Individual Product Development Project
Course
FFC 503- Digital Illustration and Product Development
Type of work
Product development and product research
Timeline
November 2021 (research may be outdated)
Problem Statement
The task was to produce a garment through thorough market research and trend analysis. The requirements was also to find a brand that this garment would be sold in. At the time I was attending a class called Research Methods in Fashion, where I was conducting a research project based on petite women and their struggle finding clothing that fit their body shape. Hence, I decided to develop a garment that would be flexible enough to create form-fitting shapes on their body.
Target Brand
The target brand is Frank and Oak. Frank and Oak is a Canadian sustainable fashion brand, which was founded in 2012 by two friends. The brand is driven by the known impacts of climate change and is actively conscious about their role in the environment. Their main values are sustainability, transparency, and functionality. These values are reflected into their designs, with a clear design philosophy to present clothing that are beneficial to both the wearer and the planet. As a sustainable brand, they aim to remove virgin plastic and virgin polyester from their supply chain, implementing more carbon offset programs, and encouraging zero waste.
Target Market
It would be a logical idea to approach a direction and creating a petite section. As of right now, the brand carries both men and women clothing. Men carry sizes XS-XXL and women carry XXS to XL. Despite the brand going as far as XXS, a 2016 study shoes that petite women falls into four different “petite” categories, top petite, bottom petite, regular petite and plus size. A simple XXS will not be sufficient for most women identifying as petite.
There is a complete lack of petite sizing in the mass market, regardless of petite women representing 70% of the U.S female population and contributing to ten billion dollars to the industry yearly. There is a market for petite clothing but because it pertains to an underrepresented group in the fashion industry, stocking for a niche market is not profitable. However, there is a market for petite women looking for quality clothing.
As of right now, there are slightly higher end stores that carry specific petite sizing: Banana Republic, Anthropologie, Top Shop and J.Crew.
Furthermore, a study from 1999 (a little outdated but still relevant) shows petite women have a high household income, concluding that petite women earn enough to spend on clothing. The same research concluded that petite women were separated into three different categories, their height being a common denominator.
Mood/Inspiration Board
After conducting brand research on Frank and Oak, their line of clothing was determined to be fairly casual, with notations of flowy-ness to majority of their women’s clothing. Further taking inspirations from popular petite “influencers” and bloggers, majority of them preferring long waist defining dresses.
My initial sketches for my garment was to incorporate cuts that flatter the petite body. A fitted waist gives the wearer a more defined torso and leg, which effictively elongates the body, same with a high waistline. I also decided to sketch a couple of maxi dresses, which gives an illusion of longer legs. After a consultation, the sketches were a bit simple so I went back to the drawing board with a similar idea but more sophisticated.
Process Work
My second sketches had a vision for versatility and the ability to have more than one style from a garment. Petites struggle with finding a fitting piece of clothing, so I decided to incorporate more wraparound fabric to be easily adjustable, as well as zippers to take a piece or take away a piece of fabric to change the style. I think these designs fit well with Frank and Oak’s design goals of functionality and beneficial to the wearer as they have more than one style merged into one fitting outfit.
Final Garment
This garment is a versatile dress made with ivory Irish linen fabric. It is a lightweight fabric that is perfect for summer, with extreme breathability. The fabric is fairly durable, which is synonymous with Frank and Oak’s values of functionality. Linen is also easily sourced sustainably and is eco-friendly (grown from a plant), which ties into the brand’s main goal of being fully sustainable. The brand commonly uses linen as their main fabric for majority of their summer collection. The overall plain design ties in perfectly with their regular sized collections- not too over the top. The dress will be part of a new segment of Frank and Oak, for their petite section, to expand their market more. Although the brand is on the higher end due to its quality, demographics show petite women have higher household income to be able to purchase such priced clothing.
This dress was designed in mind for petite women- as they struggle immensely to find something of quality and fitting. The fabric was chosen for comfortability and breathability while wearing it, and the tie back design gives the wearer a couple of different ways to change the outfit up. My idea behind this design is that if the wearer can find something that is to their desired fitting, they take that outfit and wear it on days end but without repeating. Additionally, have the ability to dress is up or dress down depending on the occasion. The tie back design also gives the wearer more flexibility in regard to fit- if the wearer is thinner, they’ll tie it tighter, and vice versa. There is also an invisible zipper to the side to ensure proper fit on the hips and waist. A lining piece is used underneath to prevent any possible sheerness to the light linen fabric.