I NVENTO RY
16 Acquisitions
Setting up a business or starting a project re
quires that designers shift into hunter-gatherer
mode. What are the means by which they will
be able to develop work? How will they amass
resources?
Good fashion hunters will familiarize themselves
with a terrain, track their target, and acquire it.
Identifying the right machinery and the proper
tools is essential. Not all cutting instruments
are created equal. For instance, the difference
between scissors and shears is length; the latter
must measure more than 6 inches (15 cm). De
sign rooms will reserve shears for cutting fabrics
versus scissors for cutting paper. Pinking shears,
applique scissors, and snips each make specific
jobs a little easier.
Fashion gatherers are a little more subjective.
They will forage through the many choices of
fabrics and notions to procure the ideal raw ma
terials, based on aesthetic needs and seasonal
demands.
Once a workroom is outfitted and its shelves
are stocked with supplies, a workforce must
be assembled. In doing so, the designer must
determine how each member of the staff fits into
the community being crafted. Next, the designer
must build a culture, an environment, systems,
and technology.
In some cases, it is a smart idea to accumulate
reserves. A surplus can mean the difference be
tween enduring and throwing in the towel when
faced with situations that challenge survival.
However, stockpiling isn't helpful unless the
goods are relevant and are actually put to use.
The value of a designer's inventory-comprising
machinery, raw materials, manpower, or finished
product-depends on how cohesive it all is.
38 Fashion Design Essentials
Right: Design studio:
button bins
Far Right: Design studio:
fabric and pattern storage
PHOTO: JOEL BENJAMIN
