In honor of our new collection being revealed over the course of this summer, I can't wait to show you a sneak peek of what’s been going on behind the scenes these past few months to bring these ideas to life. In this newsletter I’m giving the full inside scoop on our new collection launching this summer, as well as what goes into creating it.
The very first step in the process, for me, is brainstorming. I always have ideas or see something on my socials that sparks something in my brain. When that happens, I write it down immediately. I have so many notes in my Notes app filled with random words, links, pictures — anything that sparked an idea.
Once I have even the slightest general concept of what I want to produce, I move on to mood boards. These mood boards help answer my other internal questions like who the collection is for, what vibe I want it to give off, what I can do to promote it, etc. On these boards I include inspiration pictures, digital fabric and color swatches, plus words, sayings, slogans, and font patterns to use for future social media ads and mockups.
Referencing this mood board when sketching the final design helps so much. I digitally draw the design on my iPad and go into detail about everything I want the suit to include — from straps, to metals, to the woven label. Every little detail is thought out and reviewed. Once I finalize the design, I send it over to my manufacturer to be reviewed. They go through and approve each part of the new suit, and once I approve their mockup, we move forward with the sample process.
Sample fees can definitely be costly, but it’s so worth it to feel the final product before listing it online for everyone to see. Once I receive the sample, I try it on and see if it’s up to the Pool Boy standard. Our manufacturers are amazing, and nine times out of ten I love the final sample and move forward with it.
Once I approve the sample and pay for the bulk order, I start taking photos of the sample for marketing purposes and really map out the content calendar for the new collection. And that’s it. That’s how our designs go from being an idea to a real product available to buy.
I’d love to go into more detail about any part of this process, but that’s it for now.
xoxo,
Riley