Ready to Wear Client Project

January 2024

Prompt: In this project I was requested to create 3 pages that allowed me to showcase the ability to forecast, research, and curate within a given aesthetic. This included:

Page1: Identifying 4 potential spring silhouettes in any product categories that I felt would be successful womenswear items at Costco.

Page 2: Select the strongest of the 4 silhouettes and create an image board of research/inspiration.

Page 3: Create an Illustrator flat sketch of that item reflecting the inspiration, plus any call-outs needed.

Finished Project Breakdown:

Page 1: Through a combination of online research and store shopping, I evaluated which product categories were the best sellers at Costco. Button down shirts, pull over tops, activewear, and lounge sets had the largest presence online. Out of these categories, lounge sets were also very prominent in store. For this reason I’ve decided that a lounge set would be the best category for this project, although all of these categories would be strong for Costco in general.

Page 2: After deciding on the loungewear category, I started doing market research for competitors. On average I looked at 10-30 products at each store represented, and chose one image that I felt best represented the brands aesthetic for this page. One note on the Paka – EcoCult article image, I found an article on EcoCult about sustainable loungewear options 10 from different brands. They all had a similar aesthetic, which is represented by the image chosen from Paka. 

Overall I noticed a trend among the brands I looked at. On silhouette they mostly had cami’s, short sleeve tees, roomy shorts, and light weight jogger pants for Spring. For material there was a wider range of textures and materials, from cotton and Tencel on the higher end to 100% polyester on the budget end. I also noticed several brands such as Anthropology and Nautica using interesting textural knits, which could be an interesting Fall play.

Page 3: On the first page of part 3 I’ve illustrated the basic CAD and tech details for the 3 piece set I’ve designed. The set includes a racerback crop top, elasticated waist shorts, and a pair of joggers. I’ve also included a potential packaged view of how this might look in store.

On the following page I’ve included a S25 color mood board based on WGSN trend research. WGSN’s Future Dusk (Pantone’s Skipper Blue) is WGSN’s color of the year, so I made that a priority on this color mood. I’ve also included some neutral/beige/pinks as a good fit for Costco based on my knowledge of what the Costco buyers have been interested in while working with them in my current position. 

The following page after this I’ve pitched 6 potential colorways, including 3 original prints. Again, based on my knowledge of what the Costco buyers have been interested in, I suspect the top row (Black/Off White/Pink) will be the most popular. 

Finally, on the last page I’ve included a larger detail swatch of each print I designed for a better view.