How We Research and Develop for Better Products

Introduction

As one of the leading outdoor clothing manufacturers in China, with customers on every continent, we know that we can’t afford to rest on our laurels because the fashion industry never stands still. It’s always looking for the next big thing because its customers are always looking for the next big thing. That’s why, at LotoGarment, we continue to invest in research and development with a dedicated department that focuses entirely on discovering hot new trends. We do this so that wherever you are in the world, when you want to bring reasonably priced cutting-edge fashions to market quickly and reliably, we’re here to design, manufacture, and ship them to you.

In this post, we look at how our research and development department tackles the never-ending task of identifying the best of what’s new and up-and-coming and turning it into designs you can trust.

Researching Trends

Trends are the core currency of the fashion industry, so back in 2019, we established a new in-house research and development department to keep us up to speed with the latest ones. Initially, there was only one designer in the role, but we’ve since expanded to four full-time staff. Together they are involved with forecasting trends, sourcing fabrics, developing samples, and patternmaking. We’ve been on top of the trend for puffer jackets and related items for quite some time and we are still producing wildly popular items like this attractive ladies’ puffer vest.

 Since our physical location is a long way away from the European fashion industry, we’ve established links with talented and forward-looking freelance technical designers from Britain and Germany. Their insights allow us to constantly refresh our inventory, to the point where we are now able to bring retailers and distributors an average of 150 new styles every year.

Fabric and Trim Sourcing

As a modern manufacturer we are committed to sustainable business practices, which means that when we go about sourcing materials for fabric and trims, we ensure that suppliers meet our standards. We’ve been Global Recycled Standards certified since 2004, sourcing our fabrics from numerous sustainable fabric mills across China. 40% of our products currently include recycled fabrics and trims, and for your peace of mind, we can provide evidence that they meet the standards as and when required.

Sample Development

You can think of sample development as being like prototyping. We develop samples of every new garment we make because although looking at photographs or videos can give you a good idea of what the product is like, there’s nothing quite like holding it in your hands or seeing someone wearing it to get a true idea of its looks and quality. We think this is especially important when we are developing custom garments to your specifications. If something isn’t quite right, then it will be easier for you to suggest an alteration if you have a sample of the actual garment.

You can also check out our latest batch of samples in our VR showroom. It’s the next best thing to the real thing!

Garment Testing

The good looks of our newest hiking jacket or skiwear are important but they're only half the story. Once the research and development team has settled on a new design, the next stage is ‘development’. Part of that process is garment testing, in which we test each design’s waterproofing, breathability, durability, colourfastness and so on. This ensures that the product you receive won’t leak, won’t tear, maintains its UV resistance and the colours will remain good for years.

Choosing Fabrics for Different Applications

When it comes to choosing fabrics, it isn’t a case of ‘one size fits all’. Our research and development staff will choose more durable fabrics for skiwear than they would for say, hiking.

Take this lady’s ski jacket for example. Its 100% polyester outer shell with TPU laminate is PFC-free and coated with a durable water-repellent treatment to provide waterproofing while retaining maximum breathability. The 380T polyester taffeta lining fitted to the body and sleeves is a high-end fabric that offers extreme elasticity and comfort, doesn’t wrinkle, is easy to clean, and has excellent colourfastness too. This level of weather resistance and protection wouldn’t be necessary for less demanding applications.

Pattern Making

The pattern-making process turns a designer's idea into a physical product. One of our eight full-time pattern designers analyses each set of design images and then creates the pattern using CAD software. The aim is to produce what we call a tech pack. It’s a document that fully describes the design, outlines the materials and their specifications, and includes enough detail so that machinists can faithfully reproduce it to the same standard, time after time.

Customizing Client Designs

 Using the latest 3D design software, we can alter our standard garment designs to meet your specifications and also include your branding.

This gives you a tremendous advantage in terms of savings. We are effectively doing the research and development for you, helping you to keep your collection fresh and up-to-date and your customers happy, without the added burden of excessive design costs.

Production Capacity

 Thanks to continuing strong demand from our customers around the world (we’ve shipped to 40+ countries to date) we’ve been put in the welcome position of needing to increase our production capacity. That’s why we’ve invested in a new factory. It’s going to be up and running soon, and it will allow us to produce an extra 300,000 garments per year. What it means for you the customer is that we will have an even greater capacity to ship your bulk order on time, every time.

Conclusion

LotoGarment is moving forward into the New Year with more new garment designs and an even greater capacity to deliver them. If you’re looking for the ultimate manufacturing partner with more than 20 years of experience supplying the outdoor sector, then look no further. Get in touch with us today and discover what we can do for you.