Episode #1 - Plan Now, Sell More:
Fall 25/26 Dog Wear Trends

[00:00] By the time fall rolled around and everyone suddenly needed dog coats, I was scrambling, rushing to get orders out, exhausted, missing out on sales because I just couldn't keep up. And that's when I realized successful designers. They work months in advance. They're not figuring things out in fall by then. Their patterns are already selling. I'm Jill Bartlett, dog wear designer, educator, and the creator behind Thank Dog.

[00:35] We made it the online hub for dog wear enthusiasts. This podcast, it's where I share what really goes into designing for dogs, learning the tech, and turning your creative ideas into patterns. People actually want to buy. I've been doing this for over a decade, and most of what I've learned came from trial and error and figuring things out the messy way.

[01:04] If you're figuring it out too, you're not alone. And this podcast is for you.

[01:14] Okay, let's talk about something that used to trip me up every single year. I'm talking about fall sales. Now, this is the busiest time that I used to have. Every year, it's when everybody starts thinking about how they want to dress their dog, because the weather has suddenly changed. It's raining or getting cold or potentially, depending on where you are.

[01:40] It may even be snowing. When I first started making dog coats as a business, I was doing everything custom new measurements for every order and it kind of felt like I was making a new pattern every time. Sounds great in theory, right? Super personalized. But here's what actually happened. I ran myself into the ground. By the time fall rolled around and everyone suddenly needed dog coats, I was scrambling, rushing to get orders out, exhausted, missing out on sales because I just couldn't keep up.

[02:17] And that's when I realized successful designers. They worked months in advance. They're not figuring things out in fall by then. Their patterns are already selling. So if you're thinking about launching dog wear patterns this year, spring is the time to get ahead. Let's go over what you can do right now so that when fall hits, you're ready to roll.

[02:44] Let's take a look at this step by step. Step one what's trending for fall and winter dog wear this year? I mean, what's actually sell it? Because if you're making patterns or dog wear designs, you really want them to be in demand. I still remember the first dog coat I made. I'm really embarrassed to admit this, but I actually used outdoor furniture fabric.

[03:13] Paw Scout I mean, it was so stiff and uncomfortable. It was not waterproof and my dog's coat kind of looks at me like, what are you making me wear? It's it's like she was wearing a table cloth. So fabric choice. It's kind of a huge deal. And if you're wondering what's hot for winter and fall for this upcoming 2526 season, here's what's trending.

[03:40] The top fabrics include waterproof, soft shell, and performance fabric. So think breathable, weather resistant, great for rain and snow. Also, recycled and sustainable fabrics are huge right now, so eco friendly options like let's say, fleece from recycled plastics or bamboo, cotton. Natural fabrics that are sustained, ably created, then quilted and insulated materials are really big right now.

[04:15] Lightweight thermal insulation like thin slate or primaloft. And the last fabrics that I wanted to mention are dentex and our pet. I go into a bit more detail on these in the blog post that I've written about this, so I will put that in the show notes below how you can link to the blog post. But these are waterproof and windproof and sustainable and they're often made from recycled plastic bottles and things like that.

[04:42] So they're great to think of when you're designing your pet wear. Now let's talk about colors. Bold reds and blues are really in right now. Deep Burgundy and Future Dusk. Okay. It's a bit of a fancy name for a deep blue, soft vintage pink, and winter berry. It's a deep, rich berry shade that screams cozy. And finally, let's talk about style trends.

[05:12] Things like adjustable coats, Velcro, expandable patterns, modular designs these things are really in right now. Also, layer jackets think fleece lined coats with removable rain layers or things that have, a sweater, turtleneck or something like that underneath. What I love to do is look through human fashion designs. I go through fashion magazines, and I look online, and I look at what's trending there, and I think, how can I incorporate these design features into my dog wear design?

[05:52] So some of the things that are really trendy right now are preppy, plaid and tartan. That's really back in style. Cargo pockets, big cargo pockets and utility pockets, belts. Faux fur is really big and bold animal print. So, yeah, I know it's kind of strange and it all depends on what you are designing, but I always love to kind of think about fashion forward, but also functional.

[06:25] And so if you can make your dog wear designs functional, it doesn't matter if they're fashion forward and and and making a statement and listen, the sooner you research this the better. Because if you wait until fall to start, you'll be behind before you even launch. Okay, let's look at step two, which is all about starting the design and the prototyping.

[06:50] Now well ahead of the fall season. So let me tell you another big mistake that I made when I first started grading patterns, I had no clue what I was doing. I was literally making a new pattern every time I got a new order in. And yeah, I can tell you, that's not very sustainable. If you want to sell patterns at scale, you need a solid base pattern, one that can be easily graded.

[07:20] I love to work with the the basic cozy coat. This is a wrap style coat and it's it's a really great place to start. If you don't have a lot of patterns or designs under your belt yet. And the reason for this is it's so basic that it is highly adaptable. You can turn this into a trench coat.

[07:41] You can add a skirt to it, you can add belts, you can add pockets, you can add sleeves. There's just so many different things that you can add to this coat as your basic starting point. So as I said, pick a base pattern and if you are looking for one, I do have a base pattern on my website that you can use.

[08:00] It's called the Cozy coat pattern and it really is a great pattern to work with. And I would suggest getting the medium pattern and you working with that medium pattern as your base to start with. Then you can size that up and size it down so that you are grading it for all the different sizes. Then I would suggest you start to get comfortable, if you're not already with some digital programs that will allow you to digitize your patterns, and that way you can size them up, size them down, add all these different features that we're talking about here, and some suggestions that I can make are working with illustrator.

[08:38] That's my go to pattern making software. But you can also use Gimp, which is free software. And Ink Space is another free software that you could work with. And the last thing is you really want to be testing that fit. You gotta sew a sample, you've got to sew a sample. And I usually do my first one in a muslin.

[08:58] Just a basic fabric, just to make sure that I kind of got the right style in the right fit. And then I do make it again in the actual fabric that I am suggesting that the pattern makers use. And then once you've done that, you really want to try it on a few different dogs. So you really want to test to make sure that this fit is working.

[09:20] Then you can adjust where it's needed and then finally make some different sizes, grade it for the different size dogs, and then try it on the different dogs so that you really do have a good sense that this dog pattern that you've created is going to fit a wide range of different dogs. If you're not sure about how to take accurate measurements, I gotcha.

[09:46] I have a Measuring Dogs and Understanding Anatomy guide that walks you through exactly what you need to do to measure and why it matters. Check the show notes below and you'll find the link for that. But the point is, this takes time. So start now and you won't be in a panic mode later on. All right. Your pattern is designed.

[10:13] It fits. It's graded. Now, is it actually ready to sell? Because a great pattern is only half the battle. It also needs to be easy to use. You need to provide step by step sewing instructions that are clear and simple. No guessing involved. You also want to make sure that you are providing print ready PDF files so your customers don't have to fight with their printer, and you need to have some really great marketing images.

[10:44] So when you've created your dog coat, you've sewn it. You've made it into the actual fabric that you are suggesting. Then I highly recommend that you take really great photos of different dogs wearing your your design and make sure you've got really great lighting. If you could do it outside, do it outside. On a day that's kind of overcast, not raining, not snowing, not too cold because you'll be freezing and it makes for just taking some really spectacular photos.

[11:14] A well packaged pattern is way more attractive to buyers. Trust me, this makes a huge difference. Okay, now let's look at step four, the last of my steps. Start talking about your pattern now, even if your pattern isn't finished yet, even if it's even just in sketch mode, start talking about it. This is how you build the buzz post.

[11:37] Behind the scenes sketches and fabric swatches share prototypes even if they're not perfect. Create a waitlist and collect emails so people are ready to buy when you launch. Reach out to dog apparel brands and manufacturers. If you're looking to go big. Let them know what's coming. By the time your pattern is actually ready, you're going to have an audience that's waiting to buy from you.

[12:04] So my final thoughts on this are work ahead and sell more. Here's the thing. Successful pattern makers, they don't wait until the fall to start designing. They don't even wait until late summer to start designing. They are designing in the spring. They work ahead. They make sure their patterns are ready before the season. Actually starts. So if you want to have fully tested, digitized, and graded patterns ready to sell, you want to ensure dog lovers and manufac features can actually produce your designs, and you want to launch to an excited, engaged audience.

[12:43] Then start now. And hey, I know planning ahead can feel a little bit overwhelming, so I made it even easier for you. You can grab my free 2526 dog wear Trend and Pattern making planning ebook. It'll help you take all these trends and ideas and turn them into actual designs. And do check out the blog post that goes with this podcast.

[13:08] It has a lot more details and as I said, you can also get that workbook. The link is in the show notes. Download it, start sketching, and let's make this your best fall season yet. Thanks so much for checking in and I'll catch you on the next one.