Vincent Schoepfer is a men's fashion designer. Today artistic director of the Patrons brand, he will tell us here all the steps that led to his Fall/Winter 2016 men's collection.
Since 2002 and the end of my studies at the Esmod Paris school, I have had 14 years of various experiences, of doubts, of successes, sometimes of failures - which make you bounce back - but always things to learn and this same passion deep inside me. No, the life of a fashion designer is not linear, but it is very rewarding.
Training and experience are essential to understand this profession. Some people sometimes think that everyone can create their own clothing line , but in my opinion, being a designer is much more than a question of taste.
It is first a passion, then a long apprenticeship of at least 3 to 4 years of study in order to know the history of fashion and costume, to then know how to reinterpret it and innovate. You also need to have a foundation in pattern making to have the feasibility of a garment in mind.
We must also learn to be precise in the development of technical sheets and master drawing. Meet the different players in the sector (manufacturers, fabric manufacturers, spinners, etc.) to understand their way of working
Despite the success of some, graduating from business school does not directly make you a fashion designer. Making “message” sweaters is simple. Being a fashion designer in continuity is more complicated and requires rigor and know-how.
"The PATRONS brand is structured around three fundamentals: a thoughtful and consistent designer wardrobe, offering a studied mix between timeless pieces and more trendy models, a fair and consistent pricing policy and, finally, listening and strong proximity to customers. customers who will actively participate in the development of the brand."
September 2015: imagine and design the collection from A to Z
Summer is coming to an end. Like every season, the ready-to-wear collection calendar follows its well-paced course. A blank page that returns every 6 months, with the commercial challenge in sight.
Creating a clothing collection is a whole process that requires time and clear organization, defined with deadlines for each step.
Analyze, get inspired, lay the foundations
First of all you have to lay the foundations. We start with the specifications which require:
- Stay faithful to previous seasons to have continuity in style,
- Respect a fair price for customers and for the development of the company,
- Stay creative and, for my part, not succumb to the sirens of the main trend of the moment: “normcore”.
Normcore is illustrated by the desire to reject any form of sophistication. We take normality to the extreme. Steve Jobs largely helped start the trend with his unique outfit: faded jeans, black top and white sneakers.
Ok, the foundations are laid. Now, what and where to start?
We need to sit down and take stock of past seasons. What worked or didn't work from a business perspective? Creating is not about responding to your own desires, it is also knowing how to analyze trends and especially the spirit of the times while taking into account the image and positioning of the brand.
To start, a good benchmark
Then, you have to gather your ideas, and choose the theme or themes that will give the collection its unique touch. With experience, this comes quickly because the analysis of trends allows you to better understand the spirit of the times.
In my case, it's different every time. A travel souvenir, a piece of fabric, an exhibition, an art book…
This season, it’s a place that will be my source of inspiration. The Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland. A fan of the Game of Thrones series, I was able to appreciate the beauty of the filming locations in this part of the island.
It is a unique place, with its hexagon-shaped basalt chimneys. The effect is very graphic and modern.
Constraints to take into account
Starting signal ! No time to waste, we have 4 months to turn these ideas into a clothing collection.
But be careful, I didn't say rush, we must organize ourselves around fundamental axes:
- The budget for the season , to stay on track because costs can quickly explode if we don't manage things well,
- The creation of the collection universe around inspirations and based on keywords,
- The range of colors ,
- A coherent collection plan (number of pants, t-shirts, shirts, etc.),
- Product design and production of technical files ,
- The choice of materials ,
- Development of prototypes.
To begin, you have to put the inspirations down on paper in a few key words. For example, quite intuitively with the following words:
Ireland > Giant's Causeway > Winter > Mineral > Graphic > Wild > Wild
Material > Tartan > Tweed > Wool > Fleece
Then, you have to fill in the blanks on the different design axes. What color range for this collection? This wild region of Northern Ireland is home to shades of green and gray, the nearby ocean brings deep blues and the color of the earth, browns and bloody burgundy.
Here is the mood board that will define the mood, the atmosphere of the collection.
Creating a mood board
Here a mood board which presents the collection through drawings and photos of different pieces.
Drawings and technical files
The most tedious and important part. All details must be thought of at this time. The fashion sketch version silhouettes as we imagine them, which are present on the mood board, are only the “fun” part of the drawing work.
The essential drawing is the technical drawing, the one which will allow the pattern maker to design the garment. It must be precise and is often produced by computer using software such as Illustrator. Fashion is a technique, a know-how in the design of clothes.
Our imagination has no limits, but the human body and the materials for production do.
Pattern making, that is to say everything relating to the creation of patterns, is governed by codes dictated both by the morphology of men or women, as well as by the technical properties of the fabric (warp and weft, Jersey...).
This is really the tedious part where you must not miss any details!
The choice of materials used in the collection is made at the time of the “Premiere Vision” show . It is the textile meeting at the start of each season: it takes place twice a year, in February and September. International exhibition, all the best fabric manufacturers meet there.
The previous stages of creation allow you to arrive at the show with precise ideas on materials and colors. Otherwise, it would be very easy to get lost! We always want to indulge in choosing lots of different fabrics. There, I feel like a child in a toy store. There are very beautiful things that come from Italy, Japan or the United Kingdom.
Hard to resist 😉
October 2015: sourcing and production monitoring
Everything is launched. This is a good time to travel to meet manufacturers and closely monitor the development of the first sample.
This year, I'm going to Portugal - to a small village not far from Porto - to visit the factory that produces Patrons shirts.
The opportunity for a little digression on “made in”. For me as a designer, contact with factories is essential. I attach more importance to the way and conditions in which clothes are made, than to their country of origin. At Patrons, we work in France, as in Portugal or China.
the clandestine workshop scandals discovered in the Paris suburbs in recent years ).
The most important thing is traceability, the quality of the raw materials and the relationship of trust established with the manufacturers.
November 2015: validation of prototypes
Back to Paris. The collection is taking shape. The first prototypes are arriving , the correction/validation phase begins. It is necessary to check that the measurements comply with the technical files and finish validating the materials chosen for the commercial sample.
You have to be rigorous down to the smallest details! This is the assurance of a collection that holds up. On average, two prototypes are needed per model to achieve validation of the commercial prototype. A first which is not entirely correct, which is sent back to the factory to be corrected, and a second which will sometimes (but not always) be the correct one.
This is a cost to assess at the start of the season because the bill can be steep.
Without forgetting the organization 🙂
December 2015: development of the communication strategy
If the factories met the deadlines, which is unfortunately not always the case, the collection is finally ready!
This season, no clouds on the horizon! But delays in development often create a lot of stress at the end of the season.
December: it's time to think about the communication to put in place around this new collection . Indeed, it is not enough to make beautiful clothes to make you want them. This is my role as artistic director: bringing these clothes to life, in images, to create the lookbook that will be sent to buyers and retail clients.
This season, the decor is naturally the same as that inspiring the collection. The Patrons team is therefore leaving for Northern Ireland in January 2016 to do the photo shoot of the collection in the magnificent settings of The Giant's Causeway.
An ideal place to receive inspiration.
But let's not be too hasty, there is still a lot of work to do. Organizing the production of the shoot is not an easy task, you must:
- Cast the model who will be the face of the season,
- Choose a professional photographer ; in this case, the talented Manu Fauque ,
- Organize the trip : plane ticket, accommodation, etc.
I have also been working for several seasons with a film director, Cédric Coldefy , who produces our images each season for Patrons. You have to organize yourself well so as not to spend too much but also ensure that the conditions on site will be optimal for the whole team.
For my part, I prefer to work over time with the same people to create a bond and have pleasant moments. You also need to know how to relax, even outside of work hours, especially if you spend 4 days together abroad 😉
At the end of December everything becomes clearer: looking forward to 2016 to present the collection! In the meantime it will be relaxation and a few days with family for the holidays.
January 2016: production of communication materials
The outcome. It's like giving birth. Months of reflection, hard work, and everything is taking shape.
We still have our little trip to Ireland to produce the campaign photos. It will be a great time working with the team on the winding coastal roads.
With the collection's photos and campaign film in my pocket, I still have to take care of the layout and AD of the paper book. I make it a point of honor to always print the book, it is an object that highlights all our work.
At the end of January, the collection is truly finished. It's a little bit of me that I leave behind after these months of effort and it's another part of the work that begins: the sale of the collection to resellers. But that's another story, with just as many challenges.
The public will only see the collection in stores as well as the film in September 2016.
The final word
By writing these few lines, I once again become aware of the difficulty of my job and the challenges each season.
I might want to give up, but I am driven by an unwavering passion: a love of the product and the know-how of the artisans who work alongside me. Innovate and offer a vision of men's fashion.
Making clothes means being anchored in a concrete reality. It's a real economy that can sometimes seem superficial even if, ultimately, everyone needs to wear clothes and cares about their appearance.
I don't claim to dress humanity but I contribute to it on my own scale, putting all my heart and passion into it.
