A type of thinking through making, or materializing intent through trial and error. A particularly vulnerable stage in the design process where skillsets are both tested and pushed. In collaborative, open-minded, community-oriented studio environments, it may be a type of sanctioned failure where garments (and their embellishments and finishings) are allowed to be incomplete, wrong, or outright bad. It is, perhaps, less of a stage in the design process than a design thinking strategy.
See also: toile.