From idea to product, part 1
In August, the workers at the Maglificio Bartolini factory in Tuscany will take a well-deserved vacation. Soon they will be back at work and will begin production of our Fossekall sweater and our Mønster sweater. The skilled craftsmen will transform the soft yarn into finished knitwear and Elisa will keep an eye on it and make sure everything is as we have agreed.
The history of the garments began long before that. First of all, with the farmer and the sheep, of course, and the yarn spun at Casa del Filato.
Almost a year ago I drew and planned the new garments. First as quick sketches, then with detailed, technical drawings with measurements and details. The measurements have to be precise for the fit to be correct and the design explained so well that the technicians in Italy can translate it into their systems without any problems.
Then I chose yarn. I wanted the yarn to be soft and of high quality - that is, made of clean, long fibers, and spun loosely enough that it feels soft and "fluffy", but without breaking easily.
The thickness of the yarn and the knitting tension are also important elements. How thick and warm should the garment be? And how dense and stiff?
Then comes the turn of the color chart. Often the exact color or shade that I had in mind does not exist in reality. Then the trick is to find other tones that are either similar enough, or other colors that can create a similar expression. There is a difference between cold and warm tones, and mottled and even color tones.
Once the design is ready, it can be sent to the factory. Elisa received and ordered yarn, and a while later we received the first prototypes in return.
I almost never say I'm satisfied with the first prototype. This time it was primarily my bird motif that I wasn't happy with. I drew a new version, changed one of the colors, and refined a couple of measurements.
After a couple of extra rounds I was satisfied. Each extra prototype is expensive in both time and money, but it is completely out of the question for us to be in a hurry with this.
Then the prototypes were photographed, images were selected, and the presentation of the garments was prepared in the online store. We sent labels to Italy, designed washing instructions, agreed on dates, and launched pre-orders.
Both the Fossekall sweater and the Mønster sweater were well received. We saw that it would be sustainable to start production and gave Bartolini the go-ahead.
Greetings Anja
Want stories and news straight to your inbox?
