The Art of Sustainable Fashion pt.II - Interview with Caroline Vörös

Topic 3: The Role of a Pattern Maker & Industry Expertise

9. Many people don't fully understand the role of a pattern maker. How would you describe its importance in fashion development?

It is very important to have a pattern maker or technician in the team because of his knowledge. The purpose of a fashion brand is to make and sell garments. A patternmaker will work to have the best quality of finishing, the best fit, and math with the morphology of the clients, and discuss with the factory any stitching question or issue. It is very important to have a technician inspect the garments made by the factories and correct them to have a perfect production.

10. You work with both emerging designers and established brands. How does your approach differ when working with each?

The main difference is the organization. The bigger the brand, the better the organization. In a very big brand such as Monoprix, all the processes were studied and established in a specific way. They have special tools such as software, strict planning. In smaller businesses, the organization is lighter, and they all have their own. The good part is that there is always something to improve and all the team is involved to make the process work. For my part, the job is "limited" to specific tasks in the big companies. But when I work with designers, it is very stimulating because I can work on a lot of different things, not only pattern making. I am involved in improving the process of development and production, advising the team, and helping them to improve the sizing or the fit …

11. Can you walk us through the process from sketch to production? What are the key steps where a pattern maker plays a crucial role?

So first the designer works on the concept of the collection. Then, he develops some fabrics

and specific colors accordingly. Then, he builds a collection plan with all the models he wants

to develop. My part starts from there: the designer briefs me about the different styles with all

the information: fabrics, colors, finishings, fit … Then I make a technical file with all the

inside (measurements, details etc) that I send to the factory. Once I have received the first

prototype, we make a fitting on our model and correct all the points. Then, we produce the

entire collection in just a few pieces to be exposed in the showroom of the brand and of the

agents' ones. This way, the clients (the multibrands stores, for example) order some pieces

from the collection. When the sales are over, we have the final quantity to produce. For my

part, I have to fit the entire collection and correct the points that still need to be improved.

Then, I check a final piece called PreProduction Sample. If everything is OK, I give the OK

PRODUCTION to the factory to start to produce. Once it is done, the garments are delivered

to the shops. This process lasts 6 to 10 months.

12. Looking ahead, how do you see the future of sustainable fashion evolving, and what role do you hope to play in shaping it?

I want to help the sustainable brands that are actors of the evolution of the fashion industry to

improve their products and their processes. This way, I want to help them by selling better

products and promoting alternative fashion because a lot of young ethical brands don't have

the knowledge of having a good process and making well-fitted clothes, so I want to help

them to improve. I hope one day the market will be full of those sustainable brands, and we

will buy fewer but better clothes.

Caroline Vörös - Mate Ternovics