Choose Your Own Design

Help me choose designs, colors, and fits for my brand's upcoming collections

Welcome to the Mindful Designer’s Almanac series that explores my sourcing, design, and development decisions for my clothing brand, Mairin. I put a lot of thought into each piece I release and think this is the perfect place to explain how I design, meet the people who make them, and source the materials for them.

I have spent the last few months planning and developing future collections for my small brand, Mairin. Although I have a clear vision for the collections, I have a few pieces that I can’t decide what direction to go in. As a team of one and a half (my mom helps with shipping), I need more opinions! So I’m asking you for yours. Help me decide what to make and get a behind-the-scenes look into what’s coming.

THE PARAMETERS

Before you give me your opinion, you need to understand a few things about the brand. Although whether or not you like the designs is the most important, you also have to consider brand values, previous sales, the target customer, creative direction, and marketing data.

Materials Available

I started the brand to make clothing from nature, for nature. I believe the better we preserve the nature of their raw materials, the better clothing functions in nature. That means I can only use natural fibers grown in natural ways, no synthetic dyes or finishers, and no excess mechanical processing.

I have found four supply chains that align with those parameters:

1. American West Merino: The wool is grown on regenerative ranches in the American West, knit in Massachusetts, and undyed or naturally dyed in Montana. The wool is not superwashed and does not have any synthetic finishers.

2. High Andean Wool: The wool is grown in Argentina, spun and knit in Peru, and undyed.

3. Surabhi Cotton: The native cotton is grown at a small regenerative farming collective in Southern India. It is ginned, spun, woven, and sewn near the farm and undyed or naturally dyed with minerals.

4. Puno Alpaca: Alpaca fleece grown regeneratively outside of Puno, Peru, spun and naturally dyed in Arequipa, Peru, and knit in Lima, Peru.

The Customer

When I started the brand, I envisioned two specific core customers. For customer one, recreating in nature is a pillar of her lifestyle– she’s an athlete or enthusiast who lives in the mountains where she hikes, bikes, skis, or surfs daily. For customer two, spending time in nature is an activity, not a lifestyle– she enjoys communing with nature as a pastime. Regardless of whether a customer falls into either or neither category, I want to offer simple and easy pieces they wear doing any activity.

The Feedback

The data from the sales I’ve had so far gives great insight into what customers are and aren’t responding to.

Here is what I have learned so far:

1. The 701 Merino Long Sleeve is the best-seller

2. The 501 Handknit Sweater is the fastest-seller

3. The Merino Tank Top is the slowest-seller

4. Brighter colors sell faster, but natural, undyed pieces sell the most consistently

THE DECISIONS

Okay, now you are ready to make educated suggestions for my upcoming styles. Below are color, fit, or design decisions I need help with. Fill out the polls below with your opinion and add anything else in the comments.

1. In the summer, I am releasing regenerative cotton tees. The idea is the same fit as the 701 Merino Long Sleeve but with short sleeves and made with a mid-weight cotton jersey. They will be mineral-dyed and I’m deciding between a few options.

   

   The 701 long sleeve but as a short sleeve, you get the idea

   

   1. Undyed 2. Green 3. Yellow 4. Dark Grey 5. Light Blue

2. Next fall, I am coming out with a henley made with regenerative alpaca. It has raglan sleeves, white corozo nut buttons halfway down, and a boxy fit. It will be naturally dyed and I can’t decide which two colors to pick.

   

   Sample of the henley

   

   1. Grey with some green 2. Dark Purple 3. Blue 4. Dark Grey

3. Along with the regenerative cotton tee, I want to do another style or styles in the mid-weight regenerative cotton jersey, but can’t decide which.

   

   1. Sample of the easy pants in heavy poplin (please ignore the wrinkles) 2. Screenshot inspiration of a cotton tank top 3. Screenshot of what I imagine the unisex long sleeve would look like

4. As I mentioned above, the Merino tank top is not selling as well. It’s a cropped style with a double-faced front for coverage and the straps cross in the back. It’s intended to be a first layer or worn on its own. I love the style and have gotten positive feedback from the customers who do have it, but I can’t decide if I should listen to the sales and discontinue it.

   

   The tank top as is on the left, and a sleeveless tee sample on the right

5. I have gotten a few requests to make unisex styles (randomly mostly for boxers, I will let someone else fill that hole in the market). I would make unisex iterations of existing styles, but I can’t decide which.

   

   1. The current rolled-neck sweater, the unisex would be larger and less boxy 2. Screenshot of what I imagine the unisex long sleeve would look like

That’s it for now. Thanks so much for your input and leave a comment if there is anything you would love to see in future collections or any other suggestions. There are a few more exciting things coming like cotton shorts, merino long underwear, and shearling hats. Stay tuned!