Made By | Collaboration Process

Yesterday, I introduced you all to a brand that I've recently had the opportunity to collaborate with to create an exclusive dress design. Before the product reveal here on the blog, I'd like to walk you a little bit through the collaboration process with Made By which allowed me to learn more about the fashion industry while working with a team that shares my values when it comes to style.

Inspiration

My first assignment was to share my ideas and vision for the dress with the Made By team through inspirational photos. (I actually had the choice of choosing between designing a dress or a skirt, and I chose to design a dress. You all know I love a good, easy dress!) Of course when I considered where to find inspirational photos, Pinterest was the first thing that came to mind. I created a board called Inspired By / Made By and posted silhouettes and color palettes that represent my personal style. I know I wanted the dress to have a very classic and feminine shape to it. Also, lately I've been loving the black & white look, so I knew I was either going to go for all black & white or black & white with a pop of color. Here are a few inspirational photos I posted on the Pinterest board:

Fabric Selection

I've been craving grid print for over a year now, but I could never get around to finding the perfect way to rock it. So, when I came across the print worn perfectly in one of my "pinspiration" photos, I thought, why not incorporate grid into the dress design? 

Sketch

I struggled between choosing an all black & white look, or pairing the grid print with a pop of color (for example, bright pink or neon green). Made By and I decided to stick with black for the skirt of the dress for now, and perhaps make more colors available in the fall. (Perhaps...) The sketch gave both Made By and me a visual depiction of the look I was going for in order for me to better explain the details I wanted brought to life in the actual product sample, and I loved it!

Sneak Peek

After the sketch process, we agreed on the final notions of the dress, and the Made By team began the construction process of the sample that I would receive. They continued to involve me, asking questions along the way, to ensure that the dress would come out meeting my expectations. And that it did! Here's a sneak peek of the final product which will be available on www.shopmadeby.com:

Stay tuned for the final product reveal!