I recently wrote about this topic in my latest business piece for Nolcha.com. When you start a new fashion label and you’re on a shoestring budget, it’s understood that you have to make the most of what you have. But when people are sizing up your brand in the blink of an eye, not only [...]
Archive for the ‘Fashion’ Category
How to choose the right model to be the face of your fashion brand
Posted in Advertising, Brand, Brand Management, Brand Strategy, Branding, Fashion, Fashion Business Brand Strategy, Hiring Models, Marketing, Models, Start-up, tagged Brand, Brand Management, Brand Strategy, Branding, Fashion, Fashion Business Brand Strategy, fashion designers, Hiring Models, Independent fashion designers, Marketing, Models, Mood board, Start-up on November 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Work it, baby: More fashion trade show tips
Posted in Fashion, Helpful Links, MAGIC, Marketing, Marketing Tools, POOL, PROJECT, Retail, Sales Tools, Trade Shows, tagged Fashion, fashion designers, MAGIC, Marketing, Marketing Tools, Sales Tools, Trade Shows on August 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
A few months ago Kathleen Fasanella from Fashion Incubator chimed in with some great links from her website on how to better work the fashion trade shows. Here are links to those tips again, posted front and center for everyone to see.
1. How to promote yourself before a show
http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how_to_promote_yourself_before_a_show/
2. How to promote your line at [...]
Do you really know who buys your clothing?
Posted in Brand, Brand Management, Fashion, Luxury, Marketing, Trend, tagged Brand, Brand Management, down-market, Fashion, fashion designers, Luxury, Retail, Trend on August 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I love this article that just came out in W magazine. My quick, two-second summary: those who are truly purchasing luxury fashion right now are not the skinny 16 year olds, they’re the established forty-something women with experience and the cash to prove it. Sure, they might like edgy or avante-garde styling, but they also [...]
Survival of the Fittest: How emerging labels can build more value in the eyes of retailers in a tough economic climate.
Posted in Brand, Branding, Fashion, Marketing, Marketing Tools, Retail, Sales Tools, Trade Shows, tagged Brand, down-turn, Fashion, fashion designers, Marketing, Retail, retail buyers, Sales Tools, Start-up, Trade Shows on August 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
My latest article for Nolcha.com contains advice on how emerging fashion designers can impress retailers when going to market for the first time. All info was gleaned from interviews with successful boutique owners. Insider info, just for you. Here’s a quick excerpt and a link to the full article:
As an emerging fashion label launching in [...]
Need inspiration?
Posted in Business Intelligence, Fashion, Start-up, tagged Business, Fashion, fashion designers, Start-up on August 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Here’s a great article on some young, up-and-coming fashion designers, and how they’re pulling off success in these tough times. Check it out and get inspired:
The New Guard
“In this most inauspicious of economic moments, it takes major guts to launch a fashion collection. Meet a crop of freshman hopefuls who have the creative chops—and business [...]
Using mood boards to visualize your brand
Posted in Brand, Branding, Fashion, tagged Brand, Branding, Fashion, Mood board on July 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Mood boards are a tool I use quite frequently with new clients when they ask me to create their new brand image. Simply put, a mood board is a collage of a certain style of imagery that represents the kind of look and feel you would like to portray in the marketplace. You can gather [...]
Naming strategies for branding your fashion business
Posted in Brand, Branding, Fashion, Marketing, Naming, Trademarks, tagged Brand, Branding, Fashion, Marketing, Naming, Trademarks on June 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Naming your fashion business is one of the most important things you will ever do. The name of your business, coupled with its visual look and feel, and verbal voice, will set the tone for your business and tell your customers what kind of brand you are.
Here are a few strategies, with some quick descriptions, [...]
The challenges of branding your green fashion business
Posted in Brand, Branding, Branding Dont's!, Business Intelligence, Fashion, Green, Greenwashing, Logo, Marketing, Start-up, Sustainable, tagged Brand, Brand Management, Branding, Fashion, Green, Greenwashing, Logo, Logo Design, Marketing, Start-up, Sustainable on June 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I just wrote about this topic for Nolcha.com. As green fashion evolves from a hot trend to the status quo (and I sincerely hope it does), how will fashion companies distinguish their brands when everyone is using the same branding conventions? In my article, I talk about branding trends—or clichés—to avoid when creating your brand [...]
A lookbook success story
Posted in Brand, Branding, Fashion, Guerrilla Marketing, Lookbook, Marketing, Marketing Tools, Retail, tagged Brand, Branding, Fashion, fashion designers, Marketing, Marketing Tools, Retail, Sales Tools on May 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Surely you’ve heard of Rodarte, the young and wildly successful label by Laura and Kate Mulleavy. Apparently, what got them noticed was their first lookbook, a gorgeous handcrafted piece using paper dolls, which they sent to editors and got immediate attention at WWD and Vogue, giving the young and insanely talented designers a rocket boost [...]
Read this while it’s hot.
Posted in Brand, Brand Management, Branding, Business Intelligence, Fashion, Marketing, Retail, tagged Brand, Brand Management, Branding, down-market, down-turn, Fashion, Marketing, Retail on April 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Portfolio magazine is shutting it’s doors, so read this article before it’s too late. It’s about how the Fashion business is moving forward in these tough times, with great points on brand building, marketing, passion, creativity, value, etc.
“Fashion Forward” by WWD staff for Portfolio.com
Enjoy.
Why, now, more than ever, you need to invest in your brand
Posted in Brand, Branding, Fashion, Retail, Start-up, tagged Brand, Branding, Business, down-market, down-turn, economy, Fashion, Retail, retail buyers, Start-up on March 30, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Great news! My article went live on Nolcha.com today and was made a feature. For those of you who don’t know, Nolcha.com is a business magazine aimed at start-up fashion companies. It’s got lots of great advice and it’s free!
My article is called “Risky Business: Why now, more than ever, you should be investing in [...]
Question from a reader re: naming your label
Posted in Brand, Branding, Fashion, Naming, tagged Brand, Branding, Fashion, Naming, Start-up on March 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Phew! I have been crazy busy—working late nights, weekends, and I’ve got bags under my eyes to prove it!—but am now back in the blogging game. To start, I have a question from a reader I think I’d like to answer here for everyone’s benefit:
From Layla:
I am starting a fashion business that’s due to launch [...]
Good news for indie designers in this tough economy
Posted in Brand, Fashion, Luxury, Retail, tagged Brand, down-market, down-turn, economy, Fashion, fashion designers, Luxury, Retail on January 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
In a recent article in WSJ, it seems that local indie designers who sell directly to their customers may have a distinct advantage over others in this economy. My quick read: the experience of the customer interacting directly with the designer adds value and a perception of additional luxury, causing customers to develop an emotional [...]
Getting maximum tradeshow visibility on a small budget
Posted in Branding, Fashion, Guerrilla Marketing, Logo, MAGIC, Marketing, Marketing Tools, POOL, PR, PROJECT, Sales Tools, Start-up, Trade Shows, Uncategorized, tagged Brand, Branding, Fashion, fashion designers, Logo, Marketing, Marketing Tools, Sales Tools, Start-up, Trade Shows on December 21, 2008 | 5 Comments »
Hey, kids! It’s that time of year again. MAGIC, POOL, and PROJECT are just around the corner. Will you be ready? If you haven’t started getting your marketing materials together, you have to start now. For start-up fashion labels with a small budget, here are some cost-effective ways to get noticed and remembered.
• Rock your [...]
Designing the right logo for your fashion brand
Posted in Brand, Branding, Branding Dont's!, Fashion, Logo, Logo Design, tagged Branding, Fashion, Logo, Logo Design on December 3, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Whether you’re attempting a logo design on your own, or have hired a skilled graphic designer and brand image expert (like yours truly), there are molto important things to consider when designing a logo for fashion brands that are unique to the biz. I’ll walk you through several considerations, so you’ll be well prepared when you [...]
Amazing website for killer marketing insight
Posted in Fashion, Helpful Links, Marketing, Marketing Tools, tagged Case Studies, Fashion, Marketing, Marketing Tools on November 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
You have got to check out Marketing Sherpa.
It’s a little steep to get a one-year subscription to this site, (I think it’s $400?) but if you can swing the cash, the returns might be handsome. I did it, and was able to gain insights that really helped my clients. A membership gets you direct access [...]
How a luxury jeans line used the power of brand image to stay hot in a down-market
Posted in Brand, Brand Management, Branding, Fashion, Jeans, Luxury, Marketing, tagged Brand, Branding, down-market, down-turn, Fashion, Lux, Luxury, Marketing on November 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I love this story. It supports everything I believe about the power of branding and savvy marketing. When done right, your brand can withstand anything. The folks at Rock & Republic have it down cold. Read their story here:
“Selling $300 Jeans in a Down Economy,” by Stacy Perman for BusinessWeek
What I really love about their story [...]
Great article on retail buyers surviving the downturn
Posted in Fashion, Retail, tagged down-market, down-turn, Fashion, fashion designers, retail buyers on November 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Yikes. Just the title of this article gave me chills.
“Retail Darwinism” by Mary Bridges, from Condé Nast Portfolio
My quick read: It appears that most retail buyers are stocking with caution for Spring 09, but some are focusing on items that have a strong emotional pull to the customer. Designers: How can you work this?
Question from a reader on choosing a trade show…
Posted in Fashion, MAGIC, Trade Shows, tagged Fashion, MAGIC, Trade Shows on November 8, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Hi everyone,
Sorry I haven’t written in a few weeks, I have been severely under the weather and now needing to catch up on blogging duties. Never fear, I’ve been brewing up some good topics, so keep checking back for more fashion branding and marketing fabulosity.
Last week, reader Kelly M wrote in with a great question, which [...]
Can the name of your fashion label hurt you? Why your name is really everything.
Posted in Branding, Branding Dont's!, Celebrity Fashion Labels, Fashion, Naming, tagged Branding, Celebrity Fashion Labels, Fashion, Jessica Simpson, Naming, William Rast on October 13, 2008 | 7 Comments »
This is a sad tale of an illicit love affair. It all began innocently enough. I was at a department store and happened upon a really sweet, sexy bag. Oh yeah—this baby had just the right of leather, buckles, hardware and compartments to get my motor running. I loved it, and was about to plunk [...]
Reinventing the future of luxury fashion brands
Posted in Brand, Fashion, Luxury, tagged Brands, Fashion, Luxury on October 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I love Roland Mouret’s prophetic take on how luxury brands must evolve in order to survive. It sounds a lot like going back to indie designer roots. Indie designers, take heart. You’re in a unique position to change the future of fashion. Rock on.
Read Roland’s prophetic vision: “The Shape of Things to Come“, an interview [...]
What happens in a down-market when a luxury brand becomes overexposed?
Posted in Branding, Fashion, Luxury, tagged down-market, Fashion, Luxury on October 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Coach, regarded by some as the “McDonald’s” of luxury brands, may be experiencing some discomfort in the down-market looming on American retail. In an effort to distinguish its brand from the high-end Louis Vuittons of the world and go for the mass consumer with “approachable” (yet gauche) aspirational logo branding and “approachable luxury” pricing, it may have [...]
Green(washing) fashion
Posted in Branding, Fashion, Green, Greenwashing, Sustainable, tagged Brand, Fashion, Green, Greenwashing, Sustainable on September 30, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Green and responsible fashion is a big topic these days, now that so much awareness has been raised about the horrors of what goes on behind the fashion industry’s curtain. Things like de facto slavery, heavy pesticide use, and many other indignities require a closer look. Fortunately, many emerging designers are arriving onto the scene [...]
Naming your label to stand out
Posted in Branding, Fashion, Marketing Tools, Naming, Trademarks, tagged Branding, Fashion, Marketing, Naming, Trademarks on September 23, 2008 | 2 Comments »
The name of your label is going to be the most important marketing/branding asset you have. It should be well-chosen, should evoke the feeling of your line, and should be memorable. It should also be unique enough to be trademarkable and to distinguish yourself from others.
Unfortunately, the latter criteria is very difficult to achieve, as [...]
Getting noticed on a small budget
Posted in Branding, Fashion, Guerrilla Marketing, Marketing Tools, PR, Sales Tools, tagged Branding, Fashion, Marketing Tools, Postcard, PR, Sales Tools on September 23, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I just received a question from the kind folks at CloakInc, who had a great question about getting noticed on a small budget. Here is a question from Johanna Pradek at Cloak, followed by my answer:
“Hello,
First of all, thank you so much for providing all of this useful information. It is so helpful and very [...]
Welcome, fashion designers!
Posted in Branding, Fashion on May 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Hey there! I want to give a big shout out to all the fabulous people I met at MAGIC, PROJECT, and POOL and to let you know that this blog is specifically for you: the hot, up-and-coming fashion designer who needs solid advice on branding your company, the next big thing!
If you have a young [...]
Branding Basics, Part 1: What is a brand?
Posted in Branding, Fashion, Start-up, tagged Branding, Fashion, Start-up on May 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Ah, branding. It’s the buzzword of the day, but does anyone really know what it is? You know you need to brand your business, but the sheer amount of info on branding is overwhelming. Where to start? Let’s look at some definitions that will help you think about branding in the right frame of mind.
Very [...]
Branding Basics, Part 2: The tools
Posted in Branding, Fashion, Marketing Tools, Sales Tools, Start-up, tagged Branding, Fashion, Marketing, Marketing Tools, Sales Tools, Start-up on April 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
These are the very basic tools that every up and coming fashion company needs to get noticed. I have even spoken with some retail buyers from high-end boutiques, and they agree that all of these tools set you apart from the crowd. Some of these are also sales and marketing tools. If you want to [...]
What retail buyers look for in a new line
Posted in Branding, Fashion, Marketing Tools, Sales Tools on April 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I recently spoke with Neil Silverman and John Tseng, owners and buyers for Bliss and Dream (www.dreamfremont.blogspot.com, and www.blissfremont.blogspot.com), two of Seattle’s hottest boutiques aimed at dressing the sexy, cosmopolitan crowd in the latest, most exclusive fashions. I asked Neil and John what they look for when hand-picking a new line to carry in the [...]
