Selecting a new project
According to what it is that you want to prepare or have in mind, the fabric will be chosen. This is the first step of choosing a fabric for fashion designing clothes or clothing design. It gives your decision making a direction and narrows down options for you. At the first few times, this process might seem a little confusing but with time you will have it on the tips of your fingers.
Fabrics Analysis
Like every process in the fashion industry, this one also requires research and analysis. This analysis will include manually visiting cloth stores and examining fabrics personally. It is beneficial to know the entire market’s collection before shortlisting your fabric. Even while window shopping or searching randomly you must have the context of your garment in mind, else you will get carried away easily by the variety of products displayed before you. This fabric analysis will help you to understand importance and role of fabrics in fashion designing.
What all to keep in mind while choose right fabric for clothing design?
The Drape
Understanding the drape can be tough for newbies. The drape of any fabric is basically how it falls. Some fabrics are heavy and have a straight fall while others are light and have a sheer like fall. The garment you have in mind and the body type for which it is being prepared will decide the kind of drape the fabric should have. But anyhow, it is your responsibility to predict the fall after the garment is finished and then choose a suitable fabric.
The width
This is a very technical angle of the fabric and one of the easiest to learn. The simple rule is that you must know the approximate measurements of the garment and then measure the width of the cloth. This will decide how much of the fabric you will require to sew the garment.
The color
Judging the color of a fabric can be tricky because the lighting makes all the difference. The best way is to examine the color in natural light and see how bright it is. Another thing you can do is imagine the color of the fabric against the skin color of the garment wearer and then make your decision. These two principles are the key to choosing the right color of the fabric. Also colors look different in different fabrics and give a very different effect. So trust your instincts with what is appealing to you and go ahead with it.
The Stretch
Every fabric has a different margin of stretch. It is while choosing a fabric that you need to understand this stretch. The stretch has a major role while sewing and cutting. Thus, a designer must know completely what he/she is dealing with. The best way to test the stretch is to pinch the fabric between two fingers and pull it to create tension. This way will help you to know about how the stretch feels.
Final Touches
Take the time to visualize what the final or finished piece will look like with the fabric at hand. While thinking about the color, drape first thing comes in mind is – will this dress looks good with a light silk fabric or it will be better in heavy linen? Think about the body shape for which the garment is being prepared. It is useful to keep in mind that heavier fabrics tend to be more forgiving on the figure than light silks material – particularly when it’s a simple sewing project with limited structure. Thus, light or delicate material should be chosen with this awareness and preferably after some practice and experience.
With these few prevention and guide lines fabrics will become more comprehensive and easier to choose for fashion designers and students alike. To enhance your knowledge about fabrics you can join fabric design or fashion design courses offered at Indian institute of fashion and design – IIFD Chandigarh. For course inquiry visit here.
