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.

Three tiers. Studio Session — £750 ex VAT, a focused 90 minutes plus a written direction document inside five working days. Project Work — from £1,000 ex VAT, single-scope briefs (one tech pack, one 3D garment, one sourcing review) with a defined fee upfront. Full Service — from £10,000 ex VAT, end-to-end consultancy across a season or a launch.

Studio Session is for one focused conversation with senior judgement and a written direction document. Project Work is for a discrete piece of work delivered to a defined scope. Full Service is for brands ready to commit to a longer engagement across a season or a launch — concept through to wholesale rail.

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.

Email info@jameshillman.co.uk with a short brief — what the project is, what stage you're at, what you need. We'll come back within one working day with whether it's a Studio Session, Project Work, or Full Service fit, and what the next step looks like. If you're not sure where to start, book a Studio Session — it's the lowest-commitment way to get senior judgement on your project.

The consultancy was founded in 2012. James trained at Kingston University and Central Saint Martins, with early career stops in Milan under Elio Fiorucci, Balmain in Paris, BCBG in the South of France, and Korean designer Moon Young Hee. Twenty years across menswear, womenswear, swim, sportswear, leather, accessories, and technical apparel.