" As a designer I never really have a firm plan for a new collection. I generally follow my gut feeling and go wherever it takes me. When visiting our ateliers in Portugal, I keep my eyes open, go into full “sponge mode” and let inspiration pour into me. I get inspired by the beauty of nature, pretty colours, textures and fabrics, my own feelings and the inspiration of the moment. I love it when I get surprised in the process and love to go with the flow! "
Curious to see which steps happen in the design process of dão designer Dauwke?
Read along!
![](http://the-dao-store.com/cdn/shop/files/DSCF8833.jpg?v=1691757613&width=1067)
Choosing fabrics
In the production of fashion collections, fabric creation takes the longest time. They must therefore be chosen first, and - due to the many, many, many (!) options, it’s not as easy as it might seem. For each fabric there are 3 components to consider:
- The type of fabric: linen, cotton, jersey, etc. At dão, we prefer to work with organic and/or recycled fabrics.
- The quality of the fabric: heavier or lighter (thicker or thinner), combed or not (combed cotton, for example, ensures the soft inside of some sweaters), etc.
- The colour of the fabric and whether the garment is made with already coloured fabric, or dyed after confection. The latter technique is called garment dye and gives the items a certain matte, slightly weathered look.
As soon as I’ve determined the type, quality and colour of the fabrics I want to use for the new collection, our workshop starts testing the chosen Pantone colours on the fabrics. They make a recipe for each shade, while we keep our fingers crossed that it will immediately yield the right result. This process is a bit like baking a cake: even though you know exactly which ingredients to use and which steps to follow, the end result can always turn out differently than expected or hoped.
![](http://the-dao-store.com/cdn/shop/files/DSCF8826.jpg?v=1691758963&width=1067)
Deadstock fabrics
Some manufacturers make their own collection of fabrics, which I sometimes use as a starting point to make new combinations: one fabric quality, the colour of another sample, and the stripes of yet another fabric.
In addition, I also love going through their leftover fabrics. This is called deadstock; large or small quantities of fabric that were originally refused by other brands, because unfortunately they did not come out of production as expected. I really enjoy being inspired by these fabrics and giving them a second chance as a beautiful dão garment!
So.Many. Choices
Creating a clothing collection means making a ton of decisions! There are endless options for literally every detail. The collars for the neck and sleeves, the stitching, the labels - we always go for the extra soft, itch-free option -, the embroidery, the thickness of the embroidery, the paper labels, etc.
And sometimes it is also a matter of making decisions and deciding not to carry out every wild plan, although that is definitely not easy! I usually need to rein myself in, as I can get so carried away with the excitement of the creative process. If I’m not careful, every collection would consist of way too many items!