Class Catalogue
Until further notice, all classes will be held remotely over Zoom due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Square One:
Idea to Manufacturing and Everything In Between
Level: Beginning Entrepreneur
So, you want to launch an apparel or sewn-goods business, but you're not sure where to start?
Well, this would be a good place. Gain an overview of how to get from idea to market. What it takes, all the pieces and parts, pitfalls, missteps, but most of all, how to do it right. The hard truths about what it takes to succeed, how long it might take to get to market and what it might cost. We'll talk you through it all.
This class is packed with information about navigating the apparel business, so come prepared to take lots of notes, answer some hard questions and get to work.
If you'd like to work with the Lab to get ready for manufacturing, and you're new to the apparel biz, this class is required.
Instructor: Dawn Moothart
Meets: 1 time, 3 hours
Cost: $79
Target Market:
Find your value proposition
Level: Beginning Entrepreneur
Defining your target market is the first step to planning a solid business. Who’s problems are you solving? Who are you talking to? How do you reach them? And, most importantly, how do you know what they want?
You have a million decisions to make before you launch your brand. Creating a persona will allow you to stay focused on your consumer and ignore the noise to create a product that will delight your customers.
Hone in on your value proposition. What is your consumer is seeking and how will you deliver? Are you serving an underserved or unserved market segment? Spell out your intention to offer them a unique or innovative product and demonstrate why they need or want it.
Instructor: TBA
Meets: 1 time, 3 hours
Cost: $79
Brand Story:
What does your business have to say?
Level: Beginning Entrepreneur
Once you have someone to talk to, you need to have something to say to them. People don’t just buy stuff anymore. They buy experiences. They buy feelings. How do you want your customer to feel when they land on your website? Scroll your Instagram? Buy your product?
Hone your narrative so you can get those first 5000 loyal followers to fall in love with your brand, even before you have product to give them. Erin will walk you through putting down on paper what your brand is really about. You’ll explore your core values, brand DNA and origin story.
Come prepared to talk about your brand and walk away ready to wrap some words around your new business.
Instructor: Erin Frank
Meets: 1 time, 3 hours
Cost: $79
Intro to Sustainability
for Apparel and Footwear
Level: Beginning Entrepreneur
Prerequisite: Square One and Target Market
An overview on how to build sustainability into your business from the ground up.
Sustainable design is top of mind for most brands these days, and if it’s not, it should be. Sustainability is in our DNA at PAL and plays a part in everything we do. It’s not just in the materials you use, but also in your packaging, your manufacturing decisions, your business model and your fulfillment strategy.
By making good decisions from the very beginning, you can build a more sustainable business for the long term, with more efficiency and less backtracking.
Taught by Zac Elder and Jennifer Thomas Elder, both experts in the field of sustainability, Zac is a footwear designer and Jennifer is an apparel designer. They approach the topic from a designer's point of view.
Instructors: Zac Elder, Jennifer Thomas Elder
Meets: 1 time, 3 hours
Cost: $79
Talking to Factories
Building a good relationship
Level: Intermediate Entrepreneur
Prerequisite: Square One
As a maker of sewn-goods, a a relationship with a factory is a partnership you’ll need to build, nurture and maintain. Like any relationship, it may not go perfectly from the start, but it does get better as everyone learns to work together.
There are few local and regional cut & sew facilities, and you cannot afford to throw out your factory for one mistake. They don't want to find new customers after each production run, either. It's a journey.
What's the best way to develop a relationship with a factory? Why would they want to work with you, and vice versa? Shannon Hampton of Care Instructions will walk you through the manufacturing process, including how to approach them, what you need to discuss and red flags. Learn what your factory expects from you, what to ask for and where to put your foot down while producing your product.
Instructor: Shannon Hampton
Meets: 1 time, 3 hours
Cost: $79
Tech Packs:
Your recipe for a great product
Level: Intermediate Entrepreneur
Prerequisite: Square One
A tech pack is to garment manufacturing as a recipe is to a baker. A list of ingredients, their amounts and where/how they are used, as well as picture of how it should look when it's done. It is a living document that you’ll build throughout the apparel creation process, and will be one of the best tools you’ll have to insure your finished goods come out just right.
Learn how to interpret and understand this critical communication document as you develop and produce your designs. Understand what designers and developers think about when they are creating a tech pack, and what you need to know and show to get the best prototype and final garment.
Understand the skills you’ll need to learn if you want to start making your own, and how to make sure you get your money’s worth should you hire someone to make one for you. Learn the best way to document changes and preserve history as you go through the garment creation process.
The better your tech pack the smoother your communication is going to be!
Instructor: Shannon Hampton
Meets: 1 time, 3 hours
Cost: $79
3D Prototyping:
VStitcher virtual garment construction by Browzwear
Level: Intermediate Designer
Prerequisites: Garment construction knowledge, patternmaking familiarity
Learn to use Vstitcher software from Browzwear to create and share virtual (3D) prototypes. Create posable avatars, import digital patterns, add realistic fabric and trims and render out your original designs, all without cutting into materials or sewing a stitch. Practice fitting techniques and perfect your designs at your desk, saving valuable time and resources. Learn not only software techniques, but also best practices and proper workflow for adding 3D to your product creation process.
Best for professionals with experience in the apparel business or students in year 2 or higher of design school.
Includes: 6 sessions of instruction + a final project presentation, educational software license for 3 months, 1:1 meetings with instructor.
Instructor: Dawn Moothart
Meets: 7 times, 3 hours each
Cost: $599
Looking for more? Check out Pensole and FAAS Design Intensive
Portland Apparel Lab actively supports Black Lives Matter and is striving to create equity in our world. While we can’t fix everything, we can offer partial scholarships to all Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color (BIPOC) community members. If this describes you, please email info@portlandapparellab.com to request a discount code for any of the classes above.
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