How to Design Denim Jeans
Designing a pair of denim jeans from the ground up requires coordination of several different items, including textile type, embellishment and desired silhouette. However, the finished product is customized to suit your particular taste---which is better than an expensive department-store jean. A thorough design process guarantees a pair of jean that will fit your needs for years to come.
Things You'll Need
- Slightly sheer paper Coloring media (e.g., colored pencils, markers) Computer with Internet access Pencil Eraser
Instructions
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1
Download a croqui, or fashion drawing form, for your illustration. Using a croqui gives you the correct proportions for clothing design. Select a front-facing croqui, as well as one with a back view.
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Lay the croqui printouts beneath the semisheer illustration paper and trace the figure. You'll erase the leg lines after constructing your pant.
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Decide how you'd like the jeans to fit, since this will affect the textile that is used for construction. These days, most denim is produced with a bit of Spandex; this enables the design to hug the curves without feeling restrictive. However, more relaxed boyfriend and trouser styles may not need stretch. In a well-drawn illustration, it will be clear whether the denim stretches.
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Start to draw the front of the jean from the waist down. In this section, look at dimensions, such as the rise length and waistband curvature. Recent changes in denim design have introduced sloping fronts, high waists, super-low cuts and other variations. Add these to the drawing to get a good visual representation of exactly what you want.
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Next, move on to the thigh area. This is where you start to see the shape of the jean really develop. If the jean is a loose design, widen the leg right at the bottom of the buttocks. If not, keep it narrow till the knee. Depending on your leg muscle development, it may be prudent to leave a bit of extra fabric in the thigh area.
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Start thinking about the bottom of the pant once you've reached the knee. The narrowest leg opening is tapered, which is narrower than the thigh. Straight is just as open as the thigh, while boot-cut is slightly wider, by about 3 inches. Flare is wider still. The wider the bottom, the higher up the graduation to the final hem width needs to start. However, don't graduate from too far above the knee.
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Choose a color for the jean. If the base textile color is going to be very dark and you intend to add rhinestones or other fine embellishment, draw that in first and color around these features. It's fine to draw over lighter base colors.
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Using the back-facing croqui, draw the back of the jean. Try to replicate the same slopes and graduations in the leg as on the front panel. Don't forget to add pockets. As a rule, smaller pockets enlarge the appearance of the derriere, while larger ones shrink it. A higher pocket will also draw the eye upward.
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Once the jean is done, draw a simple top to go with the jean so that you can get a sense of style and mood. This is is the time to see if the design will match clothing you already own or pieces that you have yet to acquire.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit 2008 bluryee / Creative Commons
