ICT in Fashion – SS3 Fashion and Garment Making Lesson Note (First Term)

ICT in fashion means using technology, such as a phone or computer, to make a tailor’s work faster, neater and more professional. It covers designing on screen, drafting patterns with software, talking to customers, showing off work online, selling and receiving payment, and delivering clothes, while keeping work and customers safe online.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• explain what ICT in fashion means and list its main uses;
• describe a digital portfolio and say why a tailor needs one;
• name beginner and professional design tools and state what each is used for;
• describe how WhatsApp Business, Instagram and TikTok help a tailor to market work online;
• explain ways of collecting payment, selling and delivering clothes without the customer visiting the shop;
• state three rules of digital safety and ethics for a tailor.

Why does ICT matter for a tailor?

In the old days, a tailor just sat in a shop and waited for people to walk in. Today, the world is your market. If you can use a phone, you can sell to someone in another city or even another country.

What is ICT in fashion?

ICT in fashion is simply using technology to make your work faster, neater and more professional. This includes:

• Designing: Drawing clothes on a screen instead of just paper.
• Pattern drafting: Using software to get perfect measurements.
• Communication: Talking to customers and showing off your work.

What is a digital portfolio?

Instead of carrying a heavy photo album, you carry your “Portfolio” in your pocket (your phone). Every time you finish a dress, take a clear photo. This is your digital evidence of skill.

Fashion design software: the digital pencil

You don’t have to be a computer wizard to use fashion software. There are tools for every level.

Beginner tools (Canva and Pinterest)

• Pinterest: This is your “Idea Bank.” Use it to find the latest trends in Ankara, lace or suits.
• Canva: Use this to make your price lists, business cards and “Thank You” notes. It makes your brand look “expensive” even if you are just starting.

Professional tools (CAD)

CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design.

• Clo3D or Marvelous Designer: These are advanced tools that let you see how a fabric will drape on a 3D human body before you even cut the cloth. This saves you from wasting expensive material.
• Patternmaking software: Instead of using brown paper and rulers every time, you can save a “Master Pattern” on the computer and adjust it for different sizes.

Online marketing: the global showroom

Marketing online is like having a shop that never closes. People can look at your work while you are sleeping.

WhatsApp Business

This is the most important tool for a Nigerian tailor.

• The Catalogue: List your services and prices so you don’t have to repeat them 100 times.
• Status updates: Post your “Work in Progress.” People love to see the process as well as the finished result.

Instagram and TikTok

• Reels: A 15-second video of a “Before and After” (from raw fabric to a beautiful gown) can go viral and bring you customers from far away.
• Hashtags: Use words like #NigerianFashion or #LagosTailor so people searching for those things can find you.

Selling and payments online

How do you collect money without the customer coming to your shop?

Digital payments

Stop saying “I don’t have change.” Use apps or bank transfers. It makes you look professional and keeps a record of your sales automatically.

E-commerce platforms

• Facebook Marketplace: A free place to list ready-to-wear clothes for people in your neighbourhood.
• Your own website: When you grow big, a simple website allows customers to book appointments or buy your “Ready-to-Wear” collection directly.

Delivery services

You don’t need a bike. Partner with “Dispatch Riders.” You can sew in your house, call a rider, and deliver a dress to a customer 20km away. ICT makes this coordination easy.

Digital safety and ethics

The internet is a great tool, but you must be careful.

Protecting your work (watermarking)

When you post a photo of a beautiful design you created, put your name or logo in a corner of the picture. This stops other tailors from stealing your photo and claiming it is their work.

Honesty in advertising

Don’t use a “Filter” so much that the colour of the cloth changes. If the customer receives a dress that looks different from the online photo, they will be angry and leave a bad review.

Customer privacy

Never post a photo of a customer in their dress without asking for their permission first. Some people are shy or want to keep their style private until their big event.

Advice for students

Technology will not replace your sewing machine. It gives your machine “wings.” Start small by taking better photos, and gradually learn how to use design software to stand out.

Evaluation

1. What is ICT in fashion? Give three areas of a tailor’s work where it is used.
2. What is a digital portfolio?
3. What does CAD stand for? Name one CAD tool and state what it does.
4. State two ways a tailor can use WhatsApp Business to attract customers.
5. Explain why a tailor should watermark photos and ask permission before posting a customer’s photo.

Assignment

List four ICT tools or platforms from this lesson that a beginner tailor in your area could use. For each one, write one sentence on how it would help the tailor to design, market, sell or deliver clothes.