The Passion For Fashion Starts Early

In my travels and teaching over the past ten years,I have spoken to many hundreds of women who claim they cannot buy a readywear garment made in a non-stretch fabric that will fit well. We all have fitting errors in our wardrobe that looked okay in the changing booth only to find when we get home that it just doesn't hang right or won't let us move properly -very disappointing. Love the fabric and the style- pity we can't wear it !!

It is a bit of mystery because last time you bought a size 12 blouse (from a different store) it buttoned up over the bust and now it doesn't and you KNOW you are not a size 14!!You try a size 14 and this time it is too big under the arm and around the waist!

How come it has become such a mess and such a universal nightmare for young and old, short and tall, wide and thin.Even the fashion models complain to our SITAM makers that they can't find anything to fit and they showcase the designs we are supposed to wear.

I am sure you could all send your own fitting tragedy and could list many reasons as to why it has become so abysmal over the last decade but there is no doubt that the underlying reason is the lack of good patternmaking training in the clothing industry which is creating such a disastrous impact. I also hear nightmare stories from dressmakers and made -to -measure bridal businesses saying how many fittings it takes to get a good fit for their clients and of trainees with Diplomas who can't seem to make patterns from scratch and have to rely on existing pattern blocks more and more to restyle over and over each season.This requires many, many hours shaping the garment on the body and then transferring it back to the pattern to get the final of fit.Very frustrating and an expensive work practice.

I also hear regular tear your hair out stories from home dress makers who struggle with commercial patterns to no avail and find the final fit is disastrous and that the special fabric bought in Italy is ruined!! Most of them I find have drawers full of fabric but are too scared to cut it out. What is going on !!

At last however, there are signs that this major issue is being closely looked at by the industry and when I was talking to the Chief Executive of the Texiles and Fashion Industry Association early this year he indicated that there would be "big developments in the sizing standards "

Well known and influential designer/manufacturers such as Liz Davenport are now expressing their fury with the chaos in the sizing area. Liz claims the industry is losing "tens of millions of dollars"becasue of the mismatch between sizing and actual fit. She also states that she has yet to meet a patternmaker who can grade a style for Size 14-16 and take into account differences in proportion for the larger sizes.

"For me, "she says,"the dreaded "F"word is fit."

Most of the blame is directed at the AUstralian Standards Assocation with charges of outdated body measurements. This is I feel is an easy target and has led to a big political push to conduct a whole new population survey to determine the new AUstralian body sizes. This means of course that we will have to purchase with taxpayer money a $4 million dollar scanning laser beam and measure large sample of large ladies !!! What a lot of activity for a lot of people.

A magic solution ? No -the sad fact is that this will cure NOTHING and will lead to another massive disappointment unless there are some hard questions asked about the patternmaking training being delivered in public institutes.It is true that the body measurements for Sizing standards do need attention but good pattern making methodology can work with the existing or overseas surveys to develop a well fitting pattern block for ready wear if they are able to get a circumference for the chest and not just the frontand back shoulder. Sometimes I feel like Christoper Columbus at these National Sizing Committee meetings trying to tell them that the world is not flat it is ROUND just like the female body!!!

The argument that Australian women are very different from American or European women disappears when you have a well trained patternmaker working to known body measurements able to make judgements based on style,fabric, and ease to allow for a comfortable well fitted garment for standard sizing. There are at least eight distinct steps between the body measurements and the final fit of a garment.

At the moment sizing is based on body measurements not garment sizing which makes the formula totally unworkable. A well trained patternmaker, however, will understand both the principles and practice of patternmaking and have the confidence and the skills to draft a pattern block from the ground up for a basic starting size and then be able to grade withoutlosing the shape for different sizes.What a joy for the designer to preserve the integrity of their original style. Tracing around generic cardboard blocks which have been hanging behind the door for years with no known body measurements is the nightmare reality that has been going in the training industry for years--even worse unpicking a garment to 'flog off' leaves a huge margin for error !!

TAFE Colleges have been perpetuating this practice with the use of'Australian standard sizing' pattern blocks which came from aeons past which they require students to manipuate into complex garments. Some of them are flat basic bodice blocks trying to be styled into a fitted, darted blouse. Absolutely impossible!!.

To compound the problem these inaccurate blocks have been feed into the CAD CAM programs which now control the patternmaking in the industry. I have heard teachers and patternmakers say "Oh its okay its only for industry !! " as though there is no consumer but at last the message is getting back that a) the customer is obsessed with good fit b) they are sick of stretch C) they are looking for individuality.

We are extremely pleased we can respond to the gap in this skills training with the SITAM AB method of patternmaking. It creates a professional, well cut and fitting garment and students are able to accurately grade to five different sizes without losing the shape or style !

Now that this method is available in Australia it is posssible to build a professional career in individual made to measure as well as develop an individual designer ready wear range in different sizing for short run production as well fitting garments.

The only way to solve the sizing problem in the clothing industry is to go on DOING GOOD FIT The more people trained in the SITAM AB methodology the greater the pool of skilled patternmakers who can make accurate pattern blocks. The BLUEPRINT of the whole industry is the pattern.This controls the sizing and styling outcomes for the production processand ultimately the profit margin in the industy.It doesn't matter how cheap -if it doesn't fit it doesn't sell no matter how pretty and fashionable.

GOOD PATTERNMAKING AND GRADING SKILLS ARE THE ONLY WAY TO GET A GOOD FIT and a better sizing standard and the revival of the fashion industry in Australia relies on fast, accurate patternmaking to get our creative designers into the production cycle as economically as possible. Patternmaking has been hugely neglected as a foundational technical skill but now the upgraded teaching materials designed and developed by SITAM AB with the assistance of the European Union VOcational Training Project "Leonardo Di Vinci " have brought patternmaking into the 21st century. What was once regarded as a very complex skill is now available in Australia to ALL in a fun, easy to learn program even without previous experience !

If you have not started your SITAM AB training with us contact the COllege of Fashion Design immediately on Tel 03 9417 5214 or email ros@fashionskills4u.com for an enrolment form.You will save money and make money whether you are home based or large scale AND you can learn by DISTANCE LEARNING with the TELESTIA AB Interactive Training and Development method recently developed for teaching so yOu don't even need to go to class.

For those of you who have been training please continue to send in your 'knock out' success stories and photos of the garments on-the body of course that you created with the SITAM AB system and we will feature them on this ezine. You might also look at doing advanced training with the Diploma.

REMEMBER FASHION THAT FITS -CLICKS and you can help to make the dream come true for many depressed self conscious women who are wearing clothes that do not fit. YOU can make a difference both for yourself and the whole Australian fashion industry GET STARTED NOW !!