Preparing for a Material Consultant
You have a product idea. You have a moodboard. You have probably saved 47 images of beautiful materials to a Pinterest board called Future Materials. You also asked the AI of your choice to generate 50 unrealistic designs of your bags…
Excellent.
Now you are ready to talk to a material consultant.
But before the first conversation, there are a few things worth figuring out. Not because you need to arrive with all the answers — quite the opposite. A good material consultant is there to help you find them.
Still, the more you can tell us about your product, your ambitions and your constraints, the less time we spend playing material detective and the more time we can spend finding the right solution.
Here is what is useful to have on the table.
1. Start with the product
Before talking about materials, talk about the thing you are actually making.
Is it a handbag? A sneaker? A jacket? A wallet? A chair? Something that doesn't have a name yet?
Tell us what it is, what it looks like and how it is supposed to function.
Useful information includes dimensions, construction, components, intended use and where the material will sit in the product. A material used as a decorative panel has a very different job from one that forms the entire structure of a bag.
A sketch, technical drawing, prototype or even a rough product description can be incredibly helpful.
It doesn't have to be beautiful, but detailed - yes!
2. What does the material actually need to do?
“Beautiful, sustainable and durable” is a good starting point.
It is not quite a technical specification.
Think about what the material will be exposed to in real life.
Does it need to bend repeatedly? Stretch? Hold its shape? Resist abrasion? Survive rain? Withstand friction, perspiration or UV exposure? Maintain its colour? Tear resistance? Surface durability?
Thickness and weight matter too.
A material that works beautifully for a structured handbag may be completely wrong for a soft garment. And a material that looks wonderful in a sample book may have very different behaviour once it meets a sewing machine, a production line or a person who actually uses the finished product.
The more clearly we understand the job, the more intelligently we can look for the material.
3. Tell us how you plan to make it
Materials do not exist in isolation. They have to get through manufacturing.
How will yours be cut, sewn, glued, embossed, moulded, laminated or finished?
Are there existing production processes that the material needs to fit into? Are you working with a particular factory or manufacturing partner? Do they already have the machinery and skills required?
This can dramatically narrow — or expand — the material options.
Sometimes the perfect material on paper becomes considerably less perfect when introduced to a production process it was never designed for.
Better to find that out before ordering 50 metres.
4. Think about scale
A material can be brilliant and still not be the right material for your project.
Why? Volume.
There is a big difference between needing 2 metres for a prototype, 20 metres for a first collection and 200 metres for a global rollout.
So tell us what you know about quantities, production location and expected growth.
Is this a small experimental collection? A commercial launch? A long-term material switch?
And, importantly, does the material need to be available now, or are you open to working with something that is still being developed?
Material innovation and production reality don't always move at the same speed. Knowing where you sit on that timeline helps.
5. Describe the look and feel — not just the colour
“We want it to look like leather” leaves quite a lot of room for interpretation.
Which leather?
Smooth? Pebbled? Soft? Structured? Matte? Glossy? Suede-like? Grainy? Flexible? Crisp?
Think about:
Surface texture
Grain
Colour
Finish
Hand feel
Softness or structure
Drape
Visual depth
Reference materials are extremely useful here. Bring samples, photographs, products or anything else that communicates what you mean.
Because “warm beige with a natural hand feel” can mean very different things to different people.
6. Define what “sustainable” means to you
This is where things can get wonderfully complicated.
“Sustainable” is not one material characteristic. It can mean many different things depending on the project.
Perhaps you are looking for high bio-based content.
Perhaps you want to use agricultural or food-industry by-products.
Perhaps petroleum-derived materials are something you specifically want to avoid.
Perhaps biodegradability matters. Or recycled content. Or circularity. Or a particular certification.
Maybe the priority is reducing environmental impact in manufacturing.
Or maybe you are trying to solve several of these at once.
The important thing is to identify what actually matters for your project.
Because asking for “the most sustainable material” is a little like asking for “the healthiest lunch.” The answer depends on what you are trying to achieve.
7. Tell us about compliance and certification
Depending on the product, market and brand, there may be requirements that the material needs to meet before it can be used.
These might relate to chemical restrictions, product safety, specific certifications, market requirements or internal brand standards.
If you already know about them, bring them along.
If you don't, that's fine too. Identifying the relevant requirements can be part of the consultation.
The important thing is to flag any must-haves early. Nobody enjoys discovering a critical compliance issue after falling in love with a material.
8. Have a conversation about money
Materials have budgets.
It is useful to know the approximate target price per metre, square metre, kilogram or finished component — whatever makes sense for your product.
It is also important to consider volume.
A material priced at €X at prototype scale may have a very different commercial proposition at production scale.
And then there is the question of development.
Are you looking for an existing, commercially available material? Are you willing to work with a newer material? Is custom development an option?
Being realistic about the commercial framework doesn't make the project less ambitious.
It makes the ambition more useful.
9. When does it need to happen?
Materials take time.
There may be sampling, testing, prototyping, revisions, supplier discussions, production trials and — occasionally — the unavoidable moment when everyone discovers that the material behaves completely differently after being sewn.
So tell us about your timeline.
When do you need the first samples?
When does the prototype need to be ready?
When does testing need to happen?
When does production start?
The earlier we understand the timeline, the better we can distinguish between what is possible now and what might be possible with more development time.
10. Bring what you already know
You don't need to start from zero.
If you have already researched materials, bring them.
If you have samples, bring them.
If you have tried something and it didn't work, definitely bring that.
Failed material trials can be incredibly useful because they tell us what not to do — which is sometimes just as valuable as knowing what to do.
Supplier information, test results, technical specifications, prototypes, previous quotes and material samples can all help build the picture.
And if your research has produced a spreadsheet containing 86 possible materials and you are no longer sure why material number 37 was shortlisted...
Bring that too.
We have seen worse.
You don't need to have all the answers
This is probably the most important part.
You don't need to have everything figured out before contacting a material consultant.
That is, after all, what the consultation is for.
A material consultant can help translate a product idea into technical requirements, identify suitable material directions, evaluate options, navigate new material technologies and help connect the material choice with manufacturing and commercial realities.
But coming into the conversation with a clear understanding of your product, performance requirements, production context, sustainability goals, budget and timeline makes the process much more productive.
You don't need the answer.
You just need to know what question you are trying to solve.
And if you are not quite sure what that question is yet?
That's okay.
That's where the conversation starts.
Looking for the right material direction?
Substanz works with brands to navigate new material development, evaluate bio-based and innovative materials, and connect material choices with real product and production requirements.