Perhaps you love to sew, and you have a can’t-miss idea for a new clothing or handbag line. Or maybe you’ve never brought needle to thread in your life, but you know your target market will love your apparel creation. Either way, help is here.
Creating a textile invention—clothing, bedding, basically, anything that involves sewing—is similar to developing other inventions. Yet, there are specific things you should know that can help you develop your textile-based invention and make it more marketable.
I’ll start at the very beginning: creating a prototype. Fortunately, it doesn’t take advanced sewing skills or experience on the sewing machine to turn your idea into something real. Although these can be helpful, if you have a vision and can communicate it to someone who has sewing skills, you’ll be fine.
Creating Your Prototype
A prototype is a 3-D manifestation of your vision or drawing. For example, perhaps you’ve sketched out a line of specialty T-shirts. Your prototype will be an actual sewn version of these T-shirts, with the cut, embroidery, printing, or embellishments you’ve envisioned.
A prototype allows you to test your idea’s functionality. Say you’ve designed a new type of water shoes for children. Your prototype will allow you to test the materials and the construction of those shoes to learn if they will hold up properly. Your prototype will also help you perfect the use of materials. If the original material you used for these shoes wasn’t as waterproof as you believed, or the rubber you used on the bottom ended up being extremely slippery, you’ll discover these flaws during the prototype process. When you move to the final manufacturing stage, you’ll reduce the risk of making costly mistakes.
If you are completely lacking in sewing skills, you can ask a sewing shop or a local seamstress to put something together for you. Be sure to clearly communicate your goals for the item.
Michael Thomas, owner of Choices Apparel, a California-based textile manufacturing company, says when communicating your idea to a sewing shop, start with a sample that already exists. Go to a store, find an item similar in fit and design to your own idea, and use it as a cornerstone. This doesn’t mean copying the item; it simply means using an existing cut as a pattern to help communicate your idea. Then you can make changes based on your vision and design.
