We never thought designing our own pair of shorts was ever going to be an easy process and we definitely proved ourselves right. Our first sample started with a local company in Wellington in March 2020. We had a rough idea of what we wanted after drafting a sample off a block and searching for a suitable fabric in Auckland. Our second Behind the Brand video captured our reaction when we unboxed these samples.

After much thought and reviewing our cost structure, we found that producing offshore would be more cost effective for us. We restarted our sampling process - creating our own tech packs, often making naive mistakes from our lack of experience in the field. Due to language differences, communication was something we struggled with so we found it extremely challenging trying to liaise and conveying what changes we wanted to make, making sure we weren't skipping out on quality which was at the heart of our decision making.

Although Covid-19 posed an obvious threat to our deadlines so did our lack of experience. We made mistakes along the way and combined with our thirst for perfection, our shorts took over a year to complete. From a creative standpoint, the prolonged journey meant that at times we had lost sight of the end goal we had set out on. Dealing with setbacks and managing mistakes definitely grew us as business owners and taught us to remain resilient.

By the time we finally had our pre-production sample, we had gone through 3 iterations of our corduroy shorts. Some changes included a longer drawstring, sourcing thicker material, adjusting for a wider waistband, lining the pockets and having smaller eyelets (to name a few). One great piece of advice we received along the way was: "if you wait until something is perfect, you'll be waiting forever." 

Our first experience in creating our first cut & sew piece has taught us so much. It's opened our eyes to the amount of preparation, patience and drive needed that we definitely underestimated. Having a trustworthy manufacturer and taking the time to build a long lasting relationship with them is definitely important - an ongoing journey that we're still working on. Committing to your vision and believing in it is also imperative to seeing through your idea. Despite the many setbacks we faced, it was the conviction we had in our shorts that helped get us to the finish line.