Sunday, June 19, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Post #8: Oh Nah Nah, What's In a Name?
Anyone with the daunting challenge of naming a brand knows just how exhaustive it is to find the right name that echoes all the elements one wishes to convey when asking crucial questions such as "What is my brands point of view? But really, what is my brands point of view? I could write a few long pretentious paragraphs of what my brand is or isn't but instead, y'all ain't trying to hear daat and I ain't trying to write all daat, neither. [Ebonics, much?]
So here is what I do know, my brand name is PAR POU Private Label and it's a name that I came up with early in my design day dreaming days back in Miami (easily around 6 years ago or more). I had a list of 15 or so names and it would be fun or even funny to see some of the ridiculous names that were potential contenders, but alas they are gone and forgotten. But I do remember me and one of my BFF's sitting there and slowly falling in love with the name. Not surprisingly enough, we probably were the only ones that liked it then, I know my Mom for sure hated it, still does too.
Which brings me to the point of this post, naming a brand and designing a logo is difficult. It becomes more difficult when you loose sight of brand identity only to become preoccupied with acceptance. From a design point of view, PAR POU Private Label has or will have a very strong design perspective, and as the Designer of the brand I have a very strong sense of self. This brand image that I am slowly building is not based on hurried overnight concepts, but have been tirelessly combed through and toiled over night after night in my head. So when it goes on paper, it's a winner.
LESSON: You're taste is what got you here. Be True to yourself.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Post #7: Rise To The Challenge; Or Die
It’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been hibernating and decided to take a short break from Facebook, sketching, blogging and all things fashion. I literally placed a "DO NOT DISTURB" profile pic on FB. Once Paris fashion week ended and I had my fill of all things fabulous and forthcoming for fall, I slowed my roll.
[Burping with fashion indigestion]
By no means am I back in full force, but merely peaking my head out of the cave and seeing if I like what I see out there. Did the groundhog see it's shadow? What the deuce? Maybe I’m a little depressed or stressed?
On one hand the corporate job is demanding and my boss can be a challenge. I have a surprise presentation due early next week in front of Senior Management and I’m nervous. On the other hand the factory wants a production order very soon and I am nowhere close to being able to afford that right now.
To top it all off, I went to a mix and mingle recently and a business mentor basically told me that my handbag prices are too high. In my mind this is what I replied "Ahh durrrhh, they don't look cheap and I didn't just whip up a square piece of leather with straps and give it to you now, did I?
In one statement, she shook my bedrock and all the fundamentals that I held on to thus far. She said to me "It's easy to design a beautiful $1,200 handbag, but difficult to design a beautiful $50 one. Now that is your challenge". After that, I went on life support____/\___/\___/\____
So buried in Power Point and Excel getting ready for both my boss and the factory, I have been a little stressed and decided that putting on a pretty dress and heels usually makes the rain go away. And it helped. My little dress is quite snappy and it gave me a shot of vitamin B, short in the front, long in the back and tight to PERFECTION.
While my mini photo-shoot didn’t solve my impending challenges, it gave me hope, made me feel powerful. Like I could grab the world in my hands & make it mine. And whether you recognize that or not, fashion can have that impact both on the wearer and the observer. I feel like a super-hero in this dress, like a member of the "Justice League" even. If you're lost or rolling your eyes at that reference, then piss off you pissy wanker.
My PowerPoint is done. Now I'm swallowing my pride & taking a big gulp, slowly revising the pricing on my line sheet. And it's difficult because I have worked SO VERY HARD on my concepts and I feel they are worth every penny. But this is inherently a business and I am inherently a businessman.
LESSON: The difference between you and every other douche bag is how you approach your challenges. Either you can face them, conquer them and ask for more. Or curl up in the fetal position and play possum. I’m still learning this.
To top it all off, I went to a mix and mingle recently and a business mentor basically told me that my handbag prices are too high. In my mind this is what I replied "Ahh durrrhh, they don't look cheap and I didn't just whip up a square piece of leather with straps and give it to you now, did I?
In one statement, she shook my bedrock and all the fundamentals that I held on to thus far. She said to me "It's easy to design a beautiful $1,200 handbag, but difficult to design a beautiful $50 one. Now that is your challenge". After that, I went on life support____/\___/\___/\____
So buried in Power Point and Excel getting ready for both my boss and the factory, I have been a little stressed and decided that putting on a pretty dress and heels usually makes the rain go away. And it helped. My little dress is quite snappy and it gave me a shot of vitamin B, short in the front, long in the back and tight to PERFECTION.
While my mini photo-shoot didn’t solve my impending challenges, it gave me hope, made me feel powerful. Like I could grab the world in my hands & make it mine. And whether you recognize that or not, fashion can have that impact both on the wearer and the observer. I feel like a super-hero in this dress, like a member of the "Justice League" even. If you're lost or rolling your eyes at that reference, then piss off you pissy wanker.
My PowerPoint is done. Now I'm swallowing my pride & taking a big gulp, slowly revising the pricing on my line sheet. And it's difficult because I have worked SO VERY HARD on my concepts and I feel they are worth every penny. But this is inherently a business and I am inherently a businessman.
LESSON: The difference between you and every other douche bag is how you approach your challenges. Either you can face them, conquer them and ask for more. Or curl up in the fetal position and play possum. I’m still learning this.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Post #6: How to spend $5,700 per minute in NYC
New York Fashion Week, the quickest way to blow $100K.
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| One of the looks from the MFA class from Academy Of Art University during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2011 |
It seems that any self respecting Designer wants to ultimately show at Fashion Week. After all, it's the validation to ourselves, friends and family that we've made it? It's an opportunity to showcase your hard work in front of an influential audience of 1,400 guests, 1,800 media partners and other industry professionals including Buyers and peers.
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| Fashionable NYC persona Patrick McDonald and recent Project Runway contestant posing with gorgeous twin brothers. I feel a Double Mint commercial reference coming! |
According to Forbes magazine, the average fashion show will set you back a cool $100,000. And for those of you who haven't experienced it, it's the most exhilarating and indulgent $100,0000 you'll ever spend, keeping in mind that the average show lasts 17 minutes. That means every minute of Lincoln Center fabulousness is costing you only $5,800 per minute. Time is money after all.
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| Oh no she didn't, the one and only Miss Jay who quickly whipped out the finger and kept the paparazzi in check! Booyah! |
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| Nigel Barker and soon to be Nigel Barker Missy if I were to have it my way. He coud get it! |
Is this money well spent? Is having a fashion show a right of passage so to speak? And is it more glamor and self indulgence than it is about the business of fashion? I am no industry expert, but some brands don't need to show during Fashion Week.
To date I have only seen a few shows including ThreeAsFour, Reem Acra, Nice Collective, Narciso Rodriquez and most recently Academy Of Art. I have also seen a few sub par presentations in between and get the sense that fashion shows are not a business tool, but instead a flight of fancy and a play on the ego. There may be less focus on presenting a strong collection, and more concern about who is sitting in my front row which can be oh-so-distracting.
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| A fan photo from Fashion Week at Lincoln Center, and boy were there a lot of them! He was too cute, he offered to come work for me? I should be leveraging these opportunities in the coming future. |
But most concerning is the recent fallout of major fashion brands that have neglected the business of fashion and have paid the ultimate price, bankruptcy. Christian Lacroix, Yohji Yamamoto, Escada and the Ittierre Group (parent company to Gianfranco Ferre, Malo, Just Cavali, CNC, Ermano Scervino) all have filed for bankruptcy protection within the last 2 years. It should come as no surprise but many fashion houses have been running at a loss for many years.
At one moment in time Versace had a staggering debt of $140 million, YSL accumulated
$400 million in a matter of 10 years, American Apparel and Samsonite round out the list that quickly comes to mind of household names that you would not associate with bankruptcy.
So I pose the following question. If you had a $100,000 would you spend it in 17 minutes?
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| Bloggers, Photo-Techs, Retouchers engaging with audience members via Twitter & Facebook while the show is streaming live. Photos are being retouched instantaneuosly and posted online, ever heard the term "fast fashion"? This be it. |
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| And most of this wouldn't be possible without big corporate sponsorship which keeps the tents filled season after season. Big ups to Mercedes Benz, whose 2011 CLS is the shiznit. |
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