You like a piece of clothing: if you come across it offline, you might try it on, then buy it, and online you put it in your basket, pay, and then wait for the courier. Have you ever wondered how much it takes to get your favorite piece of clothing into your wardrobe? Well, we thought about it and asked Zita Majoros, the designer of Printa, our questions. If you are curious about how one of the first sustainable brands in our country creates a collection, read on for the full interview!
- How is a new collection made, what are the main moments?
Everything starts with a collection of inspiration: I collect the things that I currently like and that inspire me in a Pinterest album. This can be many things; old photos, artwork, architecture, fashion, designs or even interiors. Broadly speaking, I already know from the beginning what mood I want to capture and create with the given collection, so I gather inspiration along these lines. And finally, conscious decisions - "What are the pieces that went well and were liked by our customers?" - mixed with personal preferences.
This is followed by sketching and creating an overall design where each piece is sketched so that I can see the coherence of the collection. At this point, the intensive teamwork begins. Jani, my tailor, takes all the drawings and ideas with me and then starts to realize them. It is a flexible and very creative process for him as well, since nothing is set in stone, he starts making the pieces according to his own knowledge and vision. During the process, we coordinate, rehearse and test the pieces. We hand over the sample designs to the screen-printing studio, since screen-printing is done on the prepared textile pieces before sewing. The biggest challenge here is to plan where to place the prints so that they are in the right place on the final piece. Another creative process full of challenges, which my team solves brilliantly.
And the finished pieces are lined up next to each other, waiting for the photo shoot. In such cases, it is very good to see how more and more models are being made.
- Which is the most exciting moment for you, and which is the step that you would most like to skip or delegate - if any?
The most exciting moment is perhaps the inspiration itself, because then I just let the visual impulses affect me. Decision making is the most difficult - for example, when I design 48 designs and I have to choose only three of them. :) The biggest difficulty is the constant questioning of myself. "Will this be good?" "Will it look good?" "Can we make it happen?" "If so, at a price our customers will buy it for?" And finally, "Will they buy it?" More than once I have designed pieces that only I liked and no one else was interested in. :)
- What helps you get through the low points?
A good long walk and consultation with the team in the form of brainstorming.
- When designing the collections, you draw inspiration from many things. Can you name a source of inspiration that you can always confidently return to?
Workwear, pockets, minimalist tailoring and strong patterns are all constant inspirations, as are 90s minimalism, Japanese zero waste tailoring and abstract painting. For the SS23 collection, I "researched" the intersection of stripes and curves and the placement of oversized patterns on garments.
- How does it feel to you when a collection is completely finished and finally launched?
It's a feeling that makes it worth doing. I can usually experience this when photographing the collections, when I see that it has all come together. In such cases, it feels good to observe the clothes on the model, the work of the photographer, the pictures, the entire creative process: the harmonious team dynamics is very spectacular.
