Alice Grau, creative director
Global Mamas is dedicated to delivering fair trade, handmade, and stylish clothing, accessories, and home décor. In addition to the Mamas who produce our products, our talented design team plays an integral role in bringing you the products you love. Unlike large fashion brands that have teams for every step of the design process, Global Mamas has just three permanent designers. Designers Nick and Laura work in Cape Coast, while I work in the United States. Together, we create Global Mamas products from start to finish!
The design process begins with trend research in February and March. We do extensive research on competitors, trend-forward brands, and even runway fashions to gain inspiration for the following year’s line. Our new product lines are launched each year to retail partners in February and to retail consumers in March, meaning that we are constantly moving throughout the design process, starting to research the next line as the previous line is launched.
We start by formulating ideas for new products we want to introduce, as well as new colors and batik patterns. Drawing on our research of what colors will be popular that year, we create an ideal color palette and begin working with batikers. One of the unique challenges of working with batiked cloth is that all color combinations are not achievable. Batiking is based on the layering of dye colors, meaning that some color combinations, like pink and green, would wash each other out. Working with the batikers, we test our ideal color palette and then create a practical color palette from the color combinations that can be achieved through batiking.
Starting in May, summer volunteers and interns arrive in Ghana to help the design team develop new patterns and products. We sketch our product ideas and review them as a team, discussing sales results from the previous year. Our three major elements at this time of development are color, pattern, and style. Examining our trend research, we decide how to combine these three elements to create the most exciting products.
Once we decide on certain patterns, styles, and colors, usually sometime in August, the sampling process for apparel begins in Cape Coast, lasting until October. Nick and Laura work with the batikers to create samples of all possible colors and patterns and then with the seamstresses to match these colors and patterns to different product styles. Our design team also develops our beaded products in a similar fashion. We create new product ideas based on trend research conducted by design interns, and then carry out the sampling process with our Krobo team. In beaded product sampling, we focus on trying new colors and adjusting bead layouts until we reach our favorite designs.
At the end of September, I work with Kristin, co-founder of Global Mamas and the wholesale manager, to review the products we’ve created, selecting two to four batik patterns for each product style. We also create a product line, making sure that not only each individual product looks great, but that the line as a whole is cohesive. We liken this process to playing with paper dolls, moving products around until they look their best!
When the final products are chosen, we start working on our wholesale catalog. Nick photographs the final samples and makes them catalog ready with the help of a Ghanaian graphic designer. Laura works on making sure that the fit of each product is correct and works with Joyce, Cape Coast Inventory Manager, to compile logistical information for each product, such as the required materials, the time required to make a product, and the cost of materials. When all this is finalized in January, the Mamas finally start producing that year’s products!
