Real-Life Communication
"There is always demand for new and exciting designs and fabrics,"
says Sue Gundy. She is a textile designer. "People love to adorn their bodies
and homes with beautiful textiles."
Textile designers are highly skilled
creative artists.
When working with clients, your priority is to please
them. You must point out when they are wasting their money or your time, without
offending them.
Listening is a huge part of communication. Textile
designers must carefully listen to the demands of the client so they can provide
the type of fabric the client needs and wants for a specific purpose.
"We
must all work together," says textile designer Scott Manley.
"We communicate
with customers on design issues and sample timing. We discuss schedules. In
order to be effective, everyone needs to know as much as they can about what
they are working on."
You've been working with your client, Magnificent
Outwear, on a new, lightweight fabric for winter sports. It is warm and thin,
but rather expensive to manufacture.
The more fabric that is unused
at the finishing mill, the greater the price of the outerwear to the end customer.
Your
contact for the company, Mr. Dexter, insists that the pattern your company
designed is too big. He wants it reduced by 20 percent.
This scale
of the pattern will only repeat 7.5 times on the loom, thus wasting fabric.
It is your job to convince the client to reduce the pattern only 15 percent,
providing a repeat factor of seven. A repeat factor that is a whole number
will limit the amount of unused fabric during finishing.
These are
the points you need to make:
- The Ultrawear fabric is expensive to produce. That increases the final
cost of the garment, which is passed on to the consumer.
- At the present repeat of 7.5, a lot of wasted fabric will be produced.
- If the pattern is reduced only 15 percent, the repeat will be a seven
across the width of the fabric.
- Greater use of fabric will keep the costs to both the company and the
consumer down.
How will you present this information?