FAQ

We take an idea and turn it into product that's ready for production. That means concept, brand direction, design, technical packs, fabric and trim sourcing, sampling, manufacturer selection, and quality control through to delivery.

Some clients hire us for the whole journey. Others come for a specific piece — a tech pack, a 3D garment development, a sourcing brief.

Founders launching a brand from scratch. Established names exploring a new category. Technical apparel brands that need a senior eye on development.

We work across menswear, womenswear, swim, sportswear, leather, footwear, accessories, and home — the breadth helps us pattern-match across categories most consultants don't cross.

A path, not a menu — and it starts free. Discovery call — fifteen minutes, no charge. Studio Audit — £250 + VAT, thirty minutes on one problem; the fee counts toward a Session booked within thirty days. Studio Session — £750 + VAT, ninety minutes plus a written Direction Document inside five working days. Studio Advisory — from £2,000 + VAT a month, retained senior direction. Project Work — from £1,000 + VAT per brief. Full Service — from £10,000 + VAT. Studio Subscription — £350 + VAT a month sits beside the path, for founders who want a regular line rather than a one-off.

The Studio Audit is thirty minutes on one problem — one direction out, no document.

Studio Session is one focused conversation with senior judgement and a written direction document — for founders who want senior eyes on a specific decision.

Studio Subscription is ongoing direction on a regular line — one scheduled hour a month plus email access — for founders who already know what working with me feels like and want a senior brain to call.

Studio Advisory is a retained relationship for established, scaling brands — I hold the season's product and strategy direction with you, review your team's work, and write a quarterly direction document, without taking over your studio.

Project Work is a discrete piece of work delivered to a defined scope — a tech pack, a 3D garment, a sourcing brief.

Full Service is for brands ready to commit to a longer engagement across a season or a launch — concept through to wholesale rail.

Yes, two ways. Studio Advisory is the senior retainer — from £2,000 + VAT per month on a six-month minimum, where I hold the product and strategy direction with an established brand season after season and write a quarterly direction document. It's capped at five brands.

For founders who want something lighter, the Studio Subscription is £350 + VAT per month — one scheduled hour and email access, capped at eight founders.

Existing clients can email info@jameshillman.co.uk to start; new founders should book a Studio Session first.

Around nine to twelve months for a first collection from concept to ready-to-sell, depending on complexity and category. Performance and technical apparel often takes longer. Repeat seasons for established brands move faster — we know the fit blocks, the suppliers, the production rhythm.

A tech pack is the document that tells a factory how to make your product — measurements, construction notes, stitch types, fabric specs, label placement. If the tech pack is wrong, the sample is wrong, the production run is wrong. Yes, you need one. We build them as part of Full Service or as a standalone Project Work brief.

We're based in London — Cocoa Studios, SE16, by appointment only. Most client meetings are remote (Zoom or in person at the studio). We also travel to you if needed.

Production runs across European mills and factories — we've worked with partners in Italy, Japan, Spain, France, the UK, Portugal, and Uruguay.

Yes. We develop garments in 3D before sampling — cuts cost, lead time, and material waste. The same workflow produces photorealistic CGI for campaigns, lookbooks, and e-commerce without a physical shoot. We can also digitise existing physical pieces into a 3D library for reverse-workflow projects.

Yes. Sourcing is one of the most common Project Work briefs we get. We match brands to mills and factories based on category, MOQs, technical requirements, and budget — across our European network and beyond. We don't take supplier kickbacks. Every recommendation is for the brief, not the relationship.

Both. LUCA, Kozha, and BRÓG were all founder-stage when we started. Casa Marané has been an established client for ten-plus years. Some brands grow from one tier of work to another — a Studio Session leads to Project Work, Project Work leads to Full Service. We don't gatekeep stage of business.

Book a free fifteen-minute discovery call — use the form on the contact page and choose the discovery call option. We’ll come back within one working day with times. No preparation needed; we work out where your brand is and what the right next step is, even if it isn’t me.

Founded in 2012 — fourteen years as an independent consultancy. James personally has twenty years of fashion industry experience, including early career roles in Milan under Elio Fiorucci, Balmain in Paris, BCBG in the South of France, and with Korean designer Moon Young Hee. We've worked across menswear, womenswear, swim, sportswear, leather, accessories, and technical apparel.

Studio Advisory is a retained advisory service for established, scaling fashion brands. Each season I hold the product and strategy direction with you — range, pricing, positioning, production strategy — review the work your own team produces, and write a quarterly direction document you can act on and show a board or backer. I don't take over the studio or run production; that stays with your team, or becomes separate Project Work. From £2,000 + VAT per month, six-month minimum, capped at five brands.