Range Planning: From Ideas To Inspiration For A Men’s Casual Line

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blog, bold prints, brand consultant, colorboard, fashion blog, fashion blogger, fashion brand, Fashion Business, fashion consultant, fashion designer, fashion trends, growing demand for streetwear in 2019, inspiration, linear stripes, Men's fashion, mensstyle, mood board, printboard, range planning, street fashion, Street wear trend spotting, street wear trends, Streetwear, Streetwear trend spotting, stripes print

In the previous blog, we discussed range planning and how inspiration boards, color palettes, and sketches can be used in sequence to design a women’s clothing line. This week, we see how the same process can be used to come up with the men’s line.

Fashion designers have superpowers. One of those powers is creativity, while the other is the ability to break creativity down into a process. The most crucial superpower is the ability to find this inspiration and make something of it even before the trend actually hits the shelves.

Without further ado, it is time to exercise some of those powers!

Part 1: The mood board

This is perhaps the single most abstract element in the entire design process. While color and print boards represent those attributes respectively, mood boards reflect what the collection feels like. While designing the mood board, it is worth asking yourself some of these questions:

• What is the objective my mood board wants to achieve?
• What are some key inspiration points for my range?
• What unique ideas am I implementing with this mood board?

The last question is fundamental because we often generalize collections based on the season. For example, summer and men may always mean nautical stripes and pastels. However, adding in a unique element, such as the fact that many people also travel in summers can bring in a new feature to the range. For our casual athletics range, the mood is athleisure. This range is for those people who love being sporty and being outdoors but also don’t take themselves too seriously. A bomber jacket over tracks takes them from the gym to the streets in next to no time. The mood is casual, carefree, outdoorsy and charming.

Part 2: The color board

The color board, as the name suggests, is a collection of at least five colors you’d like to see represented in your range. Picking out colors is heavily dependent on the theme. For our casual athletics theme, we chose urban, outdoor colors like shades of brown, grey and green.

How do we come up with these colors? You can save images of clothes you like and use a digital color picker to identify the different shades. You can also use the Pantone color guide to spot the exact tone you’re looking for. Moreover, you can also use color mapping tools to help you pick colors that complement all others.

In any case, be sure to pick at least five base colors and two shades for each color that you’d like to work with.

Part 3: The print board

If there is one street trend that is taking over the world, it is the idea of prominent prints in menswear. Small, inconspicuous origami doves are giving way to large, placement prints and even outfits that are printed all over. Neon highlights are an excellent option for the colors we have chosen, as are geometric prints and stripes in a variety of sizes.

Part 4: The concept board

This is the stage at which all of your work comes together. A concept board is centered primarily around the main sketch it represents. The sketches themselves are inspired from all of the other boards and incorporate aspects from each of them.

 Around the sketch are images of what the style would look like in real life as well as the primary colors that make up that particular outfit. Long jackets are the staple in our range, keeping with the global trend and K-pop sensation. Our pants are loose, drawstring and aimed at people who want to move freely. It is both casual and athletic, perfect for today’s city dweller.

From here, the sketches are followed by choosing the fabric and picking the colors that closely match your original palette. This is followed by designing a few prototypes which then go into manufacture.

What is your menswear design inspiration this time around? How are you using the range planning process to come up with the collection?

Tell us in the comments. Need a hand? Book a 30 mins free session for an in-depth consultation and help with range planning.

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Supriya Ghurye is the founder and owner of Fuel4Fashion. She is a Freelance Fashion Designer and Brand Consultant helping fashion brands to create great products from idea to launch. Fuel4Fashion social links: Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram

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Adapting Streetwear Into Mainstream Fashion: The Men’s Casual Wear Edit

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bold floral prints, bold prints, brand consultant, Cropped pants, fashion blog, fashion blogger, fashion brand, Fashion Business, fashion consultant, fashion designer, fashion trends, growing demand for streetwear in 2019, Men's fashion, Men's style, men's wear, street fashion, Street wear trend spotting, street wear trends, Streetwear, Streetwear trend spotting

This time around on the streets, it is the men that did it better. Stepping away from conventions in a variety of self-expression, we spotted everything from kimono adaptations to safari jackets, stripes, and some amazing shoes at the fashion week streets this time around.

This feature is aimed at giving you ideas across apparel categories to adapt some of these styles into your upcoming men’s casual wear collection. What we’re really excited about is that some of these outfits can translate just as they are into collections with little to no changes. For the rest of them, these suggestions across categories can help.

So, what are we waiting for, really?

1.Shirts and Vests

Key takeaways: Dark,floral, understated

The first layer of clothing this time around was suitably dark and understated to let the rest of the elements stand out. Most of the styles that caught our eye either had a black or a white t-shirt as the basis of the look. Brands looking to go down this path can also experiment with colors such as grey, deepred, tan, etc. T-shirts in a variety of colors rarely go out of style.

Another standout trend is the growing interest in men’s florals. Such patterns have often been limited to tropical shirts, but not anymore! One outfit we particularly like has a long floral shirt in black and grey. The colors themselves are very masculine, and the flowers are toned down a bit with the use of black pants and an overcoat.

2. Bottom Wear

Key takeaways: Bold, cropped, prints

We need to give it up to the men this time for starting what is definitely going to be a significant trend in trousers for years to come, and that is the cropped pant. Be it the bold, metallic fisherman’s pants in blue, or regular pants folder up well above the ankles, the men are asking for it. When it comes to trousers, it is best to keep with the trends. No one ever imagined that slim cuts and ankle pants would take off for men, but they did anyway.

For the bolder male, the idea of printed pants in graphic colors is not alien. Brands that are so inclined can experiment with comic book prints and the color of aged paper. We also saw the men’s palazzo make a comeback with an athleisure twist, so go bold with the bottom wear! 

3. Outerwear

Key takeaways: Blends, Statement, Denim

It isn’t just the women digging denim this time around. Sporty jackets for men are a big trend, and how! For a change, these jackets are being paired with lighter colors and a look that accentuates the jacket itself. So go for those embellishments with confidence.

Speakingof accentuating the outerwear, we love how men around the world used their jackets to express their style truly. Be it toning down the flamboyance with a blazer, using a bomber jacket to brighten up the outfit, or even a statement jacket so reminiscent of 8-bit gaming, the coats are here to take the world by storm. Design them in all lengths, cuts, and material, because they’re going to be selling like hotcakes very soon.

4. Accessories

Key Takeaways: Sneakers, outdoor, black

Well, the converse isn’t going out of business anytime soon. If you’re designing shoes to go with your collection, it is worth exploring at least one option that resembles a sneaker. We also saw quite a few black boots going around, in a throwback to the blue-collar workers of the industrial era.

One common theme is hard to miss- everyone is looking for comfort. With cities in expansion mode, the distances people cover by foot on any given day is a few miles, at least. It makes sense, then, to wear closed toe boots that are made for hitting the footpath. Function over form is the new norm in footwear design. We’d go so far as to offer unisex options that are much more functionaland can attract a broader audience base.

Don’t you just love the men’s streetwear styles? We know we do! Which other trends did you notice on the streets? Tell us in the comments.

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Supriya Ghurye is the founder and owner of Fuel4Fashion. She is a Freelance Fashion Designer and Brand Consultant helping fashion brands to create great products from idea to launch. Fuel4Fashion social links: Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram

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Evolution of Men’s Fashion over the decade.

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David Beckham, Dolce and Gabbana, Elle magazine, fashion blog, fashion blogger, freelance fashion designer, Men's fashion

The respected other half of our population have been suffering a slope in their fashion fiesta earlier but from last ten years or so, they are giving the female designers a run for their money. Male magazines globally has declared that it is now in the competition with Elle’s announcement of its men magazine. Then it quite justifiably became the talk of the town. On its November’s issue Elle’s Men Hong Kong featured a very pretty Asian boy Aarif Rehman. Magazines are thus hiring global faces to connect people from different places so that the brand can have global supporters. Not just Elle, many other big brands are trying to give their much ignored male audience a chance to spend their money over the Men’s changed looks. Fashion industry is trying to fit-in the wallet of guys, among the big spenders like fancy watches, tux’s and Porsche.

Big designers like Dolce and Gabbana has dug deep and innovated designers for Men’s changed looks. In 2007 D&G they showcased their marvelous outfits and then decided to throw some colors in there.

Speaking of colors, D&G also gave some bright shimmer to the staple black to give a finer tune to Men’s changed looks.

New designs and male faces on the cover like David Beckham on Elle’s in 2012 are showing the somewhat sexist persona of the brand’s to gain on what has been much under neglect in Men’s changed looks.

Some people will argue that men are not that interested in fashion as their female counterparts are. But Men’s changed looks in the recent generation comprehends the increase in media speculation over  small or big beards, black tie with grey suits or brown shoes with black pants. I think it’s safer to say that the subtlety seen once in the male gender is now gone for good, what do you think?

What is your opinion about the changed look of men over the decade? Sound-off in the comments section and let me know.