Because knowing why matters as much as knowing how
MADE Development Lab
Ongoing guidance for sewn product founders working through real development decisions.
Who This Is For
Production and development issues don’t disappear on their own.
As a sewn-product founder, it’s common to feel uncertain about what should happen next, how much to invest at each stage, or whether your product is truly ready to move forward. Questions around development order, tech packs, sampling, and manufacturer communication often arise long before a brand is ready for full one-on-one development support.
Having access to experienced guidance—and a peer group navigating similar challenges—can be enough to bring clarity, reduce guesswork, and prevent costly missteps.
The MADE Development Lab provides structured, expert-led guidance in a collaborative group setting, helping founders make informed decisions at the right time, in the right order.
How it Works
The MADE Development Lab is not a course or webinar
The Lab is an active, online working session for sewn-product founders who are making real development decisions and want expert oversight—alongside peer perspective—to build confidence in their next steps. Led by Heather Zager, founder of MADE Apparel Services and a formally trained soft-goods development specialist, each session reflects the same structured, professional approach she uses in her full-service product development process.
Founders working on apparel, accessories, and wearable soft goods come together as a group to work through questions related to patterns, materials, fit, construction, sampling, and production planning while keeping a focus on progress, not theory. Participants are encouraged to bring real questions they are actively facing—whether they are developing their first product at home or managing an established brand—and leave each session with clear direction and actions they can execute independently.
The goal of the Lab is simple: to provide a consistent place to validate decisions, reduce guesswork, and move projects forward with confidence, supported by experienced guidance and peer insight. The Lab is where sewn-product founders stop working in isolation and start building relationships with others who understand the realities of development, decision-making, and risk.
How You Get It
Choose the Level of Support That Fits Your Stage
The Lab is intentionally flexible, with multiple program options depending on where you are in your product journey and how much support you need.
Foundations Intensive
4-week guided program - $400
A structured starting point for early-stage ideas and first-time founders who want clarity before investing further.
Foundations Intensive is designed to orient you to the professional sewn product development process and help you evaluate whether—and how—your idea should move forward.
The focus is on understanding development order, identifying key decision points, and building the context needed to make informed choices before committing time or money to execution.
This program provides:
A clear overview of the professional development process from concept through production
Context for when key decisions should be made—and which can wait
Guidance on evaluating readiness for patterns, sampling, and manufacturer outreach
A framework for identifying unknowns and risk areas early in the process
Language and reference points to communicate more effectively with developers, vendors, and manufacturers
By the end of the Intensive, participants gain clarity around direction and can decide whether to continue into ongoing Lab support or move into full-service development.
Foundations Support
Weekly Membership - Billed Monthly - $249
Ongoing guidance for founders who want expert insight and validation of their development decisions.
Foundations Support is a weekly, facilitator-led group membership designed to support founders as they work through early stages of sewn product development. This membership provides a consistent place to bring questions, pressure-test decisions, and gain clarity around next steps—without shifting into execution or full one-on-one services.
The focus is on understanding development order, evaluating options, and making informed decisions at the right time, rather than moving ahead prematurely.
This membership provides:
Weekly live group consultation sessions
The ability to submit questions for discussion in advance
Expert guidance on materials, fit considerations, and construction logic
Context for evaluating readiness for sampling or production
Continued perspective as your project progresses and new questions arise
Through this membership, you’ll gain clear understanding of where your project sits in the development process, what decisions need to be made next, and the confidence to move forward without guesswork or premature investment.
Weekly live sessions every Thursday at 10:00am PT
Join any time
Program begins the first Tuesday of every month at 10am PT
Join any time
Production Support
Support for founders actively operating a sewn-product business, where development and production decisions affect cost, timelines, and operations.
This single group session offers two ways to engage your development questions: group access or active participation. In both cases, the focus is on navigating technical decisions, resolving issues, and reducing risk as your brand moves through sampling, early production, and ongoing manufacturing.
Both options meet in the same weekly group session and include access to the member directory for independent, offline connections. Support levels reflect how members participate, not differences in access or time.
Production-level insight delivered through shared discussion and real-world examples.
This membership provides:
Weekly group working sessions
Ability to bring questions for group discussion
Peer learning across active projects
Members gain stronger production context, clearer expectations around manufacturing workflows, and increased confidence navigating active development decisions.
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
Weekly Membership - Billed Monthly - $599
GROUP ACCESS
Weekly Membership - Billed Monthly - $399
Applied guidance for founders who want to bring real situations into the room for discussion.
This membership provides:
Everything in Group Access
Bring real decisions and work into group discussion
Facilitated discussion focused on decision implications and next steps
Members gain clearer direction on production readiness, increased confidence navigating decisions as issues arise, and the ability to address concerns before they escalate.
Weekly live sessions every Friday at 10:00am PT - Join Group Access / Join Active Participation
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Client Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
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We offer a range of solutions designed to meet your needs—whether you're just getting started or scaling something bigger. Everything is tailored to help you move forward with clarity and confidence.
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Getting started is simple. Reach out through our contact form or schedule a call—we’ll walk you through the next steps and answer any questions along the way.
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We combine a thoughtful, human-centered approach with clear communication and reliable results. It’s not just what we do—it’s how we do it that sets us apart.
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You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email. We aim to respond quickly—usually within one business day.
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We offer flexible pricing based on project type and complexity. After an initial conversation, we’ll provide a transparent quote with no hidden costs.
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Collaborative, honest, and straightforward. We're here to guide the process, bring ideas to the table, and keep things moving.