Host Heather Zager interviews Aprille Moyster, creator of FitUWrap, about her journey from having an idea right through to manufacturing. Aprille’s idea for FitUWrap came from personal need. As a runner, she wanted a way to keep her phone from slipping out of her hand while she ran and couldn’t find anything on the market that worked. So she made it. Heather hears about Aprille’s idea, her prototype, the woman who helped her understand the manufacturing process, how Heather assisted in her tech pack, and finally, manufacturing and actually selling her product.

The journey was not a smooth one, and Aprille learned a lot about the manufacturing process through trial and error and by finding helpful people along the way. She recalls the first helpful woman she reached, who walked her through the entire process with gratitude. Heather learns about all the hurdles Aprille faced once she reached the manufacturing stage - from shipping delays to logo application to decision fatigue - Aprille very transparently shares her whole journey.

This episode contains a detailed breakdown of the entire process of having an idea right through to selling it, and will be not only interesting but also useful for anyone engaged in the manufacturing process or curious about bringing an idea to market.

About Aprille Moyster:

Aprille Moyster developed her product, Fit You Wrap, to solve the problem of carrying a phone while running, without risking it dropping or getting sweaty. Nine years ago, she created her first concept of the FitUwrap. Her initial prototype was a twisted neck gator that would wick away sweat and help secure her phone to her hand. Her refined product, the FitUwrap, is professionally designed with high-performance moisture-wicking materials, comfortable stretch, silicone back elastic bands, and secure Velcro.

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Resources discussed in this episode:

• American Made Apparel Manufacturing, Inc - Sunny

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Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:

• Website: MADEApparelServices.com
• Facebook: MADEApparelServices
• Instagram: MADEApparelServices
• Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
  
  

Contact Aprille Moyster | FitUWrap:

• Website: FitUWrap.com
• Blog: TheRunningGeek.com
• Email
  
  

Host Heather Zager interviews MADE client and brand entrepreneur William Hardcastle of WannaHug. WannaHug is a clothing line that aims to help every customer make a difference in someone’s life. Every garment purchased allows the customer to select another garment to donate at no extra cost. William talks with Heather about where the inspiration for WannaHug came from, how he set up the brand, what it cost, and how to handle setbacks.

Heather finds out from William how long it took him to get WannaHug from a concept to where he is now, in online selling. William is very transparent about timeframes, marketing, and the cost of the start-up, breaking down the initial costs for listeners curious about starting their own brands. One of the things William is open about is how he reshuffled his sale garments to better drive revenue and allow for more options in donatable items. The vision William has for giving back to his community is as admirable as his enthusiasm for the manufacturing process, something he truly enjoyed being part of.

This episode contains insights, detailed itemization, and inspiration for anyone interested in a brand startup, manufacturing, or creating a purpose-driven sales model.

About William Hardcastle:

William Hardcastle is the founder of WannaHug, a purpose-driven clothing brand that emerged from his time in Seattle. While working as a commercial diver, William and his wife were deeply impacted by the stark contrast between the city’s wealth and the needs of its underserved communities. This disparity inspired him to create a brand that not only provides high-quality clothing but also empowers consumers to make a meaningful impact. With every purchase, customers can choose a donation, enabling them to contribute to positive change at no additional cost.

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Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:

• Website: MADEApparelServices.com
• Facebook: MADEApparelServices
• Instagram: MADEApparelServices
• Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
  
  

Contact William Hardcastle | WannaHug:

• Website: WannaHug.com
• LinkedIn
• Instagram: @wannahugclothing

Host Heather Zager interviews social media strategist Rebecca Scott about all things social media, including how often to post, where to post, and how much time business owners should spend on the task. Rebecca shares practical tips to help entrepreneurs improve their social media strategy, starting by identifying their ideal customers and choosing the platforms that align with their interests. From there, Rebecca shares tips for what to post, what not to post, and why engagement matters.

When Heather asks about how much time business owners should realistically spend on their social media, Rebecca outlines a basic social media management strategy for business owners, emphasizing efficiency through content batching and consistent engagement. The approach involves creating monthly content in advance, followed by daily engagement to foster audience interaction. The key steps include establishing content pillars, brainstorming ideas, organizing formats, setting posting frequency, and balancing content types. Time is divided across planning, creating, and scheduling, with daily engagement given high importance to boost algorithm performance. Below is a breakdown of these steps and the time allotted for each.

This episode contains insights, useful tips, and inspiration for business owners of all experience levels.

Rebecca’s Basic Social Media Strategy for Entrepreneurs:

• 1-2 hours planning and batching content
• 2-3 hours filming, editing, creating content, writing captions
• 1-1.5 hours creating graphics for posting
• 30-minutes scheduling posts
• 2.5 hours weekly for engagement

About Rebecca Scott

With a decade of entrepreneurship under her belt, Rebecca Scott is an experienced social media manager and founder of Creative Nobility. Originally trained in graphic design, she began her career specializing in branding and print media. However, as the demand for digital solutions grew, she expanded her services to include social media management—developing a new passion that transformed her business.

Today, social media management makes up the core of Rebecca’s business, serving clients across Canada and the United States in various industries, including podcasting. Known for her dedication to staying ahead of trends, Rebecca is committed to providing her clients with innovative strategies to help them grow their businesses online.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Canva
• Loomly
• Hootsuite
• Sprout Social
• Planoly
• Later
• Fiverr
• Upwork

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Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:

• Website: MADEApparelServices.com
• Facebook: MADEApparelServices
• Instagram: MADEApparelServices
• Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
  
  

Contact Rebecca Scott | Creative Nobility:

• Website: CreativeNobility.com
• Facebook: CreativeNobility
• Instagram: CreativeNobility
• LinkedIn: CreativeNobility
  
  

Host Heather Zager shares valuable insights for new and small brands looking to simplify their manufacturing process to save time and money. She emphasizes the importance of narrowing down design options to keep costs reasonable and avoid overwhelming inventory numbers. Heather suggests starting with one design in a size range with limited colors to keep costs manageable. Once success is reached with that design, other options can be explored.

To help streamline the process and validate design ideas, Heather recommends sharing design options on social media to gather feedback. This also helps build a strong social media presence and encourages engagement. Listeners will also hear practical tips, such as how to learn more about material sourcing and pattern-making to save time and money in the long run.

These strategies not only simplify production but also ensure that brands make informed decisions, minimizing risk, and maximizing profitability.

About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner

Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.

After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture.

Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Episode 4: Concept to Customer Part 2: Material Sourcing
• Choosing Fabrics: Fabrics 101
• MADE Apparel Services Newsletter

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Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:

• Website: MADEApparelServices.com
• Facebook: MADEApparelServices
• Instagram: MADEApparelServices
• Linkedin: MADEApparelServices

Host Heather Zager talks all about tech packs, spec sheets, and patterns in today’s episode. She explains the differences between each one and the function each one performs. A spec sheet is short for a specification sheet. The single difference between it and a tech pack is that a spec sheet is just one page. A tech pack - or technical package or technical specification package - is essentially an instruction manual with all the information needed to create a sewn product. A pattern is a paper pattern used for sewing a product.

Heather goes into great detail about what a tech pack could and should include. The summary of the points she discusses is:

1. A cover page or an overview page.
2. Fabrications page.
3. Pattern layout page by fabrication.
4. Bill of materials
5. Pattern pieces list, also known as a cutters must or a pattern parts list.
6. A sequence of construction, also known as the order of operations.
7. Several pages of annotations which are callouts:
   1. Just stitch types, just the fabrications, and just colorways.
   2. Possibly a close-up or a more detailed illustration.
8. Supplier information.
9. You might also include packaging information.
10. A space for special notes and another space for version updates.

The possible variations and trade-offs in information included in tech packs are explained by Heather and she breaks down exactly how a pattern works, when spec sheets are useful, and what other episodes of her podcast will explain certain pieces of information in greater detail. Heather’s knowledge and expertise help to make the process of designing and manufacturing sewn goods easier to understand and less daunting to attempt.

About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner

Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.

After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture.

Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 8: Concept to Customer Part 4 - Preparing for Manufacture
• MADE Apparel Services: Sample Tech Pack

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Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:

• Website: MADEApparelServices.com
• Facebook: MADEApparelServices
• Instagram: MADEApparelServices
• Linkedin: MADEApparelServices

Host Heather Zager talks about manufacture in this final episode of her four-part series called Concept to Customer. This is the fourth of the most common areas of confusion or misunderstanding among new designers, areas that Heather wants to demystify. Having already covered design concepting, material sourcing, and size and fit, she now discusses manufacturing. She explores what manufacturing is, what types of manufacturers are available, and imparts advice and all the necessary details about getting a product to the manufacture stage.

Manufacturing is the process of putting the garments together into complete products. Mass manufacturing involves machines because machines are generally considered to be faster than humans. Heather breaks down all the things needed to have a successful mass manufacturing run, what a tech pack is, why a complete tech pack is so important, and the differences between a factory, a manufacturer, and an agency. Each of these steps can be a point of confusion which is why Heather explains them in detail here.

What is the difference between small-batch manufacture and large-scale production? Which is better in what circumstance? Heather answers these questions from experience and with a detailed explanation of how each works. She also gets into the five most common misconceptions about manufacturing that she encounters. Can manufacturers sew anything? Do you need to share confidential design information with them? Do you need to sew samples for each new design? These questions are why Heather and MADE Apparel Services are here, and why this episode is so important for designers to grow.

About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner

Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.

After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture.

Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Blog: Why You Need a Tech Pack for Clothing Manufacture
• MADE Apparel Services: How It Works

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Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:

• Website: MADEApparelServices.com
• Facebook: MADEApparelServices
• Instagram: MADEApparelServices
• Linkedin: MADEApparelServices

Host Heather Zager talks about size and fit in this third of her four-part series called Concept to Customer. She explains exactly what fit and size are, technically speaking, and what they should mean to a garment and the customer wearing said garment. Historical context and a modern-day leaning towards vanity sizing are also addressed in Heather’s deep dive into how to best size and fit the garment being made for the ideal customer to wear.

Fit is how the garment fits onto the wearer and how that fit suits the activity the garment is designed for. Generally speaking fit aims for comfort but specific items fulfill different purposes wherein that might not be the top goal. A swimsuit and a ski jacket will be designed to fit very differently, for example. Size is then sizing that garment larger and smaller to accommodate different bodies while making sure the fit is the same on every shape.

Heather explains all the nuances of sizing, covering vanity sizing, historical custom-fit clothes, how sizing affects fit, and standardized sizing. She discusses why the average standardized sizes don’t necessarily fit every body and how those sizes were initially calculated. How should a designer tackle the questions of size and fit for a garment? Heather sheds light on the answer with guidance and context based on her extensive knowledge and experience in the industry.

About Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services Founder and Owner

Heather Zager found her calling when she signed up for a beginning pattern-making course and realized she had a passion for technical design. She subsequently enrolled in the Apparel Design and Development program at Seattle Central College and graduated two years later with her Associate of Applied Science Degree.

After graduation, she began working with Meta assisting in developing and designing augmented and virtual reality wearable tech gear. In 2020, MADE Apparel Services was born with the idea of helping makers, inventors and designers bring their own sewn product ideas to manufacture. Since then, she has worked with various businesses such as Santa’s Tailor, Feathered Friends, Wolfpack Gear and Classic Accessories, helping them achieve their goals in design, development, pattern making, sewn construction and manufacture

Today, Heather continues to grow her knowledge and share her experiences with others to bring their visions to reality.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

• ASTM history
• Alvanon
• History of the Toga

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Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:

• Website: MADEApparelServices.com
• Facebook: MADEApparelServices
• Instagram: MADEApparelServices
• Linkedin: MADEApparelServices
  
  

Heather Zager talks about all the questions new designers have about getting to manufacture with guest Kyla Sayre. Kyla is the Director of Business Development for Lefty Production Company and Stitch Texas. While Kyla has been in her current role for roughly four years, she’s been in the industry for ten years and has experience in many different aspects of the business. Heather does a deep dive into all the common things new designers run into in manufacturing with Kyla.

In answering the question of whether Lefty Production Company is a factory, manufacturer, agency, or wholesaler, Kyla defines the differences between each type of facility before identifying Lefty as a manufacturer that owns their own factories domestically. In her role as Director of Business Development, Kyla routinely connects with brands to help them with development and production assistance, performing costing exercises to see if domestic or overseas production would best fit their brand, and explaining all the costs and minimums that go into the process.

Heather’s discussion with Kyla Sayre explores a vast number of questions, from materials sourcing to wholesaling, PFD (Prepared For Dyeing) to MOQ (Minimum Order Quantities), and from what’s needed to be production-ready to assessing the benefits of domestic versus overseas production. Kyla explains what Lefty specializes in, how she walks her clients through the process, and offers a lot of inside information that is invaluable for new designers to have access to. This interview shines a light on the intricate decisions faced in the manufacturing process with straight-forward answers to common questions.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• MADE Apparel Services Design Concepting Course

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About Kyla Sayre:

Kyla is the Director of Business Development for Lefty Production Co. and Stitch TX, sister companies that offer a one-stop-shop solution for apparel and accessory development and manufacturing both domestically and overseas.

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Contact Heather Zager | MADE Apparel Services:

• Website: MADEApparelServices.com
• Facebook: MADEApparelServices
• Instagram: MADEApparelServices
• Linkedin: MADEApparelServices

Contact Kyla Sayre:

• Website: LeftyProductionCo.com
• Website: StitchTexas.com
• Kyle Sayre on LinkedIn