Sep 13, 2023

Three Reasons We Switched to a Center Back Seam

by Emily Thompson

Over the summer of 2023 we introduced a design update with our Golden Hour Collection that reduces waste, increases efficiency, and looks freaking beautiful. This change is being carried forward for all applicable styles throughout both Signature and Seasonal launches. Read on to learn all about it.

The center back seam allows for more efficient pattern placement on the fabric, meaning less yardage must be cut to make a single garment. While we do our best to repurpose and utilize our production scrap, the more we can reduce at the front end, the better.

Watch the animation below to see the potential waste in action before this design update.

But if we introduce a center back seam, watch what happens —

What does this mean for efficiency?

The more compact pattern placement allows for shorter lengths of fabric to be spread out to cut each garment. That means less fabric to pull out, fewer rolls of material to handle, and fewer yards to adjust and perfect the grainline on. Those reductions add up at scale for more streamlined, efficient production. The minimized waste also reduces post-cutting material handling (all that scrap material has to be moved, sorted, and stored).

In years past, we would fill those material gaps with smaller pattern pieces from other styles. With our current partner factory (and for many different reasons), we cut and sew one style at a time, which led us to seek a different solution.

Why else do we love this design update?

The two practical improvements above are worth it on their own, but the center back seam with our signature topstitching adds a really pleasing bit of vertical interest to the back of the tops and lends a nice weight to the center. I am hesitant to mess with our core designs too much, but we're really happy with this shift.