THIS IS AN ARCHIVE POST FROM 2020.
I was thinking about what I could add to the Virivee tights collection to balance out its seasonality. I came to the conclusion that swimwear would be ideal, as tights are mainly a winter product, while swimwear is clearly for summer.
I also thought it would be a good opportunity to try print on demand, as it allows you to create high-quality, custom-designed swimwear without any investment in stock. So this was a perfect way to test the idea.
The range of swimwear styles currently available is quite limited, so I thought I would start by testing the possibilities with a modest swimwear collection for children.
What is Print on Demand?
Print on demand (PoD) means outsourcing the production of products on demand. In this case, the designer only provides the graphics, while the manufacturer produces the ordered item based on a predefined template, adds the designer’s branding, and ships it directly to the customer on the designer’s behalf.
This is different from contract manufacturing, where larger quantities are usually produced and delivered by the manufacturer in one shipment (sometimes divided into several smaller deliveries). With print on demand, the order is usually for a small quantity, often just one item, which the manufacturer ships directly to the customer’s address.
Most print-on-demand companies specialise in a particular type of product and focus exclusively on manufacturing it. Nowadays, there is a very wide range of products available, from posters and trainers to cushions.
Larger companies often have several production facilities. To reduce shipping costs and delivery times, they usually produce and ship the order from the facility closest to the customer. Some companies, for example, have factories both in the USA and in Europe.
Some companies offer a wide range of products, while others specialise in just a few. You can even work with several print-on-demand providers at the same time, allowing you to offer different types of products in your collection.
I had never worked with print on demand before, but I had been curious about it for quite some time. I decided to try Printful, as it seemed to be one of the most reliable international providers on the market.
I adapted some of the existing Virivee patterns for children’s swimsuits, ordered the products, and sent the finished pieces off for a photoshoot. But just as I received the photos, COVID hit.
I didn’t even consider what to do with the swimsuits at that point. I was too busy trying to get through the strict lockdown in Spain, keep Virivee from going bankrupt, and make sure I could still pay my employees. Understandably, orders for tights had come to a complete stop, as most customers buy them for events, and suddenly there were no events to attend.
By now we have more or less got through the worst of it, so finally the swimsuits went on sale!
Since these are print-on-demand products, every order is manufactured individually, which means the production time is relatively long — around two weeks. But let’s see how they will be received.
If I see that the children’s swimsuits are successful, I am planning to design an adult collection as well. I already have a few ideas for that.
How I became a tights designer
First Virivee kids tights collection
