About Kathleen

It is my mission to encourage job creation within the manufacturing community by providing designer entrepreneurs (DEs) with the specific tools and resources needed to create viable companies.

I have worked in the garment industry for over 30 years, mostly as a pattern maker of suits, sportcoats, outerwear and leather apparel. I started Apparel Technical Services in 1995 with the goal of providing pre-production services to DEs. Along the way, I wrote and published a newsletter entitled The Designer’s Network News. I ceased publishing this once I wrote a book entitled The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing (1998). This title still sells well with nearly 80 five star reviews on Amazon.com as of 2015. You can order it here.

I have been maintaining Fashion-Incubator.com for over a decade. The site has nearly 3,000 articles that will teach you how to find sewing contractors (“manufacturers”), sales representation, be more profitable, find fabric sources, etc. It is the most popular site on the internet for people who want to start a clothing line or just want to run the one they have, better. I’ve had at least 20 customers, trainees and forum members appear on Project Runway. Over the years I’ve been cited numerous times in New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Vogue, French Vogue, and on National Public Radio. I am a member of AAFA, ASTM, SME, ITAA and Co-op America. Se habla Español.

Fashion-Incubator is an active community with nearly 3,500 followers who have left almost 35,000 comments as of 2015. We also have a private member’s forum where we share proprietary information about which contractors and suppliers are the best — among any other topic members care to discuss. To date, the forum has 1,400+ members who have made over 74,000 posts. (Really!) The fee to join is very modest — only $45 a year. You are required to have bought and read my book prior to becoming a forum member. If you buy a new copy from an approved seller, the first year’s fee is waived.

I continue to provide consulting, training and troubleshooting services. I also provide the option of training at my location — I have a 5,000 sqft. factory with a wide variety of industrial machines, a CAD system, digitizer, plotter, you name it. In addition to pattern and sewing services, I provide the only production patternmaking classes I know of. Don’t hesitate to inquire. If you’d like to hire me or take a class at the Sewing Factory School, please get in touch. I can probably put you up in our guest house.

I look forward to connecting with you personally on Fashion-Incubator.

~ Kathleen Fasanella