Blue Cast: AMK Atelier’s Maria Gunnarsson on Finding the Right Fit and Differentiated Denim
Blue Cast is a podcast series from the TENCEL™ Denim team. Each episode features a conversation with a special guest from within the industry or the fringes of the denim community. The following is a recap of Episode 604.
AMK Atelier founder Maria Gunnarsson describes herself as a “fit nerd.” In her view, fit is one of the key aspects that makes or breaks a pair of jeans.
“I love to both educate, but also to share my knowledge and to talk about the importance of doing things thoroughly, especially when it comes to fit and pattern making and silhouettes,” said Maria. “It’s a bit like cooking. If you don’t have the right ingredients, it will never really taste as good in the end.”
As Maria told Lenzing’s Tuncay Kilickan on the latest episode of our Blue Cast podcast, consumers have gotten very used to dealing with ill fitting clothing. But she doesn’t want wearers to settle, which comes down to product development that prioritizes fit. “We all need to learn how it feels to wear something that fits you really well, because that also makes you as an end consumer educated in your selection of why you would buy something,” she noted. “Imagine if a garment can be your kind of armor to conquer the world and feel good about yourself.”
One mistake that companies make is outsourcing their fit to their manufacturing partners instead of developing it according to their brand perspective. Putting care and attention into this and creating signatures that run across the brand’s collections can help encourage loyalty and establish a point of differentiation.
Maria founded her consultancy to combine her passions for fit as well as sustainability, production and material science that she developed while working for Levi’s Vintage Clothing and Kings of Indigo. Since launching in 2017, she has collaborated with brands like Mud Jeans, Damson Madder and Bestseller, and she specializes in technical design, visual merchandising and circular concepts like upcycling and recycling.
Denim today is a silhouette free for all, with one of the widest ranges of styles available in the market at one time. The same brand that might have gotten by with just a few cuts mere years ago now feels like they have to hedge their bets with everything from a skinny to a baggy jean. But much like fit grading and patterns, taking a customer-specific approach is stronger. Maria made a comparison to a restaurant with too many options on the menu, which leaves diners questioning the level of expertise on any of the cuisines available. “If there’s less to offer and it’s done really well, I think you have a more loyal customer and you can also provide a better focus and a better product. And I would really hope that more brands take it more serious to really do things well, and hope for that success instead of creating a huge offer and then lose product quality because you can’t have the tension for all of it.”
When it comes to sustainability, fashion is a “slow machine.” However, a cause for hope is the up-and-coming generation of designers. Speaking of what she’s observed with the classes she teaches, she said, “The students are definitely a big source of inspiration for not following the rules or not doing it by the book yet, especially in the creative part… If the industry is providing more sustainable options, I have no doubt that there will be a lot of fantastic expressions out there from young designers. We just need to give them some space.”
Listen to the full conversation here.