Fashionarium

Design with heart - by Sebastian Bergne

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:47:00 +0300

We’re hardly short of new products in the modern world. But how often do the products we rely on really matter to us? Why do we so often favour big brand names? Is it because we trust in their power to improve our lives or because we lack the knowledge and confidence to make bolder choices ?

Introduction to the work of industrial designer Sebastian Bergne. Created as part of the ‘Design with heart’ exhibition, Biennale Design Saint Etienne 2013.

This exhibition gets to the heart of why these choices are important by showcasing new products that have what Sebastian Bergne calls ‘Design with Heart’. But visitors expecting to find a collection of exclusive design ‘icons’ may be in for a surprise. Exhibits range from tableware to trumpets and cheese boards to circus equipment. Some are beautiful; a few may not even appear to have been designed at all.

The ingredients that these products have in common often transcend issues of style or aesthetics. Some are distinguished by the spirit of generosity or integrity in which they were created; others are products with the power to create a special sense of community; still more stand out because of their unique sense of innovation or their sheer beauty.

Source: Binennale Design

10 Principles of Good Design - Dieter Rames - Braun

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:34:00 +0300

If I were to look back at some of the best designed products, and understand their principles of design, I would definitely look at Braun. Why? Because Braun products were created with a great combination of functionality and technology.

Back in the late 1970s, the youthful designer Dieter Rams was becoming increasingly concerned by the state of the world around him – “an impenetrable confusion of forms, colours and noises.” Aware that he was a significant contributor to that world, he asked himself an important question: is my design good design?

As good design cannot be measured in a finite way he set about expressing the ten most important principles for what he considered was good design.

Here they are.

Good design is innovative

The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

Good design makes a product useful

A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

Good design is aestetic

The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our personalities and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

Good design makes a product undertsandable

It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.

Good design is unobtrusive

Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

Good design is honest

It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

Good design is long lasting

It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

Good design is thorough down to the last detail

Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the user.

Good design is environmentally friendly

Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

Good design is a little design as possible

Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.

Back to purity, back to simplicity.

Photo Source: Braun

More Than a Suitcase - Thinking and Innovation

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:59:00 +0200

Hungarian vehicle developmental company Antro may have found the perfect solution to traveling in a big city—a foldable electric scooter.

The environment-and user-friendly folding scooter offers a unique solution for both commuters and the challenges of urban road. Called ‘Moveo’, the scooter is capable of transforming into a rolling suitcase when not in use eliminating the need for a parking space.

The concept of development reached the end of the third prototype is ready for production in Hungary aims to achieve improvements in technology and now working with the team.

What are your thoughts about this concept?

Source: Antro

A Clothing Printer - Produce Your Own Clothes from Home

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:33:00 +0200

Joshua Harris has envisioned that, in the future, somewhere in 2050, we can print our own clothes using the Clothing Printer.

Industrial designer Joshua Harris has created the concept for an in home, clothing printer that would allow to each consumer to manufacture their own products at home.

The ability to create customized objects, such as 3D printing, is increasing in sophistication and marketability. People are becoming more and more aware and comfortable with the concept of printing objects for immediate use.

The technology for a clothing printer exists but is not packaged in a form that would be suitable for consumer use. With the future potential of printing technology, an at-home clothing printer is a definite possibility. Joshua’s challenge was to define the experience.

Fashion Designers in the future can sell cartidges of material and then sell their designs digitallu for the user to print.

The design would eliminate the need for closets, washing machines and dryers, thus saving space in the crowded urban environments of the future.

What are your thoughts about this concept?

Source: Joshua Harris

Geometric Jewelries by Nylon Sky

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 23:25:00 +0200

Take a quick break and enjoy Nylon Sky and their geometric jewelries. Originally from Barcelona, Nylon sky was born out of a love for geometric pattern and cutting things out with lasers!

Photos source: Nylon Sky

Their favorite fabrics are Acrylic, wood and leather. Most of their creations can be found in their shop.

Design inspired by human experiences

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:54:00 +0200

We’re in love with the clothes of Canadian designer Angélique Chmielewski because they are simple, delicate and tell stories of life.

“My designs are inspired by human experiences and the idea that clothing can be a vehicle used to express one’s emotions, thoughts and ideals. What we wear every day is an expression of our unique personalities and contributes to the stories of our lives. I believe everyone has a unique story to tell and my collections seek to provide pieces that help tell those stories.” says Angelique

Photo source: Angélique Chmielewski

Angelique’s studio is currently based in New York City. So, ladies, if you’re in NYC don’t miss out her collection.

[bookshelf] The Sartorialist: Closer by Scott Schuman

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 01:35:00 +0200

Photo: stripendspotted

Scott Schuman is back with a completely new collection of beautiful images of the men and women who have caught his attention: The Sartorialist: Closer Book.

His much-loved blog, thesartorialist.com, remains one of the most-read in the fashion world and continues to grow in popularity as Scott travels further and more widely. This book encompasses the diverse style and visual attitude of people as far afield as Japan, Korea, London, Milan, New York, Paris, and beyond.

In The Sartorialist: Closer, Scott Schuman looks deeper and with great breadth of human style, and the way it is expressed across the world. Always reacting to an inspirational moment, the images in his new book continue to reflect Scott’s unique sensibility and vision.

You can have the book The Sartorialist: Closer for an affordable $18.98 from Amazon.

Photo: Net-a-Porter

The Revolution of 3D Printing in the Fashion industry

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 05:07:00 +0200

Stratasys and Materialise has announced the unveiling of 3D printing collaborations on the catwalks of Paris Fashion Week as part of Iris van Herpen’s Haute Couture show, ‘VOLTAGE’.

Source: Materialise

Dutch designer van Herpen’s eleven-piece collection featured two 3D printed ensembles, including an elaborate skirt and cape (top right) created in collaboration with artist, architect, designer, and professor Neri Oxman from MIT’s Media Lab, and 3D printed by Stratasys.

“The ability to vary softness and elasticity inspired us to design a “second skin” for the body acting as armor-in-motion; in this way we were able to design not only the garment’s form but also its motion,” explains Oxman. “The incredible possibilities afforded by these new technologies allowed us to reinterpret the tradition of couture as “tech-couture” where delicate hand-made embroidery and needlework is replaced by code.”

Van Herpen adds, “I feel it’s important that fashion can be about much more than consumerism, but also about new beginnings and self-expression, so my work very much comes from abstract ideas and using new techniques, not the re-invention of old ideas. I find the process of 3D printing fascinating because I believe it will only be a matter of time before we see the clothing we wear today produced with this technology, and it’s because it’s such a different way of manufacturing, adding layer-by-layer, it will be a great source of inspiration for new ideas.

So, welcome to the future of fashion design. We were wondering how far would 3D technology go in the next 50 years?

Best Fashion Trade-Shows Visited by Fashion Designers

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 01:47:00 +0200

Going to trade-shows might bring to your fashion business a lot of value.

Photo source: Le Cuir a Paris.

Some of he biggest benefits for a designer to attend trade shows are:

* they help you to identify the newest trends in the fashion industry,
* you can learn more about the fashion industry by attending to the seminars they have - covering Trends, Digital, Business and Visual Merchandising
* you can find the best fabrics for your new collections.
* at some fairs, you have the opportunity to be an exhibitor and this allows you to share and sell your designs to thousands of visitors.

To help you identify the best trade-shows that happen worldwide two times per year (Autumn and Winder), we put together some of the most visited trade-shows in the world.

1. Premiere Vision - NEW YORK

Premiere Vision trade fair highlights fabrics for the clothing sector.

WHEN?

NEW YORK - Tuesday and Wednesday, January 15th-16th 2013: 9 am to 7 pm.

WHERE?

Metropolitan Pavilion & Altman Building, Held with Indigo New York Fashion Edition

HOW to TAKE YOUR BADGE

You can apply for a badge here
And here you can Book Your seats for the seminars

Why VISIT?

The trade show brings together a selection of the most creative and innovative international fabrics manufacturers and textile design studios to present their latest collections for Spring/Summer 2014.
Première Vision Preview New York and Indigo New York will hold their combined trade shows at the Metropolitan Pavilion & Altman Building so that the US buyers and designers can find a rich and unique offer displayed in preview by 237 exhibitors, an increase of almost 13% over January 2012. This is a record participation that firmly establishes its status as the US premier fashion textile show.
In addition to obtaining essential materials, fashion professionals will gain insight on future season trends before the world kick-off of the season in Paris.

2. WHO’S NEXT - PARIS

At the end of January, the French capital is hosting an essential event for women’s fashion at the WHO’S NEXT Prêt-à-Porter Paris trade show.

WHEN?

From Saturday 19th to Monday 21st January : 9 am to 7 pm.
On Tuesday the 22nd January: 9am to 6pm.

WHERE?

Parc des Expositions, Pavilions 2, 3, 4 and 7, Porte de Versailles - Paris.

HOW to TAKE YOUR BADGE

There are two kinds of badges: Badge FASHION PASS & Badge Who’s Next which gives you access to all these areas WHO’S NEXT Paris | Salon International de la Lingerie | Interfilière | Bijorhca Paris
You can apply for a badge here

Why VISIT?

The international event for fashion accessory designers at Porte de Versailles is the market’s leading platform targeted at the ready-to-wear retail market. Some 600 labels take part each season.
You can be there as an exhibitor and sell your designs to a bigger market.

3. LE CUIR A PARIS Trade Fair - PARIS

WHEN?

February 12nd-14th, 2013 : Summer 2014
September 17th-19st, 2013 : Winter 2014/2015

WHERE?

Paris- Nord Villepinte, Hall 4 - Paris

HOW to TAKE YOUR BADGE

You can apply for a pass here
You can also order the Trends Book and the Catalog

Why VISIT?

LE CUIR A PARIS, created and organized by GROUPE SIC, is a fair dedicated to professionals only, where the latest trends are seen in the leather and fur sector. It is also a textile selection tool for the key players in the fashion and design industry.
The trade-show welcomes French and International companies working in the sector of leather, fur, textile for accessories, technical components and leather garments.
They also have a special zone INCUBE - a new zone for Prospection & Research in the Design area.

4. ModAmont - PARIS

WHEN?

From 12th to19th February 2013: 9 am to 7 pm.

WHERE?

Paris- Nord Villepinte, Hall 3

HOW to TAKE YOUR BADGE

You can apply for a pass here
You can also order the Trends Book and the Catalog

Why VISIT?

ModAmont has acquired its leading position thanks to its fashion information that exclusively targets the accessories market. A new ModAmont trends book is published in every edition, forecasting trends on the trimming and accessories market.
It presents a series of themes and the strong points of styles and textures and atmospheres as well as the main color moods. It is an invaluable help for exhibitors and designers in the preparation of their collections.

5. PREMIERE VISION - PARIS

WHEN?

12-14 February 2013

WHERE?

Parc d’Expositions - Paris Nord Villepinte

HOW to TAKE YOUR BADGE

You can apply for a badge here

Why VISIT?

Premiere Vision Paris is The World’s Premier Fabric Show.
700 weavers from 28 countries present collections in synergy with both the fashion calendar and the apparel industry demands.
The richness of the offer guarantees you will find products fitting your specific needs at all price levels.

6. PREMIERE CLASS - PARIS

Premiere Class is the essential event in the creative world of Paris. In twenty years and twice a year, PREMIERE CLASSE sets up at the heart of the French capital, when Paris becomes the stage on which the creators’ catwalks are set.

WHEN?

Join the presentation of the A/W collections 2013/14 from March, 1st – 4th 2013

WHERE?

Jardin des Tuileries - Paris Fashion Week, Paris.

HOW to TAKE YOUR BADGE

You can apply for a badge here

Why VISIT?

PREMIERE CLASSE presents a selection of 350 cutting-edge, top of the range creators, who influence the purchasing of an exclusive international distribution.

7. PURE LONDON - London

WHEN?

Sunday 10th February: 09.30 - 18.00pm
Monday 11th February: 09.30 - 18.00pm
Tuesday 12th February: 09.30 - 16.00pm

WHERE?

Olympia, London

HOW to TAKE YOUR BADGE

You can apply for a badge here
You can also apply as an exhibitor with your creations Exhibiting with Pure London means more than just a stand; your marketing package allows your brand the best pre and post show exposure for your sales to soar throughout the year.
Go to Seminars

Why VISIT?

Pure London is the UK’s largest and most influential fashion buying event, presenting 1,000+ brands offering contemporary women’s wear, young fashion, lingerie, swimwear, children’s wear, footwear and accessories.

How to improve your design thinking

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:52:00 +0200

Being enrolled for the Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society course for the past 8 weeks was one of the best experience in terms of design education that I’ve had in the past years.

This is a course on Coursera.org aimed at making you a better designer. Karl T. Ulrich professor at the University of Pensylvania created the course for designers around the world, and combines the fundamental concepts with hands-on design challenges to become a better designer.

ABOUT THE COURSE

The course marries theory and practice, as both are valuable in improving design performance. Lectures and readings will lay out the fundamental concepts that underpin design as a human activity. Weekly design challenges test your ability to apply those ideas to solve real problems.

The course is deliberately broad - spanning all domains of design, including architecture, graphics, services, apparel, engineered goods, and products. The emphasis of the course is the basic design process: define, explore, select, and refine. You, the student, bring to the course your particular interests and expertise related to, for instance, engineering, furniture, fashion, architecture, or products.

Here is a great video where Professor Karl Ulrich better describes the experience with the course.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

The course it was incredibly rewarding for me. Being enrolled with it every week was an amazing experience, sometimes was difficult, sometimes was fun, but in the end, in two months, I really learned how to think design from the user needs perspective.

I truly believe that design is not only about being beautiful, it’s about being functional and creating an experience for the consumer. The course taught me how to identify gaps, how to set up the problem statement and find out user needs. Based on that I could explore for the design concept and create an amazing handbag concept in the end.

I highly recommend this course for every designer or aspiring designer or for everyone who aims for a better understanding of the design thinking. Even though you are a fashion, graphic or product designer, this course provides a unified framework for design across all domains.

SUGGESTED READINGS

Probably the course will start again the next year for all of you who are interested to make a difference when thinking about design. But for now, if you have an account on coursera.org, you can see the archive of the course here and you can pass through each week of the course. It’s important to be enrolled to each week to understand the flow of creating a concept.

To get a feel for the style of the instructor and the material in the course, this book is a good place to start:

Ulrich, K.T. 2010. Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society. University of Pennsylvania.

The free digital book available here: http://ulrichbook.org/.

With few exceptions, each idea in the book applies to graphics, environments, products, software, services, machines, and buildings. This is a book about ideas. It is not a handbook for doing design. The book targets three audiences: designers with an interest in ideas about the design process; those who do not think of themselves as professional designers, but who have an intellectual interest in design; and university students and their instructors.

Coursera.org is an on-line university completely free, taught by real professors and linked to well respected universities in Canada, the United States and around the world. It is completely free. Right now it is for the joy of learning from some of the best professors out there. I hope you’ll enjoy no matter what age you have.

How I Built A Fashion Brand With No Experience

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 02:32:00 +0200

In this talk from PSFK CONFERENCE NYC, Abe Burmeister explains how a punk-rock ethic helped him create a business building a new niche in a market he had no experience in. Abe just wanted a pair of pants he could both ride his bike and go to work in - and all his partner Tyler needed was a shirt that stayed fresh despite his pedal-powered commute.

The Outlier co-founder describes how the duo paired intensive research in New York’s garment district with the connectivity of the web to create Outlier - a performance fashion business that only sells over the web.

Enjoy!

Abe Burmeister is co-founder of OUTLIER, an innovative performance clothing company whose first product was a pair of pants designed to enable bike commuting.

Inside the creative mind of Tom Ford

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:43:00 +0200

Enjoy this video and take your personal lessons from there.

I think, no matter if you’re a small designer or an experienced one, you might find some aspects that will have a trigger to you.

We’ve found some words we’ve identified with..

“When you start to design your own company you have to look inside yourself and say ‘well, what am I about?”

“You have to know where culture is today, to react to be contemporary to respond to it.”
“No matter how hard you try there is a cultural window where is your world.”
“I’ve had moments of clarity where the silence drives up to noise where I can feel rather than think”

“Fashion, for me, is not just clothes. It can be a mirror where we are culturally at a moment in time. Or an indicator of where we are going.”

Selling your artwork as a product on Society6

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 01:14:00 +0200

Are you an artist/ fashion illustrator and you’re looking for places where to sell your artwork? Society6 might be a good choice. There you can selling your artwork as gallery quality art prints, iPhone cases, t-shirts and other fine products - without giving up control of your rights.

Selling your artwork as a product on Society6 is as simple as making a Post on your blog - except you make money from it! All you have to do is post your artwork to make it immediately available for sale as a variety of products. When you sell a product, Society 6 will produce it, package it and ship it for you, so that you can focus on making more art!

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Fashion Illustration by Kelly Murray

YOU CONTROL THE RIGHTS TO YOUR WORK

What’s yours, is yours! When you post your artwork on Society6, you continue to control the rights to it. We’ve made it easy for you to be able to make one Post right here on Society6, and if selected by our Retail Partners, have it made available through their online stores without forfeiting your rights to your work, nice.

In order to sell your artwork as prints or other products you must be a verified member of Society6, this is how they pay you for your sales. Get Verified Now!

POST YOUR ARTWORK

Click Post from the main navigation, as you normally do. Check the box next to “Make this artwork immediately available for sale…”, it’s highlighted in blue on the top left of the page. Upload one (1) high-res file from your desktop by clicking “Select File”, and chose the highest quality file that you have that is less than 50mb (Note: this file will take longer to upload than on regular posts), and then set your prices once the upload is complete.

SET YOUR PRICES FOR YOUR ART PRINTS

Set your retail price and your profit for each art print type and size, if you don’t add profit then all sizes will be made available at the base price. Based on the quality of your digital file, we will only allow you to post at sizes that will reproduce as high-quality prints, some sizes may not be available.

ADD OTHER PRODUCTS TO YOUR ART PRINT

You will also be able to add T-shirts, Laptop Skins and more to accompany your Print after you publish it (Stretched Canvas is added for you). Instead of setting your pricing and profits, you will be paid the published profits on the sale of each of these products.

PROMOTE YOUR PRINTS AND OTHER PRODUCTS

Make sure your Facebook and Twitter accounts are connected (indicated on the right-hand column). Hit Publish, and be patient. Share the link with everyone you know.

TRACK YOUR EARNINGS

When one of your prints or other products is purchased, it gets produced, packed and shipped while you get paid. Track your earnings in your Account (you get paid every 1st of the month via Paypal - with a 30 day per purchase grace period from date of sale). Ex: if you sell something on Jan 15th, it is clear on Feb 15th and then you get paid on March 1st.

Ready to go?

Want more detailed information on how to best prepare your files?

Check out Society6 & FILE Preparation Guide

Fast Sketch Fashion Design

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 01:22:46 +0300

Find out the most interesting mobile apps for the fashion industry

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 18:17:46 +0300

We’re preparing to attend Apps World on 2-3rd October in London.

The event is focused to increase knowledge on one of the world’s largest growing industries, confidence to deliver your mobile strategy for your fashion brand and find out new invaluable contacts to set you in the right direction. During the event you’ll also find out the tools and techniques required to turn your website into a business and the insight and knowledge to run a successful mobile marketing campaign for your fashion brand.

Maximising the opportunities mobile marketing brings brands and building sustainable strategies both for apps and in a broader context through search, affiliate & ad networks, analytics, sms, vouchers, location strategies and more are covered in this track. As apps increasingly fall under the marketing remit, the introduction of detailed metrics into the delivery of mobile marketing has refined much of the associated strategy. Understanding the application of these metrics, and acting intelligently on the insight they provide, is fundamental to today’s sessions.

An increasingly mobilised workforce and the boom in the consumer apps sector has led to a rapid expansion of demand for enterprise app development and the emergence of the enterprise app store. Day 1 looks at real-world examples of apps being used for business and examines how applications fit into traditional organisations, enabling remote working and real time data accessibility.

If you want to find out more on how to maximize your mobile campaigns effect, see you at Apps World who will be taking place at Earls Court 2, Warwick Road, London SW5 9TA on 2-3rd October. More details about the venue here.

9 Key Investors who take chance to fashion labels

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 13:31:29 +0300

Talking on financing is one of the most important decisions a fashion label will make. To have a chance to raise money from an investor, depends very much on the nature of your fashion business. It’s true that this is not an easy step but, if you keep on going for your goal, you’ll have many chances to reach it.

Designer Stephanie Rolland, Photo source: Arstcrylogique

If you have just started with your fashion label you might know from the beginning that it’s very hard to raise money from an investor. This happens because investing in a new designer is very risky. You don’t know if your business will work so that you must test it first and then, go to check out for investment. I’ve recently read an interview with fashion designer Stéphane Rolland who had the chance of being funded by some investors, and she’s saying that “nobody is ever being known to produce a first collection on break even. It’s an absolute risk. It takes at least a minimum of 2-3 collections to see the light.”

The best thing you can do when you are at the beginning with your label is to talk with as many advisers as you can. Investors may have advice to offer, and you might take this under consideration.

We highly recommend you to check out Astia which is an international, mentoring and training organization that prepares women-managed startups for funding, and then helps to introduce them to investors. Their track record is: over 60% of their graduates receive angel or venture financing.

The good news is that with your business plan in hand proving that your fashion business have a strong vision and makes profit, your chances to get finance to your fashion label increases.

When you are sure about your business profitability, it’s time to talk with some angel investors. There are active investors in fashion lines, but they are hard to find especially if you do not have a track record.

Here are some key investors who take chances to fashion labels.

1. Jeffrey M Aronsson - Aronsson Group - they are a group that restored Oscar de la Renta’s profitability, fixed the Company’s capital structure problem and paid off all debt, tripled its sales, while improving gross margin by 800 basis points. They also have returned Donna Karan International to profitability within 2-years of taking helm after 4 years of losses since the LVMH takeover in 2001. They initiate a strategy and pushed development for the Marc by Marc Jacobs accessories line.

2. Monica Mehta - Seventh Capital the New York- based investment firm main focus is small and middle companies. They focus on one to two acquisitions per year and maintain a long term investment horizon. They are interested of seeking investment opportunities in e-commerce, consumer web and financial service companies. So if you’re not a designer but have an idea for an online retailer, or if you sell your goods primarily on the web, it might be worth looking into.

3. Andrew Rosen - HM Capital Partners. The Theory founder and CEO, Andrew Rosen is an investor in Proensa Shoulder, and also he bought fashion house Helmut Lang from Prada. Henvests publicly and privately in brands.

4. Marvin Traub, Marvin Traub Associates - Traub is best known as a prominent business executive in the retail sector known for his impact on merchandising and marketing. He spent 22 years as a CEO at Bloomingdale’s. He mostly consults for big companies but he is also a partial investor in brands like Rachel Roy and Matthew Williamson.

5. Sage LLC - This Los Angeles based independent investment banking advises its clients on a wide range of mergers and acquisitions. Their trusted advisers are the people you reach out to when you’ve already built a successful business and want to take it a step further.

6. Trapezia Capital – is the Uk based fund investment dedicated exclusively to investing in high growth women-focused businesses.

Photo: Chloe & Isabel

7. George Bell - General Catalyst Partners which is a venture capital and private equity firm that invests mainly in entrepreneurs who are building technology-based companies but it recently invested in a few fashion and lifestyle companies including Chloe & Isabel.

8. Robert Bensoussan - Towerbrook Partners Robert Bensoussan formerly CEO of Jimmy Choo is raising a fund to invest in fashion businesses with sales of $30m. They are based in Europe and the USA and focuses on making investments in European and North American companies.

Designer: Marios Schwab / Photo Source: icon concierge

9. Wendy Malem - The Centre for Fashion Enterprise is a London based business incubator that supports and nurtures emerging fashion design talent. They identify and selects designers from the UK, to fulfil consultancy and collaborative roles for UK and international fashion and lifestyle companies, and negotiates licensing and sponsorship deals on behalf of designers. The CFE boasts a past and present roster of international designers includingErdem, Peter Pilotto, Marios Schwab and Richard Nicoll; iconic names known throughout the fashion industry for their innovation, creativity and desirability.

A good idea might be to take a look at all those designers who already raised finance and learn about their businesses, how a business should be to take a chance in front of the investors.

Once you have successfully raised your funding, you will need to think carefully prioritising key areas to allocate the capital across the business needs you have identified in your business plan.

How To Think Like An Architect: Designing From Organic Form

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 16:52:24 +0300

Inspiration comes from little things

How Buyosphere can help you drive sales for your fashion business?

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 15:05:00 +0300

In general, many independent fashion designers have a great website where they share the products they create and deal with customers. However, just a great website can’t be enough. Everyone who owns a fashion startup knows how hard it is to bring customers in the door and keep them coming back.

This is why when I want to get in touch with new customers who need to buy a bag, I come on Buyosphere. What I love the most about this website is the fact that it easily connects people and designers, who know something about stuff (where to find great deals or interesting pieces) with people who need to find something that is right for them, but don’t know where to start.

I recently spoke with Tara Hunt (the founder of Buyosphere ) on the story of how she came up with the idea of the website and how Buyosphere actually helps designers grow their businesses.

Firstly, let’s have a look on how Buyosphere works:

Tara, how did you actually came up with Buyosphere and why?

I came up with the general idea of Buyosphere in 2007. I’ve always been a big online shopper and I was finding that it was getting harder and harder to find really unique, interesting items without spending half the day wading through junk.

I believe it was a search for a plain black skirt that made me think about how to solve this. I searched for 3.5 hours and went to 14 sites and only found overpriced designer skirts when I wanted something elegant at a reasonable price. I thought to myself, “I need to solve this,” and since I was working on many social web projects at the time, it was natural that I thought about how online communities could help with better discovery.

It took me another 2.5 years to commit to solving this, but meeting my cofounders Jerome and Cassandra helped! The three of us were able to put our heads together to come up with what you see today: a Q&A platform where people help people shop.

What is Buyosphere? What’s the problem it solves?

Buyosphere is an online search where people help you do the searching.

It’s simple, just ask what you are looking for, giving some details like price range and a short description, then we send your question to thousands of people who are avid shoppers as well as small retailers and designers who make products that may fit that description. Chances are that someone in that group will have come across that perfect something in a place that you never thought to look.

Why a Fashion/Accessories Designer should be on Buyosphere?

We love designers on Buyosphere! In fact, that’s how we met Julia - designer of the World of Wonderful. I would have never discovered her amazing bags.

The benefits we offer designers:

- direct access to potential leads - people with the intent to buy a product are posting public questions. These are SERIOUS shoppers. :)
- better SEO results - because of the rich user generated content of our site, Google loves us. And if Google loves us, they love the links out on our site. The way you answer a question is to post a link to your product page. Links=love.
- really inexpensive way for them to advertise - currently it’s 100% free to answer a question with your own products. We’ll be exploring a business model around that in the future, but it will always be our intention to make it accessible for small brands and designers to get in front of potential customers.
We also get most of our conversions (people clicking ‘buy’) from unauthenticated users, so there is a residual benefit of posting their products on Buyosphere. They show up in searches and related products.

How do a designer can get started on Buyosphere?

It’s pretty simple!

If you design a product that other people are searching for and they have already asked about it on Buyosphere, just search the products - into the ASK/SEARCH box. Then ANSWER by posting a link to the product you design and we bring in the information to create a recorded answer that includes image, price, description, store and link to buy.

And btw, anyone can answer a question!

Where do your visitors come from?

A big part of our traffic comes organically from search (Google). Because our content is UGC (user generated content) rich, Google bots love us. A search on Google for a colorblock clutch will probably bring up the post where one of Julia’s bags first appeared. :) Our second biggest visitor spikes come when people post to social networks after they ask or answer a question. Otherwise, we get decent traffic from our PR and various other sources.

How a designer who is on Buyosphere can nurturing relationships with existing and potential customers?

I always found service to be #1. It’s simple, but effective.

Some examples may be: A little thank you note. A personal message. An extra surprise in the delivery package. Great communication (sorry we are held up, but ran out of the size you requested. It will take an extra week. In order to ease your inconvenience, we are giving you a 25% discount on your next purchase…).

With potential customers, it’s great to show them that you are looking out for their needs. My favorite story comes from big retailer Zappos. When customers call them to find out where they can get something that is out of stock, they search to find where else the customer can get what they are looking for even if it isn’t on Zappos. Wow. I love that.

Does a designer can build out a community of fashion lovers on Buyosphere?

Not yet, but soon we will have designer/retailer pages that you can claim (sort of like a FB page, but really focused on products). Would love to get ideas and feedback on what you’d like to see there. Right now, answer questions. Be helpful. Even answer questions with other designer’s products. Build trust.

Do you think Buyosphere might be a tool that may help designers market their creations? How they can increase their notoriety with the help of Buyosphere?

We hope so! It’s definitely our goal. As Buyosphere grows, we will also grow our designer tools to help their businesses grow.

Color Forecast - what colors people are wearing in the fashion capitals?

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:13:45 +0300

It is said that those who don’t have friends should buy some :) I am lucky enough to have friends that are thinking of me when they find some interesting websites related to fashion.

This happened also when one of my friends shared me the Pimkie Color Forecast website.

Why I found this website useful for designers & Illustrators is that it shows you in real time what colors people are wearing in the fashion capitals, analyzing webcam footage and providing infographics detailing current fashion trends in Paris, Milan and Antwerp. There is also an app to download it on your phone.

What do you think about this? Is is useful for you?

From Visual Merchandiser to Fashion Illustrator - Interview with illustrator Kris Keys

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:26:00 +0300

Kris Keys is a fashion illustrator from NYC who has very unique illustrations in her portfolio. Kris is extremely passionate about art, fashion, textiles and life. I’ve been inspired by her creations a while ago, when she contacted me to share with me her portfolio.

At a glance, I’ve remarked a very unique style of drawing fashion and after talking with Kris, I discovered a very talented woman who found her passion for fashion illustration a while ago and, inspired by life’s beauty, she bring a range of color into this world.

I invite you to enjoy an inspiring interview with Kris Keys. Enjoy & be inspired!

I simply love drawing illustrations from editorials

If not, I illustrate from life, which adds a very personal and organic feel to the drawing. My favorite moment for sketching, is at live music events, catwalk shows, or London markets. It’s something about the immediate impulse of doing what I love while watching and capturing someone else doing what they love. It’s a special feeling.

For example, this drawing above, was sketched at Orly Kiely’s A/W 2012 fashion show during London Fashion Week. She presented her collection in the setting of an afternoon tea. There was also a live band, which made the moment more exciting.

I get inspired by …

live music, typography, fashion photography, nude drawing, old illustrations by Antonio Lopez and photos from Studio 54.

Listening to music either relaxes me or it gets me pumped up. Both are suitable for drawing.

When I’m in a life drawing session

Usually when I draw I love listening to slower tunes such as old jazz or blues. When I’m drawing during catwalk shows, I like uptempo house, techno, pop, hip hop, etc, people watching.

I like observing people in cafes, parks, the train, church, wherever. Seeing people interact with each other or the way they’ve styled themselves inspires me. I’m fascinated when I see older women with an impeccable and eccentric style. I also enjoy visiting local areas when I travel to different countries or cities to observe the style of the people in various communities.

Those documentaries that highlight pioneers of a certain craft, genre, or era are some of the things that give me the drive. I love learning more about people who dared to start something new. Three of my favorite documentaries are Paris is Burning, Bill Cunningham, and Seamless by Douglass Keeve. I also read a lot of autobiographies, and collect fashion editorial books.

3 of my favorite books that helped me to develop my fashion illustration style …

Fashion Illustration: Inspiration and Technique by Anna Kiper

The Body: Photographs of the human form by William S.

Ewing Fashion Illustrator Second Edition by Bethan Morris

As an illustrator entrepreneur I have sold …

personal commissions and completed catwalk drawings for designers during Fashion Week. People who buy my illustrations are usually looking for something that will feed their inspiration.

In my process of drawing I use…

a progressive blend of watercolors, gouache, and Indian ink in my art. Hopefully, the customer will feel like they’ve just taken a breath of fresh air after viewing my work.

People usually use my work as

paintings for their home space, studio, or some of them have used it as personal invitations for weddings or parties.

The quality of work should be

attractive and treat them as a person, not just another digital alien in cyberspace that just so happened to find my work. I always think that we never know what that purchase or experience could lead to.

When I think about challenges …

There’s always a room for growth. If I notice that I could’ve created a better experience for the customer, just make note of the situation and move forward but correct it in future experiences. The key is to KEEP GOING.

I plan to continue to challenge myself and keep traveling, allowing my work to grow as I grow. I think it’s important not to put myself in a box too tight. It’s ok to establish a style, but it’s necessary to allow that style to grow as well.

When I set up the price for a fashion illustration drawn by me …

I take into consideration the amount of time to complete an illustration (per hour) and the materials used. My illustrations range from $25 to $300.

How do you sell your creations?

I take commissions from my website. To promote my website I use my blog, twitter, and I often acquire new customers while illustrating at live events. Some work has come from people sharing my illustrations through my personal Facebook page as well.

Do you think an agency of illustrators would be helpful for you to increase your sales? Why?

I don’t have an agent but yes, I believe that an agency of illustrators would be helpful to share experiences if nothing else. A bad or good commission experience that I’ve had could help another illustrator and vice versa.

In the past I worked

as a Visual Merchandiser and I designed look books for a junior denim company in New York. I’ve always worked in the Fashion Industry in different areas (mostly visual) since I graduated from university with my first degree, but than I found my passion for illustrating. Or shall I say … it found me.

How does your past jobs influences you nowadays?

Working as a visual Merchandiser has helped me to pay very close attention to detail. We revised and revised until we reached perfection when doing window displays. I try to apply the same strategies into to my work.

Do you still have a job?

I am not living solely with fashion illustration just yet.

How did you come up with your brand by Kris Keys …

I’ve always wanted a self named fashion label. Since I was a child (probably like 12 years old), I wanted to have a Womenswear brand and name it Kris Keys. The time finally came for me to take just on illustrating and start selling it, so it went hand in hand.

I think that passion drives basically everything, so I did and I’m still doing everything I can to get my work to customers (and keep existing customers). It’s mostly about building relationships and being brave enough to break the ice with the customer. It takes a lot of work, but I must make sure I create a pleasurable experience for my customers.