The process to design knitwear and produce it can be a lengthy one - you might not assume so, but it is! We're so proud of our thorough processes and learning about them may help you understand the dedication, quality and expertise that goes in to every Maxted knitwear collection.
Here we will run through the year of our design and production process so you can see how long it takes to build a collection and how much work is involved.
April - The start of the 'Hunter Gather!'
This is the beginning of the 'ideas' phase. We're sketching, dreaming, brainstorming. Our notebooks and images are starting to pile up. Some quick sketches and ideas may be attached to pin boards - its a creative jumble!
Yarns are collected and briefed to our factory. Vintage samples are collected for inspiration. Maxted becomes a whirlwind of ideas, colours, fabrics and invention.
May - 1st submissions
Sketching is underway, samples and yarns will arrive from the factory
MWAW21-04 Grace Roll Neck
37% Wool 20% Acrylic 35% Polyester 7% Alpaca 1% Elastane
Gauge: 3.5
Colour: Oat F3606
June - Fit Samples and Specs
The fitting process has begun! It may take a few rounds of fitting to get the right shape and the sketch may need to be updated to reflect this.
July - The range starts to come together
Each yarn group is planned and colours are allocated for photoshoot samples. We don't always go ahead with ever single colour or style. For example we couldn't get the fit right Issy (bottom left style) in time and once we saw the red in a sample it was also cancelled.
August - Sample are being made!
During August our samples are prepared for our photoshoot and wholesale collection. We are so excited for them to arrive! The factory sends photos with the completed sample so we can check for errors, e.g. a colour code is wrong and it's not the right colour yarn - this happens!
September - Photoshoot time!
Coronavirus certainly made 2020 a challenge for our photoshoot - it involved some lateral thinking and incredible support. While we were in lockdown in Victoria we had help from influencer @BroganKate who shot the collection for us in Tassie! She is a life saver and such a supportive fan of Maxted's!
October- Wholesale
Once our samples have arrived they're sent to our sales team who head out to our stockists. You can see our AW21 stockists here. The stockists can view the collection and place their orders for pieces throughout the collection for their online or physical stores. This means that by the end of October we take their orders and place a production order with the factory, so they can start buying the yarn.
November - Confirming the perfect fit!
Each style needs to be approved before production, the fit MUST be perfect. The sizes are created for each style and until now we have just been working with size small.
December - Production starts!
Test reports have been submitted as we check the yarn quality for the final time. Knitting starts, and we hand over the care labels.
We are busy with photoshoots and preparing marketing for AW21.
January - Production Finishes
We ship our production before Chinese New Year and it leaves China on the 25th Jan.
February - Stock Arrives
We wait for the stock to clear the docks in Melbourne, before being brought to our warehouse.
March - Stock is prepared
Wholesale orders are then picked and packed and sent to our stockists! But the best bit - we get to share some of the new styles on our website!
April - We start again!
