00] Hello everyone and welcome to today's podcast. My name is Heather Zager. I am the host of this podcast series and founder of MADE Apparel Services. In today's episode, we will be talking with a manufacturer based in Seattle who has a lot of experience working with new designers. She's going to talk to us a little bit about the different types of manufacture, what it is that you need to do to prepare to get to manufacture, and then some common misconceptions that she's seen about getting to manufacture and what that process entails. Should be a great interview. We hope you enjoy the show. So let's get started.
Heather Zager: [00:00:36] Welcome everybody to the MADE Apparel Services podcast. Today we are interviewing with Jennifer Porter with Satsuma Designs, a Seattle based small batch/large batch manufacture company. She is live on the floor also, so if we hear any background noise we will know that it is legit. How are you today, Jennifer?
Jennifer Porter: [00:00:55] I'm great Heather, thank you. I'm so happy to be here and hopefully share some helpful information with your clients and folks that you work with. Your partnership has been so valuable to me, and I really appreciate all the professionalism that you bring to this business, your communication, your tech packs, your patterns, and just a lot of creativity. So I'm really happy to be here.
Heather Zager: [00:01:18] Wonderful. Thank you so much. I know I will have a lot of liste...
07/03/24 • 29 min
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does MADE Apparel Services Podcast have?
MADE Apparel Services Podcast currently has 12 episodes available.
What topics does MADE Apparel Services Podcast cover?
The podcast is about Entrepreneurship, Design, Podcasts, Education and Business.
What is the most popular episode on MADE Apparel Services Podcast?
The episode title 'Creative Nobility Interview' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on MADE Apparel Services Podcast?
The average episode length on MADE Apparel Services Podcast is 25 minutes.
How often are episodes of MADE Apparel Services Podcast released?
Episodes of MADE Apparel Services Podcast are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of MADE Apparel Services Podcast?
The first episode of MADE Apparel Services Podcast was released on Feb 8, 2024.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ