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Lump of Coal
22 December 2006

I promised you a few holiday goodies, but for various reasons, the treats didn’t work out, so I get a lump of coal and you get…well, nothing. Perhaps a lump of coal would be better than nothing; I don’t know. But I do know that I intend to have those fashion treats for you in the New Year.

I’m heading to Calgary for the holidays, so I won’t have any updates for you until the week of January 8. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Best wishes for 2007. Maybe it’ll be the year you start your fashion company!

Holiday Sales
20 December 2006

No, I’m not talking about holiday sales as in last-minute, high-pressure mall shopping. I’m talking about local DIY holiday sales. I’ve noticed tons of them this year and want to tell you that it seems to be a great way to start your company and get your name out.

What are you waiting for? Get working on things to sell in next year’s holiday sales.

Pink Tartan and Porter Airlines
18 December 2006

Just returned from a quick weekend getaway to Montreal and flew on the new regional airline, Porter. There’s much buzz about this airline, and I noticed that whenever I told anyone about my flight, he or she usually mentioned that Pink Tartan designed the uniforms. Even fashion unconscious guys tell me about the Pink Tartan uniforms! I’m really amazed with how much brand awareness this has created for the company. That’s great PR.

Note to all you designers: partner with an airline to create cute new uniforms!

The Holiday Rush = No Interviews
15 December 2006

Since everyone is busy with holiday festivities, I couldn’t get any interviews for you this week, but please return soon for a few holiday goodies.

Goodbye, Website
14 December 2006

Today was the day the BoastToastie website died. It should have been off the Internet a long time ago, but it was such a great site that I didn’t want to get rid of it.

Thanks again to my brilliant friend, Derek Lee, who designed the site. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep it posted, Derek.

It’s Official: No More BoastToastie
13 December 2006

Aw, it’s a sad day. After much procrastination, I finally got around to start the process to end my company, BoastToastie.

I was waiting to hear back from my business partner, who wanted to investigate selling our concept and designs. In the spring, we agreed on a deadline of September, but it wasn’t until last month that we spoke about it. She hadn’t done any research, so we decided to end it for good. I’ve just been putting off the official dissolution because it’s kind of sad.

Today I started the process. Did you know you have to file a Dissolution Kit (http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/cd-dgc.nsf/en/cs01005e.html) to the Canadian government? And it costs $50. Ugh. As if I want to bug my ex-business partner for $25…

Even though I learned a lot from the experience of starting my own company, I still find it hard to accept that I had to kill it. Guess I’m a bit sensitive. Oh well.

TFI Resource Centre Review:
An Introduction to Sales and Marketing
12 December 2006

This guidebook was the one document that I didn’t buy when starting BoastToastie. Why? My business partner handled sales and marketing. Now I get to look into this myself.

The TFI’s Introduction to Sales and Marketing is an excellent resource to help you refine your sales, marketing, and branding strategies. For me, a lot of it seems like common sense, but I’ve done a ton of research on these topics. If you’re just starting out, I recommend you read it.

For those of you who are shy about selling, you’ll want to check out this document. Everything is there to help you start and continue sales, including an introductory speech for you to use when pitching buyers. The Buyer’s Kit information is also helpful.

Broadcasting Your Message is the last chapter and one that could be most useful since it discusses the pros, cons, and costs of conventional marketing routes. This will help when you’re starting your business plan budget.

It makes a lot of sense to read this at the same time as the TFI’s other documents, How to Start a Fashion Business and How to Prepare a Business Plan.

…and just to let you know, I do not get any financial kickbacks for writing this! I recommend resources to you when they’re good because I want to help you save time and avoid mistakes. One of the best ways to do that is to read these documents.

Interview: The Dolls Behind Doll Factory by Damzels in this Dress
8 December 2006

I know you’re out there: you’re looking in your closet at a Damzels dress, wondering what happened to your favourite Toronto dressmakers, Rory and Kelly from Damzels in this Dress. You haven’t been able to find one of their new dresses forever, and you wonder if you’ll ever be able to buy such a fun dress again. A tear falls into your glass of Merlot.

Hold on! Dry those eyes, buttercup!

I have fabulous news: you can find Damzels dresses in the new store, Doll Factory by Damzels (www.dollfactorystudios.com). Yes, I did mention it last week, but Rory and Kelly are such great businesswomen that I thought you deserved to hear the whole story.

So…what’s the story? In 1993, Kelly Freeman and Rory Lindo started Damzels in this Dress, a Toronto company that made the cutest rock ‘n roll inspired dresses. Then last year, they had a FUNeral for the beloved label (note the FUN part!).

Many people thought Damzels was dead, but Kelly gave me the truth: The FUNeral was for friends and colleagues. Plans were in works for an accessories line and store, but clothing line production demands wouldn’t allow them to do necessary research and design, so they took a year hiatus to break the chain of production.

Why accessories and a store? Rory and Kelly always wanted a store and loved the idea of having their own environment to showcase products, but they didn’t want just a dress store, which they would have had if they remained Damzels in this Dress. They wanted to expand their product offerings and since accessories are a growing market and are trans-seasonal, Doll Factory was born. The gals saw the need for accessible gift items that could be translated into the Damzels rock ‘n roll aesthetic, so they combined those ideas and launched a retail shop that incorporates Damzels and Doll Factory. It’s heaven to a girl like me.

I was so happy to hear this and see Damzels dresses back in the store! I thought the FUNeral was a funeral, but I was wrong. Kelly and Rory brought back the dresses and made many other gals very happy. The dresses you see in the store today are a holiday relaunch exclusive to the store, but are you ready for this? The Damzels dresses will have a retail relaunch in the Spring! Can you sense my excitement?

Rory and Kelly are excited, too. With the new store and new line come fun, new challenges. They’ve always been do-it-yourself kind of gals, so they did almost everything themselves. This could be a combination of their self-admitted control freakishness or nervousness about spending money on a new venture. They aren’t saying what really determined their DIY approach, but they do admit that they’re very conservative with spending, which is why they’re probably still around. They calculate risks carefully, which necessitates a small budget.

Apart from maintaining a budget, they say that their biggest challenge is that they are new to retail. They had shallow concepts about how much merchandise to buy, how to set up displays, and run a store. There’s a learning curve, but they’re proud of the response.

The Doll Factory by Damzels store has only been open a week, but the response has been wonderful and the biggest reward so far was opening night turnout. The girls say that they are always nervous the day of a show or launch, but it’s always gratifying when they see a full audience. They recognize that they are super-fortunate to have a great group of friends and followers, but they work hard to earn the support. New designers can learn a lot from these gals who had a line up of people down Queen Street begging to get into the Doll Factory launch a few months ago and packed their new store with friends and clients last week.

Okay…I’ve made their company sound idyllic and glamorous, with all this talk of dresses, relaunches, and parties, but what do Kelly and Rory do in a typical workday?

Though no day is typical, you’ll find them in the roles of designers, accountants, and garbage gals, and this can change every moment. They do a lot of schlepping around, breaking a sweat, and find themselves saying, “This busts anyone’s idea of fashion being a glamorous gig!”

Glamorous or not, they love their work and you can see it in their store and their dresses. They say that to be successful, you have to be completely organized and when it works, it really works.

When I ask them for advice for new designers or storeowners, Rory and Kelly encourage you to do as much research as you can. They say that everyone is surprised when they start out, so don’t be afraid to take small steps in the beginning and work to a longer-term goal. Canada is different than other countries, and you’ve got to work hard, start small, but keep that big goal in mind.

Now that you know it all, finish that Merlot and get over to the Doll Factory to see how those goals are working out.

Save the Date!
7 December 2006

The Fashion Design Council of Canada sent a “Save the Date” e-mail, so I thought I’d let you know that the Fall/Winter 07 L’Oréal Fashion Week (www.lorealfashionweek.ca) will be from March 12-17. See you there!

TFI Seminar Review:
Fashion and Sustainability: Bamboo Fabrics
7 December 2006

This was what I’ve been waiting for: a way to blend my development experience with my love of fashion!

Seriously, this seminar was so effective on selling sustainable fabrics made from bamboo and soy that I’m considering sending my resumé to Michael Correoso from Thynque (www.thynque.com). I’ve seen enough sales people and government bureaucrats give sustainability spiels that I know the real thing when I see it, and this seems to be the real deal.

I was so impressed with this fabric that I’m telling you to go and search out the stuff so you can feel it; it’s amazingly soft and apparently it has super-wick properties. You’ve got to check it out.

If you can’t find bamboo fabrics, then stop into the TFI Resource Centre because they have an information kit with fabric swatches from SYKA Textiles (www.syka.ca). You’ve got to feel these fabrics!

Interview: Danielle Ker is a Knotty Girl
6 December 2006

Some of you might know Danielle Ker as TFI’s Program Coordinator, but did you know that she’s knotty?

No, I don’t mean naughty; I mean knotty! She has a line of wearable ribbon accessories called Knotty Girls (www.knottygirls.ca). A graduate of the Ryerson Fashion Communications program, she was inspired to create wearable ribbon jewellery when she was a manager of Mokuba Ribbons (Okay, I didn’t find a Mokuba website in a 2-second Google search, but I do know that it’s a Japanese ribbon company that makes AMAZING ribbons. Once you’ve been in a Mokuba store, you’ll never want to see a wholesale ribbon again…).

Anyway…Danielle has a job that keeps her busy most workdays, so I wondered about the challenges she faces holding down a job and starting a business at the same time. She says that time is her main challenge. She doesn’t have enough of it to do everything, such as PR, design, sales, and website updates. She hasn’t quite solved that problem, but she has improved her prioritizing techniques.

What’s her other big challenge? Money. This is the common challenge with every designer I meet. So how has Danielle dealt with the money crunch? Like everyone else: month-to-month payments and credit. It’s tough to start a business and Danielle’s goal is to keep the money flow even and balanced.

How does she bring money in? Danielle is at almost every fashion and craft show in the city! I saw her at Style Revolution at the Design Exchange, at Nathalie-Roze’s Crafternoon Teas (www.nathalie-roze.com), and expect to see her at the following shows:

• Thursday, December 7: Speakeasy Holiday Sale, 8pm – 12midnight, The Gladstone Hotel
• Saturday & Sunday, December 9 & 10: The Artisan's Gift Fair, 11am – 6pm, The Tranzac in the Annex
• Saturday, December 16: Last Minute Craft Fair, 11pm – 4pm, Trinity-St.Paul Church @ Bloor & Spadina
• Saturday & Sunday, December 16 & 17: The Artisan's Gift Fair, 11am – 6pm, The Tranzac in the Annex

Not only does she attend these sales, but she organized her own sale recently. She and her friend created a studio sale, so I asked her about how she prepared for such a sale.

It turns out that Danielle only had three weeks notice because she discovered that her neighbourhood organized a studio tour event. She and her friend wanted to participate, so they did as much as they could in a short period of time, which included sending information to press and distributing tons of flyers. The press paid off: Danielle was mentioned in Metro and the Roncesvalles Villager.

Even with that great press, they needed more time and a better location. It turned out that they required a higher-traffic location. Luckily, it was a profitable night, but she recommends two months to plan and prepare for such a show.

Hopefully we’ll see Danielle at the Clothing Show and other local shows in the future. She thinks it will be a while until she is accepted into the One of a Kind Show because it is very competitive for jewellery, but don’t worry; you can find her beautiful creations on her website (www.knottygirls.ca), at Made You Look (1338 Queen Street West), and at www.snazzygirl.com.

She always has a beautiful booth and was interviewed on TFI-TV about tips for a good display. You should really check out her stuff. She’ll show you her knots and I’m sure she’ll also give you some good business tips. For instance, she wanted to give you this advice:

Be focused, know your target market, and stay on brand. I say this because after a great response to my first collection (ribbon jewellery) I expanded and created a collection with mainly beads and metals. I had a hard time marketing this, and realized that what people liked about my line was that it was different and non-traditional.

When a knotty girl tells you to be focused, know your target market, and stay on brand, you should listen!

TFI Members Meeting
5 December 2006

I had some more fun with my Fashion Support Group tonight, and the accessory designers almost outnumbered the clothing designers!

It’s interesting to see how many accessory designers are TFI members. If I designed jewellery, bags, scarves, or other accessories, I probably wouldn’t think to get a membership, but all the accessory designers I’ve met who are TFI members seem to get a lot out it.

Since the Promostyl books are my new obsession, we talked a lot about trend forecasting. When people got me to shut up about that, we discussed a bunch of other fun things, such as:

• The Guilty Pleasures consumer show at the Drake on February 3 (it’s too late to get a TFI table, but check it out to purchase cool locally designed stuff and see if you want to participate in it next year).
• How to get your line in New York and Los Angeles.
• Different methods of PR and advertising.
• How to maximize your TFI-membership meeting time with a fashion professional (You get 2 hours of time with a fashion expert with your TFI membership).
• The experiences of TFI members at different trade shows in Toronto.

It was another great meeting; I hope to see you all again on Tuesday January 9!

TFI Resource Centre Review:
Promostyl Trend Forecasting
4 December 2006

I spent some time in the TFI Resource Centre looking at Promostyl Trend Forecasting books and had tons of fun!

They just added the Spring/Summer 08 Promostyl Womenswear Trend Forecasting book to the resource centre, so I thought it was the perfect time to check it out. I never looked at the Promostyl books before, but I got lost in them. There are so many reasons to look into these, but all you have to do is check back to previous years, you’ll see that they are right on target and will help you with inspiration and colour palettes. You should check them out. If you’re a TFI member, you can call or e-mail to book an appointment to check out the Promostyl book.

 

Buy Canadian:TFI Holiday Gift Guide
1 December 2006

The TFI came up with an amazing idea: a Holiday Gift Guide!

If you need some gift ideas and want to support Canadian designers, check out the list of TFI members at this link to the TFI Newsroom (http://www.fashionincubator.com/happenings/newsroom/tfi-holiday-gift-guide.shtml). Hmmm…what can I find for my mom and my sister-in-law? A Swarovski-coated Gypsy necklace from Loranne Kettlewell Jewellery (www.lorannekettlewell.com)? Crocheted waist bands from Pricila Gomes (www.pricilagomes.com)? A scarf or wrap from Jabberdust (www.jabberdust.ca) or Leah Bazian (www.leahbazian.com)? There are so many ideas…

Shopping Experience: East End Holiday Wanderlust
30 November 2006

Something was stirring in Toronto last night, and it wasn’t a mouse. It was Queen Street East.

Most of the businesses from Leslie to Pape streets got together to celebrate the holidays for the Holiday Wanderlust spectacular, and I thought it was a brilliant way to promote the area and the stores. For information, check out www.eastendnoise.com and see my noisy and fun neighbourhood.

My night started fashion-tastically at my loft with Andrew Sardone, the style writer for NOW (www.nowtoronto.com), Samra Habib, Assistant Editor for Rouge Magazine (www.rougemag.com), and up-and-coming designer, Philip Sparks. I forced the holidays on them with some mulled wine, homemade peppermint bark, and The Grinch soundtrack, which made us all forget about the Autumn monsoon outside. Eventually we braved the weather and walked down to Nathalie-Roze & Co. (www.nathalie-roze.com), where I finally got to meet N-R herself! It was about time, and it was worth the wait. One of these days we’ll get together so I can interview her and tell you all about her adventures as a store owner/designer.

We walked past some great restaurants and stores and Andrew made us stop in Winkel. In my 5-second Google search, I didn’t find a website, so you’re just going to have to go down there to check out it’s fabulosity. I can’t tell you how much I love the record-inspired goods.

The new Doll Factory Studios (www.dollfactorystudios.com) store was the destination of the evening. It’s my new favourite store, opened by Rory and Kelly from Damzels in this Dress. I thought they’d killed off Damzels, but lucky us…I spied some gorgeous dresses in the store. The store is a blast: there are a million gifty ideas for any of your coolest girlfriends, dogfriends, or babyfriends. You’ve gotta check it out. And if you’re hesitant, check back here for more information because I’m going to try to get an interview from them next week.

Oh, and I’ve gotta tell you about my best new discovery: Sarah Doucet makes the cutest charm-inspired jewellery and she’s got a fun display at Six Shooter Records (www.sixshooterrecords.com) until December 10. Apart from love-love-loving her accessories, I love-love-love her PR photos: she’s got a beautiful Golden-type girl sporting her stuff, which I thought was brilliant. It illustrates the versatility of her designs. Sarah told me that her wonderful model was her university dance instructor, which I think was brilliant. I look forward to seeing more of Sarah’s designs and letting you know more about her when she’s got a website.

Can’t you just feel the fun emanating from Toronto’s East End? I love my neighbourhood!

Interview: Rodney De Freitas, Hard Wear Athletics
29 November 2006

I met Rodney De Freitas through my friend Gail, an agent at B&M Models (www.bnmmodels.com). She told me that Rodney owned a clothing company and is a member of TFI, so naturally, I had to ask him a few questions. Here’s what we discussed…

Carolyn: What's your story? (e.g. What did you do before, and how did you end up here)

Rodney: Well that will take about 2 hours to explain, so I will give you the short version.

Fashion wasn't in my initial career plans. I was actually on a path to a Sport Medicine degree, even though sewing became a hobby of mine at a very early age. While I was a toddler at home, my mother made custom wedding dresses and graduation gowns. She would give me little projects to do (like getting out the fabric and patterns) and by the time I was 12 years old, I was helping her sew the wedding dresses and gowns.

That took a back seat to my athletic and sport medicine career. While training for the ‘88 Olympics in Gymnastics, I had a serious fall on my head and had to give up both the dream of competing in the Olympics and my Sport Medicine career. After doing a short stint in the financial industry at a Bay Street brokerage firm, I realized I wasn't happy and packed up my bags and moved to New York after being scouted by a model agent. I spent two years in the States flying between New York, Miami and L.A. enjoying my newly found "hobby".

One night I was in bed, wondering where I would be if I didn't get injured and my mind started to wander about how those circumstances led to where I was in my life and what I wanted to do with it. Upon my return to Canada, I still had the athletic desire within me, but since I could never compete again, I decided to fuse my earlier passion for sewing, my love for athletics, my knowledge of the human body, and my new found passion for fashion to develop an athletic wear line.

Since then, it evolved into an active lifestyle collection that has been on Top TV Shows Like Baywatch and Melrose Place, as well as some of North America's top fitness, health, and Wellness/Lifestyle magazines. My collection can hold its own in today's marketplace and is constantly evolving to meet the demands of the active lifestyle industry.

C: Please describe your company and the products you produce.

R: HWA Active Wear & Lifestyle Collections is a fashion design company specializing in women's designer active lifestyle apparel.

Emphasis is placed on quality, versatility, and unique styling. The collection is comprised of 20 to 30 pieces, all designed to coordinate together or to be mixed with a customer’s existing wardrobe. The designs are clean and modern with particular attention to quality, texture of fabrics and construction. Our target customers are career oriented, working women, aged 25 to 50, who are aware of fashion trends, who lead healthy active lifestyles, and who have an affinity for travel.

C: What do you do in a typical workday?

R: What DON’T I do!!!

At the present time I am the designer, Accountant, PR REP, Sales Rep, Marketing Exec, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and anything else you think of that I might have forgotten to mention.

C: Do active-wear ordering seasons vary from fashion seasons and the ordering/production timeline?

R: No, they pretty much follow the same ordering seasons and production timelines as other fashion apparel companies. The smaller independent boutiques have more room to set their own time lines since they carry a smaller inventory, so they might order again well into a season if a particular design is selling well.

C: Hard Wear Athletics has a long list of Sales Offices in North America. How has your experience been with shipping in Canada?

R: So far I haven't had any real major shipping problems.

C: What about your experience shipping in the United States?

R: Most of my sales have been to the United States and I must say I've been very happy with shipments going to the U.S.

The only shipment that I really had to scream and yell about was bound for Antigua (obviously not part of the US). They lost the order and took 3 days to find it because they gave the paperwork to the wrong person.

C: Do you have any plans to export beyond North America?

R: Yes! I think every designer's dream is to be able to export worldwide; however, learning about shipping and exporting within North American should be the first step. Get the experience and knowledge before you try beyond North America.

Shipping to Europe, Africa or the United Emirate States have very different rules regulations and standards, so if one is not experienced in at least the guidelines of shipping within North America first, it can be an extremely expensive venture.

C: You expanded into baby wear. What made you realize that you were ready to expand your line?

R: When I had my first child! It was my way of celebrating his arrival into my life.

C: Hard Wear Athletics has an extensive online catalogue. How have Internet sales been for your company? Would you recommend online sales to other designers?

R: I would have to say that Internet sales are more difficult than if one had a storefront on a major street.

Mind you, being online automatically puts you on the international stage, and I have clients that start right here in Toronto and stretch out as far as the Netherlands and Australia. Being on the international stage means you are also competing with tens of thousands of similar companies as opposed to a fraction of that with a storefront.

To sum it up, I would suggest trade shows and a storefront as the main source of income and the website as a supplementary tool to help increase your presence on a global scale.

C: You’re a Toronto Fashion Incubator Outreach Member. How has TFI membership helped your business?

R: Being a TFI member keeps me on the right track and focused on attaining my goals. The resources and seminars available to me are unsurpassed and second to none.

C: If you have one piece of advice to new designers, what would it be?

R: The world of fashion can be an extremely intimidating place to be and chances are you are not the only one who feels lost or like you are being swallowed up or have bitten off more than you can chew.

My advice then to all of the new designers out there? JOIN TFI!

There, you will meet other designers who can be a great peer support system. The seminars are held by renowned experts in their field, which help you make crucial decisions and avoid potentially big mistakes. The resource centre is filled with invaluable information at your fingertips for you to succeed in an industry that is quite possibly the most competitive industry on the planet.

And most importantly: be true to yourself....NOW GO OUT THERE AND KICK SOME ASS!!

C: What has been your greatest lesson learned as a designer/business owner?

R: My greatest lesson learned so far is this:

Success is a result of Good Judgement...Good Judgement is a result of Experience...Experience is sometimes a result of Bad Judgement. Don't let mistakes or bad judgement get you down. Learn from them and grow from them. Use 1% of your energy thinking about the mistake and 99% on the solution.

Do You Need to Sew to be a Fashion Designer?
28 November 2006

A lot of people ask me whether I think it’s possible to start a clothing company without knowing how to sew. I received another one of those e-mails this week, so I thought I’d share my answer. Hope it helps all of you aspiring designers who haven’t been able to conquer the art of sewing.

First, I'd recommend submitting your questions to the TFI Mentors since they have much more experience than I do.

Second, I'd say it's too bad that you've had trouble learning a little bit of sewing because I find that you really have to understand how a garment works in order to design. But if you have a good relationship with a patternmaker and sample maker and can express your ideas clearly, then it might work. So I'd say that a MUST know is how to clearly communicate with people that you hire (They should be able to sort out all that measurement stuff!). If I were in your position, I'd meet with a bunch of different patternmakers and sample makers to determine if you can work together, if they can achieve your goals, and if you can agree on fees. Note: it will take a lot of extra money to work with a patternmaker and sample maker if you don’t understand garment construction. It's important to do that research! Get familiar with the TFI resources online. They're extremely helpful.

Interview: Ilona Hassan
27 November 2006

Ilona Hassan is a TFI Outreach Member who I ran into at the Style Revolution show at the Design Exchange. It was her first show, so I obviously had to get some tips from her to pass on to you.

Before the tips, though, you’ll want to hear her story. Five years ago, she was an economic consultant in Lithuania. Then she met a Canadian and they both moved here. While processing paperwork, she was a housewife who found herself sewing in her spare time. After six months, she thought about turning it into a career, so she did some research and attended the International Academy of Design as a mature student. Ilona gained some internship experience and now she has a home-based studio.

Ilona’s image-consultant sister inspired her to create a company that focuses on simple, perfect basics. One day they went through Ilona’s closet and her sister noticed fashionable items, but a lack of white shirts, pencil skirts, and classic jackets that match any outfit. As a designer, Ilona realized that she completely neglected these basics and immediately found a new wardrobe philosophy: If every woman could recognize the power of basics in her wardrobe, she’d always have something to wear.

The collection debuted at the Style Revolution show, so I had to ask how it went. It turns out that she had no expectations of turnover, traffic, and sales. For her, it was more important to get out in public to get reaction and experience. She did realize, though, that her price point was too high for that kind of event and is now thinking about creating some items under $50 that people could pick up easily.

Sharp presentation is essential to a successful show presence, and I noticed that Ilona had a clean, sophisticated area that matched her designs. I thought she must have invested a lot of time and money into the preparation, but it turns out that she only bought a freestanding mirror and dividers to make a change room. Everything else was from her studio space, so I guess you don’t have to spend a ton of money to create an effective booth.

What would she do differently? Ilona thinks it would have been smart to interview previous participants to help prepare for a show to ask what works and what doesn’t. Also, since she thinks her price point may be too high for public shows, she is going to target private shows.

Ilona is quick to mention the TFI as an excellent place to find the information required to participate in a show and launch a business successfully. As a newcomer to Canada, she learned a lot about the Canadian fashion industry from the TFI and she is a fan of the seminars and sales events. So, if you’re thinking of participating in a sales show, take Ilona’s advice and contact some previous participants and do some research at the TFI.

Library Love
24 November 2006

I re-discovered the library and I’m in love.

I didn’t think that the Toronto Public Library would have many fashion or pop culture books, but I found tons. I was recently looking for Jeanne Beker’s autobiography, “Jeanne Unbottled: Adventures in High Style” which was out of print and difficult to find in used bookstores, but guess what I found at the library? Yup, Jeanne! Seriously, I love the library.

Store Opening: Noir
23 November 2006

Went to a store opening tonight, and it was pretty much what I expected: a well-designed, but sterile store in Yorkville (on Bloor Street) with tons of beautiful, but unattainable clothes. I do wish I had more money. Sigh.

Anyway, it was a nice opening with stylish, nice people and nice appetizers and nice drinks. Unfortunately, it wasn’t memorable.

Apparently my colleagues and I weren’t memorable either, because the staff largely ignored us. Maybe it was because we looked like we didn’t have any money to spend, but still…wouldn’t you want to create a store where people have a memorable experience and want to strive to shop there? I’d expect to have been approached by the owner or at least the manager at a store opening so they could learn more about who was interested in their business, but I only talked to one staff member. Okay, that staff member was a friend, which is perhaps why the owner or manager ignored us. I can understand that, but a business owner should recognize the power of a store experience or story for the customer. Unfortunately, I left Noir without any story at all.

Interview:
Chatting Wine and Fashion with Tracy and Suzanne from Discover Wines Ltd.
22 November 2006

“Wine is Fashion!” Suzanne Mick pronounces as we (somewhat predictably) chat over a glass of wine. She answers my question about the similarities between the wine and fashion industries before I can even ask it. Anticipation is a sign of a great business owner.

Another sign of a great business owner is winning a prestigious national award, which is why I’m with Suzanne. She co-owns a wine shop called Discover Wines Ltd. (www.discoverwines.com) in Kelowna, British Columbia, with my cousin Tracy Gray. They’re in Toronto to pick up the award, and I thought it would be interesting to interview them. Business is business, right? So what can fashion business owners learn from wine retailers?

Tracy and Suzanne started their business for the same reason as many fashion designers: they wanted to take control over their lives.

And as many new fashion business owners experience, they quickly realized that taking control over your life by starting a company means working more, not working less. For the first year in business, neither one had time to think of anything but the wine store and family obligations. It was so busy, that neither scheduled a haircut for six months! I know…Six months! That’s a dreadful reality for a fashion business owner.

To make things crazier that first year, the Okanogan Mountain Park Fire threatened their store a month after it opened. One third of residents were evacuated from homes (including Tracy), but Discover Wines remained open and the women seized the opportunity to introduce themselves to the community and make the store a place for residents to forget their troubles. They could have easily gone out of business but guess what? They planned for it in their SWOT analysis and made sure their cash flow anticipated a disaster beyond their control. Open with a cushion.

What would be the fashion equivalent of this experience? A business could have disastrous sales by miscalculated and off-trend designs. Or maybe a late fabric shipment delays production and order delivery. Whatever it could be, make sure to anticipate slow sales in your cash flow projections.

Now the entrepreneurs face far different challenges than a raging forest fire. Demand for BC wines outweighs their supply; Suzanne and Tracy can’t get enough stock for their waiting lists. How did they solve this problem? They diversified before this challenge negatively impacted the business. In case wine supply is low, they sell wine accessories and host educational seminars.

The more we talk, the more Tracy and Suzanne confirm that fashion business owners can learn from these wine retailers. Here’s what I learned from the women who “discover wines”:

• Partnership: Know and respect your business partner. Suzanne and Tracy knew each other as work colleagues for 15 years before starting a business together. Ensure your partner is equally committed financially, emotionally, and physically, and even though you know each other, define your partnership in legal terms (such as a shareholders agreement). Tracy and Suzanne have an unspoken agreement that with everyone else, they’re always on the same page. They agree to disagree in private, but in public, they show no cracks.
• Opportunity: Seize every risk, every chance, and every opportunity. There’s no such thing as luck. There are no easy roads, no free rides, and no grants available. Stay sustainable with a plan and do your research. Suzanne says that people can open doors for you, but you’ve got to be in front of every door.
• Service: Listen, listen, listen! Suzanne and Tracy give customers what they want; if they don’t have it, they search it out.
• Press: Never miss an opportunity! Recognize media deadlines and help journalists by having press kits with photos ready, and being there when they ask. Oh, and don’t try new cosmetics before a photo shoot because you might have an allergic reaction!
• Philanthropy: Small businesses always get asked for donations, and even though you want to give to everyone, you can’t. Tracy and Suzanne solve this problem by choosing 3 designated charities that include arts and health organizations: Juvenile Diabetes, BC Breast Cancer Foundation, and Evergreen Rotary Arts Centre. They never want to say no to other requests, so they have a monthly draw for small gift that individuals can use for various fundraisers.
• Plan: Do your research! They spent a year counting traffic to determine the best store location. You’ve got to put in work to get results and you must plan for the future.

As with Suzanne’s ability to answer interview questions before I ask them, the pair always discusses the company’s next move. They anticipate the future all the time so they can be ready for whatever’s ahead. Sounds a bit like trend forecasting, doesn’t it?

Suzanne was right: wine is fashion! I love hearing about how they search for the hottest new wineries as I search for the hottest new designers. They say that wine is a trendy product that everyone wants to know about, and that the snobbishness of the wine industry – like the fashion industry – is breaking down. The owners of Discover Wines believe that everyone should be allowed access and not be judged by what they’re drinking. Doesn’t that sound like fashion show snobbishness where people are judged by what they’re wearing?

I like how Tracy and Suzanne discuss the democratization of wine and fashion. Suzanne says, “If it feels good, wear it. If it tastes good, drink it.” If Suzanne and Tracy maintain their momentum and increase access, a glass of BC wine could be the hottest fashion accessory next season.

Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards
21 November 2006

Tonight I attended the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards because my cousin and her business partner won the Deloitte Start Up Award. The criteria was that the company has been in business between 3 to 5 years, is now profitable, has a comprehensive business plan, and is ready for second-stage growth.

More than 800 women were nominated for awards in 6 categories, and it was such an inspirational night that I had to tell you about the winners:

Deloitte Start-Up Award: Tracy Gray and Suzanne Mick, Discover Wines Ltd.
Intel Innovation Award: Yvonne Tollens, ComputerAid Professional
RBC Momentum Award: Susan Niczowski, Summer Fresh Salads Inc.
Bell Trailblazer Award: Lola Rasminsky, Avenue Road Arts School
BDC Exporter Award: Kyle MacDonald, Phoenix Interactive Design Inc.
Energy Savings Group Lifetime Achievement Award: Lisette (Lee McDonald), Southmedic Inc.

The winners were from varied fields: Tracy and Suzanne are wine retailers; Yvonne started an agricultural software company; Susan manufactures prepared foods; Lola runs an art school with programs for everyone from disadvantaged youth to corporate executives; Kyle began a company that improved the technology behind banking institutions’ self-service products (such as ATM machines); and Lisette develops and sells medical equipment.

I got all business-inspired after learning about these women’s accomplishments and heard one of the best mottos ever, courtesy of Kyle MacDonald: World Domination is a Full-Time Job!

To make the evening even better, Linda Lundstrom and a colleague introduced themselves to my cousin Tracy and her business partner, Suzanne. Of course I had to give her a hug and talk about what a great success she has been to Canadian fashion. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to interview her for this blog; I’m sure she’ll have tons of great fashion business advice for you.

It turns out that Linda won an RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Award, which was nice to hear because I noticed the absence of the fashion industry at the awards gala. But let’s fix that for next year, shall we? Nominate a fantastic fashion female for the 2007 awards! Nomination information isn’t up on the website yet, but here’s the site for this year’s nominations: http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/sme/women/canadian-women-award.html.

TFI Resource Review:
How to Prepare a Business Plan
20 November 2006

Okay, I know you’re probably sick of hearing about how much I love the TFI, but I really do think it’s an amazing organization and the document I’m about to review proves that the TFI really does everything it can to help new designers.

How to Prepare a Business Plan isn’t just how to prepare a business plan; it’s a template for a business plan. You open it on your computer and customize it to suit your business ideas. What a smart idea!

This guide saves many steps and includes valuable information about finances. If there’s one thing I learned from starting my own company, it’s the importance of ensuring proper cash flow. While this guide won’t actually generate all your numbers, it will give you a good idea of basic financial requirements that all potential financiers would need. You’ll just have to do a bit of research and calculation.

One thing I found very important was the employment overview and the employment plan. The charts divide employee roles and outline appropriate times to create employment positions. That was something I didn’t do in my business plan, but it’s a smart way to anticipate your company’s future needs.

There are great sections on the state of the industry and information on trade barriers and how these will affect your business. The suggested appendices are also helpful, and it includes sample templates for cost sheets, cash flow projection, and proforma balance sheet.

The guide ends with a glossary and required reading list, but I have to say that the entire document should be required reading if you’re thinking of starting a fashion business.

Style Revolution
19 November 2006

After brunch, Anita (from www.blogto.com and http://iwantigot.geekigirl.com) and I went to the Style Revolution show and sale at the Design Exchange. It was the first Style Revolution exhibition and I thought it was great. Entrance only cost $5 and guests received a complementary copy of ELLE Canada with entry. The booths stood in a nicely thought-out floor plan, were neat and innovative, and the participants were all top-quality. There wasn’t any crap at this show, and it was nice to see so many skilled designers and business owners.

There was one problem, though: traffic was low.

This was sad because I could tell that the organizers at Goldfish & Company put a lot of effort into their show. We couldn’t figure out exactly why there weren’t any customers, but thought that it was perhaps that nobody goes to the financial district on the weekends. It was also the Santa Claus parade, which could have kept the show’s target market away from the area.

I hope the organizers will be able to solve this problem in the future and plan another event, because even with the low client turnout, it was a nice event and a pleasant shopping environment. It deserves a second chance.

Fashion Blogger Brunch
19 November 2006

Could a Sunday start any better than with the Toronto Fashion Blogger Brunch at The Drake Hotel (www.thedrakehotel.ca)? Nope. I love a good brunch, and when it’s combined with fashion talk and the fantastic-ness of the Drake, well, I’m happy.

Thanks to Danielle at www.finalfashion.com for organizing it, and thanks to Rachel and Sonja (www.torontostreetfashion.com) and Anita (www.blogto.com and http://iwantigot.geekigirl.com) for coming out to chat.

The Drake treated us to a fabulous dessert tray, so we left feeling full from baked goods and fashion chat. We decided that the Blogger Brunch has a home, so we’ll see each other again in two months. If you have a blog that none of us know about, please let me know. We want to include as many Toronto fashion bloggers as we can, so if you get excited about discussing everything from the cultural relevance of black nail polish to the difficulties of being environmentally friendly in an un-environmentally friendly industry, come out to say hi.

P&G Beauty: Gift Bag Hit or Miss
18 November 2006

It’s time for your favourite fashion game, Gift Bag Hit or Miss. This time it’s the gift bag from the P&G Beauty sponsored TFI seminar, Working with the Media. It was held on November 16, so this is a delayed game of Hit or Miss, but it’s so great, I had to write about it. I opened the bag to find one item:

• Gucci Eau de Parfum II

Before you say, “A perfume sample…big deal”, I’d like to tell you that this is no sample; it’s the full size bottle! You know I usually leave the Hit or Miss judgments to you, but can I say that the simplicity of this gift bag with a single rockin’ gift that fit the audience is a huge Hit in my opinion. Way to go, P&G.

TFI Resource Review:
How to Start a Fashion Business
17 November 2006

This is the first review of TFI Resources I’m going to do for you. If you’ve been wondering if it’s worthwhile to purchase a guide or to get to the TFI to spend time in the TFI Resource Centre, hopefully these reviews will help you make the decision. The first review: How to Start a Fashion Business guidebook.

I bought this guide before I started my business, and thought it was amazing. It answered all my questions, and gave insight into things I wouldn’t have thought about. On reviewing it again after starting (and ending) a business, I still find it extremely helpful.

I don’t know if there’s any way to sum this up except to say that if you are thinking of starting a fashion design business, you really should get this guide. Seriously, it’s invaluable. You’ll find all sorts of information, such as:

* Getting Started: In this chapter, you’ll learn about preparing business plans; types of business ownerships; all the legal stuff that designers tend not to think about; required government documents that you wouldn’t know about without this guide; financing options; and fashion industry standards.
* Marketing to the Industry: The second chapter discusses names, labels, logos, markets, and sales.
* Low Cost Promotional Strategies: As if you don’t need to learn more about keeping PR costs low. This chapter is about fashion shows, the internet, business cards, networking, PR materials, and other strategies.
* Getting Export Ready: You’ll find information on government support and exporting business. If you’re thinking of exporting, this is a great place to start researching.
* Resource Index and Bibliography: If the guide doesn’t already give you enough information, the index and bibliography should lead you down the path of fashion resource knowledge. It saves a lot of research time.
* Sample Forms: If you don’t know how to draft a Sales Order Form, Order Confirmation, Packing Slip, Credit Invoice, or practically any other form required of a fashion business, this section will help you. It’s filled with sample forms, letters, invoices, lists, and spec sheets.

Okay, so maybe this review is biased, but I think the TFI’s guide on How to Start a Fashion Business is the best way to start researching. If you have a fashion design business idea, I recommend this as your next step to making that idea a reality.

TFI Webinar Review:
P&G Beauty: The Businss of Beauty: Working with the Media
(Guest Speaker: Rita Silvan, ELLE Canada Editor-in-Chief)
16 November 2006

6:15 Log in. Not as much excitement as the last webcast, but the background sound is JazzFM; much better than Billy Joel, who was in the background for the last webcast.

6:39 Susan Langdon introduces Rita and asks how she became the Editor for ELLE Canada. Rita says that she became a journalist by not doing any of the things you’re advised to do (such as attend journalism school and get an internship). She was too intimidated, even though she liked to write, so she studied medicine at the University of Toronto (isn’t it funny how she thought medicine was less intimidating than fashion?). Eventually she applied for a senior editor position at Flare magazine and got the job. It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. She realized that “sometimes the thing you love most is the thing you do last.”

6:45 An online chatter gets impatient that Rita is not answering questions. I’m interested in hearing Rita’s story since she didn’t take a traditional route to becoming a magazine editor. I think other people want to hear Rita’s background because many people enter fashion after other careers. I find the impatient person distracting, so in the future, if online chatters have negative comments or suggestions for seminar improvement, please save them for after the seminar and let the TFI Administration staff know your ideas. The web chat is not the time or place for venting your frustrations.

6:48 Susan starts the questions by asking, “what is an editorial?” Rita says that an editorial is anything in a magazine that is not a paid ad. She also says that before you approach a magazine, you have to do two things:
1) Read the masthead to learn research names and titles of the key people. You’ll have a better understanding of how to pitch and who to approach.
2) Understand what people do at the magazine. For instance, the Fashion Director is a better person to approach than the Editor-in-Chief who is usually too busy to reply.

6:56 Someone in the audience asks if magazine staff would mind if a designer dropped by the office. Apparently that’s a terrible idea since magazine offices can get crazy especially around deadline time. Rita says to call first, acknowledge that the editor is busy, and ask who would be best to approach and when. She stresses that it is important to make personal contact first, and don’t forget to be polite!

6:57 I know that many people want to know the answer to this question: What does Rita like to see in a press kit? The answer: Images! You must send images so editors can get a feeling for your product. JPEGs can be sent in e-mails.

6:58 Here’s another good question: How often should a design company send a press release? Rita says that you should have something new and relevant to say each time so the timing depends on you. Follow-up by phone or e-mail to ensure someone received your release. Keep in mind that a newspaper that’s published daily needs more content, more frequently than a publication that’s published quarterly or monthly.

7:00 Susan mentions that it’s important to make sure that if you approach a publication, ensure that it makes sense with your brand.

7:01 Rita discusses PR reps and warns that some can be annoying, but recommends hiring a publicist if you are shy or if your English is poor and you cannot create a good press release. She prefers a personal touch and likes to hear from designers.

7:04 Listening to Rita, I realize that before approaching media, you must do a ton of research. When PR reps are mentioned, Rita said that it would certainly help to get noticed and mentioned in the magazine if you work with ones that work with ELLE advertisers. Discovering those reps would take research. Then, when Rita discussed timing about when it is appropriate to send information about our products, she encouraged us to look at past issues and observe patterns because there are rhythms to editorial. For example, ever notice when the swimsuit issue comes out in Vogue, ELLE and Flare? Doesn’t the Toronto Star usually run a “Back-to-School” editorial just before Labour Day and a “Prom” issue in the spring? Do your research to make sure your content matches the publication’s editorial goals. Just as much as you want to have your line published, editors need to fill a magazine every month, so they’re always hunting for new but relevant content.

7:06 An audience member asks how much influence do stylists have on garments selected for editorials and Rita answers that she relies on them a lot because she doesn’t have time to visit all the designers’ studios. Stylists bring what they feel is appropriate for a particular shoot.

7:07 Rita encourages designers to consider an editor’s time. Any kind of event where there is one-stop shopping, is great for them because they can see many designers in one place at one time. For this reason, Rita seems to really love the TFI’s Press & Buyers Breakfast held in September each year at The Drake Hotel.

7:08 I think this is a neat point: Rita notes that since consumers (not designers) are the magazine’s target market, editors tend to do trend research at runway shows. How do you get them to your show? Make sure your show quality is high and your garments are innovative. If you help an editor do his or her job, you have a better chance of getting them to your show.

7:12 Oh, here’s a fun tip: Don’t send cheese to a magazine editor! Okay, send cheese if you actually produce cheese but send this to someone who writes about food. So to get a fashion editor’s attention, make sure you send information and packages that are relevant to the magazine. Rita says that a box filled with cash works too (ha ha).

7:18: Canadian Content Alert: Susan asks Rita if ELLE Canada shares content with other ELLE issues around the world such as ELLE Quebec and ELLE France. Rita says they do, and it is usually content that is uniquely Canadian. ELLE Canada tends to include products that are available across Canada, but sometimes the publication will feature a product available only at a special boutique.

7:22 Rita describes the ideal press kit as being newsworthy. Before making one, she tells us to ask ourselves:
* What is newsworthy about what you’re trying to promote?
* Why should an editor spend time reading your kit?

7:27 There’s a lot of giggling when Susan asks Rita if ELLE Canada has a “sample room”. Rita says that it’s in Montreal and not in Toronto since all of the fashion shoots are done there.

7:28 Less giggling when Susan asks what Rita looks for as a New Labels judge. If you’re applying to TFI New Labels, pay attention! Rita says that clothing quality is number one. She’s actually insulted if the samples that she sees are not up to industry standards. The press kit should be perfect (no typos). Make sure you do all the things necessary to be professional; make it as good as you can make it.

7:30 A webcast attendee asks how to get entry-level employment at a magazine and Rita says internships are the way to go. ELLE pays a modest honourarium (fee) but most internships are free.

7:31 Someone asks if there’s a list of media somewhere. Hey, guess what? The TFI has a media list! Check out the Resource Center for more information if you’re a TFI member. If not, check out TFI Shop at www.fashionincubator.com.

7:39 Here comes the inevitable discussion about celebrities and magazines. Rita says that celebrities on the cover do increase sales. Someone online asks how to get celebrities to wear clothes, so I answer that it’s a job for a good PR person and stylist, not a magazine editor.

7:43 Strangely enough, an audience member – not a web attendee – asks about getting content on ELLE’s online magazine. It turns out that it’s easier to get on the web because content changes frequently. Make sure you supply good content and high quality photos.

7:44 Rita ends the seminar by answering questions about the ELLE brand (empowering women to make choices and decisions in their lives) and her favourite designer (Issey Miyake). It was a fun seminar and I learned a lot about approaching magazine editors. I think I’ll go and format some of my blog interviews and send them off to Rita.

7:45 Re-think sending my interviews to Rita. I figure I’ll pick up an ELLE Canada, read the masthead and phone the office to determine who I would be the best recipient of my articles. Thanks for the advice, Rita.

Q&A With Rosa Costanzo
15 November 2006

I was lucky enough to meet designer Rosa Costanzo (www.rosacostanzo.com) during L’Oréal Fashion Week and was thrilled to learn that she reads my blog! Naturally, I had to ask her for an interview, and here’s what she had to say:

Please describe your company and the products you produce.

My style is a blend of creative elements combined with commercial aspects. I love to mix new, fresh ideas onto a garment that I believe could be attractive to the masses. My customer is a refined, independent women longing for comfort, and the dynamic needs of urban life. She loves quality goods that have a feminine flirty edge.

What do you do in a typical workday?

A typical day consists of checking e-mails in the morning. Then I start working on pattern making, grading and sample construction. I make sure the fabric orders are complete, that store orders are being filled and that the accounting is being balanced. I prepare designs and samples during the high seasons, twice a year.

You showed at TFI New Labels and at Toronto Fashion Week. What did you learn from those experiences?

TFI New Labels was an invaluable experience. It was the best way to be introduced as a new designer to the Canadian industry, as there is so much exposure to buyers, media and consumers. Toronto Fashion Week was the next logical step, to continue showing the line and attracting new clients.

If you have one piece of advice to new designers, what would it be?

If you want to be involved in fashion, do not get into it for the wrong reasons. You truly have to love being a part of this industry. Be prepared to work extremely long hours and dedicate 100% of your time to your work.

I see on your website that you sell to stores in Ontario and Quebec. Any plans to expand to different provinces or other countries?

I would like to expand the line across Canada.

You’re a Mentor on the TFI website and offer advice to new designers. What are the common questions asked by aspiring designers?

Common questions are usually how to start your business, and where to find certain resources within the fashion industry.

My readers always ask about how to source fabrics, patternmakers/graders, and sample makers. Most designers I've interviewed recommend the TFI resource lists. Do you have any recommendations on how/where people should start looking for sources?

The TFI resource list is probably the best source for fashion industry sources. They continually update their list, and have the best resources in the Canadian fashion industry available at your fingertips. This alleviates having to pound the pavement, saving you valuable time that you can spend growing your collection.

I've also had readers ask about the best strategies to get internships or employed. If you were an HR person, what would you look for in a designer/employee?

If I were HR, I would be interested in the following criteria:

* Hands on work experience in the design sector
* Knowledge of the design sector (fabrics, patterns etc.) and labour skills (i.e. computer skills)
* Organizational and verbal skills
* Business skills
* Punctuality
* Creativity

What has been your greatest lesson learned as a designer/business owner?

As a business owner, my greatest lesson learned is that in North America, consumers and marketing strategy drive the market. Quality is also a plus. There are no friends or favours in the business world.

As a designer in the North American market, the main lesson I learned is to stay true to your style and your passion. Follow your heart.

What are your thoughts on the state of Canadian fashion? Are there any Canadian designers who inspire you?

I find that Canadian fashion as a whole is slowly advancing and consumers are quick to embrace the trends. I do admire Philippe Dubuc for his determination, skills, and the fact that he has sustained many years in the fashion industry.

Men’s Etiquette
14 November 2006

Tonight I attended the launch party for www.xyyz.ca, a men’s lifestyle website that covers etiquette, entertainment, style, food and drink, culture, sex, and a whole bunch of other stuff that fashion-forward (and really, fashion-behind) guys should read. It’s a great site!

Arie’s Answers
13 November 2006

If you read my November 1 post, you’ll know that the TFI had a seminar about what buyers want, with Arie Assaraf, owner of Toronto-based TNT stores (www.tntthenewtrend.com). I attended via webcast and due to time constraints, there were some unanswered questions, so I sent them to Arie and received the following responses. I hope they help you:

1. What (if any) trend forecasting do you follow? Is there a specific company?

We currently use WGSN.

2. Do you see designer/manufacturers who sell online as competition and as a result might not carry the line?

At this time, TNT only views a very limited number of designers/manufacturers who sell online.

3. How important are price points for you when looking at a garment?

The quality of the garment comes first, and the price point is the second consideration. That said, the price point must reflect the quality/value of the good.

4. Do you accept COD terms?

Very rarely. TNT's policy on this matter varies depending on the vendors. TNT has done this in the past with small vendors that are not factored, but moving forward TNT will not be working with COD terms.

5. How can we (The Industry) make the customer more open-minded towards Canadian designers?

Canadian designers need more exposure, and we need more designers with better fabrication.

6. Will you buy from a designer if the line is carried in a store that does not have a good reputation?

It is difficult to define 'not having a good reputation'. Regardless, TNT approaches each situation differently and specific to each designer since TNT has its own identity separate from other retailers. That said, designers should not be selling to stores that do not have good reputations.

7. I import a line; what's a good way to present this line to you?

Please contact Melissa, my assistant, at the TNT head office to schedule an appointment.

8. Should a designer offer an exclusive to one store in a city?

No designer should be offering an exclusive to one single store in a city. However, the designer must be exclusive with regards to whom they will sell.

9. After you view a line and decide that you like it, what is the next step in the buying process?

Once the buyer decides that they like a line, we place an order with the vendor.

10. You were talking about the importance of a garment's feel and construction. Is this important to knitwear too?

Yes, this is absolutely very important in knitwear as well.

Ontario Fashion Exhibitors
10 November 2006

Got my hands on the Ontario Fashion Exhibitors Buyers Guide from March 25-28 (thanks, Diana!), so I thought I’d flip through it and tell you what’s there.

I’ll be honest and tell you that I know nothing about the Ontario Fashion Exhibitors (OFE), so I immediately checked for information about the organization. Obviously, the exhibition participants knew about the event since I found an introduction in the Buyers Guide, which said nothing about the organization. I had to check out the website: www.ofeshows.ca.

So what is the OFE? The website tells me it “is the number one source for the Fashion Retailer. These marketplace events are held twice a year to cover the Fall/Winter and the Spring/Summer Seasons in the ready-to-wear fashions and accessories.”

From the site and the Buyers Guide, I gather that the exhibition is filled with sales reps and agents promoting clothing lines to retailers/buyers. The guide lists exhibitors/agents by name and what labels they represent, there is an Agency Index, a Label Index, and a schedule to make appointments.

To be honest, it doesn’t seem too interesting at first glance, but then I find it exciting to learn which agencies represent what labels.

If you’re at the stage where you’re ready to consider sales agents, you might want to attend the exhibition to do some rep research. You might have to be a member or a buyer to attend, but check out the website and contact the OFE to find out.

Interview: Diana Vucicevich
9 November 2006

The best are like water
Water benefits all things
And does not compete with them
It flows to the lowest level
In this it comes near to the Way
The best are like water in their dwellings, they love the earth.
In their hearts, they love what is profound.
In their friendship, they love humanity.
In their works, they love sincerity.
In government, they love peace.
In business, they love ability.
In their actions, they love timeliness.
It is because they do not compete.
That there is no resentment.

-Verse 8, Tao Te Ching

The above verse inspires Diana Vucicevich through every aspect of her life. Like many TFI members, Diana had previous careers that all led to fashion design. She studied business and has been a dancer, musician, advertising rep, interior designer, mother, and wife. All these experiences flow into an overarching design sense embodied in her company, Flow Like Water (www.flowlikewater.com).

Her studio exudes a calm that one would expect from a designer who draws inspiration from the Tao Te Ching. I suspect that her previous experience implementing Feng Shui principles into interior design is responsible for the serenity in her studio because I rarely experience calmness when I walk into a design studio. Sure, there are pattern blocks, inspiration boards, and fabrics everywhere, but they aren’t in the tiny explosions that usually litter design studios. It feels like a great place to create.

So how much time does Diana get to create?

Her most creative (but busiest) days are at the beginning of a line when she designs, sources fabrics, and makes samples. She says that her designs are constantly changing and almost gut wrenching because there is so much to do, but so little time. When basic patterns are done and fabric is sourced, Diana and her seamstress spend two to three weeks worth of 14-hour days cutting, sewing, ripping, and re-cutting, re-sewing, and re-ripping. It’s a tough challenge, but Diana stresses that any career involving a creative process is something you have to love because it comes out of your gut. And, obviously, that gut can get wrenched.

Even though it’s the hardest, most challenging career she’s had (Note: That comes from a mother of 3 sons!), Diana is quick to express how much she loves designing and making clothes. Not only that, but she loves the Canadian fashion industry and praises the TFI for being the catalyst for a supportive community. She stresses that any new designer must become a TFI member.

Diana cites the TFI as a great first resource for sourcing fabrics and production contractors. She started by researching at the TFI and getting referrals from the businesses she found through initial TFI contacts.

Through her initial research at the TFI, Diana received important advice from Executive Director, Susan Langdon. Susan told Diana to choose one thing and do that really well.

Starting small and then expanding is what Diana has in mind for a new creation called the peanut hat (www.peanuthat.com) for babies and toddlers. She is even considering developing that into another line. As Diana’s experience shows, a business can begin with something as small as a peanut or a drop of water; you have to let the idea grow and flow.

Members Meeting
8 November 2006

Last night I had a great meeting with my Fashion Support Group, also known as the TFI Members Meeting. It was held it on a weeknight for the first time to a packed meeting room, so I think we might try to keep it on Tuesday nights from now on. I’ll keep you posted.

What did we talk about?

I couldn’t contain my excitement for TFI-TV. I love it! Read my October 27 post for more info, but I’d like to clarify something: on that post and at last night’s meeting, I mentioned that new content is promised every month. That means new content will be added every month; none will be deleted (unless it becomes dated). So if you buy a TFI-TV membership in a few months, you will still be able to watch what is on the site now. It’s a great fashion-business resource, and I totally recommend that you watch. There will be some great content added throughout November and December.

We talked a lot about the last seminar, What Buyers Want, including people’s online experience and in-person attendance. The consensus was that even though some of the online questions weren’t addressed, we didn’t miss any content by not attending in person.

We also talked about marketing and PR. One member would like to take her bridal wear design business to the next step, but found trade shows did not yield the wanted results. I recommended that she contact the TFI mentors (http://www.fashionincubator.com/mentors/index.shtml) for advice (I think that she might want to contact Christine Faulhaber, the PR and Media Relations Mentor or Dina Brode-Roger, the International Marketing Mentor) and use her two consultation sessions with industry members (you get two free meetings with TFI Outreach Membership). Another member suggested that she place ads in the back of wedding magazines because potential brides tend to keep those for future reference.

A few members are just getting started in the fashion industry and are thinking about starting businesses, so attending the meeting was a great way to get ideas flowing. We talked about how to get more involved in the industry (hello, volunteer work!) and how other people are starting.

It was a fun night, but the hour flew by quickly. Can’t wait for the next one, which will be at least an hour and a half!

Insurance Lesson
6 November 2006

Here’s an unfortunate example of why you need to insure your business: the new Plastik Wrap store had a fire emergency on the weekend. Can you believe it?

The apartment next door caught on fire and now there is some smoke damage at Plastik Wrap, but the good news is that the damage wasn’t major and they’ll be back in business soon. Plus, they had insurance – that necessary evil. It sure paid to have it!

You should go to their store at 2235 Dundas Street West to give them some post-fire moral support. Their hours are Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 8:00pm and Sunday from noon to 6:00pm, but check their website (www.plastikwrap.com) for news on when they will re-open. I think it will be this Saturday.

Isn’t it amazing how you can plan for everything and then something you don’t expect happens? That’s the nature of running a business.

 

Weekend Wrap-up
5 November 2006

You’ll be happy to know that my weekend didn’t turn out nearly as horrific as the knife and gun hallway would have led me to believe.

It was a pretty good weekend, actually. But I did get wrapped up in serger thread. Seriously, I had to re-thread the thing a million times and it took a couple of hours to get it working again. Whoever thinks fashion is easy has clearly never had to rethread a serger. Those machines are so picky!

Futurstate Follow-up
4 November 2006

As promised, here is a follow-up interview with Laura from Futurstate. I wanted to hear about her experience at Alternative Fashion Week, and she was happy to tell me everything.

Carolyn: Can you describe what you did the days before the show? And what did you do the day of the show?

Laura: The days before the show were spent on promotion and regular work (sewing etc.). I also spent time making sure all the outfits were together with the right fishnets and accessories, and making something to wear for myself!

C: I noticed your collection was well-edited from the racks of clothes I saw at your studio. How did you decide what to show? Did you work with a stylist?

L: No stylist; I just picked outfits that I thought worked together the best, most similar in colour (not too hard for my line!) and chose the items that I thought would look the best from the runway.

C: How was your experience at Toronto Alternative Fashion Week? Postitive? Negative?

L: I was really happy with the night. I felt there was a lot of energy and excitement in the crowd and a larger turnout than what I had anticipated. The make-up team was amazing and headed by Melissa from Stellardesignz – very creative makeup that worked well with my collection. The backstage was really well organized, especially when considering how many designers and models were involved. It was great to meet many of the other designers from the night as well. Photos were also taken before the models went out on the runway, which was also great (check out www.zaiden.com to see the pictures). I loved the location for the show; thought it had a really great atmosphere. The music could have been better overall though!

C: There were a lot of new and local designers at [FAT]. Would you recommend the experience to other designers?

L: I would definitely recommend it to others, it is a great way to get your name out there, maybe even get some press! It’s also very good for making connections with other designers, photographers, models, and makeup artists. It is also a good experience to learn about how shows are run.

No Fashion. Just Knives and Guns
3 November 2006

As I stepped out my door this morning, I saw rows of knives and guns stretched down the hallway.

Don’t be too worried; I live across from a prop house, so they were fake knives and guns (I hope).

I know this has nothing to do with fashion, but thought you’d like to know that my weekend may be off to a strange start.

What Buyers Want: A Follow-Up
2 November 2006

Since there were so many questions left from yesterday’s seminar webcast, I volunteered to follow-up with Arie. Hopefully I’ll be able to post answers next week.

There were quite a few jewelry-related questions, so I’m going to hold those for an interview with TNT’s new accessories buyer. TNT is primarily a clothing store, so Arie would not have been able to answer some of the jewelry questions.

To get the most out of any seminar (TFI or otherwise) or meeting, it is always important to do your research. In this instance, a visit to TNT would have revealed its merchandise, so it would have been reasonable to conclude whether it would stock your type of product and focus questions to the speaker’s experience.

Regardless if an accessories or clothing designer did a pre-store reconnaissance mission, I’m sure that everyone who attended the seminar live or via web learned something that could be applied to his or her own business.

Just a note: the webchatters all seemed interested in talking longer online since we had such fun, so I suggested to Susan Langdon that a longer post-webinar chat might be a good idea. Unfortunately, she told me that it won’t be possible because TFI is charged a per minute online rate and webcasts already cost a lot to produce. The TFI is only able to offer it for as low a fee as they do because of sponsorships and grants. So at the moment, post-webinar chat will not be available. Once the number of user fees makes it cost effective for the TFI, it might be an option. Susan apologizes, but hopes that everyone understands.

TFI Webinar Review:
What Buyers Want
1 November 2006

Since this is my first time attending a web seminar, I thought I’d do a live-blog (But it’s only sort-of a live blog. They’re my live thoughts, but it won’t be posted live. Hope that’s okay with you.):

2:42pm - Receive a reminder note about today’s seminar with instructions on where and how to log in, computer requirements needed to access the webcast, and a link on how to view previous workshops and interviews and subscribe to TFI-TV. It seems easy. We’ll see.

5:00pm - Log in early (the seminar is scheduled for 6:00pm) to make sure I don’t have any problems. Follow instructions and have no problems. The whole process takes about a minute.

5:01pm - Find myself at a screen with a video feed on the left for the live webcast and a live chat box on the right. The chat box says, “OUR BROADCAST WILL START AT 5:45PM WITH MUSIC AND THEN THE WORKSHOP AT 6PM EASTERN TIME.”

5:45pm - Music and video feeds start as promised. See the guest speaker figuring out where to sit. Hear Neil Diamond on the audio feed.

5:47pm - Wince as Billy Joel plays while the guest speaker does a microphone test that I can’t hear. I’d rather not listen to Billy Joel. Think I should offer some musical suggestions to Cory, the communications guy.

5:50pm - Chat with other web guests.

5:51pm - One guest can’t see the video feed, so I tell her to wait for Cory to help her out.

5:59pm - Make fashion friends. Want to chat more, but the seminar is about to start.

6:01pm - Guests enter room. Chat group gets excited, but some people have technical problems.

6:03pm - Susan Langdon introduces seminar. Two dozen people are logged in to the webinar! How fun! Everything (audio and sound) is all clear for me.

6:05pm - Listen to guest introduction and short bio for Arie Assaraf, the owner of Toronto-based TNT stores www.tntthenewtrend.com

6:06pm - Arie talks about his history and starting his first store with $12,000.

6:09pm - Empathize with Cory while he juggles technical problems, operates the camera, and types updates in the chat box.

6:10pm - Arie discusses the importance of making yourself known, even if you’re not ready to do business.

6:12pm - Realize that Cory’s chat updates are posted before our video feed. He must be psychic! Or maybe we have a delay on the feed.

6:14pm - Think that I could be eating dinner right now, but I’m at the office and didn’t think about bringing it. Too bad; eating during this webinar would have been a great idea.

6:15pm - Arie discusses the importance of budgets and sticking with them.

6:18pm - He keeps emphasizing passion and vision. I suspect most of us at the seminar are wealthy in those areas.

6:22pm - Web Question: Is it important for the actual designer to sell the line or do you think an agent could sell you the same passion?

6:23pm - Arie says that is a great question. You must have an agent when you are very comfortable with what you do and have the infrastructure behind you to support it. An agent must be involved in every step: the showroom, sell the image and idea, but you are the best person to sell your line because you have the most passion for it.

6:25pm - Arie discusses branding. I’d tell you some of his secrets, but I don’t want to give away absolutely everything from the seminar or the people who paid for it would be mad at me…

6:27pm - Web questions pile up. Cory will try to ask Arie, but it’s getting hectic on the web chat.

6:29pm - Arie gives some great advice: only expand when ready. Know your market. He starts discussing the importance of garment quality, brand vision, and uniqueness.

6:36pm - He tells us to visit stores to research what the retailers are doing.

6:40pm - Here’s the question everyone wants to ask: How do you get in the door at TNT?

6:41pm - Arie wants designers to call his assistant Melissa to arrange an appointment and he promises that they will see every collection; even if it’s only for five minutes. In five minutes, he’ll be able to determine if your line is right or not for TNT. He can’t promise to go to your showroom, but bring your collection to him. Best time to arrange an appointment: a month before the selling season starts.

6:49pm - Think about all the girls I met in Ryerson who wanted to be buyers when Arie describes the job of a buyer. It is hard work and there is not a lot of glamour. Those girls who dreamed of being professional shoppers are going to be disappointed when they start working.

6:50pm - Arie talks about examples of good Canadian designers, how to market creatively, and pricing, but this post is getting long, so I’m not going to write everything. I will tell you that he’s passionate about fashion and his store. I can feel his excitement through the monitor.

7:00pm - I feel good about starting and quitting BoastToastie because Arie discusses the clothing line he started and had to end. You learn from mistakes.

7:05pm - Web questions are really backing up, but we agree that we’re still learning a lot from this webcast.

7:06pm - Take a break from recapping because this is getting too long to post and you’re going to get bored.

7:22pm - Realize that the seminar is about to end, so the online chat turns into a flurry. Questions and comments everywhere!

7:35pm - Seminar ends. The online people want more, so we chat for a bit. Think there should be more time allotted for online questions, but I offer to follow-up with Arie on missed questions and to post them on the blog.

7:36pm - Remind people to come out to the members meeting because I’d love to meet some of the people I’ve been chatting with.

7:41pm - Log out. Think about retail on the subway ride home. Looking forward to reviewing Arie’s webcast again on TFI TV in the near future…

PlastikWrap Q&A
31 October 2006

I’ve seen Plastik Wrap designs around Toronto and thought they had a great booth at the Clothing Show, so I thought you could learn something from them. So check out their website (www.plastikwrap.com), visit their new store (2235 Dundas Street West, south of Dundas West Subway station) and take a look at my Q&A with Adriana…

Please describe your company and the products you produce.

Plastik Wrap was created in 2000 by two individuals, Adriana Fulop and Ryan Webber. We create men's and women's clothing and accessories. Our style is sophisticated, modern but with an edge. We use only the highest quality materials and finishing. Our cuts are sleek, flattering and future oriented. Our style can appeal to many different customers. You can find our clothing in alternative boutiques and also at the One Of A Kind Show.

What do you do in a typical workday? In other words, how glamorous or unglamorous is your job?

Usually we start working around 10:00am. Although sometimes even earlier, it depends if there are any production crises.

In the morning, I make a schedule for the whole day, give some work to my employees, answer all the emails, and check the mail. If it is a production time, I will get right in to figuring out numbers for fabrics, notions and ordering them. I’ll also arrange grading for patterns and production schedules with production companies...all while answering phone and running bank errands...nothing too exciting. Now that we have a store, add to that list that I run up front every time the door rings and to take care of customers.

Sometimes when in crunch, I sit behind a sewing machine and make samples or little alterations for our customers.

As you can tell, we are a small company and everybody working here (Ryan, myself and Sarah, our part time employee) have lots of different jobs.

On a glamorous day (there is not enough of those, trust me), I sleep in and start designing or musing about inspiration or run around fabric/notion showrooms. Or organize our catalogue shoot, find models, makeup artist, and photographers.

If you have one piece of advice to new designers, what would it be?

Find out what you are good at; be inspired, but don’t copy.

You’re in the process of opening a boutique. What was the catalyst that prompted the need for a store? When did you know you were ready to open a boutique?

To tell you the truth, we kinda got bored with the way we were working. Also, our lease was up in our old studio... So we decided to take on a challenge of opening a boutique.

I think we really missed the social aspect of interacting with the customer. After 6 years of working in the studio and dealing only with industry, we needed a change. Plus the bonus was, we got to design the store, which is always fun to do. This was a way to show people how Plastik Wrap thinks and feels.

You have online sales on your website. What has been your experience with online selling? Would you recommend it to other designers as a way to sell garments?

Online sales are a big part of our income. Ryan built our website and did an amazing job at promoting it. We have customers all over world, we have people collecting our style...as funny as that sounds.

I don't think we would get where we our without the Internet, to tell you the truth. I always highly recommend selling on-line. People are really getting used to it. Personally, I always shop online, even for shoes. :)

Now that you’re opening a store, what are your next steps/goals for the future of Plastik Wrap?

Well, down the road, we wouldn't mind opening another location in Montreal. It would be interesting to go and live there for a while.

If you have one piece of advice to people thinking of opening a store, what would it be?

Find a good location, but be wise; while choosing, high rent can kill even the strongest. Not everything cool needs to be on Queen West. When it comes to store décor and furnishings, don't be afraid of recycling; it’s fun to rework old into the new, even when it’s just a sales desk.

What has been your greatest lesson learned as a designer/business owner?

Never employ friends.

Being a business owner is an ongoing challenge.

Fashion and Hair
30 October 2006

Got a nice e-mail from Sharon, who’s looking for thoughts on hair styling and fashion. She’s considering a career change, loves fashion and hair, but is wondering how and if they have a strong link.

I’d say that yes, Sharon, hair and fashion do have a strong link. In fact, the TFI recently held a seminar about styling with one panellist that specialized in hair, one in makeup, and one in fashion.

Howard Barr was the hair stylist on the panel, and he mentioned a couple of career paths for a hair stylist. The first is to apprentice at a salon. There, you will focus on technique and building a clientele, but you won’t be as involved in fashion shoots as you would if you were a freelance stylist. But you have to get experience, right? Plus, many salons get involved with fashion shows and shoots.

Another path is to be a freelance stylist who works on shows and shoots. It is a more artistic route since many hairstyles would not be worn on the street.

I can’t comment on which road would be easier, harder, or more fulfilling for you, so I recommend that you investigate hair schools in your area and discuss your interests with the instructors. I’d also go to salons and try to arrange some information interviews with stylists that you admire (I can almost guarantee that you could lure a hairstylist out of the salon to talk to you for half an hour about his or her work if you promise a coffee or glass of wine).

Hope that helps!

P.S. I recommend information interviews for any career you think of pursuing. I’m in the middle of doing that right now, and I just had a great one with a TV station and now I’m really convincing myself that I’d be a great producer (specializing in fashion and pop culture shows, of course!).

TFI-TV
27 October 2006

How much do I love the TFI? SO MUCH!

As I write this, I’m watching TFI-TV, and I’m so excited! This is an amazing resource and fantastic use of multimedia technology.

What do I love about this? I can watch it at work! (Don’t worry; my boss has confidence in my multi-tasking abilities. But I admit that I may not have told him that I’ve been watching TV at the office…) I can also watch it whenever I want since the archived shows are available any time! Content is geared directly to people in the fashion business!

My favourite episode is the recap of the TFI Press Breakfast because there are interviews from designers, models, buyers, and other attendees. It’s full of great advice.

Actually, all episodes are full of great advice. There are some very interesting episodes about exporting and trade that you may not have considered. I also enjoyed Susan Langdon’s demonstration on how to build an effective press kit.

I totally recommend this resource to anyone who is starting a fashion-related business. I’d write more, but I want to go and watch all the episodes…

You can check out a demo at www.tfitv.com/promo/ but the promo doesn’t do the real site justice; it’s way better to invest $54 for a 3-month subscription to see what I mean. (Go to TFI Shop at www.fashionincubator.com/shop/index.shtml to subscribe if you’re interested.) New content is promised every month.

TFI Seminar Review: Working with Stylists
26 October 2006

Even though I usually show up just on-time for TFI seminars (thanks, public transit!), the half hour networking session before the seminar start is one of my favourite things. As you can tell from my enthusiasm for members meetings, I love meeting new people who are starting fashion companies. It’s always fun to share stories.

But let’s get to the seminar, shall we?

This was the first P&G Beauty-sponsored seminar, and it was great! Three stylists from the Artist Group (www.artistgrouplimited.com) discussed their experiences and took questions from the audience:

* David Goveia talked about makeup;
* Howard Barr discussed hair; and
* Michelle Paiano dished about fashion styling.

Each of them shared fantastic information and I think everyone in the crowd (from clothing to jewelry designers, model reps, and wanna-be stylists) learned about working with stylists. Here are just a few things they discussed:

* What do stylists do?
* How do stylists and designers or editors work together to create a vision?
* How do stylists get known?
* How do designers make themselves known to stylists?
* What rates do stylists charge?
* How do stylists get started in the business?

I thought working with stylists was self-explanatory, but I’m glad I went to the meeting and learned there was more to it than showing them an inspiration board. When you’re working with stylists for print, television or fashion shows, a designer has to be ready to step up and lead the team with a strong vision.

As you can tell, the seminar was fun, but the fun didn’t end with the seminar. I got to play a game of Gift Bag Hit or Miss!

Ready? Let’s go:

* Olay Total Effects Daily Moisturizer
* Crest Whitestrips Renewal Age-Defying Strips
* Pantine Pro-V Style Smooth & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum
* Cover Girl Outlast All Day Lipcolor
* Pantine Pro-V Style Ice Shine Hairspray
* Pantine Pro-V Colour Revival Complete Therapy Conditioner
* Pantine Pro-V Restoratives Time Renewal Conditioner
* Pantine Pro-V Colour Revival Shampoo
* Infusium 23 Leave-in Treatment

Okay, you get a comment with this gift bag: Most of these were full-size products; not samples! I was blown away!

Fashion Week Hangover
22 October 2006

Ummm…I’m kind of dead, so I have to have a fashion-nap for a few days. Will write later.

TFI Members Meeting
21 October 2006

Oh, how I’ve missed my Fashion Support Group!

Today was packed, and it was fun to talk about Fashion Week. None of the members at the meeting attended any of the shows, so everyone got an earful of fashion stories from me. I swear, they said they weren’t bored.

But this was an interesting thing: nobody realized that they could attend L’Oréal Fashion Week. Hey readers: if you are in the fashion industry, (even if you own a small business), you can indeed register for Fashion Week as “Industry”. So keep checking the Fashion Week website (www.lorealfashionweek.ca) for next season’s dates and register!

Apart from fashion show planning do’s and don’ts, we also talked about the TFI Press Breakfast. Jennifer Reilly (www.jenniferreilly.com) is a jewelry designer who participated in the breakfast and had nothing but great things to say about the experience. She said she learned a lot about making an effective press kit and the value of having an outgoing model who represented the spirit of your brand. She recommended the event for designers who are ready for press coverage.

I love chatting with my Fashion Support Group and hope to see you at the next meeting, which will be on Tuesday November 7, from 6:00 to 7:00pm. Register by contacting Danielle or Nina at the TFI, 416-971-7117 x 21.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: Pink Tartan
20 October 2006

At 6:05pm, I ran into the MUZIK building, sure that I missed the 6:00pm start of the Pink Tartan show. Since it’s such a success story and a professional company, I expected the best.

Imagine what I thought when we didn’t get seated until 7:15pm. The show started well over an hour and fifteen minutes late! That was the worst delay for the duration of Fashion Week. Sure, the runway looked great, but was it necessary to make guests wait over an hour just to lay a branded runway and hang chandeliers?

I’m torn about how to answer that because yes, those items contributed to the mood of the show. The chandeliers, the music, the lighting, the styling (hair, makeup, and accessories), and – of course – the clothes all said the same thing to me: Paris – When it Sizzles. I didn’t get a press kit, but Audrey Hepburn could have worn every outfit that went down the runway. Everything was on-brand and on-theme. It was a perfectly edited show. Too bad it wasn’t a perfectly timed show.

Fashion Week Party Review: Dean Horn at Ultra
19 October 2006

This was one of those unofficial fashion week events I discussed yesterday. I didn’t want to go to, but I passed Ultra on my way home, so I thought I’d drop in since I missed Dean’s show on Tuesday. Plus, the PR person for the promotion company, INK, promised me that Fashion Week media passes would be accepted and that my name was on the guest list.

Unfortunately, there was a crowd when I arrived and I was told everyone was on the guest list. The door people wouldn’t even acknowledge me when I asked if my media pass would let me in. I didn’t make a big deal about it because I know that my little blog isn’t Vogue, but what if I was a writer for Vogue? The door people didn’t even bother asking what media outlet I was with; they just ignored me.

Now I’m exercising the power of the pen (okay, Internet…) to stress the importance of efficient organization of your event entrance. The door people made INK, Ultra, and Dean Horn look snotty, rude, and disorganized.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: Charles & Ron
19 October 2006

Charles & Ron are two designers from Malta.

Malta?

Yes, Malta.

Why were they showing at L’Oréal Fashion Week?

I have no idea.

But I do know that their show was a pleasant experience. It was simple with elegant clothes and a wonderful, consistent theme throughout. It started with a clip from The Women, which is a 1939 film about New York society ladies with AMAZING fashion show scenes. Anyone interested in fashion MUST watch it. The music matched the film clip: 1940’s big band-type tunes, but the twist was that they were songs such as “The Tide is High” done in big-band style. It rocked, and matched the clothes perfectly.

It was a relatively simple show, but I felt like I was at a 1940’s society fashion show, so Charles & Ron did their job.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: Joeffer Caoc
19 October 2006

I like Joeffer’s staying power and influence on Canadian fashion. His clothes were elegant and sophisticated, as was his show. I was completely drawn into the clothes rather than the models, the crowd, the songs. It was simply a wonderful clothing experience. I recommend any designer (especially if you’re Canadian) to attend one of his shows or seek out his clothes.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: Izzy Camilleri
19 October 2006

Izzy made everyone focus on the clothes. That’s why we’re there, but some people have been forgetting the clothes this week.

Let me tell you about the amazing-ness of these garments: Izzy works primarily with leather. I’m a vegetarian who doesn’t wear leather clothes, but Izzy made me want to wear leather from head to toe.

Okay, I do wear leather on my toes, but I don’t want to get into an argument about it; I just wanted to make a point. Did it work?

Ms. Camilleri is a genius with a difficult fabric (vegetarian or not, I would never want to sew leather…yikes!), and this season’s collection was perfectly wearable and looked amazing on the runway. It was an impressive example of how to combine excellent design with wearability and business, so I’m sure she won’t have a problem selling it. At least I hope she doesn’t have a problem selling it…

Izzy also cast her show perfectly. I’ve never seen so many angry (yet feminine) blonde biker (yet red-carpet) chicks ever. They rocked the runway and sold the clothes. The girls looked great, but weren’t distracting in any way.

Seriously…I think I need a leather outfit.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: DC Clothing
19 October 2006

Missed this show because it’s not a Canadian company, so I didn’t think I needed to see it. Turns out I was right because DC put a nice little pamphlet in the media lounge with all the information I needed. Plus, I was on the bus with Tommy from the great Toronto fashion site, www.jakandjil.com, which was probably more fun than the DC show anyway.

Fashion Week Party Review
Bustle Afterparty/GOTSTYLE Fashion Show
18 October 2006

There’s an interesting trend this week: random clubs are hosting “fashion week events”, but these events are not affiliated with L’Oréal Fashion Week officially. I’m a bit worried about this trend because many of the events show international brands such as Versace, Betsey Johnson, J. Lindeberg, Ben Sherman, and Lacoste. To me, that’s not what this fashion week is about. We’re celebrating Canadian designers, aren’t we?

Since Maro hosted the official Bustle afterparty, it didn’t count as one of those random clubs, but with so many parties, it was hard to know what was happening and where to go. I was glad that I ended up at that party, though.

The men’s lifestyle store, GOTSTYLE, co-hosted the event with Toro magazine and they organized an energetic party, complete with perfect menswear show highlighting their fall clothes. Okay, so it wasn’t a Spring/Summer 07 show, but this was a way for the show to pull the clubgoers into the store to buy merchandise. I’m sure it worked, because it made me jealous for men’s style this season. Sure, they had some women’s looks, but it was all about the menswear.

My main critique about the show was that even though they had graphic displays on plasma screens, they didn’t correspond to the looks. I know it can be tricky to get all the AV materials to work properly, but when they do work, it makes the show more effective.

Even though GOTSTYLE showed international brands, it is a local store and I’m happy to see people in the city excited to celebrate fashion. It feels like fashion week is catching on.

Now that you know a bit about the event, it’s time to play your favourite game: Gift Bag Hit or Miss!

* Toro magazine (current issue)
* Gsus football shawl (that’s another word for muffler)
* GOTSTYLE gift certificate for $50 off a purchase of $300 or more
* Grand Marnier travel notebook (which is really a recipe book)
* Grand Marnier cocktail shaker
* Oral Fixation mints
* Ice Rocks spring water ice cubes

L’Oréal Fashion Week vs. Toronto Alternative Fashion Week
18 October 2006

How to sum up the difference between these two fashion events?

At L’Oréal Fashion Week, there are free tubes of Colgate Visible White Advanced Whitening toothpaste.

At Alternative Fashion Week, there are free testers of Probe Personal Lubricant.

Toronto Alternative Fashion Week [FAT] Review
Night 2
18 October 2006

Night 2 was fantastic! The shows were professional and entertaining, the clothes were well-made, the music was more upbeat, and the crowd was huge. The collections were fun, wearable, and well-edited.

I was impressed, and so was everyone else. A designer friend who has participated in her fair share of poorly executed group shows at clubs thought it was the perfect event for new designers to debut their lines.

So, to all you new designers: check out the show tonight! It’s your last chance for this season because the event ends today.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: Bustle
18 October 2006

The Bustle crew know the value of a good stylist. Wow – was I impressed.

The collection was sleek, well-made, edited with strong pieces, detail-oriented, and followed a strong theme. You could tell that they focused on organizing a kickin’ show, and they delivered. Models were professional, they had fun, and they oozed the feel of the clothes.

If you want to see an effective show, go to Bustle.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review:
Fashion Show Etiquette – Part 2
18 October 2006

I’m starting to realize that sometimes the guests hold up the shows rather than the organizers.

When the show is about to start, people still chat on the runway. Please stop doing this and visit after the show; that’s why there’s a giant mingling space. The runway room is to see shows, so get in, find your seat, and then discuss the show with friends and colleagues later. There will be more to talk about after the show, anyway.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: Common Cloth
18 October 2006

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I like to encourage designers and promote positive encouragement in the fashion industry.

That said, I feel bad writing that I learned a lot from Common Cloth about how not to put on a fashion show. I found that there wasn’t a strong theme and the clothes weren’t ready for the runway (they didn’t fit well, moved in unflattering ways, and there were seam puckers).

Furthermore, there were a lot of basics, which made me wonder why someone would work so hard on creating designs, spend money, and use valuable time to show things that a client could buy cheaply at the Gap, Old Navy, or Club Monaco.

Common Cloth is opening a new store, so I hope that the garments will be better than what I saw on the runway. I’m so sorry to write this. I do wish Common Cloth success with the new business.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: Zoran Dobric
18 October 2006

Must start by saying that I loved the skirts, particularly the innovative hemlines. And I was intrigued by the construction of the last dress shown. I don’t know how he fused the top to the bottom, and I’m still thinking about it hours after I saw it. That’s what I’d call a good garment.

One thing confused me about this show, though: there was definitely a Japanese theme, but there were so many different fabrics for the jackets that it didn’t feel like a collection. This week I’m definitely learning the importance of having a stylist and an impartial person who can edit and improve your work.

This show reminded me about the impact of hiring professional models. I talked about this last season, but I have to say it again: it is obvious when you have a friend on the catwalk. When planning for your show, allocate money to hire models. You do not want distracting models to take attention away from your clothes.

Toronto Alternative Fashion Week [FAT] Review
Night 1
17 October 2006

Yesterday I talked about supporting our young fashion industry and not cutting down designers, so I’d like to constructively discuss [FAT].

For an event in its second year, it was well-organized. I had no problem with media registration. Volunteers knew what they were doing and were able to provide intelligent information.

Held in a warehouse-style space in Toronto’s Distillery District, the event was the farthest thing from the sleekness of L’Oréal Fashion Week, which is what I hoped it would be. If there’s an event called “alternative”, it must offer legitimate alternatives, and this one did.

There will be a different theme each night and the first night was “Fanatsy”, so I entered a place where girls wore shoes that looked like giant pieces of cake and the fashion shown was more wearable art than wearable. Wonderful! That was alternative fashion.

Unfortunately, I heard some crowd comments about the unwearability of the fashions. I did want to remind them that the event is Alternative Fashion Week.

Alternative or not, here are some things that should be considered when planning any fashion event:

Editing: There is a difference between alternative fashion and bad fashion, so the organizers and the designers must learn how to edit collections. Every designer had neat pieces, but some of the better ones were buried under average pieces.

Seating: Four to five designers were grouped together for 20-minute shows, which were great, but with a shortage of seats and unedited collections, the crowd became restless (especially the fashion people who are known to wear shoes for form rather than function). When planning a show, always remember that people have short attention spans.

Music/Ambience: The importance of keeping a crowd’s attention was obvious later in the night when attendance slipped for the last show. I’m sure many factors were the cause, but the thing that would have driven me away was the monotony of the music for the show and between the shows. Don’t misunderstand me; it was great music, but it was the same relaxed, electro-loungey vibe throughout the night. For fashion shows at 10pm on a Tuesday night, though, a show planner must punch up the atmosphere to keep the audience there.

I know that the organizers thought of ways to keep the audience because art installations surrounded the warehouse perimeter and bands played at the start and end of the nights. There were many interesting artists and people around, and I loved the concept of combining music, art, and fashion. They’re integral to each other, so it’s about time that they were celebrated together.

[FAT] started off well and I’m looking forward to experiencing many more intriguing designers, musicians, and artists over the next few days.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: Fashion Show Etiquette
17 October 2006

There’s one thing that I hate about fashion shows: bad etiquette.

Every now and then, I sat near someone who comments (loudly!) on the models: their walk, their look, and their hair. They never mention a word about the clothes!

A designer can’t control guests or their obnoxious comments, but as a guest, you can always display good fashion show etiquette. I like to focus on the clothes and try not to talk during the presentation. Of course, if I see something amazing, I usually HAVE to tell my neighbour (if it’s a friend), but I try to refrain from making any negative comments.

What’s the point in saying, “That girl’s boob is falling out!” or “Ohmigod! She broke her heel!” so that everyone can hear? If there’s an obvious mistake, everyone knows about it and talking only distracts from the show.

You never know who could be sitting nearby. The designer’s parents might be next to you, so how do you think it makes them feel when you say, “That’s the ugliest pair of pants I’ve ever seen”? A potential colleague could also be close. If you go for a job interview and he or she remembers you as the catty person from the fashion shows, you might not get the job.

For those who chat about a model’s alleged cellulite: I don’t see you on the runway in a bathing suit, so until you do that and realize how hard it is to maintain your composure, please don’t be nasty!

As a designer, you know how much time it takes to make an outfit, let alone a collection. You’re seeing months of someone’s life walk past you, so the least you can do is clap. If you don’t like the collection, please try to save the bad words for private. Good fashion show etiquette is especially important in Canada when we’re still building our industry. We need to support our designers, not cut them down.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: David Dixon
17 October 2006

My day job kept me busy today, so I couldn’t see Arthur Mendonça, Dean Horn, Katya Revenko, and JUMA. I need to look into fashion journalism full-time because missing the shows broke my heart. At least David Dixon’s show mended that sad heat of mine.

David always puts on a clean event. I remember my Fashion Week volunteer days, though, when his shows were late and everyone fought for entrance (it was scary to work the door at some of them). Those days seem to be over since he’s been on time for the last few seasons and nobody fights for admittance any more. He has a wonderful philosophy of allowing everyone in: once invited guests are seated, anyone who wants in is welcomed.

Perhaps the pre-show reception buoyed that welcoming mood. Vin de Pays d’Oc sponsored a wine sampling, and it is usually a nice idea to provide people with a smattering of alcohol before the show.

There was that idea of brand partnering again. It’s a theme that I saw last season with watches, jewellery companies, and even music labels (Chulo Pony), and I got more interested in seeing how it will develop. I think that if the correct brands can partner, more Canadian fashion companies might be able to grow.

The relationship between David Dixon and Vin de Pays d’Oc didn’t extend to the collection, which didn’t have much to do with wine. But there was a shared elegance between the two companies.

David’s inspiration and theme for the show was “reunion”, a sweet tribute to the passing of his mother and her reunion with his father. It was so touching that I could barely see his clothes through the tears in my eyes. I think most people felt the same thing, and that’s what impressed me most about this collection: his inspiration was so clear that the audience felt it.

It made me want to touch and wear the clothes, which is what a designer should want a collection to do. Would you not want people to get so excited about your clothes that they want to place orders or seek them out in stores? David definitely knew that a way to a girl’s heart is through her closet.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: Marie Saint Pierre
16 October 2006

When I think of Marie Saint Pierre’s clothes, I do not think of Bratz dolls, but there was a Bratz folder on every chair. Huh?

Explanations lay inside the folders: we were at the unveiling of the world’s first Bratz couture collection, designed by Marie Saint Pierre.

This got me thinking of brand partnership. And unfortunately, that preoccupied me at the start of the show when models walked the runway with Bratz dolls knotted in their hair. Luckily the clothes were amazing enough to make me focus on why we were there in the first place: the clothes. They really were beautifully cut and constructed, but I’m not here to critique the clothes. I really do want to discuss brand partnerships.

Obviously the Bratz thing distracted me, so I imagine that other guests thought about it as well. But it was so interesting because if there’s anything you’ve learned from this blog, it should be that having enough money is important for a fashion company to survive. And I’m beginning to think that creative partnerships might be the way to build a successful independent clothing company. You know how Renaissance painters had patrons? Well, maybe the Bratz (or a liquor company, or a jewelry company) might be a new form of patron.

Instead of the Medici family, could the Bratz be the future of art?

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review:
L’Oréal Paris Spring 2007: Fragmented Time
16 October 2006

Since I found my seat easily, I had time to play my favourite game: Gift Bag Hit or Miss!

Ready? Here we go:

• Paper advertisement for L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Star Secrets Lipstick
• L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Star Secrets Lipstick with Eva Longoria’s autograph
• L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Star Secrets Lipstick with Laetitia Casta’s autograph
• L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Star Secrets Lipstick with Aishwarya Rai’s autograph

Next, I had time to review the media kit, which I have to say is the best media kit I’ve seen. Here’s what was in it:

• Show Line-up – Description of the show with by look and designer. I learned that the show was called Fragmented Time and was a presentation of Spring/Summer 07’s hair and makeup looks in runway and realway looks.
• Backgrounder – Information on the company, its presence in Canada, community activities, and products.
• Media Advisory – Press release about the show and information on how to schedule an interview with the L’Oréal hair and makeup stylists.
• Bio – Biography for Eddie Maleterre, L’Oréal Fashion Week’s Artistic Director.
• Bio – Biography for Eric Del Monaco, L’Oréal Fashion Week’s Lead Hair Artist.
• List of Designers – Descriptions of all 31 designers participating in the show.
• Show Backgrounder – Information about the show’s concept, inspiration, and themes.
• Mood Boards – Inspiration boards to provide visual descriptions of the show backgrounder.

Seriously, this media kit was so thorough that I almost didn’t have to see the show to understand the Spring/Summer makeup and hair looks and how they will translate from runway to the street. When I received the invitation to a makeup and hair runway show, I didn’t know what to expect, but the concept of walking two models (representing runway and realway) together down the catwalk was effective.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review: First Impressions
16 October 2006

As the title sponsor, L’Oréal took Toronto out of Toronto Fashion Week, so it’s natural that the brand would be everywhere. Strangely, though, I didn’t find enough branding.

The event moved out of the Liberty Grand and to the Muzik building, so I expected much more signage for guests who weren’t familiar with the building. Each season, I always discuss how important it is to have effective signage. For your shows, always assume that people do not know where they’re going. Make things easy for your guests.

When I entered the building, I was practically bombarded with the PR team from the Runway Room. Everyone wanted to make sure that I knew where I was sitting. It was almost overwhelming, but since I was one of the first few people to arrive, I could understand their excitement. It’s better to have too much customer service rather than no customer service.

Set with a seat, I wandered the venue and was happy to find a space that allowed for mingling between shows. From the boutiques and mini-salon in the fashion environment to the bars with comfortable couches, I could tell that guests would be comfortable between shows for the week.

Not only would guests be comfortable, they would be occupied thanks to the generous magazine collection.

After grabbing a magazine and a Fashion Week programme, I sat down to plan my week. Unfortunately, the programme didn’t make it easy to plan. There were some letters from people such as the Mayor of Toronto, the Fashion Design Council of Canada’s Board of Directors, and the Advisors. The schedule was at the back and there was only one page of designer information. I know about the designers already, so the programme didn’t affect me too much, but what about foreign journalists or guests new to fashion? Again, you want to make things easy for your guests and give them as much information about you and your event as possible.

L’Oréal Fashion Week Review
15 October 2006

It’s the day before Fashion Week and Alternative Fashion Week, so I’ll let new readers know how I report on events.

I approach the shows from the view of what designers can learn and will comment on aspects such as event planning, PR, and runway presentation. I usually don’t comment on the clothes – unless they’re particularly stunning or distractingly poor – because there are other reviewers who do that. I do hope that you learn from my week of fashion.

Futurstate Interview: The Un-Glamour of Preparing a Fashion Show While Running a Business
14 October 2006

Laura Stewart – designer/owner of Futurstate (www.futurstate.com) – sees the future as a