Behind the Seams: How a K. Becker Garment Comes to Life

At K. Becker, a new design never starts with a spreadsheet or a production schedule. It begins with inspiration. Sometimes it’s the thrill of seeing a silhouette on a Paris runway, sometimes it’s a detail spotted in everyday life — a drape, a line, a shape that makes me pause. That spark is where each piece begins.

From Idea to Pattern

Once the idea takes hold, I translate it into a sketch and work with a pattern maker to bring it into form. This step is crucial. A well-made pattern is the backbone of a garment. Skip it, and you skip the chance to achieve the perfect fit.

Why Fittings Still Matter

Here’s something most people don’t realize: many brands have eliminated fittings altogether. It’s why you often try something on that looks promising on the hanger but fits strangely in the dressing room. They write off entire productions that don’t work, and much of that clothing ends up in landfills. At K. Becker, we still insist on fittings. Every piece is tried, adjusted, refined — until the garment works as beautifully in motion as it does on paper.

The Real Test: Living in It

But my favorite step comes last. I live in the sample. I wear it to dinner, to the grocery store, on long walks, at my desk. I bend, stretch, wash it, and wear it again. This is where the questions that matter most get answered:

• Does the waistband hold me comfortably without digging in?

• Do the armholes stay in place, or can you see my bra when I move?

• Does the fabric breathe on a warm day, and keep me warm when the air turns cool?

• Does it itch, cling, or slide around — or does it simply feel good against the skin?

• How does it look after a wash? Does it still drape the way it should?

I also ask friends and family for their honest opinions — how it looks, how it moves, what it communicates. Only if a garment passes every one of these real-life tests do I move it forward into production.

A Different Kind of Fashion Cycle

This process may take longer, but it means less waste, fewer disappointments, and pieces that women return to again and again. At K. Becker, that’s our promise: clothes designed not just to be worn, but to be lived in.