Creating the themed collections for Gloomth is one of my favorite aspects of this job and it’s also a giant heap of work! Months of planning, sketching, research, and fabric shopping, and large scale photoshoot-ing (+++) go into the development of our collections (which is why we create so few of them). Since I’ve begun work on 2016’s themed collection I thought I’d write about the process.

Prompted initially by an idea or a nebulous concept I want to express with our work I begin by collecting reference images, research material, and mood-board creating. At this point the title for the collection changes near daily. I talk the idea through endlessly with the House of Pomegranates, and pitch the idea to close friends for feedback. For me, it really helps to talk an idea out, if I can explain it clearly to others then it’s far easier to manifest it. It’s primarily a daydream at this phase, something that will grow solid and then disperse over and over as it crystallizes. A ghost of a collection.

This time there’s a larger historical bent to the work so I’m reading a lot about how clothing was made in different eras and what textiles were used, as well as antiquated how-to guides on creating some accessories from the eras also.

Some rough sketching begins now as well, this is more for the mood of the collection than detailed design drawings. Lots of loose drawings of girls wearing approximates of the outfits in my head, variations of them. Seeing if the pieces in my mind work as a whole together, as one theme.

Then the fabric and notion shopping begins, this usually takes ages as if we need very specific bits it’ll take some time to find reliable sources and of decent quality. I usually don’t begin drawing out the final designs til all of the supplies are in hand.

The designs themselves go through 5 or more drafts before we settle on the final. Changes are made to simplify pattern parts, or to showcase details etc. The final designs are drawn in ink on junk computer paper most times, scanned and taken to our studio where the first samples can be constructed! Samples usually undergo some alteration, since the patterns are new and may need changes as we go. When they’re ready and model-suitable we can coordinate a photoshoot and begin preparing to launch the collection!

You can check out the previous collections we’ve done on our website! Many of the designs have been discontinued over time but it’s still interesting to see the various themes and concepts I think. 🙂

-Taeden