EN: Interview with Flo: Lectra Division Manager at a renowned fashion house

This portrait traces the career of the head of the Lectra Department in a renowned fashion house. With 36 years of experience in the field of sewing, she oversees the creation of patterns and technical sheets. Her testimony illustrates the perfect blend of traditional know-how and digital tools, while highlighting the challenges related to the transmission of technical skills in an ever-evolving sector.

"My name is Flo, and I currently work in a pattern-making department in a fashion house. I supervise the creation of patterns and technical sheets. My journey began with a classic education, including a BTS in flexible materials and a CAP in sewing at the same time.

Since my childhood, I have always been passionate about sewing. I used to create complete collections (daywear, cocktail dresses, evening gowns) which I would showcase on small dolls, imagining new designs. I made the patterns and garments myself and even participated in competitions like those organized by Modes et Travaux. I loved challenging myself, just like a great fashion designer.

To make ends meet, I used to alter dresses for wealthy clients, which allowed me to acquire knowledge about the finishes of pieces from great designers such as Lanvin, Balmain, Yves Saint Laurent, and Hermès. I was passionate about this job, especially the work with fabrics and finishes. I loved enhancing the fabrics with interlinings, depending on the designs presented to me.

I started my career as a pattern maker in a young company, where I learned to create patterns for both men and women, including technical and comfortable garments. It was an interesting experience that allowed me to discover manufacturing techniques such as welding and the use of double-feed machines.

Later on, I joined a fashion house as a manual pattern maker, where I learned to work with traditional tools such as rulers, squares, and pencils, while creating technical sheets in Indian ink. I also manually performed grading and began using software to digitize and adjust patterns. This software enabled us to produce high-quality patterns by adding details such as topstitching, pocket stops, embroidery designs, along with sketches for optimal precision and other technical elements.

The arrival of Lectra products and the Modaris software was a turning point in my career, allowing patterns to be digitized directly. From that moment, the rapid evolution of software and its connection with manufacturers revolutionized production (manufacturers no longer digitized and started to retrieve the grading). Our contractors in China, Japan, and France used different software, which forced teams to re-digitize the plans at each stage. This created an urgent need to unify production tools. To excel in our profession, we must collaborate with the model makers. It is the model makers who provide us with either the toile or the pattern. We digitize the pieces and adjust the pattern until it is perfect. Then, we print it on paper to ensure that the pattern is functional and fits together like a puzzle. Once we are satisfied, we send the pattern back to them for a final check. If no further adjustments are needed, the model maker gives us their approval. That’s when we move on to the launch phase.

“The launch” is a process that involves creating a bill of materials that lists all the elements that make up a garment. It is a comprehensive document detailing everything about the model, such as the fabric, lining, buttons, labels, etc. This allows everyone to work from a master document. We also include the measurements required for fabric placement, ensuring that everything is in order before moving to the next step. Thanks to this document, we can provide an estimate of the detailed cost of producing the model.

Once the bill of materials is completed, we provide the cutting team with the placements (fabric, lining, and interlinings…). When everything is cut, the cutter creates a “log,” containing all the necessary supplies for making the model, with the help of the technical sheet and bill of materials.

The next step takes place in the workshop, where the piece is assembled by a prototype machinist. Everything is documented in the sheet, including information about the interlining, which helps adjust the fabric’s thickness and ensure the desired effect. It is a meticulous task that must be followed carefully at every stage, which requires ideal communication between the different departments. Proper management of patterns with the subcontractors is essential to ensure that the models meet expectations, just as aligning the product with the consistency of the pattern and the technical sheet is crucial.

Good management of patterns with the subcontractors is essential to ensure that the models meet expectations.

Understanding how a garment is constructed is crucial. It helps to comprehend how the pieces fit together and prevents design errors. Patterns are to garment design what blueprints are to architectural design. It is therefore necessary to anticipate various challenges during the creation of a piece.

Today, what seems most challenging in my job is recruiting pattern makers who master both digital and manual techniques, as such profiles are rare in the market. Younger profiles often have strong foundations in digital skills but lack practical and manual expertise. This leads me to hire young people who may have potential in this field, but it is certainly challenging to pass on knowledge with pedagogy.

To assess their determination and creativity, I like to ask if they are used to making clothes for themselves or their loved ones, and if they can show them to me along with their portfolio, for example. Nowadays, many young people are turning towards careers as designers or model makers, but few are interested in technical professions such as cutting, assembling, or working with the Lectra system. Attracting them and showing them the importance of these professions is a real challenge. However, there are always exceptions: recently, a young woman I recruited, who had studied fashion design, chose to move into the technical field of pattern making.

The Lectra team’s work varies between the Flou Department and the Tailoring Department depending on the needs, the collections, and the complexity of the models. More complex pieces, such as evening gowns or VIP garments, require a lot of time and attention. For some evening gowns, it can take nearly 30 hours of work, with detailed tasks such as inserting boning or specifying particular seams and embroideries.

In our field, a new trend is emerging: the integration of 3D. It is therefore essential to master garment construction because, from a digital perspective, it is crucial to understand how to recreate a garment, know its pattern, and understand how it was designed to ensure an optimal result once the garment is finalized and assembled. Then, the garments are placed on an avatar, and as soon as shadows appear on the garment, it helps identify areas that need adjustments.

This method offers advantages if the structure allows it and if it doesn’t take too much time, as it can replace the process of creating a toile for fitting on a mannequin. However, the visual aspect of the fabric’s drape remains irreplaceable.

Nonetheless, mastering 3D is essential, relying on the CLO 3D system (linked with Modaris) to ensure the efficiency of the process."

This testimony highlights the crucial importance of combining traditional techniques and digital tools in garment making. Thanks to a journey that blends theoretical training and hands-on experience, it becomes clear that mastering garment construction is essential to guarantee the quality and reliability of the creations. Despite the challenges linked to recruiting and training young talents for technical professions that are often overlooked, this account underlines the need to preserve and pass on these skills to secure the future of haute couture.