Tailor & Circus: Prints

Here is the Midnight Coral Collection. We wanted to create a theme around underwater and tropical life.

Process: Sketching

As a team we look at the different trends in fashion and what kind of themes and colors we want to introduce. Then I take a look at real and illustrated images through google and Pinterest. Then I start sketching out elements.

For the Midnight Coral Design, I started by studying the different species of coral to draw and different ideas to juxtapose it with, such as a skull or tropical flowers (hibiscus).

Process: Digitizing

I then begin the tedious process of tracing them and coloring the sketches using Adobe Illustrator. After tracing I begin to arrange them and start creating a repeating pattern.

At the start I am not too concerned with the color choice but try to approximate what colors pop and create contrast before going to Pantone to find the colors that will work the best on fabric.

Process: Colors and Samples

Once the design is locked I make mock ups (below) to see how large the design looks like on the actual product before we go into printing. Although you cannot plan for everything, these mocks help us get close to seeing the final produce before manufacturing begins. Below is an example of an upcoming floral print.

After the basic layout is created, then I begin converting my color choices into Pantone TXC codes which work on cotton and other similar fibres. I create a few iterations. At this time we did not know how many colors we could push and if gradients worked, so I tried my hands at using more colors than were previously used to test if the feasibility of my design

Process: Strike-offs

After the design is finalised, it goes to the factory for it be printed on the fabric. These are strike-offs to determine if we need to re-work the design, in terms of color, elements and overall feel.

Process: Photoshoot (Catalog)

When the strike-offs are locked and we are happy with the design, we start planning the shoot. It is a mix between improvising and getting the catalog shots needed for the website. This starts going into the process of art direction with the object of advertising and marketing our product on the web and social media.

Here we are setting up the backdrop in the studio. We like to make sure the backdrop and the product do not clash too much but still have enough contrast to see it properly.