Consumer Choices, Costing and Sustainability
Informed buying
Consumers weigh price, quality, fit, care requirements, durability and ethics. Quality checks include seam neatness, even stitching, matched pattern at seams, secure fastenings and accurate grain. Labels give fibre content, origin and care - legally required in many markets.
Costing a garment
Cost includes materials (fabric, thread, notions), labour (time × rate), overheads and a profit margin. Calculate fabric quantity from pattern layout, allowing for nap, pattern repeat and wastage. Selling price = total cost + profit; a mark-up percentage is applied to cost.
Sustainability
Issues include water and energy use, chemical dyes, microfibre shedding, textile waste and poor labour conditions. Responses: reduce, repair, reuse, recycle; choose durable natural or recycled fibres; buy less but better; support take-back schemes and ethical certification.
Traps
- Confusing mark-up (on cost) with margin (on selling price).
- Forgetting wastage and pattern repeat when estimating fabric.
- Assuming natural always means sustainable - cotton can be water-intensive.
- Ignoring labour in a costing exercise.
Rule of thumb
Cost everything, then add profit. Worked example: fabric 2 m at 15 = 30, thread and notions 5, labour 3 hours at 10 = 30; total 65; add 20% mark-up = 65 × 1.20 = 78 selling price.
Practical Coursework and Portfolio
What the portfolio shows
A coursework portfolio records the design journey: brief, research, mood board, fabric and technique tests, design development, final plan, construction record, evaluation and photographic evidence. It should be organised, annotated and dated so a moderator can follow the thinking.
Planning and making
Produce a production plan with a time line, a cutting list, a fabric and notions list, and risk assessment for tools. Keep a diary of problems and solutions - moderators reward reflection, not just a perfect garment.
Assessment focus
Marks come from investigation, design development, making skills (accuracy, finish, complexity) and evaluation. Photograph stages, keep samples of techniques, and annotate decisions with reasons.
Evaluation
Evaluate against the original brief: does it fit the user, meet the specification, and perform in wear and care? Suggest realistic improvements.
Traps
- Presenting only the final garment with no evidence of process.
- Unannotated sketches or undated work.
- Copying images without credit.
- Evaluating with vague praise instead of specific strengths and improvements.
Rule of thumb
If it is not recorded, it cannot be credited. Worked example: for a tote bag project, include the brief, research on user needs, fabric tests, three annotated designs, a production plan, construction photos, a risk note, and an evaluation naming two strengths and two improvements.