It gives me great pleasure to introduce a series about the production of ladies’ clothes right in the heart of New York City. It will be written by the lovely, experienced and knowledgeable Jessica, who has been in the Rag Trade for decades. She’s going to take us through the hectic process of putting together a Spring 2013 collection in a series of articles that we will post in fortnightly installments. She will share the highs, lows, trials and tribulations of the garment making process along the way, virtually in real time.
I’ve worked with many clothing manufacturers in my fashion buying days and I have close friends who are garment manufacturers. It truly is a stressful, but fascinating and exhilarating business. I’m excited to hear all about Jessica’s adventures! We’ll officially start the “Behind the Seams” series this Wednesday morning, but first, here’s some background from Jessica. — Angie.
Hi. My name is Jessica Gold Newman and I’m the CEO and Co-Founder of Dobbin Clothing, a new womenswear online-only brand based in New York City. We founded the company in April of 2012 and are currently in the midst of producing our third season (Spring 2013) and developing our fourth (Fall 2013).
Dobbin is an old English word for workhorse; we want Dobbin’s clothing to be the workhorses of women’s wardrobes. My co-founder Catherine Doyle and I met while working at Liz Lange Maternity; she was the Design Director, I was the Marketing Director. There, we had the chance to collaborate in the many places our duties overlapped, whether merchandising our stores, planning Fashion Week runway shows, or dressing celebrity customers.
After Liz Lange sold, Catherine went on to design for a large retailer, while I ran a strategy consulting business for small fashion brands. We decided to launch Dobbin in Spring 2012 because we felt that there was a place in the market for high-end basics, made of luxury European and American fabrics that are primarily stretch and washable, fit for real women of all ages (using a size 8 fit model as opposed to the industry standard size 2), manufactured 100% in the USA, and sold exclusively online to cut out the middlemen and keep our prices under $200.
We would like to take you along as we design, fit, manufacture and sell our Spring ‘13 Collection. Many sites focus on fashion and personal style, but few show you how your favorite clothes actually get produced. As clothing budgets have tightened over the past few years, we think it’s helpful to understand how clothes are made and priced, so that you’re better equipped to shop wisely. We’re really excited to bring this series to you courtesy of YLF, one of our favorite fashion and shopping sites.
