HENRY BRITCHES
The Story
A good friend of mine persistently insisted that I meet his sister who wanted to start her own line of little men's shorts. I was extremely busy at the time, but agreed to an introduction meeting and was convinced to take on the project...
​
The problem - Affordable, classic, easy-care boys shorts in cute southern patterns with a great fit were nowhere to be found. You sacrificed fit for price or vice versa and many of the brands didn't have the taste level or print aesthetic she thought was missing in the market.
The audience - Mom's who are tired of spending a fortune on a toddler's shorts that are going to get ruined during play anyways. My client interviewed many of her friends who fit the profile of our customer and it quickly became clear that they experienced the same frustrations and were excited about HB.
​​
The solution - Henry was the name of the client's son and was the inspiration for the line that followed. Below lays out our process, story, and my role in the project.
​
​
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
CONSULTATION
I always start with an introductory meeting to discuss goals for the product/brand, customer, and price point. We then move on to the product where we nail down fit, function, and design details. From there, I determine next steps and lay out what the product development process will look like from start to finish. In this case, we started from scratch. Therefore, I held the role of concept designer, technical designer, patternmaker, and sourcing manager.
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
We start with a front and back sketch including call-outs. I then determined our measurement set including all key points of measurement for our sample size and created a construction sheet for the factory to use during production. From there I created our sample size pattern and constructed our first prototype. I now had enough information to begin discussions with potential garment manufacturers for production.
PRODUCTION
We knew we wanted to use a U.S. manufacturer. After researching and contacting several factories, I landed on a factory in New Orleans, LA. We worked together to source a pattern grader, trim supplier, and wholesale fabrics. I managed all communication with all parties until final orders were placed and garments were received. Below are some editorial photos from Sarah Tucker's blog post in which she hosted a HB giveaway to spread the word and create brand recognition.
