October is a t shirt printing, screen printing, garment sourcing and embroidery supplier established in 1990. We source a wide range of clothing and accessories to fit the most demanding of specifications. Although we print and embroider for a variety of sectors, our speciality is fashion.
With this in mind we offer a full service including garment sourcing, graphic design input, range development, technical screen print and embroidery advice, label supply, re-labelling, bagging, swing ticketing and bulk distribution.
This isn't everything. That would just be too massive, but it is a cross section of all our favourite T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoods, polos, hats etc. It's what a pretentious bell end might call a curated edit. Feel free to call us with any questions, and let us know if we left anything out.
It all started 25 years ago. Paul finished a degree in obscure eastern religions, and was surprised to find he couldn't get a job. Not a problem, a friend had a sewing machine,
Starting a collection and finding a decent textile printer are two things that any designer would like to go hand in hand, and technically they do. It’s simple — you design the clothes, take the designs to a textile printer, and the jobs done! The problem arises when you try to find a professional and good printer, which you can trust with your designs, who will get you what you want.
With that in mind, you need to know exactly what you should look out for, and know what a textile printer will be expecting of you too… So Paul Stephenson from www.october.co.uk has some top tips on what you should be doing before you even consider going to see a textile printer!
What are the worst mistakes you’ve seen a designer make?
I guess the answer for this question has to be technical; if that doesn’t send you into an immediate coma, bewildered by tiffs, giffs, mesh counts, screen tensions, and the wiring diagram from the Hubble telescope.
If I’m right, perhaps the biggest mistake is to get your crushed velvet purple hat on, and rocket full speed into a bunch of finished designs. It can take so long you’ll have grown a beard in the back bedroom, only to be told by your chosen supplier ‘I’m Dave the printer, not Paul Bloody Daniels, it can’t be done’.
So, speak to your printer from the outset, almost when you first have that dreamy golden idea of owning your own brand. Post your fag packet designs and photos from a toilet door, and your printer can say, ‘Yes, I like it, but those two lines are too close together, they’ll fill in when they print; why don’t you have more negative space in this design to use less ink and improve the texture; eight colours? Why? You can use two, get a much punchier and more graphic result, and god forbid make more profit’….you get the idea.
What level should a designer be at before they speak to a printer?
Now this very much depends on the printer. If you want a cheap price, you want all your artwork nicely in Photoshop or Illustrator, in layers, saved at the correct size, with pantone references and a clear knowledge of whether you want water based, solvent based or discharge inks, or even DTG or sublimation (and you’ll know that the latter requires a polyester content in your garment). The artwork will have been designed to be sure that any tonal work is not too fine, and there is a touch of clip on any colours where you think registration will be an issue, amongst many other considerations. You will have purchased your stock, checked it for any imperfections, split it into the relevant designs required, and couriered it into your print shop. You will have bought additional garments to allow a 5% tolerance for print mistakes. Pdf‘s will have been created of course, showing exact print positions on a variety of garment sizes. El Cheapo Printo will then collate all this, press go, and if there are any problems refer you back to your initial spec and say ‘Tough shit, that’s what you asked for’
Should you choose to use a more expensive printer, a collaborator who will work with you on the range and want its success as much as you do, then you need to be at the level referred to in question one, where Jesus has appeared at the end of your bed and told you to start your own clothing brand — the rest you can understand about as much sub atomic Physics or why Hollyoaks is allowed to exist…your printer will help.
What’s the best advice you can give to someone starting a new collection?
Don’t. I get twenty to thirty enquiries a day from people saying ‘I don’t know if anyone’s said this to you before, but I’m thinking of starting my own clothing brand’…it has been so for the last twenty five years. Of those many hundreds of thousands, very few will survive.
If that hasn’t put you off, you’ve passed the first stage of the trials young Padawan, and you’re ready for some honest advice.
Firstly, do not do this because you ‘want’ to; it’s not nearly enough — only proceed because you ‘have’ to, because you can think of nothing else, and if you don’t do it, you’ll go mad, start walking backwards and buy a house in Belgium.
Secondly, have a back story. At the risk of sounding like a raving Ponsonby, good graphic design is supposed to be ‘intellect made visible,’ a two dimensional expression of that which you hold most dear. What do you care about, who do you love, hate, and want to throw cakes at…and how can you visually represent your personality? To do this, perhaps all your designs need criteria to which they adhere — for example, a sense of heritage, or Englishness, or a point of contradiction, something political, whatever, but if they all have it in a coherent way it’ll pull the designs together, and along with the right print techniques, make the collection look obviously yours.
And by back story I don’t mean an ‘about us’ page that talks about seizing the moment, living for the day or saving the penguins…we need to believe you.
Thirdly — join up the dots. Know who you are, who your customer is, and how you’re going to reach them. If you think your customer is a Vogue reader, but don’t have ten grand a month to advertise, you’re going to have the best story that no one’s ever read. But if you’re a lad brand, and know where 40,000 of your customers are every Saturday afternoon, and hello, football fanzines are cheap to advertise in, 3-0, you win. This is who we are, that’s where they are, and we can afford to talk to them.
Fourthly, and then I’ll shut up because there’s loads more…TIME. Facebook, Twitter, web sites and knowing a bloke who lives near Liam Gallagher’s Granny, won’t do it. It takes bloody years, so if you haven’t got a Lambo and a big house in Crouch End by year two, don’t be sad — building a brand is a lifetime’s work, keep the faith, say your prayers, and in the end the circle will turn, I promise x
St Pauls Lifestyle, the brand’s distinctive photographic-based designs are a combination of the founder’s twin passions – Britain’s edgy cultural heritage and punk era, and full blown romance.
Inspirations for St Paul’s grainy black and white photographic designs, with a floral motif, are eclectic, ranging from punk icons The Clash, to Constance Spry, the original high society florist. The designs started with the St Paul Lifestyle love story. Designs feature photographs by artists including Zoe an exhibitor at the National Portrait Gallery and one half of the artists “The Girls” (who recently completed an installation at Selfridges). St Pauls Lifestyle also supports and celebrates emerging musical talent: all the models on St Pauls’ website, and who appear within the designs themselves, are musicians who have been scouted by the founder, Rose Paul.
Born in Kuala Lumpur to English parents, Rose Paul’s embarrassed father would introduce his daughter as ‘Fifi the au pair’ on account of her black and yellow and shaven Mohican hair style. Fashion runs in Paul’s blood, her grandmother Jessie Phillips was a fashion designer who supplied her own label to Harrods, and designed uniforms for the QEII.
St Pauls Lifestyle gives young musicians a showcase on OVERGROUND SOUND which is featured on the BLOG at www.stpaulslifestyle.comOVERGROUND SOUND is a place for airing new music (so pass the word around please to any band or artist you know looking for a platform — tell them to email info@stpaulslifestyle.com). It also hosts music reviews, and interviews. It is a huge success.- Recent interviews on OVERGROUND SOUND include “Pulled Apart by Horses”; the multiple award winning Canadian superstars Joel Plaskett with Peter Elkas and “Bury Tomorrow” on the eve of their major Japan/US Tour.
After this freezing cold winter one thing is crystal clear: a hot summer is in store for us! If you have not only set your sights on the perfect style, but also on the right materials, you are just right at Naketano.
With light summer knitwear Naketano is extending its former collection, providing even more comfort on hot summer days: bamboo is the innovative natural fibre which cools in summer and warms in winter. Compared to cotton, clothing made of bamboo viscose fibre does not crease and can be ironed at a very low temperature. The material does not shrink when washing and is quick to dry.
The creative heads from Naketano in Essen have also worked on the cuts, patterns and colours. Naketano is becoming more and more feminin, featuring a great choice of dresses. Naturally, the “feel good” and individuality factor still have top priority. The new forms, such as A- and O-silhouettes, create a symbiosis of nonchalance and elegance. The same applies for the many female elements – smocking, gathers, box pleats, cording, volants and frills, to name a few.
The new collection is not missing the famous Naketano hoodies, neither. The Naketano colour-blocking hoodies are supplemented by rounder patches.
Last but not least, the collection is completed by light, waisted summer jackets made of soft polyester, as well as a partly smocked summer coat. The pleasantly soft jackets are available in three lengths (short, medium, long).
Flourishing fashion – with the Naketano summer collection 2010!
English Modernism, American Ivy League, Italian cool — this is what has influenced my designs over the years and is what I’m dedicated to. Fashion was never what I sought, as it is Style that has always been my obsession.. Since 2001 Dna has been bringing it’s Italian made quality clothing online, making us the first all-Italian label selling men’s clothing on the world wide web.
Limited edition, attention to detail, sharp styles, quality garments made by small, family – run Italian artisan companies, the true Manifattura Italiana. Roll collar button down shirts, fine merino wool unscructured slim cut Italian suits, flat fronted detailed trousers, fully fashioned quality knitwear, slim soled chisel toe quality leather shoes, cashmere chester coats, hand folded silk ties — a total look both for the discrete Gentleman and for the carefree Dandy.
Working with ethics has also been of great importance to me. I have always refused to work with sweat shops, re-cycling is constant, ways to avoid unnecessary waste are always kept in consideration, and have made customer care and satisfaction my priority.
I have now moved north of Barcelona, Spain, where I work from my showroom, often travelling to Italy to supervise production. A visit here is always welcomed so email me for arrangements. Girona airport is a huge Ryanair hub and is minutes away and there are regular trains to and from Barcelona”.
Designers continue to exhibit a degree of caution for fall 2010, yet offer a palette of beauty and excitement with a blending of colors, some with similar undertones, in surprising and intriguing combinations. Inspired by the ongoing phenomenon of film animation, vivid colors are often juxtaposed in inventive ways, creating arresting and extraordinary color combinations.
Click here to: Download PANTONE fashion color report fall 2010
Click here to: View interactive report here
Online fashion bargain hunters now have access to a dedicated fashion comparison service that aims to make shopping for clothes easy, quick and suitable for any budget.
Founded by three entrepreneurs from Nottingham, Style Compare was set up to make online fashion shopping easy. By putting all of your favourite brands in one place, with a comparison tool at your fingertips, you can find the right item at the right price – hassle free.
Style Compare recently launched to enable a quick, comprehensive and trust-worthy price check of over 20,000 different items, is keen to offer the much needed service to the price conscious fashion buying public.
A model that has experienced huge success in the financial services sector, price comparison is yet to fully encompass the whole retail market, with fashion being one area in particular that has so far been weakly serviced by any comparison service.
“Stylecompare.co.uk makes it easy for people to find the right product at the right price” – says co-founder Jonny Challenger.
He continues – “It enables people to shop for their favourite brands from their favourite retailers, such as Laura Ashley, Urban Outfitters and Miss Selfridge to name just three, whilst knowing that they’re getting the best deal.”
With strong relationships with some of the fashion’s biggest retailers, Style Compare combines the familiarity of the high street with the convenience of online shopping – all guaranteed to be at the best price.
Additionally, a regular flow of discount codes makes Style Compare an essential online service for anyone looking for a stylish bargain.
Style Compare is the brainchild of Jonny Challenger, Jake Gibilaro, and John Nolan – all under the age of 30 and all sharing a joint frustration at the lack of comparison services for fashion conscious online shoppers.
Co-Founder Jake Gibilaro said. “If you’re looking for car insurance, a loan or even a toaster, you’re likely to be able to run a quick and reliable comparison. But if you want a maxi dress, trainers ,or a playsuit, you have to either hope you’re getting the best price or spend hours going back and forth between sites to find the best price. You may as well just go into town”.
The site was launched on 27th April 2009 and boasts over 20,000 products from 500 different labels and an increasing amount of big-name retailers.
A behind the scenes look at a photo shoot for urban fashion label South Pole Ladies Spring/Summer Collection 2009. Directed By Chris Belgrave Production Manager : Sebrina Pitt Post Production pro…
Samu-Jussi Koski and Minna Kemell-Kutvonen will become artistic directors of Marimekko.
Marimekko has closed and re-organized its design team after the owner change. Samu-Jussi Koski, the beloved Marimekko fashion designer, and Minna Kemell-Kutvonen, who has worked for Marimekko for a long time, have chosen to become artistic directors of the design team.
Koski, 32, and Kemell-Kutvonen, 39, will be in charge of artistic and design strategy of Marimekko. Their tasks include coordinating design of product lines and supporting designers. Koski will hold the reins of fashion and clothing, Kemell-Kutvonen of interior products.
Samu-Jussi Koski has worked as a fashion designer for Marimekko since 2004. He graduated a fashion designer from the Design Institute of the Lahti University of Applied Sciences in 2001. He is currently taking a post-graduate degree at Polimoda Institute in Florence, Italy.
Minna Kemell-Kutvonen has worked for Marimekko in various positions since 1992. She has worked as a store manager and as a manager of collection team of Marimekko’s interior products. She graduated MA at the University of Art and Design Helsinki in 2005. She has previously also studied design at Kuopio Academy of Design at Savonia University of Applied Sciences. She graduated in 1992.
Yves Saint Laurent, considered by many as the greatest fashion designer of the 20th Century, has died in Paris at the age of 71.
Saint Laurent changed the face of the fashion industry when he became chief designer of the House of Dior at 21.
He designed clothes that reflected women’s changing role in society: more confident personally, sexually and in the work-place.
He retired from haute couture in 2002 and had been ill for some time. Saint Laurent died on Sunday evening in the French capital, the Pierre-Berge-Saint Laurent Foundation announced.
Pierre Berge, the designer’s former business and personal partner, said he had died at his home after a long illness. He did not give details. French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid tribute to Saint Laurent’s “creative genius”.
‘I draw on woman’
“I found my style through women,” Saint Laurent once said.
“That’s where its strength and vitality comes from because I draw on the body of a woman.”
He changed forever what women wear, introducing trouser suits, safari jackets and sweaters, BBC arts correspondent Razia Iqbal notes.
Saint Laurent was a great innovator, helping to revitalise haute couture while making ready-to-wear design popular.
The editor of British Vogue, Alexandra Shulman, said he had helped democratise fashion:
“Before that people had small salons for rich people.
“Saint Laurent brought it to the people.
“He was young and groovy. Pop stars were hanging out with him and younger generations related to him.”
‘Devastating’ news
President Sarkozy said the designer had been “the first to elevate haute couture to the rank of art and that gave him global influence”.
YSL ‘understood what women really wanted’
“Yves Saint Laurent infused his label with his creative genius, elegant and refined personality… because he was convinced that beauty was a necessary luxury for all men and all women,” he added.
Speaking on French radio, Pierre Berge said his former partner had empowered women.
“In this sense he was a libertarian, an anarchist and he threw bombs at the legs of society,” he said.
“That’s how he transformed society and that’s how he transformed women.”
Famous French embroiderer Francois Lesage, who worked 40 years with the designer, said he was “devastated” by news of his death.
“I have never known a designer who would give so much thought to something when it was proposed to him,” he told French TV.
“It is a great grief for me.”
Life of ill-health
Born in the Algerian city of Oran at a time when the North African country was a French colony, he had a precocious talent.
His first collection caused a sensation with its gently flared dresses and jackets that set the mould for 1950s fashion.
Within three years, Dior had died and Yves St Laurent had taken his place. He took the world by storm with his trouser suits, highly coloured ethnic prints and designs inspired by the art world.
Taunted as a schoolboy because of his homosexuality, Yves St Laurent suffered mental and physical ill health for much of his life and he appeared in public only rarely.
Did you know the designs of Yves Saint Laurent? Are you a designer who was inspired by him or did you work with him? Have you ever worn one of his creations?
What contribution do you think he made to the fashion industry?
ColorForward 2009 | Global Color Forecast and Trend Inspirations
Awareness of Global Connectedness and Environmental Responsibility Projected to Drive Consumer Colour Preferences
Strong feelings about increasing cultural unity and personal commitments to a better environment can be expected to make consumers more receptive to bright, layered colors, contrasted with earthy, neutral tones, according to the 2009 edition of ColorForwardâ„¢. This Clariant Masterbatches color trend analysis and design tool is released annually to help designers and marketing professionals make informed color choices. ColorForward 2009 is the collaborative effort of color specialists from North and South America, Europe and Asia. It is an invaluable service available through Clariant’s global network of ColorWorksâ„¢ design & technology centers.
Each year, the ColorForward team explores global cultural influences and lifestyle trends to gauge their impact on color directions for future consumer products. “These color forecasts are meant to be used as a guide, linking color preferences and social trends and showing how these relationships impact the path of color trends.” explains Carolyn Sedgwick, Clariant ColorWorks Business Manager. “ColorForward does not tell you what color to choose. Rather, its goal is to provide information and inspiration that can be interpreted, adapted and applied to suit individual marketing objectives and product requirements.”
The 2009 edition of ColorForward focuses on four key societal trends:
– Grow Your Own Future recognizes that people have begun to take personal responsibility for environmental issues, making positive changes to improve the world we share.
– Global Repositioning acknowledges the growing influence of Asian traditions and cultures as well as the enhanced cross-cultural connections made possible by the Internet and modern communications media.
– Duality develops from the way in which people today accept and even celebrate multiple facets of their own personality, embracing opposing concepts and synthesizing different ideas and influences into a new whole.
– Mosaic reflects how strict global identities are loosening their hold on people, allowing enlightened intermingling of ideas and ethnic influences without losing unique cultural roots.
Linking Color to Cultural Trends
Once they identified the societal and mass-market concepts that can be expected to resonate with consumers in 2009, the ColorForward team considered how these ideas are likely to play out in color.
“People tend to respond well to colors that reflect the broader influences on their lives,” explains Cristina Carrara, ColorWorks Designer. “Since brand managers are working now on products and packaging that will be on the market in 2009 and beyond, we need to help them anticipate which colors will be most effective in gaining consumer attention a year or more from now. ColorForward 2009 identifies a total of 20 colors — four basic colors and one effect color for each of the four societal and lifestyle trends.”
To represent Mosaic, for instance, Clariant selected strong saturated hues including All Night Long dark blue, Pumpking orange and Leaping Leprechaun green. Carrara notes that each color is strong and independent, but works well when balanced with other colors in the global palette.
The Duplicity family includes both brilliant, vibrant colors and contrasting light, neutral shades. Here Carrara points to Isis, a very light blue/green that expresses a quiet state of mind, while Lolita is a vibrant, glossy, somewhat ironic fuchsia. Other colors in this group include Insomnia, a mysterious blue/purple, and Bosporus Dusk, a neutral light blue/lilac.
The 2009 edition is the first ColorForward release to include special effects that incorporate non-color ingredients that add sparkle, reflectivity, depth and other qualities to enhance the base color. For instance, in the Mosaic group a pink pearlescent is added to white to yield an effect called Dessert, while the Duplicity effect color is called Velvet Fog. Carrara describes it as “a deep gray with purplish interference that seems translucent, but which develops more depth and character when viewed from a different angle.”
Clariant offers ColorForward seminars at the seven ColorWorks locations as well as at selected conferences and customer sites. The ColorForward social trend themes, images and color directions are also captured in a handsome booklet along with a set of polypropylene color chips to provide a tactile experience.
Clariant Masterbatches products are marketed under six global brand names: REMAFIN® masterbatches for olefins; RENOL® masterbatches for engineering resins, styrenics and PVC; CESA® additive masterbatches; HYDROCEROL® chemical foaming and nucleating agents; OMNICOLOR® universal color masterbatches; and ENIGMA® special effects. These brand names and ColorForwardâ„¢ and ColorWorksâ„¢ are all registered trademarks or trademarks of Clariant. More information on Clariant Masterbatches products is available at www.clariant.masterbatches.com.
I guess you are wondering what does a 3D animator have to do with fashion and clothing design. While in conversation with a friend from Offplan3D (a 3D animation company) the conversation turned to 3D design, websites and fashion.
Just thinking outside the box. Infact, thinking virtually outside the box.
Why shouldn’t the 3 elements meet. The clothing industry has developed a traditional method of displaying garments e.g. catwalks and magazine promos but it has been very unimaginative since. We are looking at fashion display standards from the turn of the century, the last century.
Is it a good business decision? Well there are some downsides e.g. you cannot feel the texture or try on the garment. However if you are selling garments online already what difference does it make as long as the end product looks and acts like the one displayed. If you are looking to sell to distributors or retail outlets then wouldn’t you want to show your product range in the most existing way and get feedback before going to the expense of producing samples or production minimums. In short get the order before making the product.
Designers of today are passionate about there garments and brands however not many can actually display on location or create the mood other than in the imagination, in conversation or using expensive photography. 3D animation of today is advanced and accessible enough to do it justice and able to represent the designer’s vision to the desired audience in a modern creative context. This is not a new idea, just one that has been waiting for its time. The time has come and the technology is finally available.
Check out the Offplan3D website for a flavour of what they have done for Architecture, product design and for broadcast. Fashion has even more potential. Now do you get it. Well its just a thought. What do you think?
