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I found this company while searching for videos to upload to the Global Fashion Network and I truly think their services are very interesting particularly for the fashion and footwear market. They cover all segments of the market from art, denim, trade events, the culture, music, skateboarding, sports, t-shirts, technology, and trade shows.

I can’t truly judge what knowledge you would get out of Label Networks weekly newsletters or profile reports, but if it is to any extent of what they describe I guarantee you that it would be worth your dollar.

Label Networks profiles cover everything from trends to why fitted hats are regaining more ground than ever. Educated reports on Youth Culture studies in direct relation to the Apparel Industry and successful brands. Live video footage of trade shows and interviews with exhibitors and organizers. They give you the inside scoop that most can’t, but along with that news is a premium price.

They do have free weekly updates that you can sign up for here, but are very limited compared to the weekly analysis subscription package that starts at $499 a year.

While most companies are worried about where can they get New Era blanks with their logo or make the next New Era Cap (Not going to happen) these guys took the head wear idea in another direction.

The Ample Creative is a manufacturer of hats for gentlemen..you know the one that will complement your three piece suit . Even with a different style they still carry the exclusive tag with less than 300 per release and considering they just launched in 2005 having a full solid collection I would say they’re off to a great start in the head wear industry.

Make sure and visit their online store for your The Ample Creative fix.

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Popularity: 3% [?]

I found a definitely rather interesting definition of CIM- Computer Integrated Manufacturing today while surfing the web. I am very familiar with CAD and CAM, but this was actually my first time reading about Computer Integrated Manufacturing. So before bringing it to you guys as a daily definition I decided to do a little research. Most of the points I will express below come from sources on the web and my own books.

CIM plays the middle role between CAD and CAM making sure that the data between each process translates smoothly during the design to the manufacturing process onto the next step. With CIM the entire production process is controlled by computer automation and is also called flexible design and manufacturing…sounds like a definition.

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Considering most clothing companies start out producing t-shirts. I thought I would compile a short list of online resources where you could create custom t-shirts and sell them in a matter of hours.

Alright, lets say that you have your amazing designs from Photoshop that are ready to be printed onto clothing, but where should you start. Should you look into going straight to a screen printing company or is it best to buy a machine for yourself? This article will show you a few websites that you can register for, post your designs, and sell your clothing fast!

The first website that is quite popular in printing clothing is Cafepress.com. Not only can you print t-shirts, but also hoodies, tank-tops, v-necks, hats, mugs, cards, mouse pads and more. This is basically the one stop shop if you need everything. Cafepress is a well established company who is reputable and trusting. The only negative I see at this site is that some items can get expensive, decreasing your profit.

I don’t really want to go into detail again about Kaledo 3D, because we wrote an article about it click here if you want to read more about what Kaledo 3D is and the masterminds behind it.

For now they are offering the program FREE of charge possibly for a limited amount of time so If you’re interested in 3d design programs for the fashion industry I suggest you click here to download Kaledo 3D for free.

In short it is a design program for creating story boards for your design and fabric inspiration in 3D instead of 2D flats that limit the imagination and aren’t as lifelike.

Popularity: 2% [?]

I know many of you who read this blog are at the starting point and tops (sweaters, t-shirts, hoodies) are your main business.

I found this cool tutorial on Photoshop that can help with maximizing your time while designing and learning how to give your t-shirt graphics and fabric a deconstructed and antiquated look.

You can read the article Photoshop t-shirt design or just download the step by step pdf here. All that is required is Adobe Reader which is free and Adobe Photoshop which is not!

Hope you enjoy!

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This is another edition of the now popular Dobizo Answers page. For more information on how you can get your questions directly answered on the blog visit the Dobizo Answers page and read the guidelines.

Aspiring Designers asked three questions:

1. Possibly I?ll begin my brand with a line of hoodies and t-shirts for juniors (female). Could you please tell me how to decide on the sizes for these garments?

This question tells me…you haven’t been reading the blog before asking questions or the Dobizo Answers page because we covered this question last week. For your answer take a look at this page.

I will still elaborate on the question a little bit. Basically to sum up that article you need to know your customer. Yeah that’s it in the simplest form, but it definitely gets more complex.

I just found out about this contest, but it could definitely benefit somebody interested in womens wear design. As of today you have approximately a month and ten days…halloween to submit your original women’s denim design from scratch.

Guidelines are as follow as stated above denim jeans must be from scratch original pattern, and design from the designer who submits. The criteria they are judging on includes includes four categories equal to 25% originality, functionality, creativity and style. They will also have a special emphasis on aesthetics and the use of materials, surface design techniques, and/or couture construction.

You will not receive this design back! It will be used to launch a new international brand. So your work will be seen by an international audience. As far as receiving credit for it…I don’t know (Read the fine print on the website). They will announce the chosen design and winner on November 15, 2007.

The winner will receive $1,000 bucks and a free trip to Paris, France.

For more information visit the contest website.

I thought this could be a good article, because I receive messages about art requirements or how to get your artwork print ready. What better way to find out then go straight to the source…manufacturers and screen printers.

So I looked over a couple of manufacturers and screen printers requirement for screen print ready artwork. As far as size, vector/raster, and software or file format.

I know most require the DPI (Dots Per Inch) to be 300 or better some even require 600dpi. That is why is is best to save your work at a higher resolution for better scaling and editing that might be required later to accommodate the type of artwork a screen printer is willing to work with or accepts, because bringing in their graphic artist is going to rack up another bill.

Most of the screen printers preferred vector art as opposed to raster because it is more scalable and able to be separated for spot color reproduction. Vector artwork is an image created of points and paths. (line art) Raster artwork is an image created of pixels as in Photoshop. That is why they will work with raster art when doing photo prints that are made up of mostly pixels.

Basically they teach CAD courses on flat pattern making for fashion designers or anyone interested in the Computer Aided Design.

Let’s go over the basics of Fashion Design Online E-Classroom. There courses range from $75-$100 from Intro to Advanced. Pattern making courses are divided into pieces of a garment (Neckline & Collar, Sleeves) and also provide classes for each type of garment top or bottoms.

Of course for an online classroom their are some technology requirements in order for the online live training sessions. Most requirements are basics with most computers other than some free software you have to download from Adobe Systems. For the list of requirements visit this page.

The good thing about the online classes is that you can learn at your own pace and don’t have any time restrictions upon registration the lessons are available to students 24 hours a day through the Student Union. They also provide a sample lesson you can download here.

For more information on Fashion Design Online visit their informational website.

This is the weekly roundup of forum topics that catch my eye or I just think you should know about…also shameless promoting the new Fashion Network!

Ethical Manufacturers caught my eye because the guy is actually wanting the best out of the manufacturer he works with not just for his clothing companies concern, but ethically. So I posted it on the front page of Dobizo in hopes that someone can point him in the right direction meeting all his requirements.

Here is a rundown of some other important post in the Fashion Network Forum:

High End Manufacturing: (Women’s Wear)

The Industry: (Let Us Know Your Frustration)

How Many Items Will A Retailer Buy From Me: (Just Read It To Understand)

What Could Make The Dobizo Network Even Better?

Make sure you join the Fashion Network today it’s free and get instant access to the forum upon joining the fastest growing apparel network.

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Betsey Johnson you know the lady that looks like she is part of the fashion industry has internships available for her empire of a brand. Everything position you could imagine is available and ready to be filled by all you aspiring fashion industry ceo’s!

If you don’t know about Betsey Johnson then I can clue you in just a little bit. Her clothing line has been going at it since the 1960’s with her over the top embellish heavy designs. Her designs has been seen on any Hollywood starlet you could name at one point or another so her credibility is not to question as far as substance and character in the fashion industry is concerned.

You can apply for all 10 of the available internships or just choose 1 either way go here to apply.

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