The big interview with Ellen Schönig - Schnittmuster Berlin

I'm sitting across from Ellen in our office. It feels a bit strange to be conducting such an "internal" interview, since Ellen and I have known each other professionally for a very long time. But we're both trying to be very professional, setting up our "studio," turning on the camera, quickly taking a sip of tea, clearing our throats, fixing our hair, and then we're off.

I ask her questions that were submitted to me by our design seamstresses , as well as some I came up with myself. You can find parts of it in video and audio on Instagram, but here is the entire interview in full.

Enjoy reading.

1. How old were you when you realized you wanted to become a fashion designer, and was there a trigger for this?

Without knowing exactly where my professional journey would lead, I applied to the Lette Verein in Berlin at the age of 16 because of my interest in art and design - and received the offer.

However, I then decided to complete my A-levels after all. The Lette Verein supported my approach of finishing my A-levels first. My art teacher at the Gymnasium (grammar school) also advised me to definitely pursue art or design, and so I started my apprenticeship at the Lette Verein after graduating.

Another inspiration was my mother, who was a seamstress. I always thought that was wonderful and thought it could be something for me too. She also suggested I apply to the Lette Association, because there I could learn about design and pattern making.

(during training at the Lette Verein)

2. Your CV in 10 sentences:

Oh. In 10 sentences. I'll give it a try:

So, first I graduated from high school and then, as I said, I did my training as a fashion designer at the Lette Verein.

After that, I took up my first position as a production editing assistant at the company Pabst.

After two and a half years, I switched to Univogue. It was a small designer label where I did pattern making and design – a great time.

My next job was at Cirstein, where I was responsible for cutting and product development. At that time, we worked for very large mail-order companies (e.g., Otto Versand and Peter Hahn), and I handled the entire order processing.

Everything from ingredients and fabrics to patterns and grading came together with me. Back then, that meant regularly visiting clients, as I was responsible for final approval and overseeing production. It was a demanding but exciting time.

After many years of experience, my colleague Dagmar and I became self-employed in the field of pattern making.

From then on, the company "Die Schnittmacher Berlin" existed, and we processed orders for a wide variety of clients, from small Berlin scene labels to large fashion companies.

That was 17 years ago. I've been self-employed ever since.

(Editor's note: 14 sentences. Had to be included!)

(At work)

3. Within the fashion industry, there are many fields: design, pattern making, fashion journalism, textile technology, and much more. Why did you choose pattern making?

I've always been interested in design, but it never really grabbed me.

That wasn't enough for me.

I've always found it more exciting to grasp what a designer wants to express, to understand the cut, the silhouette, and the idea, and then translate that into a great pattern. It creates a truly exciting collaboration because my ideas as a pattern maker also flow into the design and thus indirectly influence it. I try, so to speak, to read the other person's mind and then bring their idea to life. I still enjoy doing that to this day.

This often presents a significant challenge. However, it's also very satisfying when the customer ultimately says that the part is exactly as they envisioned it. Then I know I've done my job right.

4. The role of pattern cutter has changed dramatically in the last 30 years. What are the biggest changes in your job?

The biggest change, of course, is that the classic method of creating cuts at a table with paper, ruler, tape and scissors is now very rare.

That's completely gone in large companies.

I now work exclusively on the computer with a special program. I use it to create the patterns and also to do the grading.

There are definitely advantages to doing it digitally: I can work much faster and more accurately because I can change exact millimeter measurements in seconds - even within an already graded part.

And of course, everything is always immediately available on the hard drive. No searching when a customer calls, no unrolling the edit with the phone to your ear to understand what question needs to be answered.

This used to be extremely complicated, because there was neither the time nor the economics to make copies of graded patterns. In the companies where I worked, all the patterns were always sent out to the production department. If a company called and the perceived problem couldn't be solved immediately, I, as the pattern maker, simply had to go there. That was the only way, and looking back today, something like that is completely unimaginable.

Today I can quickly check the system, have the lines measured again if necessary, and then immediately make decisions and – if needed – make changes. Super convenient!

So I don't want to go back. However, I think it was very good to learn pattern making without a computer first, and I advise beginners to start this way: this tactile experience is important and helpful. Sometimes it helps to wrap the pattern around your body to understand the proportions or to develop a sense of three-dimensionality.

All of that is gone now, of course. Everything is on the screen, and the most important skill in my profession is spatial reasoning. The ability to imagine a structure from surfaces that wraps around the body.

5. Since when has Schnittmuster Berlin existed? When/why was it time to found the label?

That was in 2015.

We were at a fabric fair and talking to a customer who gave sewing classes and naturally used a wide variety of patterns. She then asked us: "Tell me, why don't YOU do something like that?"

And somehow... we looked at each other and wondered why we hadn't thought of it ourselves. That's how the idea for Schnittmuster Berlin (Berlin Sewing Patterns) was born – well, it wasn't immediately clear that the sewing pattern would be called Berlin, that came much later.

The beauty of the idea was that it allowed us to focus more on the design aspect again. When selling sewing patterns, what's crucial is which styles are currently popular and how trends can be implemented. That appealed to us as a challenge.

6. Trends, which brings us to the next topic: Where do the ideas come from? Are they fashion trends or other influences?

It's a mix of everything. Of course, it's simply wonderful to live in Berlin as a fashion designer and to be inspired. Here, inspiration is literally on the street.

People look at each other.

What are the young people wearing? Where are they headed?

Ideas are everywhere, and it's never a whole design, but rather small details that provide the impetus: the collar of a news anchor on television, the sleeve shape of an actress in a new film, or the back neckline of the dress of the woman in front of me in the queue.

Of course, holidays are particularly inspiring: other cultures, shapes and colors. That's always very exciting.

7. Can you briefly explain how the development of a new sewing pattern actually works? From the initial idea to the finished pattern that's available in the online shop.

The ideas come from everywhere, and of course from everyone on the team.

I always have many ideas or even a very precise vision, but Sarah (cutting preparation / IT & support & online shop) and Chris (marketing & PR) also have suggestions, which are put on paper and then we discuss the pros and cons.

A lot of ideas are eliminated at that stage, but if everyone likes the idea - or if one of us has convinced the others with arguments or bribed them with cake - I get to work and construct the first draft.

We then sew a test garment from some fabric. At this stage, it's not about the workmanship, but rather we check the proportions , whether the width is right, and whether the idea has actually resulted in a piece that we really like.

Of course, we'll do a fitting.

Ideally, I'd try it on using a model, but if that's not available, I'll try the new item on myself. It's not ideal, really, because I don't have the necessary distance – I can't see myself from behind, for example – but sometimes there's no other way.

And if everything looks good, we'll sew the first prototype using the original fabric. During this process, we might notice minor issues, such as missing notches or a slightly imperfect corner.

After that, I do the grading, and each new pattern is then printed in size 50 and a test sewn. A friend of mine then tries it on, and I check the fit in that size.

Following this, I create the multi-size pattern and lay out the individual sizes. This means arranging the pattern pieces in a single pattern layout in the most paper-efficient way possible.

Then Sarah continues: She ensures that the different sizes are colored, creates the individual segments for the ebooks (this is called tiling), the projector file, produces the technical drawing and is significantly involved in creating the sewing instructions and the cover sheets for the paper patterns.

In short: She prepares everything so that the pattern can be purchased as an ebook or paper pattern and the sewing instructions are available on the website. This applies both to our customers in the online shop and to the approximately 40 retailers who sell our patterns in fabric stores or on online platforms.

At the same time , Chris is involved in marketing. She does our photo shoots, edits the pictures from the design seamstresses, and develops ideas on how to market the new sewing pattern.

Sometimes I have to put on a cowboy hat and learn country line dancing in two minutes just to buy a jersey blouse, or drive halfway across town because there's some "oh-so-great" backdrop for our newest design. Chris can be relentless about that. Hehe.

And from all these materials we then develop content for social media and fill our online shop.

Wow, when you list it all off like that, it becomes clear why we're always so busy. (She laughs).

8. When developing your patterns: Do you prefer simple patterns or difficult, complex patterns?

Definitely the complex cuts! It's absolutely clear: when I see something beautiful, even if it's complicated, my heart leaps.

I also enjoy doing something simple from time to time, but the other thing is of course a completely different challenge, and I enjoy that much more!

9. What was the first pattern from Schnittmuster Berlin, and how did it feel to release it?

(Ellen laughs): Well, we didn't just have ONE first pattern, but a whole series. I'd have to count them now, but there were a good ten patterns that we offered in an online shop that was programmed especially for us.

Of course, it all looked completely different back then, oh dear, when I think about it: We printed it on our large plotter and the sewing instructions were extremely rudimentary... So, as I said, it was all incredibly complicated and new for us. But finally, we excitedly uploaded the first patterns online... and then went on vacation. No joke! We thought: when we get back in two weeks, the first orders will be in. Crazy, when I think about it now!

So we came back from our holiday and there was - NOTHING.

No order!

What we didn't know back then was that this online shop had such a serious error in its code that it was practically not listed by Google at all. It took us a long time to find that out.

What can I say? Choosing an online shop system is a very complex matter. Let me just say this: we're now on our third online shop, and this one is truly fantastic!

10. Are you always sure that a new haircut will be a success, or are there also surprises?

Absolutely. We're constantly surprised. In both directions.

We now have a very large and dedicated design sewing team. All the design sewers receive the latest pattern in advance, sew it themselves from the fabric of their choice, and send us photos of their creations. This serves as an initial "barometer," because each design sewer decides for herself whether or not to sew a new pattern. So, if there's a certain reluctance within the design sewing team, we reconsider the pattern—or even discard it entirely, which is very rare.

The best thing, of course, is when many of our design seamstresses are already enthusiastic about the new pattern. Then there's often a lot going on behind the scenes, and that's always a sign that the pattern launch will be a success.

But you never really know. Sometimes a pattern doesn't do so well at first, and then it's discovered by an influencer, sewn and promoted, and suddenly – the pattern gets a new boost.

11. For some time now, you've been increasingly active as a model and brand ambassador for your own label, especially on social media. What led to this decision, and has anything changed for you regarding Schnittmuster Berlin as a result?

What's changed for me is that I can now handle situations like interviews or photo and video shoots with much more confidence and ease. That was something I never used to do. But that changed after I started working as a lecturer. I had to stand in front of a class. That was a huge challenge for me, but I'm incredibly grateful for that time, however exhausting it was. Because since then, it's just so much easier for me to stand up and talk or to pose for a camera.

Of course, I'm not a model myself. And when I see how perfectly others do it, I'm very impressed, but I really enjoy showing and presenting OUR models. I have to say, I absolutely love doing it.

Furthermore, I have felt that I am closer to our customers and our products since then, because I show myself in my own self-designed clothing.

Because I am constantly dressed in Schnittmuster Berlin, I also experience in everyday life how our patterns are received - in the office, in the evening or on vacation.

Positive reactions to our posts, where I present our patterns, are of course great for me personally, and when our followers then say that they are now buying the pattern because our presentation convinced them, then that is a truly wonderful feeling.

 

12. Schnittmuster Berlin seems to be constantly changing. Can you tell us about some of the upcoming goals?

Of course, we always want to improve. Whether that means offering all our ebooks with layers or perfecting our sewing instructions to the very best.

For me, as a pattern maker, there's always one main goal: to create patterns with a superb fit. Of course, I'm delighted by any kind of positive feedback. Every time I hear that our fit is highly praised, it warms my heart, because it's truly important to me personally.

It's clear that a single pattern can't truly cover every body type. However, it's important to me to be able to offer a suitable pattern for the majority of the many different body shapes. That's my goal.

13. Where do you get the energy that motivates you to do well in your job every day?

On the one hand, my motivator is of course that I enjoy doing my work.

And what I really enjoy is coming to the company here.

Seeing the team, the premises, the enormous plotter that sometimes drives me crazy, hearing the whir of a sewing machine, and running my fingers over the fabrics in our fabric store. When I then sit down at my computer with my second cup of tea of ​​the day, I'm content, even if the days are long and hectic.

When I finally start working, I am very grateful that I get to do a job that I really enjoy.

14. If you had to guess... how many cuts have you made in your life so far?

(Editor's note: At this point, two big, round, puzzled eyes stare back at me, and I realize that Ellen has probably never asked herself this question. So we roughly estimated it together and came up with approximately 5,800 cuts.)

Crazy, right? I was totally impressed.)

15. And finally, of course, the question we ask all our interviewees: What model was your first sewing machine and how did you get it?

Ha! Because I suspected you'd ask me this question, I specifically looked it up:

It's an Adler machine, I still have it.

So, an old, used industrial sewing machine that I bought from a dealer in Berlin while I was studying.

Chris - for sewing patterns Berlin