Fashion Half Cut

Caroline's back! For her return we decided to spill the beans on one of our favourite techniques...cutting on the bias! Yes, that 45 degree grain line that we know you all love and love to hate. Expect explanations of what it is, how to do it, why we love it, tips for sewing and plenty of bias pattern cutting and sewing related stories. Show notes: www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

In this episode we're joined by Rhiannon Bydawell who is a menswear pattern cutter for McQ by Alexander McQueen. We discuss the key differences between menswear and womenswear, and Rhiannon shares stories about bespoke tailoring on the infamous Saville Row, which is where her journey started. She also shares some industry tips and lessons learnt along the way and gives us a sneaky glimpse of her impressive VIP client list!

As pattern makers we create the "blue print" that the factories use to produce hundreds of garments, so it's no surprise that we spend a fair amount of our job working with Factories! This episode is all about how that relationship works, who's involved and how to ensure your work is factory friendly for easy, mistake free sewing. To help me discuss this I'm joined by Alice Warne, a production and product developer, to help talk us through some of the finer details of what life working with factories is like for her. She gives us tips on finding factories, working with them and fills us in on her personal experiences, both at home in the UK and abroad. Whether you're a pattern cutter, a garment tech, a fashion student or you're thinking about launching your own brand...this episode is for all of you!

Find the show notes at www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

Our favourite Intern turned employee, Sidnie Brennan joins us to discuss her journey so far. She fills us in on everything from going to university to study fashion, to developing her design portfolio, her internships and then finally getting her first job as a Technical and Product Development Assistant.

Go to www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk to find the show notes.

Fittings are an integral part of garment development, and as pattern makers we spend much of our time in the infamous fitting room! Join us as we talk you through how fittings work, why they're so important and let you in on our own experiences and some top tips. We also hear what life is like as a fitting model, from Anna Popovich who has spent years working for some of the best-known London brands. She gives us a unique perspective through the eyes of one of the most important people in the room.

Head to www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk for the show notes

This week we've got an interview with footwear designer, Anna Kichenside, who has been in the industry for over 16 years. Anna gives us a glimpse into the world of footwear design and fills us in on her journey, from where she trained, to how she got her first foot in the door. We also hear her thoughts on the business of footwear, where she thinks it's heading and how she's merging her two worlds today.

This week we're sharing a real insider secret with all of you lovely listeners. It's one of the few perks of the jobs when you work in fashion and it's definitely one of our favourite parts of the job! We are of course, talking about... SAMPLE SALES!We're covering what exactly they are, how they differ between high street and luxury, how to find them and, of course, some of our own sample sale experiences!

For the show notes head to www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

It's Caroline's last week before she breaks for maternity leave and in honour of that we are talking about all things maternity wear! Expect some great shopping recommendations, a view of maternity wear and all the details through a pattern cutters eye and a mini interview with a maternity wear specialist, Paige Colthart.

For the show notes, head to www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

This week Kathryn interviews Charlotta Ayers, the co-founder of School of pattern cutting. Charlotta started life as a designer, before moving into the world of pattern cutting and teaching. In this interview we talk about studying at Central st. Martins, the pros and cons of pattern cutting and life as a teacher, both at college and through her own business. Charlotta has a some great pearls of wisdom for any fashion students out there so if that's you, then stay tuned!

Caroline and Kathryn pull back to curtain and expose the very grey area of sizing and grading within the fashion industry. We chat about how it fits into the development garment life cycle, to how grading works and even our own personal experiences. We are also joined by Maggie Stott who is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to grading and pattern cutting. With nearly 50 years of experience in the fashion world, she's a real expert! For the show notes head to www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk