At FABRIC, we specialize in guiding apparel entrepreneurs through the complex process of developing and manufacturing sewn products in small batches, domestically. Unlike large-scale overseas production, this process requires a unique set of skills—and we provide the expert guidance and tools to help you navigate it with confidence.
Our signature offering is a digital ROADMAP that walks you through every step of the product development and manufacturing journey—at your own pace. For more personalized support, we also offer consulting and mentoring services on an à la carte or retainer basis.
In addition to product development, we offer comprehensive support in launching and growing your business, including:
- Business startup guidance
- Branding and marketing strategy
- Fashion show production
- Referrals to trusted industry professionals and service providers
You’ll gain access to experts in:
- Pattern making
- Sample development
- Grading and marker making
- Cut/sew manufacturing
- Legal services
- Branding and graphic design
- And more
Our ecosystem also includes community support and connection (Found under the COMMUNITY TAB):
- A maker’s space for those who want to create their own garments
- A fashion business directory to list your business and discover others to collaborate with or hire
- A job board to find or post industry job opportunities
- An events calendar for discovering and promoting events
- An industry newsletter to keep you updated on grants, events, classes, and other business opportunties
- Low-cost (and sometimes free) opportunities to participate in fashion-related events
Plus, our sourcing library gives you access to wholesale materials and trims to help bring your products to life.
Business services
We guide you through getting all of the correct licenses and establishing your business entity. Our partners are business experts who can help you form an entity, register your name, get the proper tax licenses, write a business plan and more.
Branding & Marketing services
We guide you through the branding and marketing process by preparing you to work with graphic designers and other experts who can create your brand style guide, your logo, your website and more. We also help you navigate the complexities of selling direct-to-consumer or wholesale.
Designing/sample making/prototypes
We guide you through the sample-making (prototypes) process and connect you to pattern makers/tech designers, and sample sewists who can make your patterns, tech packs, and samples. We can help you nail down your design idea and guide you through sourcing materials/trims and even costing your design before moving forward so you can design something that fits into your target price point. Our pattern making and cut/sew partners are experienced, veteran, fashion industry experts that can make your prototypes/samples. Our pattern-making partners use state-of-the-art software like Gerber/Lectra and CLO3D so you have digital patterns that can be sent to various factories and can digitally sew your samples to perfect the fit and design before committing to a physical sample. When you make prototypes using our guidance, you'll own all of your intellectual property including the tech packs, wholesale material/trims sources, and graded patterns that you can take anywhere for manufacturing and easily replicate your product anywhere.
Manufacturing services
We prepare you to manufacture so you have production-ready patterns, tech packs, and sew by samples made from your sourced materials and then we connect you with manufacturers and contractors that have lower MOQ's (minimums). Some of our sample makers will produce small batches for you to test the market using our facility so you can test the market before investing in larger batches. These contacts can make many different types of sewn products from athletic wear, evening wear, sportswear/separates, tops, bottoms, swimwear, lingerie, jackets, bags, to medical devices, sewn product inventions, and other sewn products. Our facility has the industrial equipment to cut and sew knits or wovens including single needle, 3, 4, 5 thread overlock, coverstitch, and more.
Fashion show services
We can help you produce and coordinate your event. Whether you're producing a fashion show, a trunk show, or anything fashion-related, we provide the designers, models, and production services to make it happen.