How to select pieces of clothing for a fashion collection?11 min read

Summary 

• Planning a product mix means selecting the pieces of clothing that will make up a fashion collection. 
• Making the right choices with appealing design options for your audience is essential for sales success. 
• Technology can be your ally in the creation and management processes. Try Audaces360 solutions for free today! 

Before focusing on the design of each piece of clothing, it’s crucial to dedicate time and research to crafting the product mix. 

Making the right selection of garments, keeping in mind the needs of your target audience, will ignite their desire to buy. 

To learn the step-by-step process of creating the perfect product mix selection, check out our comprehensive guide. 

Enjoy your reading! 

Why carefully select the pieces of clothing that will make up your collection?

Selecting the right pieces of clothing for a collection ensures that your audience will find everything they need. This allows them to put together a complete look directly from your brand. 

Therefore, you must consider the proportion of garment types. For example, how many tops, bottoms, and unique pieces will your collection feature? 

Try to anticipate the consumer’s desires and needs. When buying a pair of pants from your collection, for instance, they might realize they need a matching piece of clothing.

That’s why it’s essential that garments harmonize with each other. This is where fashion research and your expertise come into play. 

Consider using materials, colors, and prints that share common elements. Additionally, think about the sizes you want to include in your collection. 

The more variety you offer, the more people you can include. 

Always keep your customer in mind when selecting the garments that will make up your product mix. This will undoubtedly increase your chances of sales success. 

Learn more: Discover 3 expert tips for composing a fashion product mix 

How to create a collection mix with the right pieces of clothing? 

Now that you understand the importance of creating a product mix, let’s explore the steps involved and the key aspects. 

Conduct market and trend research 

Market research helps you identify the needs, desires, and purchasing habits of your target audience. This allows you to curate a product mix that caters directly to their preferences. 

For example, research might reveal a rising demand for sustainable clothing in your target market. This means you should include more eco-friendly options in your collection.  

At the same time, trend research keeps you informed about the latest styles, colors, and materials popular with consumers. 

When you add these trends to your product mix, you can ensure your collection feels fresh and relevant. This way you can attract customers who want to stay on top of fashion. 

Learn more: Discover how sustainable design can delight your customers 

Define the concept of your collection 

A well-defined concept will guide you along the creation process, ensuring your product mix tells a cohesive story. 

Creating storytelling is a very engaging strategy to reinforce a business’ branding. It allows you to communicate what you want people to feel when wearing each piece of clothing of your collection 

It prevents a collection from being a random assortment of garments. Instead, it creates a unified theme that resonates with your target audience. 

When you incorporate your concept into collections, it creates a brand image that people will recognize and remember. 

It also makes marketing and communication easier. Your business can tailor campaigns highlighting the unique selling points of the collection based on the established theme. 

This helps you stand out from competitors and attract customers who identify with your unique aesthetic. 

Learn more: Uncover the power of dressing trends and how to identify them 

Identify the launch season 

Different seasons have distinct weather patterns and social events. With the launch season in mind, you can curate a product mix that caters to the specific needs and trends of that time. 

It allows you to align the product mix with customer expectations and purchasing behavior. You can make informed decisions about materials, styles, and silhouettes. All this leads to a more focused and efficient selection process. 

For example, a summer collection would likely prioritize lightweight, breathable fabrics and feature styles suitable for warm weather activities. 

It also helps avoid costly inventory issues. A collection launch corresponding to the current season reduces the risk of having leftover stock. 

Learn more: 9 fabrics with the perfect fit to use in your fashion collection 

Assess commercial viability 

You must analyze the commercial viability of each piece of clothing. This enables you to minimize the risk of designing products that won’t sell well.  

To make an accurate assessment, consider factors such as market demand and production. Understating these factors is essential for you to price your items in the best possible way. 

It allows you to make informed decisions about which garments to include in the collection. Thus, reducing the chance of unsold products and wasted resources. 

Remember that the collection needs to be financially viable, within the established profit margins. Moreover, the prices need to be attractive to your audience and competitive with the market. 

Learn more: 7 steps to develop your fashion collection plan 

4 types of piece of clothing that are essential for your collection mix 

If you’re unsure where to start when selecting pieces of clothing for your product mix, check out the 4 most common categories: 

Tailoring 

Tailored garments elevate any look with their polished aesthetic. The clean lines and sophisticated air make them ideal for work or formal occasions, ensuring a refined appearance. 

They are also versatile and timeless, with the possibility of being easily dressed up or down. This allows for a wide range of outfit possibilities. 

These pieces of clothing typically incorporate expensive materials in their production. It makes them usually represent the most refined items of any collection. 

You can reflect this in your pricing, potentially generating higher profit margins. However, to achieve this, you need to develop compelling sales arguments for your target audience. 

Convince them that these pieces are classics that will always remain in style. Additionally, emphasize that they are made from durable materials, ensuring they outlast trendy or fast-fashion items. 

Basic 

Basic pieces are those that are present in every collection, with only occasional updates. You can change the colors and trims to align with the concept of your collection, but it is important that they are included. 

They are part of people’s daily lives. Moreover, the combination of good price and timeless design requires less sales effort than the rest of the collection. 

People began to seek more comfort in their clothing choices as an effect of the pandemic and the growing trend of remote work 

As a result, basic pieces of clothing, which previously accounted for 25% of collections, now make up as much as 50%. These numbers reinforce how customer preferences are always evolving. 

Learn more: Find out how to use the chromatic circle to boost your fashion collection 

Jeans 

With a vast array of washes, cuts, and finishes, jeans can cater to diverse styles and preferences. This broadens the collection’s appeal to a wider audience. 

They are a must-have piece of clothing in any wardrobe and will never go out of style. Their popularity makes them a staple for many brands. 

For this reason, to stand out and achieve strong sales, it’s crucial to create jeans that are truly attractive to your target audience. Understanding their preferences is key to designing jeans that resonate with them. 

For a younger demographic, consider including distressed washes, ripped finishes, and trendy styles. For an older audience, focus on classic options with straight lines and traditional washes.  

Since jeans are a versatile basic, ensure that other items in your collection complement them well. This encourages customers to envision complete outfits and make multiple purchases. 

Learn more: Learn how to create denim patterns for your next collection 

One-piece or layering 

One-piece options offer a complete outfit in a single garment. They save time and simplify the outfit creation process for customers. This convenience is especially appealing to busy lifestyles. 

These items come in various styles, from formal jumpsuits to casual rompers. This variety allows for catering to different customer preferences and offers a complete outfit solution for various occasions.  

Additionally, many one-piece options can be layered. For example, a sleeveless jumpsuit can be paired with a jacket for cold weather. Or a dress can be worn with a T-shirt underneath for a more casual look. 

These benefits allow customers to get even more wear out of these pieces of clothing. 

How can technology help you create your collection? 

In the initial stages, technology can help you conduct trend research much more easily. Online tools provide data and allow you to visually gather all your references. This will help you define the concept of your collection.  

Once defined, when you move on to the design stage, there are cutting-edge solutions in the market that assist you in this process. 

They allow both technical vector drawing on your computer screen and direct creation on a 3D mannequin. 

Three-dimensional creation provides a realistic view of your design. It includes examining the fabric’s drape, combination of colors, and garments’ fit. 

When your collection is already in production, you can rely on advanced solutions to manage each stage. 

This overview will help you monitor progress in real time. This allows you to address potential issues as soon as they happen and ensure timely delivery of the collection. 

Learn more: 6 benefits of having an online collection management 

Monitor the production of your pieces of clothing with Audaces solutions 

Audaces is a globally recognized company in the fashion technology market. We create solutions to address the most common challenges in clothing design and production. 

Explore some of our software tools that will streamline your creation process 

Audaces Fashion Studio 

You can imagine how much you want, Audaces Fashion Studio will make it possible. This solution was developed to create 3D drawings relying on various tools and possibilities.  

Enhance the agility and quality of your designs with this cutting-edge technology!  

It allows you to simulate garments on a three-dimensional mannequin, experimenting with colors, textures, and prints with ease. 

The fitting room tool allows for a view of the designs side-by-side. It makes it easier to create a harmonious aesthetic pattern for your collection. 

Audaces Isa 

This innovative solution empowers fashion designers and businesses to take control of their entire collection development process, from initial ideas to final products. 

Audaces Isa centralizes data, streamlines workflows, and fosters collaboration. This leads to more than a 30% reduction in product launch time. Deliver collections to market with greater agility!  

You can even have real-time access to every piece of clothing progress directly from your phone, with the mobile version. 

Teams can access and share data effortlessly in a central environment, ensuring everyone is on the same page.  

Leverage our free resources to enhance your fashion collection. Download our canvas template for planning now!

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