Planning the first collection: few and right pieces

The biggest temptation for a new designer is to show everything they can do. At the start the opposite is better: a small, coherent collection that you know how to sell.

The structure of a first collection

• The hero piece: one product you build the brand around, the closest to your identity.
• Supporting pieces: three to five pieces worn with it that complete it.
• A test piece: a bolder idea in a small quantity to learn how the market reacts.

Simplifying rules

• Two or three fabrics at most, and three or four colors.
• Few sizes at first. You can add the rest once you see sales.
• Every piece is worn with at least two other pieces from the same collection.

Exercise

Draw a table with three columns: hero, supporting, test. Give each piece a working name, fabric, color and target price. If you have more than ten pieces, remove until you are back to the number you can fund. The collection planner in the toolkit does this for you.