Here at Oiselle, durability and comfort are at the forefront of all our designs, and the first step in that process is sourcing material. Recently back from a trip to Taiwan, Oiselle designers - Kami and Nelle, are ready to nerd out and answer all of our fabric questions!
HANNAH: WELCOME BACK FROM TAIWAN! CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE TRIP ENTAILED?
KAMI: The main reason for this trip is we are working with a new garment factory and wanted to meet with their team to see what types of new innovations and technologies they could bring to the table to help improve our product. Being as this is a new factory, we also wanted to have a more detailed meeting reviewing product to be sure the quality is to our standards. During this trip, we were also able to make time to meet with some of our key fabric suppliers to see their new product and pull inspiration as we begin our Spring 2019 development.
NELLE: Yes! We went to Taiwan to meet with a few vendors that help make Oiselle product. That involves going to a lot of meetings, looking at countless awesome fabrics, and reviewing a lot of in-progress samples. It was a super inspiring trip. The days were really filled to the brim - which left us both excited for what's next... and totally exhausted.
H: WHAT IS IT LIKE SEEING THE VERY BEGINNING STAGES OF THE PRODUCTION PROCESS?
K: Beginning stages of production are both exciting and sometimes scary. There are always a few styles that need a little extra love and some that we have to make the hard decision to cut early.
N: It's so cool. There's so much innovation and creative thinking going on- I came back with so much inspiration for what design directions I want to go in next. Also- I have been communicating with a lot of the people we met with in Taipei over email for some time- and had not met many of them in person. It's so helpful to be able to put a face to a name! To develop a relationship in- person with a vendor is really meaningful, and I think it fosters better communication and understanding over email.
H: CHOOSING MATERIALS. WHAT ARE THE MAIN FACTORS?
K: Hand feel is a top priority. It’s one of the first connections a customer has with the garment so it’s important to be a lasting connection. Features that will also help the customer with more of a lasting comfort too- cooling/heating, odor control, sun protection, visibility, are also super important to us!
N: Performance, aesthetic, drape, and most importantly, how it feels on your body.
H: LOVE THE PHOTOS... WHAT A GREAT ADVENTURE! WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM TAIWAN?
K: There are so many great memories from this trip, it’s hard to choose! The people were great, the area was beautiful, but the food-- amazing!! Other than just the food though, we were lucky enough to visit many different parts of Taipei, both tourist “must sees” and a few places that were more secluded where we learned more about the culture which is what I always enjoy and treasure the most.
N: The whole experience was really great. We accomplished a lot- and had a bit of time to see the city. One of our vendors took us on a drive up into the mountains outside of the city of Taipei to visit his friend who's a ceramicist. This past winter I got really into throwing pottery on the wheel (ask anyone in the Oiselle office - it's all I talked about), so this was a special experience for me. This ceramic artist had a beautiful studio with windows overlooking the mountains leading into the city of Taipei. It was unreal. I never wanted to leave.
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