Some think we just produce apparel for dancers, gymnasts and a few other performance styles. But, I like to think we do a little more than that. Let me explain…
Almost every weekend, someone from our team gets in the car and drives to big dance events in places like Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Cleveland or numerous other cities in the region and see what kinds of gymnastic and dance wear the kids are actually wearing.
Why do we do that? To stay on top of the trends. Here at MotionWear, we’re constantly out there seeing what’s popular and then taking those trends back to our home base. I’ve got teenage girls, so trust me when I say I know how important current trends can be.
Of course, seeing what’s on the floor or stage this year doesn’t always tell you what’s going to be popular next year, but it’s an indicator. It’s also why we look outside of the dance world for our inspirations.
Our designers are always pouring over fashion magazines, planning trips to New York and keeping their eyes out for new idea sources. That inspiration can come from anywhere – the reflection of light off an icicle on a sunny winter morning could be our next fabric design, while a simple pattern found in a backyard garden could become our next unique back treatment.
Basically, we’re always looking for new designs, but without sacrificing fit and how the leotard actually executes on the body. We want leotards that are practical, functional and flattering, but still well-designed. Essentially, we want something that kids and moms love.
The Design Process at MotionWear
The design process all starts with our designers. After feeding on inspiration, our designers sit down with a proposal and have brainstorming sessions. From there, a few choices are funneled down and field-tested with kids, asking them what they think and what they do or don’t like.
From there, the field’s narrowed to 10 or 15 proposals before it’s narrowed down again into specific designs that we plan on taking to market.
From there, we make forecasts based on how we think each design will do. And then, 6-8 months later, we look back and ask ourselves how did this leotard do? Were we off-base? Were we right on? Did they like it? Did they hate it? We then use that information for our next round of designs, meaning we get better every year at predicting the future.
It’s basically a mix of art and science, trying to combine creating new and exciting dance and gymnastics wear designs with complex market trend predictions. So, now that you know all that goes into our production – you might understand why we strive to make magic, not just apparel.
