KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER, KNOW YOUR PRODUCT
Presented by Indronil Biswas
Good Morning, this is what we will do today !
Pre noon
•Introduction
–Expectation setting
–Share objectives
•Role of a customer care associate
•The Do’s & Don’ts
•Customer first – 5 important service habits
•Shopping - a delightful experience! - Mock sessions
Post noon
•Basic of fabrics/weaves
What is the program objective?
•Learn to create a relationship with the customer, by understanding what he/she needs.
•To help us understand the “feature,advantages,benefit”concept of selling
Why are we doing this program?
Because we need to always stay ahead of competition,By knowing our products well,
presenting them well to our customer,
& having an edge over the others by offering value added service
What is my role at the store?
What value addition do you offer to your customers
What should be the focus of a salesperson?
Do you "only" sell what the customer asks for?
brand loyalty
service quality
Why does a customer buy?
To meet his needs: here there are two types of needs.
Logical need: He needs a shirt /size 42/ color – black etc
•Important presentation / meeting
•Wedding
•Formal office wear
•Semi-formal / Relaxed office wear
•Leisure wear/Party wear
–It is also for another important reason ? What is that?
A quick look at the 5 important service habits
G.U.E.S.T
Our product range
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Shirts
Trousers
Suits
T-shirts
Jeans
Accessories
parts of shirt
Shirts: Construction &
Terminology
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Collar
Yoke
Placket
Front panels
Back panel
Sleeves
Cuffs
Sleeve placket
Trail
Shirts: collars
– Regular/Traditional
Shirts - collars
– Button down
Shirts- collars
– Half cut away Narrow
Shirts - collars
– Full cut away & mandarin or Chinese collar
• Types of cuffs
– Regular cuffs
– French cuffs
• Types of sleeves
– Full sleeves
– Half sleeves
Regular Cuff
French Cuff
Trousers: Construction &
Terminology
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Turn ups
Inseam
Out seam
Bar tacks
Pockets
Pocket Options
Most commonly used front pocket styles in trousers:
• Cross Pockets
• Straight Pockets
• Frog mouth
• Welt placket
Most commonly used front pocket styles in Shirts:
•Patch Pockets
•Welt placket
Pocket Options
Cross Pocket
Frog/ L Mouth
Straight/ Tab Pocket
Trouser Fits
Block
Silhouette
Trim fit, flat front
Relaxed fit, pleated front
Single Pleat Trouser
Double Pleated Trouser
Pleated Trouser
Flat Front Trouser
Trouser Alteration
The following alterations are possible:
• Length of trouser:
– Ask customer to wear the trouser. Make allowances for
footwear
– Measure the out seam i.e. from upper edge of the waist band to
middle of the footwear
– In case you have been given a reference trouser consider the
inseams for both the trousers
• Waist of trouser:
– This can be altered only for those trouser which have a two
piece waist band.
Suits
Suits: Construction & Terminology
• Silhouette: Cut or Shape of the suit
– Shoulder width/fit
– Drop
– Length of the Jacket
• Styling
– Vents
– Lapels
– Single/double breasted
– Pockets
– Trims
• Other terms
– Floating chest piece
– Lining
– Shoulder pad
Suits: Construction & Terminology
Silhouette: This is the cut or shape of the suit
Shoulder width: The width of the shoulder,
Drop = Chest size-waist size
• It is the taper from the chest to the waist
• Gives form and shape to the suit
• Forms the basis for the corresponding trouser size in the suit
• Eg: a perfect figure is 42(chest) & 36 (waist)
• 3 types of Drop used frequently
– Drop 6: Regular / Standard
– Drop 4: for fatter people
– Drop 8: for broad shouldered & narrow waist
Suits: Construction & Terminology
Sleeve & jacket length
• The Jacket must be long enough to cover the curve of the
backside
• The sleeve should end half an inch above the wrist bone
– This is dependant on the choice of the wearer
• Sleeves are broader towards the wrist
– Open Cuff
Suits: Construction & Terminology
Vents:
• Given on the back or side of the Jacket
• Function:
– Greater comfort
– Freedom of motion
• Current range of LP/VH are ventless
Lapel
• refers to the collar extending across the front of a Jacket or Blazer
– Width is usually about 3.5”
Types of Jacket Lapels
Peaked lapel
Notched lapel
Types of Jacket Lapels
Inversed Peaked
Tuxedo
Single Breasted Jacket
• Options in a single Breasted Jacket
– SB 3, SB 4 & SB 5
– Currently SB 3 & SB 4 as a part of the range
– Maximum purchase is in this category
2 Button Single Breasted (SB2)
3 Button Single Breasted (SB3)
Double Breasted Jacket
• 6 buttons on the front , with buttoning possible on one/two
of the buttons
• Ideal for heavy built
• Conceals excess weight
• Out of fashion currently
• 4 buttons on the front with buttoning possible on one of the
buttons
6/2 Double Breasted Jacket
Jacket Alterations
The following alterations are possible:
• Length of the Jacket:
– Can be increased/decreased by an inch.
• Length of the sleeve:
– It can be altered by 1 inch
Trims
Trims
• All components in a garment other than body fabric = Trims
• These can be divided into 2 categories:
– External trims
– Internal trims
• The trims used are imported and of the best quality
Trims
– External trims :
• Buttons of different types
• Labels including swing tags
– Internal trims :
• Felt
• Interlining
• Horse hair/Camel hair
• Shoulder pad assembly/floating chest piece
Trims
• Buttons:
– Front buttons may be useable or for show
– Normally 4 buttons are on the cuff
– Buttons on the cuff are merely for show
– Generally horn buttons are used for jackets. They are:
• Strong
• Crack resistant
• Look good
Trims
• Felt ( wool, hair or fur)
• Gives body to the collar, extra softness, support and
flexibility
• Thinner felt used in the underside of the collar
• Imported from Germany
• Interlining:
– Used only on the sleeve cuff and the lapel of a jacket
– It is fused with the sleeve fabric as a stiffening fabric
Trims
• Horse hair/camel hair:
– Woven out of horse hair and camel hair
– Gives additional stiffness, support and shape
– Used in chest piece and in shoulder pads
– Imported from Germany
• Shoulder pad assembly
– Give shape to shoulders and a soft feel
– Layers of felt + horse hair + camel hair + cotton stuffing
– Imported from Germany
• Floating chest piece assembly
– Layers of specially cut horse hair placed at biases
– Is stitched loosely to the shell
– Allows free movement of arms and chest
Fiber
Fabric
Basic Fibers: Natural and Man made
Cotton
Wool
Linen
Lycra
Viscose
Polyester
Silk
Nylon
Acrylic
Loom – a schematic Diagram
Material-Wovens
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Cotton-Natural fibre
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Comfortable
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Machine-washable, dry-cleanable
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Good strength
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Drapes well
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Soft hand
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Absorbent
Material-Wovens
• Woolen- Natural fibre
– Comfortable
– Good to feel
– Lightweight
– Good insulator
– Wrinkle-resistant
– Absorbent
– Durable
Material-Wovens
• Silk-Natural fibre
– Soft or crisp hand
– Luxurious & Drapes well
– Thinnest of all natural fibers
– Hand-washable or dry-cleanable
– Poor resistance to prolonged exposure to sunlight
Material-Wovens
• Linen-Natural fibre
– From the Flax plant, natural lustre
– Comfortable
– Good strength, twice as strong as cotton
– Hand-washable or dry-cleanable
– Crisp hand
– Absorbs sweat
Material-Wovens
• Tencel-Man-made fibre
– Produced from the cellulose of wood pulp
– Adds softness
– Luxurious drape
– Breathable
– Good absorbency
– Practical performance of man-made fibre
Material-Wovens
• Polyester-Man-made fibre
– Strong
– Crisp / soft hand
– Resistant to stretching and shrinkage
– Washable or dry-cleanable
– Quick drying
– Resilient, wrinkle resistant, excellent pleat retention (if
heat set)
Material-Wovens
• Viscose-Man-made fibre
– More breathable
– Relatively less durable
– Wrinkles easily
– Pilling is a problem
– Shrinks after washing
– Susceptible to mould and silverfish.
– Absorbs sweat
Material-Wovens
• Polynosic-Man-made fibre
– Drapes well
– Excellent luster
– Breathable
– Can be dyed in bright colors
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fabric
Fabric
Yarn
Woven Fabric Manufacturing :
Spinning
Yarn
Weaving
Greige fabric
Wet Processing
Finished fabric
Inspection
Packed fabric
Fabric-Yarn
Spinning - Fiber to Yarn process
• Fibers are usually grouped and twisted into a continuous
strand called yarns.
• Carding: Cleaning and dis-entangling of fibers
• Combing: After Carding; further cleans, removes shorter
fibers and increases alignment of fibers
• Carded or carded & combed sliver is made into yarn
• Yarns are made by twisting the slivers while simultaneously
pulling or drawing the fiber out.
Carding
Carding
Combing
Combing
Fabric
Yarn
Carded & Combed yarn
• Advantages of combed yarn
– Fabric looks better
– Feels smoother
– Is stronger
Fabric
Yarn
Ply: 2 or more single yarns twisted together
Count : 100gms of cotton stretched to “ n” meters.
for eg: stretched to 40 – 40’s count
2 ply: 2/40 * 2/40 ( warp and weft yarn)
Advantages of Plying:
– Stronger
– Durability enhanced
– Surface look & feel improves
– Reduced tendency to pill
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blending
Blending
A yarn or fabric made of more than one fiber :
• Advantages - To get the best properties of both Natural
and Synthetic fibers.
• Mixing of two or more types of fibers
• Blending is done by weight only
• Contributes to the cost of the garment
Material-Blending
Cotton
Polyester
33%
67%
Polyester Cotton
P/C
Material-Blending
Polyester
Wool
55%
45%
Poly Wool
Polyester Cotton (PC)
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Polyester (67%) and Cotton (33%)
– Cotton
• Softness, Breathability, Absorbency
– Polyester
• Strong, Resistance to Creasing, Quick dry,
Chief Value Cotton (CVC)
• Polyester (40%)+Cotton(60%) - Soft handle
– Cotton
• Softness, Breath ability, Absorbency , Comfort due to
richer Cotton content
– Polyester
• Strength, Crease resistance, Easy care
Polyester/Terry Wool(PW)
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Polyester (67%) and Wool (33%)
– Usually referred to as Poly wool
– Wool imparts
• better drape, warmth & absorbency
– Polyester imparts
• Wrinkle resistance
• Strength & Luster
weaves
Weaving
Process of Interlacement of Warp & Weft on Loom to get
Fabric.
Fabric-Weaves
Yarn on 2 sides of Fabric
– Warp (Vertical)
– Weft (Horizontal)
Fabric-Weave
The weave
Fabric-Weaves
• The most commonly used weaves in suits and blazers are:
– Plain weave
– Matte weave
– Twill weave
– Pick and pick weave
Plain Weave
• Firm and durable
• Interlacement of yarns is very high hence, resists snagging
and pulling
Plain Weave
Plain Weave
Twill Weave
• Diagonal pattern on the surface
• Stronger weave
• Good wrinkle (crease) recovery
Types of Twill weave
Twill
Herringbone
Matte Weave
• Also known as BASKET WEAVE
• It’s a variation of plain weave.
• Uses doubled yarn to produce a basket like design on the
face of the fabric
Basket Weave
Basket Weave
Chambray
White Weft Yarn
Colour Warp Yarn
• Gives a two tone look
– Used in : All types of garments
– History :
Named after Chambrai
province in France
Fil-a-Fil
White Weft Yarn
Alternate Colour &
White Warp Yarn
• Gives two tone look
– Used in :All types of garments
Pick & Pick Weave
 Alternate white and colored yarns on the warp and weft
 A variant of the Fil-A-Fil weave (used in shirts)
Oxford
Classical
PPO
Soft light weight woven cotton or blended in a matt weave
variation , using plain weave construction
Creates a soft texture, smooth surface
Gives a dotted effect.
1. Classical (Larger heads)
2. Pin Point-PPO (Small heads)tightly woven
Used in Shirts
Corduroy
Used in : Bottom wear and outerwear
– Benefit : Hardwearing fabric for ooutdoor wear
Warmth providing fabric
– History : Named after Corde Du Roi,
French for - Cloth of King
Denim
• Twill Chambray -Indigo dyed Warp & Undyed Weft
– Used in:
– Benefit:
– History:
Jeans - heavy weights
Outerwear - heavy weight
Shirts / Tops - light weight
Hard wearing
Trendy
Named after a place in
France called Diemes.
dyeing
Types of Dyeing
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Top/fiber dyeing
Yarn dyeing - Shriting
Beam Dyeing - Denims
Fabric dyeing
Garment dyeing
Printing - Block, Screen, Rotary, Flocking, Burn
outs, Laser, Space dyeds.
Pilling strength:
Done for blends only
Wet alkali test:
Done for 100% cottons only (as possibility of fading is higher here).
Some alkali (acting like a detergent) is applied to the swatch &
exposed to sunlight for a few hours and then compared with the
original shade.
Knits (special tests):
Bursting Strength: fabric is checked to see what degree of
pressure it ‘tears’ at - called ‘bursts’ in Knits.
Light fastness: dry fabric is exposed to light for almost a day
and then checked for color fastness
Washes and Finishes
Finishes:
• ‘Processes/treatments a fabric is put through after it has been made
and dyed.
• The main purpose:To make the fabric more suitable for its intended
end use.
• Finishes might be given for aesthetic purposes or for functional
purposes (referred to as a treatment)
Finishes
Types of Finishes:
Emerising is a process by which garments are passed through rollers to
soften the fabric
• Microsanding
– This is done by use of special machines and does not involve
chemicals
– Makes the fabric smoother.
• Peaching
– This refers to a stronger process of brushing the fabric using fine
wire brushes
– This finish is widely used on outdoor cargos.
– Makes the fabric softer.
Washes and Finishes
Washes:
• Finished garments treated with catalysts to get the required effect.
• Garments which are 100% Cotton or Cotton blends are washed for
various reasons.
• Normally only Semiformal/casual garments are washed.
Washes and Finishes
• Garments are washed for the following reasons:
– To influence physical properties like
• Softness/handle
• Drape
• Absorbency
• Creasing
– To create shrinkage and effects of shrinkage (pucker)
– To influence appearance of fabric by changing the colour or
luster/ fashion purposes
Types of Washes
• Softener Wash
– This is the simplest type of wash. This wash does not use
enzymes and is not harsh on the garment.
– Corduroys are washed using this type of wash
• Stone wash:
– Used on trousers to get the faded look. Garments are actually
washed with stones in the washers in the presence of special
enzymes
• Enzyme wash
Types of Washes
• Feather wash:
– This is an Enzyme wash to get softer feeling trousers. Used on
twill trousers. Gives a slightly faded look.
• Sand wash
• Acid wash:
– Used widely on denims
• Other types of washes:Golf ball wash, pumice wash etc.
Special Treatments
Wrinkle Free
– 100% cotton trousers which are given a special chemical
treatment.
– The Tencel-cotton range from Allen Solly is also wrinkle free
– Such trousers feel softer, have enhanced breathability, do not
shrink or wrinkle.
– Perfect for business meetings and travel
Special Treatments
Wrinkle Free
• A chemical process where trousers are resinated and baked at specific
temperatures to give the required properties
– Different brands have this range as a part of the offering
• DURA PRESS- Van-Heusen collection of anti wrinkle shirts.
• PERMA PRESS- Louis Philippe wrinkle free trousers and
shirts
• UNCRUSHABLES-from Allen Solly
Special Treatments
• Anti bacterial:
– These garments are given a special bacteriostatic finish which
prevents bacterial growth.
– Hence garments do not catch body odor and are always fresh
– This treatment is only done abroad. (imported fabric is used in
our range)
• Anti Static – to avoid static charges
Special Treatments
• Stain resistance:
– Special chemical treatment given to trousers as a result of which
liquids are not absorbed by the fabric.
– This treatment is done on polyester blends
– These garments do not crease easily
– Perfect for party wear and travel.
• Stain release
– This garment stains but releases the stain on washing with plain
water.
Knitted Fabric Designs
Fully Fashioned Knit
Patterns achieved using fully fashioned knit
Knitted Designs
Auto Stripes
Knitted Designs
Auto Stripes
Knitted Designs
Engineered Stripes
Knitted Designs
Argyle
Knitted Designs
Cable
Importance of Accessories
• Emphasis is on role of the staff
– Ask them what it is, does it center around people or stocks.
– What value addition is happening at the store because of you.
– Huge walk ins, mass product, but still u can attract the zodiac/arrow
crowd to your counter??
– Where does service fit in all these aspects.
– Ultimately it has to be a product service bundle!
–
think of the days when shirts used to be kept covered in
boxes, today they are accessible, but what about your role.
– What does it mean to you.