This approach also allows you to sell some of the signature pieces which will come with bigger price tags and then focus on selling more of your matching complementary pieces.

For silk scarves and other items where torquing or uneven shrinkage isn’t an appreciable issue, I see no problem with experimenting with lab dips. I would even feel comfortable experimenting with whole garment knitting or even sewn knit sweater-type projects. I would have low expectations for a tailored piece, though.

It really depends on what you’re making, which is why it has been used primarily with knits and simple garments.

You have 2 issues with garment dyeing:

1- some designers don’t like the look/feel of certain garments after dyeing, it doesn’t work for some things
2- you have to keep your trims simple. For example, if your garment is cotton or rayon and your trims are nylon (some elastic, many trims, lace, etc.), the nylon usually only stains with the fiber reactive dye and even then, sometimes it may pick up certain primary colors in the dye that don’t match the garment (for example, red dye can stain nylon fuschia). You may have to do a double dyeing, one for fiber reactive and one for the acid dye. You’re pretty much omitting any polyester as I have been told that poly is more complicated to dye and thus has high minimums.

There is a technical way to dye both in one process (so as to not have to subject the garments to two dyeing processes), but the Cotton Inc guy never sent me the technical details. If anyone is interested, he said something like “should be possible to run an acid dye process during the wash off of the fiber reactive dye since the water temperature would be high enough to withstand it.” (I will not explain).

I do have some silk items that were garment dyed and they are beautiful. I do think we could actually do A LOT with garment dye, but dye houses seem to be reluctant to experiment with the possibilities. Keep in mind that this is generally a small company’s issue becuase most large companies can piece dye their goods (if they want).

While it is true that you have fabric limitations, usually, the best way to start off is to say “I am a small manufacturer, do you have a stock program or is there a way you can accomodate me?”

Looking at the line and liking a fabric, only to find out that the quantities are prohibitive, is not the best way to approach it.

Companies have creative ways of helping you out, from tacking on your order to someone elses, to running a little extra production, to a bunch fo stuff. Be upfront and say “what can we do, how can we work together” and see what they say, keeping in mind that b/c of the minimums issue, you won’t have everything your way.

After reading the old posts on “who do you hang with” and the usual problem with meeting the fabric minimus there was one big question poping up: What about buying ingrey fabric and then doing finished garment dyeing? Of course this “tactic” will not work for all the styles in a collection but it may help with some.

I must add that I am not an expert in the manufacturing industry so maybe my comment is either very naive or really really dumb, but I would love to have some feedback on it.

J.C., sadly, they never ever talked about cross-marketability or who you hang with. But that wasn’t the point of my comment. And also why I read stuff on this site.

Also, while I thought the Dahl stuff on the 2nd page with the 7 things seemed to more or less loosely go together as a collection, the stuff on the custom page seemed weird to be a collection, if it was meant to be, and I agree that custom stuff should be something like pants that’s more complicated.

http://www.jaymccarroll.com/

RE: Jay and advice. It’s hard to say. Not everyone’s a doll. And, abrasive is not the quickest way out of the gate. I intuit that he knows this and has a business face, too. It’s difficult to speculate what might be the problem.

And I LOVE the phrase ‘becky home-ecky’. Cracks me up every time.

I refrained from putting on my “orange, bitchy face” when Lisa commented about being taught to “match”. I don’t mean any disrespect; but, the word is easily misinterpreted.

I hope Lisa’s instructor further clarified to avoid contrivances while focusing on cross-marketability within the collection, etc. I’m not picking… I know it’s difficult to articulate the whole concept in such few words. It’s a highly visual subject to discuss.

In any event I admit I had a flash of MK screaming something about “holly hobby” and “matchie, matchie”. As a result of watching that show, I’ve co-opted the HH phrase, which is very bad on my part. I think Ann’s (Gorgeous Things) phrase is much more clever: Becky Home-ecky!