the
Fashionpreneur The Guide For The Entrepreneur Within A Designer
Make No Little Plans
Table of Contents Letter From the Editor ………………………………..p.1 In The Field ……………………………………………p.2-3 What They Aren’t Telling You……………………….p.4 Professionalism As A Fashion Designer……………..p.5 Addressing Professionalism.....……………………….p.6 Sell Yourself & Your Merchandise...………………...p.7 Fashion Networking…………………………………..p. 8 You Got The Stuff? ...…………...……………….......p.9 Get In The Know……………………………...……...p.10 Meet A Fashionpreneur...........................................p.11-13 Utilize This!............................................................p.14 Fashionably Yours..................................................p.15 Works Cited...........................................................p.16
“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty. Think big.” Daniel Burnham, Chicago architect. (1846-1912)
The Fashionpreneur The Guide For The Entrepreneur Within A Designer Prepared for Professor Constance Green Prepared by Angela L. A. Robinson Technical Writing Howard University Spring 2012
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Letter From The Editor Dear Fashionpreneur Readers, You want to be a fashion designer right? Or perhaps you just want to be a part of the fashion industry in whatever way possible. You’re just not sure where to begin because you aren’t sure what to expect. This is normal, you’re not alone. It’s been brought to my attention that several individuals desire to be this amazing fashion guru known for designing the best and most unique garments for top celebrities. They just don’t know how to break into the industry. I myself am a fashion designer, Senior Fashion Merchandising Major at Howard University, still trying to figure out the perfect way to enter into this world of fashion and glamour to become one of the staple designers amongst many. So, as I continue to struggle to the top to figure out how to become this fantastic designer that everyone is in awe over, I continue to learn. With that, I would like to share with you what I already know in my current state as a designer and even what I’m still learning. Let’s learn together! Do believe that there is a lot of work and self-evaluation that you have to put into becoming a designer, or simply entering into the fashion industry. Beware. The people you will soon encounter might be a bit scary and somewhat intimidating. But fear not, you will be just as bold and fun loving, but hopefully not over the top dramatic, as they are. You simply have to be prepared for whatever opportunity that comes your way, with scary presentation or not. In this issue, you will find much needed information to jumpstart your preparation to entering the fashion industry as a fashionpreneur. This means you have the fashion aspect as well as the business aspect. All of this requires professionalism. So be prepared to learn and take in as much knowledge as possible on being all that you can be in the fashion industry.
Live Life Fashionably,
Angela L.A. Robinson
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In The Field
Entering into the fashion industry isn’t a walk in the park. As any other career, there’s so much leg work that you have to put in prior to actually making it to where you would like to be. As it is a long road, don’t be discouraged about what is yet to come. Don’t look at it as boot camp, but look at it as a playground to safely explore. Remember that you’re doing this for a successful outcome in a field that you’ve always dreamed of working for. When you enter the fashion industry, you should know the difference between creating designs for mass consumption, high-end designs studios, and individuals. Be prepared to complete jobs under pressure. This is a tough industry and it moves in a fast pace. Completing jobs by the given deadline is detrimental to your job as a designer. And if you’re able to complete it under pressure, consider yourself talented! Deadlines and pressure sound intimidating enough, but put the icing on the cake. No one is as nice as you think in this field. Some can be extremely cruel, but in reality they only want to extract the best from you. So, with that being said, be prepared to handle harsh criticism. This is one thing you can’t escape in the world of fashion. If it’s not your boss, or your fans, it’s the critics. They can be your best friends, or your worst enemies.
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There are so many things you can do as a designer, on your own. But when you’re designing for a company, your common tasks include: • Researching fashion trends and staying current on contemporary styles • Creating sketches and samples • Choosing materials • Attending fashion shows • Performing business administration tasks • Marketing products • Supervising or working with design team members Of course you still want to be a designer! None of this is discouraging. You enjoy things like this, which is why you chose to be one to begin with. The best part about it is, you get to further explore and display your creativity. While it can occasionally be a stressful environment, there are many rewards and exciting fun since this is something that you truly enjoy!
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Professionalism As A Fashion Designer Being a fashion designer is a very unique career compared to others. Because of this, some individuals automatically assume that being in the fashion industry only requires creativity. While this is very true, all aspects of professionalism are highly recommended and definitely important. Of course there are different areas that fashionpreneurs have to address that other careers might not necessarily need to. Individuals in the fashion industry are viewed as very boisterous, straight forward, and sometimes outlandish individuals. This sometimes can cause fashionpreneurs, especially designers, to overlook the idea of professionalism. This is because they feel that people are viewing them as just a designer, not an English teacher or business major, and is only judged by their artistic view and what they’re capable of doing. This is a very dangerous thing in any industry, but designers have to address professionalism without question should they expect to make it in the fashion industry. Provided in the next article you will find some areas in which fashionpreneurs need to practice professionalism. This is far as presentation goes. Of course you practice professionalism in other ways. Remember that this includes contacting people, dressing appropriately, and speaking as well. Just because all areas aren’t covered doesn’t mean that they aren’t areas that you should focus on.
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Addressing Professionalism Research With anything you do, research is much needed. If you’re trying to network with a particular individual, you need to know who they are and what they do, and even how they might even be able to help you. Know background information on them so that you appear to be interested in who they are as a person. As a far as designs, you want to be sure that you are unique in who you are. Make sure that you’re offering something fresh and not something that’s repeated. Inspiration is the best, but imitating isn’t always a good look in the fashion industry. It rarely gets you far.
Business Cards Business cards are extremely important. Presentation is everything. Being able to place a solid reminder into someone’s hands is important. Without this, you might lose momentum at a networking event. Business cards serve as a constant reminder of who you are and what you do. If someone is interested in these two things, it allows them the ability to contact you in various forms if they decide to keep in touch with you.
Blogs Blogs should be clean as possible. Make sure that it radiates your personality. This is where people get the true sense of you as an individual, as a designer. Offer your views on the latest trends and what you think is next to enter the fashion world. Be creative, allow people to see that about you since that is one of the most important things to have as a designer, creativity. Display your own designs so that your viewers can compliment or critique you. Know that it’s all in love, take criticism with stride.
Portfolios Portfolios are always great to have to accompany your business cards. They come in handy as well. You might not want to hand these out for people to keep as they are expensive to produce, but they can glance at it. Visual aids make it easier for people to digest what you’re saying about you and your business.
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Sell Yourself & Your Merchandise You are more than just an individual. Think of yourself as a new innovative invention that everyone can’t keep their hands off of. For inventors, this is sometimes difficult to do, but they make it happen and get it done. So you, as an inventor, must do the same. How will you grab hold of peoples’ attention? What makes them love you so much? What is most memorable about you? These are just a few things that have to be taken into consideration. You’re more than just a designer, and it’s important that you keep this in mind. Remember, how you perceive yourself is also how others perceive you as well. You are more than just an individual. Think of yourself as a new innovative invention that everyone can’t keep their hands off of. For inventors, this is sometimes difficult to do, but they make it happen and get it done. So you, as an inventor, must do the same. How will you grab hold of peoples’ attention? What makes them love you so much? What is most memorable about you? These are just a few things that have to be taken into consideration. You’re more than just a designer, and it’s important that you keep this in mind. Remember, how you perceive yourself is also how others perceive you as well.
When marketing yourself: Some people just have the gift to gab. It’s actually a wonderful tool when you know how
to properly use it. But, it doesn’t always get you the perfect outcome. You might be able to talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? You have to be able to prove that you can. Proof let’s a person know you’re serious about what you do and that you’re not wasting their time. When marketing yourself, it gives you the upper hand when you are able to provide someone with something that they can walk away with, or at least look at, at any given time. You’re in control of what you want someone to see and ultimately think about you and your business/brand. When marketing yourself, think: business cards, blogs, portfolio, and word of mouth.
When marketing your product: When marketing your product, you have to be sure that your product meets the needs and satisfaction of its potential target market. Once you know that it does, you have to maintain their interest and desire for that product. You can look into the marketing mix plan for valuable help. This includes the Product, Pricing, Placement, and Promotion. If you keep the four P’s of business in mind along with time utility and place utility, it will truly help with managing the success of your business. When marketing your business, think: logo, media kits, website, and word of mouth.
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Fashion Networking In anything you do, there will always be trial and error. So go on in and don’t be afraid of it. You learn from trial and error. When you learn, you grow. One place to practice trial and error is when you’re networking. You have several opportunities to practice your elevator pitch and throw out appropriate information about you and your business. It’s important that you can show the best of you and be able to gain a larger network with people that can potentially help you. As you might know, there are several ways you can network. You can attend several events such as fashion shows, industry nights, fashion related fundraising events, and tradeshows, just to name a few. By attending a wide variety of events, you get a slew of different opportunities. Think six degrees of separation, and when you’re networking at such great and well known events with great atmospheres, you’re bound to meet an individual that is a couple of people away from what you need. When networking, be mindful of where you are and the atmosphere that you’re in. Always be prepared to adapt to your surroundings for the better. Never do you want to enter a scene where it’s a formal event and in your mind you’re at a club setting. It doesn’t make you look good and might leave you feeling defeated. Piecing information from the previous articles, Selling Yourself & Your Merchandise and Professionalism As A Fashion Designer, we know that networking is imperative. When attending these events, you have to be prepared. You’re selling yourself. You want to present yourself as a designer by what you’re wearing but also by what you’re carrying. Present business cards and portfolios to win over someone’s interest where they are more than happy to hear from you when you follow up. That is if they don’t beat you to the punch. Do research on some potential attendees if possible. When you spot them in the crowd you can address them directly, reinforcing what you already know about them and asking questions about what you don’t know. People love to talk about themselves. Just be able to put a little of yourself into the conversation as well. Sometimes it can be somewhat awkward networking in person. You’re approaching people that you don’t even know. You might be shy and find comfort by networking with people via social networking. Nothing’s wrong with that, but eventually you have to break out of this stage. Until then, continue to network where you’re most comfortable. And if this is on social networks, remember that while these are for entertainment purposes most of the time, you still have to remain professional. People will respect and appreciate this more than you expect.
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You Got The Stuff? Dressing The Part
Elevator Pitch Example
When networking, you have to be sure that you’re dressed appropriately so that you don’t offend anyone. In the fashion industry, you want to be sure that you’re fashionable, yet tasteful.
Elevator pitches are important when you first meet someone. You have to be prepared to grab someone’s attention within a matter of minutes letting them know who you are. Provide enough impressive info to cause them to contact you. Excuse me, Are you the designer for Walking Canvas? I thought so. I’m Angela Robinson. I’m the CEO & designer of Aqutie Wear 12. It’s an urban clothing line designed for women ages 20 to 25. I know that your line provides an urban artistic view and that we have a similar, yet different target market. I was wondering if we could link up. I think it would be fun to collaborate on a line and maybe do a fashion show together. Does that sound like something you would be interested in? (Allow time for a response) Here’s my card and if you have one I’d like yours too. We can stay in touch. It was nice meeting you and I’ll definitely be in contact with you.
Business Card Example One of the most important tools in any industry is a business card. A lot of people argue whether or not it’s important, but its use is strongly advised. In addition to you following up, a business card provides a person with a solid reminder immediately.
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Get In The Know So you think you want to be a fashion designer? A lot of people think they can just jump into the fashion industry as a designer; not necessarily true. Actually, it’s not true at all. There are so many things you have to know and learn about in order to be a successful designer. Your skill sets have to be perfected in such a creative and professional way. Knowing certain skills will actually place you in a better position and can advance you in your industry. You absolutely need to get in the know how to become a better designer.
Creativity:
If you’re not creative, this might not be the best career for you. You have to have a very unique artistic view in order to be a fashion designer. No one wants a repeat designer in this industry. Emulating past styles isn’t frowned upon, but when you’re adding yourself to it, many will look past you. People like different. Be openminded and explore all options as you might come across something great!
Sewing: It’s almost dangerous to enter the fashion industry without knowing how to sew. It’s always an outlet, and you could easily use the assistance of a tailor or seamstress. The only problem with that is, they aren’t the designer. No one can convey your ideas better than you can. This is why sewing is one of the most important skills that you need to know in the fashion industry. If you’re designing for an individual it’s vital that you know how to sew.
If you’re designing for mass consumption you can get away with this by designing patterns to have sent to manufacturers. But until you reach that point, sew, sew, and sew some more!
Sketching:
Another important skill that needs to be perfected is sketching with industry standards. If you present a design without proper delineations, you can lose an upper hand. Not only is this important for the industry because they have a standard, but also for you as a designer. In the fashion industry, standards are important. Once you’re familiar with the standard sketch and body proportions, this makes it a little easier for you as a designer. Not only that, but learning how to express yourself with the stroke of a pencil is extremely important. Visuals are most important in the fashion industry. These are only three skills that are important in the fashion industry amongst many. There are several more skills that are needed as a designer. Unfortunately, we are unable to cover them all, but you can begin your homework now. Other needed and helpful skills include: Apparel draping, patternmaking, design and construction, fashion promotion and marketing, adobe illustrator, computer-aided design, development/production, fabric and accessory sourcing just to start you off.
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What They Aren’t Telling You There’s always some deep dark secret that people keep from you. Sometimes, it’s not that serious. In fashion, often times we tend to place our minds in overload about a lot of things. As a matter of fact, it isn’t necessarily what they aren’t telling you, but what we failed to do research on, to know that it’s needed or not. Take this information how you want, but you might want to take a few of these things into consideration when entering the fashion industry to keep you from wasting any unnecessary time in the process to becoming that fabulous designer.
Degree Vs. Experience A degree in any fashion design program can help out tremendously and provide you with the upper hand when searching for fashion design jobs but isn’t necessary. If you don’t intend on enrolling into a design program at any school, be sure you get plenty of experience by working internships. It is designing for other companies and clothing lines that you get the most valuable
Location Advantages You can be a designer wherever you choose. The only issue is, you might not get as far as you desire to depending on where you are located. As a designer, it’s a good idea that you live in big cities, they help. Cities such as Los Angeles and New York are prime examples, but they are also the top places in the United States for fashion and fashion design. So be prepared to relocate so that you and your business have better benefits for what you’re doing.
I’m Fabulous Enough A lot of people believe that you have to have this elaborate background to beef up the fact that you’re a designer. You don’t have to be rich or carry yourself in any particular way. Just be who you are and have lots of great creativity and experience. You don’t have to be extremely stylish in your debut years. You only have money for your business at this point so that’s ok.
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Meet A Fashionpreneur Via a Skype interview on March 20, 2012, 24 year old Chicago Student, Marcus McCoy stays true to his urban fashion, wearing a navy blue hoodie and a baseball cap. As one of the founders of Walking Canvas, he answers questions for the business. Beginning their business in high school by simply hand painting and customizing shirts and shoes with acrylic and fabric paint, it’s been a long 8 years of progression for Marcus McCoy and his partner Ayodeji Odunsi. They’ve learned many lessons from trial and error and learning the industry and what it takes to be successful fashionpreneurs. As they continue on their journey of success, they’ve taken Walking Canvas to another level. Interview by Angela L.A. Robinson Angela Robinson: Do you consider yourself more of a designer or entrepreneur? Marcus McCoy: I would say that they have equal weight. When it comes to being a designer, you have no choice but to have the business aspect of it. It comes naturally and without it you really can’t get that far. AR: What interested you in the fashion industry? MC: I’m a big guy [laughs]. With that being said, it’s a little difficult to find things that fit me the way I would like them to in the brands that I actually liked. So, I began to make my own designs. That way I was more unique with my choice of clothing. AR: Who inspired you? MC: Other than wanting to know how the business aspect of things worked, as far as being an entrepreneur, I inspired myself. AR: Do you create your own designs? MC: I most certainly do. I live, breathe, and eat design [smiles] because that’s just what I do. I enjoy it that much. AR: What is the inspiration behind your designs? MC: The inspiration behind my designs come
MC: The inspiration behind my designs come from what I’ve noticed that the urban fashion industry lacks. With that, my designs are clean, commercial, South Side Chicago designs. I feel that there’s no other way to describe it. AR: What differentiates you from other urban clothing lines? MC: At the moment we practice limited production, which allows more individuality. Because of this, we are in direct competition with the other urban Chicago clothing lines that have similar, if not the same practice. The difference is, we include a variety of ways to approach design versus one. We include graffiti, pop art, and wording, sometimes separately, sometimes collectively in a design. It depends on the creative flow. AR: What is the process of production? Can you take me through the steps? MC: We first begin by discussing ideas, and then we create rough drafts. We approach our process as more of artistic view than branding view. That means it’s not one set design for every creation. It’s artwork. We’re Walking Canvas. We recently purchased a screen printer so that we can now print our own designs without having to go through someone else. AR: What are some difficulties of being a designer?
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THE FASHIONPRENEUR MC: I find it difficult making the transition from being a designer to a business owner. From meeting and making deadlines to financial inconsistencies, to making sure we break even can cause several headaches. AR: What is a typical day like for you? MC: School and work. All work no play. For the business, it’s all about designing, scheduling business meetings, making outlines, and lots and lots of conversations between my partner and me.
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Pros: All the work is not on you, you have another consistent influence on the business; fresh ideas, and you don’t have to spend all of your money when it comes to investing [laughing]. Cons: You have to split the money, butting heads on ideas, arguments, and people not wanting to do their part. There were three of us starting out, but now there’s only two of because of the last reason. It can be difficult sometimes having a partner. AR: Is this something you see yourself doing for a while?
AR: How has networking helped you? MC: Networking has helped the business tremendously. It’s opened many doors for us and it assists us with what we don’t have or that we might be incapable of reaching at the moment. Networking is vital to the progression of any business no matter what you’re doing. AR: How did you build your networks and who do they include? MC: My partner and myself, we attend a lot of networking events. This allows us to meet a lot of new people and find out what they do and how they can possibly help us in the future. We build networks with well known Chicago based urban clothing stores (the Juggernaut, Leaders, etc.), other Chicago urban clothing designers (Dave Jeff of Phli, Zoe of Fashion Geek, etc.), and print and manufacturing companies. AR: How do you impact your community? MC: We do plan to find other ways to reach out to different communities and make a positive impact, but right now we impact our communities through messages. By messages, I mean the messages on our shirts. Our latest message includes “Buy Art. Not Cocaine.” We show youth that there’s other ways to make legit money. Or, other ways to invest your money wisely. We have to change the way we think. AR: What are the pros and cons of having a business partner?
MC: Oh yeah. Most definitely. A lifetime! There’s so many different ways you can go about designing that you actually can do it for a lifetime. AR: How do you afford your business? MC: Speaking for myself, I work and use my talent to make money. I design logos and sell designs to other clothing lines. AR: What are some of the sacrifices and compromises you have to make a designer and entrepreneur? MC: Everyone knows that as an entrepreneur you’re definitely sacrificing the two most important things in life. That’s time and money. But collectively, as a designer and an entrepreneur, you’re doubling your financial sacrifices and time. You have to give up a lot of things to make your business work. I have a female friend that’s upset with me because I spend much more time working on my business that I do with her [laughing]. AR: How does being a designer change your lifestyle? MC: It breaks ignorance on the consumer side of things. From the design aspect, you look at the designs from a different angle. You don’t take it for what it is, but you take the time to analyze it for what it is and why they chose to design it the way they did. It’s kind of like a gift and a curse at the same time.
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AR: If you could change one thing about your field, what would it be and where do you think it would take you?
supporting us and our creativity.
MC: I would change the perception of how it’s who you know and not what you know, and I would also change the” clickiness” of things. There’s not enough support.
MC: Just more promoting and working on getting things placed in other places and states. We have yet to travel or work with people internationally, but that’s in the near future. Working with entertainers for promotional purposes is on the agenda. Working with other brands is as well. And hey, making more money.
AR: What are you some of the common misconceptions of your career?
AR: What’s next for you and Walking Canvas?
MC: As a fashion designer, the main misconception is that is a hobby and not a career path. You are what you make it, and it most definitely is a career. You’re working just as hard as everyone else to have an income. People major and get degrees in this which makes it a career. AR: What types of personalities are best for this field? MC: The best personalities for this field are those of free spirit and extroverts. You have to be able to sell yourself and be likeable since people are clicking. You have to be bold and unafraid. The fashion industry can be tough. AR: How have you marketed yourself and your business? MC: Social networking is the best way to go since that is the time that we live in. You have to keep it clean and stay on track though. We attend events, network and have events at our office. AR: Are you satisfied with your decision of being a designer? MC: I’m definitely satisfied. I’m always wanting to create something that’s visually enticing and appealing to consumers. AR: What is the most exciting thing about your career? MC: To be able to make my own decisions is exciting, but most importantly seeing other people wear our creations. It lets us know that people are
Walking Canvas 2150 S. Canalport 2a-10 Chicago, IL 60608 Email: walkingcanvasbrand@gmail.com www.WalkingCanvasBrand.com
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Fashionably Yours We appreciate your dedication to reading Fashionpreneur and we hope that you learn something every time you pick us up for a read. As we continue our journey to learn how to better ourselves as fashion designers, there’s so much that we have to keep in mind. We hope that we’ve helped straighten out some well needed questions and concerns that you might have had. Remember that you are what you make this, so be the best that you can in this competitive industry. As I continue to perfect my craft and experience as a designer, I hope you do also. With that, don’t forget to do research and do your homework! Below I have provided you with a few things mentioned in this month’s issue that wasn’t fully addressed, or even mentioned. We want to be of all the help, but we also don’t want to make it too easy for you. Research these things and take notes in the space provided! Be sure to take notes (we can’t stress that enough, practice what you learn, and take the fashion industry by storm! Mass Consumption
Sustainability
Media Kits
Industry Night
Logos
Eco-Friendly Fashion
Portfolios
Eco-Friendly Entrepreneurs
Four P’s Of Marketing
Social Responsibility
Time Utility Place Utility Six Degrees of Separation
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Utilize This! MAGIC Trade Show http://www.magiconline.com/ Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week http://newyork.mbfashionweek.com/ http://newyork.mbfashionweek.com/volunteer The Fashion Industry Network http://www.fashionindustrynetwork.com/ The Fashion Institute of Technology http://fitnyc.edu/ Parsons the New School for Design http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/fashion-school/9 Heads: A Guide to Drawing Fashion by Nancy Riegelman ISBN 9780132238441 Where you can find your salary for the same career in different locations: www.salary.com
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Works Cited
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