Also, my business grew by word-of-mouth referral, which was not a quick process. At the most, a new project would generate two or three referrals for new projects. This certainly built my business, but I was aware of the limitations.
Most people who are familiar with me know that I have been engaged with social media since its inception. I have utilized it as a tool to network without the limitations of geography, friendship association or background. The more I expanded my networks by meeting new people through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linked In, the more I gained a sense of our ability to access a global community.
In the 1990s I was a private label linen designer for a home furnishings store in NYC called ABC Carpet and Home. My experience there led me to transition to become a vendor/ supplier for the store and I sold my Rado Ltd. product line to ABC, Gumps and other retailers. This gave me a taste for the manufacturing industry.
When my father passed away, many, many people shared their condolences with me, my mother, our aunts and uncles, cousins, my four siblings and our children through social media. With quick math by a marketing friend, we recognized that more than 15,000 people would have heard about his passing and seen his Have Some Fun Today message shared during that time period.
I was inspired. With the global reach of social media and my background in fashion, along with a personal interest in sharing inspiration, the Have Some Fun Today Couture lifestyle brand was born.
Q: How did you get started? A: I should start by mentioning that I have a BFA in Fashion from Parsons School of Design in New York City.
I began with a core group of product visions. I sketched them out and headed to New York’s garment district to find fabrics at Mood Fabrics. I sourced manufacturers and designers through the Big Button Kiosk in the garment district. After scouring through pages and pages of options, I identified a handful of great vendors.
For the Luxe Tote and Wristlet, I selected the fabricator that executes some of Rebecca Minkoff’s handbags. They helped me from concept and prototype to final sample production and first order fulfillment. Continued on page 20 berkswomen2women.com 19