For fashion founders, generating buzz is just the beginning. The real challenge lies in building a sustainable brand that thrives long-term. Brands like AMI Paris and Bode provide valuable lessons on achieving this goal through strong leadership, strategic growth, and maintaining brand identity. Here are the key strategies for building a fashion brand for long-term success:

1. Strengthen Executive Leadership

Scaling a fashion brand past $10 million requires more than just creative talent—it demands operational expertise. Brands like AMI Paris, led by founder Alexandre Mattiussi, highlight the importance of hiring top executives to complement creative leadership. Early on, Mattiussi managed everything himself, but eventually recognized the need for executive roles to balance creativity with sound business practices​(FHCM Paris)​(Emirates Woman). To scale beyond $10 million in revenue, founders must recruit top executive talent, including a CEO, CFO, or COO, to complement their creative vision with operational and financial discipline. Brands on a budget can opt for fractional executive hires to provide critical leadership until full-time C-suite positions are financially viable.

2. Focus on Organic Growth

Today’s cautious financial environment is shifting the focus from rapid growth at all costs to organic expansion. Indie brands like Bode prioritize disciplined growth over external funding, ensuring they maintain control of their vision and scalability​(Alizila). Growth at all costs can lead brands to financial burnout and eventual bankruptcy if the necessary foundation is not in place. By leveraging strategic partnerships and selective funding, brands can expand at a sustainable pace with more organic growth. Focusing on organic growth allows brands to be more strategic with their funding sources. They are able to focus on investors who are aligned on their long-term goals, rather than being forced to take any funding partner that is willing to invest.

3. Preserve and Refine Your Brand DNA

A clear and strong brand identity is crucial for standing out in a crowded market. AMI Paris emphasizes its core values of friendship, inclusivity, and sincerity, which resonate with consumers globally​(FHCM Paris). Regularly refining your brand’s DNA helps maintain cultural relevance. This makes it easier to expand into new product categories without losing your original essence. Plus, investors emphasize the importance of a strong brand DNA as a differentiating factor in a crowded market. So, staying true to your brand DNA will ultimately set your brand up for growth among your core consumer, even when competition is strong.

4. Profitability Over Growth

Gone are the promises of fashion unicorns being bought up by large investors, based solely on rapidly increased market share, but yet to make a profit. Investors are shifting focus from rapid growth at all costs to profitability. To thrive, fashion brands must master cash flow management and ensure that operations are financially sustainable. Brands like Bode have successfully balanced creativity with financial discipline, ensuring each new collection supports the overall health of the business. Brands need to ensure their inventory levels are healthy as well as their bank accounts. Buying too much of the wrong item can lock up cashflow on top of negatively impacting sales.

Key Takeaways

For fashion founders, transitioning from buzz to lasting success requires a solid foundation built on leadership, disciplined growth, a refined brand identity, and a clear focus on profitability. By following the strategies of successful brands like AMI Paris and Bode, founders can set their brand on a path to long-term growth and success in today’s selective market. If you are growing your brand, remember that business is a marathon, not a sprint. Organic growth might get you to your sales goals at a slower pace. However, strategic growth allows the formation of a strong foundation on which you can build exponentially!

Has your brand prioritized Growth or Profitability? We’d love to hear what your priority is and why!

If you are looking to launch or grow your brand, reach out here to set up a free consultation to learn how our team can support your brand!

The post Building a Fashion Brand for Long-Term Success: Key Strategies appeared first on Suite Creative Studio.

THE IMPACT OF THE SHUTTERED MALL ON HOLIDAY RETAIL SALES

Mall holiday events used to be a big deal. Lines to sit on Santa’s lap would wrap down entire corridors. Santa is going to look much different this year. Expect socially distances plexiglass snow domes along with your snowflake mask.

Retailers are scrambling to adjust inventory and schedule to keep up with the increased e-commerce demand. The shift online continues to accelerate this year. Digitally native, direct-to-consumer brands have both an advantage and a new set of competition. DTC brands that already have the infrastructure and inventory to fulfill the growing e-commerce demand are poised to take advantage of organic growth. However, major retailers that once treated their e-commerce businesses like an afterthought, are dropping huge budgets to build out this sector now. This adds a level of competition to startup brands in what used to be their home turf. 

Seasonal event hiring is going to be drastically cut this year with a third wave of coronavirus building.  Holiday retail jobs and playing an elf at a local North Pole display have long provided students and seniors with extra cash during this costly time of year. Expect those consumers in particular to reduce their holiday spending this year. The changes we are seeing now in retail will likely extend to many years to come. 

EXPECT AN OVERALL DECLINE IN HOLIDAY RETAIL SALES

Corporate holiday parties? Cancelled. Friendsgivings? Postponed till further notice. All in all, holiday celebrations are expected to be few and far between. Many families are struggling with one or more members of the household unemployed due to Covid.

Although Amazon Prime Day has helped boost October sales, the overall season is forecasted to show a 7% decrease in year over year sales. Amazon and other major department stores aimed to shift holiday spending to start in October to alleviate the holiday fulfillment crunch. They were effective in increasing sales over the Prime Week period. However, concerns about economic instability resulting from the Covid pandemic and a lingering post-election stimulus deal has 38% of shoppers planning to spend less this year than years passed, according to Deloitte’s InSightIQ team. 

IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITY

Buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) was implemented by many retailers as a pandemic safter measure. Now, numbers are showing that this channel will evolve into a consumer preference for convenience. The percentage of consumers who used this option because of safety has decreased. In the same time frame, the percentage of consumers using it because it is both faster and less expensive than delivery has increased. 

Look forward to innovative collaborations between brick-and-mortar and digitally native brands to join forces on offering instore pick up for brands with an online only presence. For start-up brands and local boutique businesses this could be a mutually beneficial partnership to offset shipping and return costs and retail leases. 

DO YOU HAVE YOUR HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE READY?

Holiday gift guides are a commonly used marketing tool that offer a good point of entry for new customers. They are also used to push existing customers to make a purchase. Gift guides are pulling more weight than ever in this year’s climate. Brands are relying more than ever on large holiday spikes in sales to keep them afloat into 2021. 

Journelle, the boutique intimate apparel retailer, sent out their holiday gift guide in October, a month earlier than usual. They will roll-out a second guide over a 12-day period in December.  Guido Campello, co-CEO of the brand told Glossy, “The gift guides typically allow for no-friction conversion, and the idea is only going to be more important for people this year. A lot of people are also concerned about costs right now, and gift guides can help them find out about sales early in the season.” Campello said he is working on holiday gifting and guides for seven or eight months of the year. 

When done right, gift guides can really generate a large increase in sales. Amazon’s 2017 holiday gift guide returned a 40% increase in sales from the year before. Adding shoppable links to your gift guide makes the conversion barrier-free for your consumer. 

Gift guides take proactive planning well in advanced and budget to implement. There may be options for you to take advantage of gift guides this holiday season if you have not yet planned your approach. Think collaboration! Pinpoint like-minded brands that you could connect with for a joint campaign to gain exposure to your respective consumer base. 

Thanks for stopping by! As always, and especially now, we love to hear from you. Read more helpful posts like this one on our blog and be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

The post Holiday Retail Sales: Navigating Covid and Post-Election Anxieties appeared first on Suite Creative Studio.

New designers often question the value of this essential document. They think skipping out on techpacks will keep their development budget down. Maybe they are working directly with their pattern maker, or they send an inspiration sample to their factory and tell them what to change and think that will be sufficient. Working this way will set you up for failure and costly mistakes down the road. 

Techpacks are essential. Repeat that with me. TECHPACKS ARE ESSENTIAL. They will serve as the guide for your sample maker to know how to sew your garment, what materials and trims to use and where. This is where your size range will be recorded, your fabric details, your revisions, and much, much more.  

Now, you will likely not be able to finalize your Techpack in one shot. This will be a living, breathing document that is revised throughout the development process. It is only finalized before moving to bulk production. 

All Techpacks are NOT created equally

Depending on who creates your Techpack, the style of this document, and its contents, can vary greatly. We have seen the most basic of Techpacks to the most detailed and everything in between. What is most important is that your communication in this document is clear, understandable, and covers important details of your product. 

Over the course of my career, my Techpack set up and contents have changed. I have developed hundreds, if not thousands of garments and have spoken to countless factories about what information is really important to them. With all of this experience and data I have created the best, most comprehensive Techpack template you can find! Here I’ll share with you what you absolutely need and tips on making this your number one product development tool.

The Anatomy of a Great Techpack

MUST HAVES TO START DEVELOPMENT

• Style Cover Page

This is your intro. You want to give an overview of key details on this first page, so the viewer gets a quick understanding of your product. Be sure to include the below:

Brand name

Date

Contact information 

Style number

Style description 

Front and back view of your garment (and side or interior if necessary)

Written construction details including stitch methods, hem finishes, etc. 

Visual callouts of stitch lines and details shown on your sketch or product image

Sample size

Size range you will produce

Area to track revisions 

• Reference Sample Page

If you’ve got inspiration samples here is where you use them. Show photos of design details, construction methods, stitching, finishing, placements, etc. from existing garments if you can. This will help the sample maker know more what your expectation is for this garment. If you are using a reference sample as a starting point for your spec measurements, don’t forget to record your reference sample measurements before sending it off. 

• Bill of Materials (BOM)

This page will serve as a breakdown of each component needed in your product, where it is from, where it is used, even what it costs. Keep all sourcing details here including vendor name, article number, fiber content, fabric width, trim dimensions, and unit cost. Once you start sampling and approve your fit you’ll want to calculate yield per item and record that here as well. By the time you have a fit approved garment and yields you will be able to easily see a per garment cost of materials. Don’t forget a column to detail where each component is used and one for which color or print it should be. If your garment has a care label include it here. A hang tag? That, too. You can even add any known packaging here to track cost and ordering needs when you get to production. 

I also like to include images of each component in my BOMs for a quick visual reference as well as a written one. I also add a thumbnail sketch of each color way and the style and color number. 

• Swatch Library

This section is mainly for your factory and/or sample maker to ensure they are pulling the correct materials. Factories work quickly in order to stay efficient and profitable. They also are always working on numerous different programs at a time and many materials look very similar from a quick glance. Cut and tape or staple physical swatches to your swatch library page when sending your techpack to your factory. This will give them better guidance on which materials are correct to use for your product. You can also make a copy for your own records to for quick reference when you review your samples for quality approval. 

• Cutter’s Must

A cutter’s must is an itemized list of all the pattern pieces that pertain to a particular style. It should tell you how many pattern pieces there are, how many pieces to cut of each and which fabrics to cut them from. If possible, it is helpful to also give a visual representation of your pattern pieces here as well in small scale. 

• Point of Measure Diagram (POM)

Points of measure refer to the exact place you take a particular garment measurement. For example, the sweep of your garment is the measurement taken at the hem edge from side seam to side seam. Here, you will list each point of measure, and show a diagram on a garment sketch of exactly where/how to take that measurement. This gets everyone on the same page and measuring each garment consistently. Some areas of measure are less clear than others which can cause differences in how you measure compared to your factory or pattern maker. When measuring the armhole of a sports bra, do you measure straight across from shoulder to underarm or along the armhole curve? You will get two very different measurements depending on which you choose. Without a POM diagram, you leave your measurements open to interpretation to the reader. 

• Sample Measurements

Pretty straight forward here. This is where you will record the measurements of each of sample you receive. Remember to always measure your samples beforeyou trying them on. You want to have a column for your target measurements, sample measurements, and the difference for each sample. Record above that the date and which sample round it is. If you have a team where more than one person may be taking measurements, it can be helpful to add the initials of who reviewed each sample. Highlight any measurements that are out of tolerance to pay special attention to when you are fitting. 

PAGES TO BUILD THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

• Grade Spec/Grade Rule

Once you have an approved sample in your fitting size you will need to grade your specs and patterns for the rest of your size range. Your Graded Spec sheet should have the target measurements for all sizes.  The best practice would be to establish your grade rule and add it in here as a formula if you are using excel. Doing this allows you to update your specs when needed for your base size only and the rest of your sizes will auto-populate. Easy!

• Fit Comments

Record all fit comments here. Again, keep in mind that you want to use both written and visual communication here for changes needed. You will likely have more than one round of fitting. Add a new page for each set of fit comments. You can do the same for your pre-production and top of production samples as well. 

• Colorways

You may not have your exact production colors and prints all confirmed when you start development. That is ok. Before you move to production complete a page that shows a rendering of each style and each color way in front and back view, side if necessary. This is especially necessary when you are working with a style that has many components. Showing each color way will ensure your bulk gets the correct color combinations whether you are using contrast details or all dyed to match. 

• Label Placement/Packing Method

Show the factory where to place brand and care labels, heat transfer, embroideries, hang tags, and any other items your garment needs. Again, showing visually where things goes works best. Get specific. For example, don’t just say, “place at back.” Say, “place at inside, center back neck seam.” Or, place at hem, 2” out from side seam on wearer’s left. 

If you are using an individual poly bag (or better yet, an eco-friendly paper-based bag), you can show images here as to how the factory should fold and pack your garment. This is important if you want to have your hangtag or other branding visible when packed. If you are unsure how to pack your garment, just ask your factory to suggest a folding method. Once you approve that packing method add those images to this page before passing your final production techpack to your manufacturer. 

You do not need fancy software to create a techpack!

Don’t worry. Chances are you have the tools you need to build a great techpack right now! You could even build a techpack with pen and paper if needed. Don’t forget, there was a time when this is all designers had in their toolbox. If you have a computer, though, the two most common programs to build techpacks in are Adobe Illustrator or Microsoft Excel. 

Garment sketches will likely be done either by hand and scanned in, or directly in Illustrator. Your techpack though will be most efficiently created in Excel. I prefer this method for numerous reasons. The number one reason: formulas! In excel, you can take advantage of being able to formulate your pages so that information that is repeated in more than one page only needs to be entered once. This is really helpful to save time and avoid mistakes of not updating every area. It also allows you to not have to do so much math when you are figuring out graded specs or the difference between your target measurements and sample measurements. Secondly, not everyone knows how to use Illustrator, but most people know how to use excel. In short, creating tech packs in Excel allows you to work smarter, not harder.

Whew! That seems like a lot, right? It can be! Don’t forget though that this is an evolving document throughout your development. Start with pages 1-7 in your early development phase. Build out the rest of this document as you move through fitting and confirming style details. 

Manufacturing is an imperfect process. Human error is extremely hard to avoid completely. Having a complete techpack for each style will keep you organized and will help to avoid mistakes from your factory in sampling and bulk production. It will also help to provide consistency in your product from season to season. 

Remember, even if you are producing domestically, there is often a language barrier between the person preparing the Techpack and the sample maker. Keep this in mind while you are building your Techpack. Use clear language. Avoid being overly wordy. Use visuals to communicate wherever you can.

Do not skip this important step in your product development. You cannot expect quality control in your bulk production if you do not even have a standard to check back to. 

Thanks for stopping by! As always, and especially now, we love to hear from you. Read more helpful posts like this one on our blog and be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

The post How to Turn Your Techpack Into Your Most Important Tool appeared first on Suite Creative Studio.

NYFW: NXT Endeavor Impact free online content will be available starting on Monday, September 28th. This initiative is meant to give access to industry insider knowledge to underrepresented communities. In other words, it is a push to diversify the pool of fashion industry professionals. 

Registration is open now. Workshops, courses and talks led by proven industry creatives will be running for free from September 28^ththrough October 9^th. Fashion’s heavy hitters will share their experiences and the ins and outs of what they do. Therefore, this is going to be a program not to be missed!

What to Expect From the Course

Jason Wu will map out how to create a breakout fashion moment. After that, models Chanel Iman, Emily DiDonato, Nouri Hassan, and Zach Miko are on deck, too. They will address aspiring models in their panel discussion “Breaking the Mold: The Modeling Industry.” Topics of conversation will be diversity and body inclusivity in fashion. 

In addition, Rebecca Minkoff, long time industry veteran, founder of her eponymous brand as well as the Female Founder Collection (of which we are a proud member of), will detail how a collection comes to life from concept to catwalk.  

What the Industry is Saying

Recently, executive Vice President of fashion events and properties at IMG, Leslie Russo, told Variety “The events of 2020 have created a cultural watershed moment. Through NYFW: NXT, we hope to spark meaningful dialogue between today’s experts and tomorrow’s leaders, accelerating paths to entry for diverse young groups ready to make change in our industry.”

Romola Ratnam, head of social impact at Endeavor continued, “We’re thrilled to leverage the Endeavor network to create exposure for those seeking access to an oftentimes exclusive industry. This is just one step on our continued journey to create opportunities for aspiring professionals to enter, succeed and make change in the fashion industry.”

Word has spread. More than 1,600 registrants have signed up to be a part of the program. According to WWD, many signed up through outreach by groups such as Black Design Collective, HBCU 20×20, HBCU in L.A., Mesa Hilton’s Fashion Academy, and Lower Eastside Girls Club. In addition, various colleges and universities through the Endeavor network’s higher education relationship have also helped spread awareness.

Endeavor’s goals are to promote increased access and opportunity in the sports, entertainment and fashion industries. The NYFW: NXT program follows the Endeavor Impact Fellowship Program and the freshly wrapped Endeavor Summer Series. The Summer Series was stacked with power players dropping their hard-earned knowledge. 

How to Sign Up

Registration is free and open to the public. To conclude, if you have dreamed about entering into the fashion industry, this is for you. Level up your skillset to rise the ranks of the design firm you are currently working at. Sign up for this course. Share it with a friend who has the passion but needs to the break.

Thanks for stopping by! As always, and especially now, we love to hear from you. Read more helpful posts like this one on our blog and be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

Come back! Tell us which courses you tuned into and what you took away from them.

The post What’s Next In Fashion? Diversity, Inclusion, At All Levels appeared first on Suite Creative Studio.

Black lives matter.

Period.

Fashion has a way of picking up trends, rushing them forward and then dropping them like a bad habit when the next best thing comes along. The current social justice movement and focus on equality for our black and brown brothers and sisters cannot follow suit. 

How did we get here? Well, for hundreds of years black people in our country have been enslaved, segregated, oppressed, held down, beaten, killed. With desegregation came the loss of many black owned businesses that were previously servicing black-only communities. Food deserts in black communities. Toxic water supplying black communities. Education inequality. Prejudice and discrimination in housing markets, job markets, and supermarkets alike. The injustices continue. 

Why is it so common for retailers to assume criminality when a black shopper comes into their store? Are white people that damn scared of black people? There is a culture of fear, a culture of unfair judgment placed on black people. Instagram fashion watchdog, Diet Prada quickly shone the light on Anthropologie as they were called out by their employees for profiling Black people and using the code word “Nick” to alert their store staff when black people enter so they can follow them closely. And guess what, they aren’t the only ones implementing this type of practice. (Not that any of this is news to any black person reading.) 

Double standards are the norm.

Black people have been required to be exceptional in order to be given a chance, while white people just need to show up, have an important last name or the right look to be ushered through the ranks. There is room at the top for people of all ethnicities and the view is more clear when you are sharing it with people of diverse backgrounds, who can bring light to your shadows, inspire different forms of thinking, and can collaborate in innovative ways. Homogeny breeds homogeny. 

Fashion is an industry that sees itself as progressive, forward thinking and inclusive. Is it really though? Often the industry is behind the curve of consumer demands and trying to catch up. Traditionally this industry is like countless others, run by mostly white, mostly male executives. Fashion has thrived on taking inspiration, many times blatantly knocking-off, black cultures from every corner of the world, yet failing to hire Black people as leaders in influential positions and C-Suite roles. Black influencers are often slighted, paid less, not credited properly, or even asked to work for free disproportionately to their white counterparts.

How do we make supporting black lives a natural part of everyday rather than a fleeting fad? Firstly realize that this is not political. This is not a marketing strategy to get more likes or to increase your following. It is about human rights. Period. Protecting black lives does not mean hurting white lives. It is recognizing that until now black lives have not been given the same privilege, respect, chances or care as their white counterparts and there is absolutely no reason to continue doing so. 

White people need to make room for diversity in their lives and even seek it out. 

Our industry should reflect the diversity of our country at every level. It does not make sense that companies can issue reports of diverse staff at retail store levels but have zero diversity, or extremely few non-white employees in upper management, C-Suite, and board member positions. Give minorities a growth path. 

When trends change there is often a pendulum swing from one extreme to another. We went form sky-high platform heels to dad sneakers. From low-rise jeans with a 2 1/2” front zipper, to high-waist pants hitting well above the belly button. The g-string to boyshorts. From the WonderBra to the bralette. Can we go from white washed boardrooms to all-black, or multi-ethnic boards? 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s notorious quote comes to mind. “When I’m sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court] and I say, ‘When there are nine,’ people are shocked. But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.” Why not make it a goal to have all black, or majority minority boards, ad campaigns, executives?  Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and husband to Serena Williams, recently stepped down from his position on the board. This move was in order to encourage them to replace him with a black candidate. Reddit has since made good on that promise. 

How we move forward.

There have been countless top level executives pushed out recently in the fashion and media world due to racist environments they helped created and/or perpetuate. Why not replace every one of those roles with a black or minority candidate? Hiring diverse talent at every level of a corporation is an important step in righting the wrongs of our history. We need input and oversight from more than just white people. We need our entry level talent to see themselves in the upper rankings of their industry to know there is room for them, too. 

As a white woman, I know that I will never be able to fully understand the experience of black men and women. My understanding of a situation admittedly is often not nuanced enough to see the underlying discrimination without some help.  I am also the mother to biracial daughters, the wife to a black man. My commitment is to doing my best in learning how to create change, in offering equal opportunity to people of color, and to raising each other up. For many years now I have held a position of hiring power in this industry. I have always placed high value on hiring diverse teams and have worked to teach those under me everything I know. I will always be committed to growing my team in a diverse way and to encourage my clients to do the same.

Independent brand owners have the power to integrate diversity and inclusion from their core. Diversity should be looked at similarly to sustainability. Our world needs companies that are keeping its health in mind in both a physical sense and in a human sense. Take care of each other. Support each other. Reach over and pull each other up. 

Vote with your dollar. 

For a great discussion and real talk insight into the experiences of 6 influential women in the fashion industry (intimates specifically) tune into the replay of this Curve Webinar series from last week: Lingerie shopping in the Era of Black Lives Matter. Cora Harrington of The Lingerie Addict hosts panelists, Tina Wilson, designer and President of The Underfashion Club, Wen, Founder of Comics Girls Need Bras, Amber Tolliver founder of Liberté, LaTimberly Johnson, Creative Director and Owner of Loulette Lingerie, and Rosa Viola Harris, owner of The Vy’s Closet. 

Check out Black Owned Everything, the new directory of black owned businesses curated by Beyonce and her stylist, Zerina Akers to support more black owned businesses online and near you, as their tagline says: for when the trend is over.  Continue to inform yourself about who you are spending your dollars with and diversify who you support. Make sure to register there as well if you are a black owned business. 

To all of our black and brown friends, clients, and family: We love you so much. We need every single one of you. 

The post Black Lives Matter appeared first on Suite Creative Studio.

One of our clients knows this story all too well. Lauren Tinerella, founder of Eltee Swim, was awaiting the shipment for her bulk product just as most of our country was preparing to shut down indefinitely. She faced the tough decision to either move forward with her planned launch date, or postpone going live until there was a known end to this pandemic. Below, we’re chatting with Lauren about her path to entrepreneurship and how things are going in her first 2 months as a brand.

MEET THE FOUNDER

SCS: Lauren, we’re so excited to talk with you today. Tell us about yourself. What is your professional background? What lead you to start an apparel brand?

LT: I’ve worked in some version of retail since I was 18. I started to really focus on the idea when I was 23 years old and had left my job to be a men’s stylist. It gave me the opportunity to do custom clothing and to really get creative when it came to design. I had so many plans to first launch a menswear brand. I had also dabbled in blogging. Over the years I had so many women reach out to me to ask me about brands I loved, especially when it came to swimwear.

I love to travel and I love any excuse to put on a swimsuit. It’s always been a struggle for me to find quality swimwear that fit well, or swim that fit well but wasn’t extremely expensive. I’m such a hard fit in all clothing so one day I was like “this is your calling.” You need to make your own because you’re going to be good at it.

SCS: What was the process like for you to decide to become an entrepreneur? 

LT: My parents are entrepreneurs, so I think becoming one myself was something I always saw as my end goal. It’s always been at the forefront of my mind. Fortunately, I had them to guide me. They showed me that it is possible to be whatever you want to be and to do whatever it is you want to do if you’re willing to work really hard. I’ve always wanted to create something myself from the ground up. Because of that, I don’t think I would have ever been happy with myself if I didn’t at least try.

SCS: What/Who has been your biggest motivator or muse in building your brand? 

LT: Honestly, myself. I’m the only one inside my own mind to know how much I truly believe in what I’m creating and to know how far my vision extends beyond this initial point. If I dream it, I owe it to myself to try. That idea, that voice in my head, motivates me every single day.

ABOUT THE BRAND

SCS: Who is your target customer? 

LT: Women – I don’t like to put specifics on who I’m targeting because I find it to be a deterrent. With this brand, I’m truly trying to make something that goes beyond standards or confines. I wouldn’t want someone to read that my target market is women ages 18-35 and say “Oh, this brand is too young for me.” So, maybe the answer is everyone?

SCS: Tell us about the brand! Where can your goods be purchased? What makes you different? 

LT: Eltee Swim can be purchased online only through my website at the moment. Once permitted to do so safely I plan to get some pop-ups back on the calendar so that customers can see pieces and try them on in person. What makes Eltee Swim different is the attention we put on fit and adjustability. We are making a product that doesn’t sacrifice quality to keep to an attainable price point.

SCS: You launched this brand just as the country was entering an economic shutdown, almost to the day. What was that like? 

LT: Most days I feel like I’m still waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel to appear. I can feel it getting closer, though, which is positive. It’s been strange. My biggest internal struggle has been around decisions on how to promote a brand amidst a pandemic. People are facing such uncertainty and such huge changes in their circumstances.

Realistically, I’m selling something that is far from a necessity, right? So, the way I have seen it, if I have even received one order since launch, that is positive and I’m grateful. My entire mindset had to change. I was so confident (almost naïve actually) that I thought my timing couldn’t be better. Of course, I could not have ever predicted something like this happening. I was already throwing myself into a situation in which the results were unknown. So, I would say now that the unknown has been prolonged. I’m just trying to come out of it stronger than I was before it, and with more knowledge. On top of that, I also know that one day it will make for an unbelievable brand story. 

SCS: Did you question pushing the launch back? What made you go forward with your launch at that time? 

LT: Yes, I did. I remember how many people asked me if I was still planning to go forward with it. I could always hear the hesitance in their voices when I asked their opinion. None of us knew what was to come.

I decided to move forward with it because I saw it as an opportunity to start learning about the next phase of launching a brand. Therefore, I told myself that if launching now meant that I might get way less orders than I initially might have, that still gives me the chance to learn about the processes I want to put in place in the future. This would allow me the time to iron out any kinks I run into. Looking back now, I am so happy with my decision to launch when I did. I’ve already learned so much, changed things, and been able to get ahead of potential future problems. 

SCS: What is your brand story or messaging that you really want consumers to understand?  

LT: I want customers to understand that I truly understand how hard fit can be and that I feel their frustration. My customers should know that I am working to offer and continue to create a solution for them. I also want consumers to understand that I am just a normal person; not the biggest, not the smallest. Owning it can inspire confidence in someone else, or inspire them to strive to do something they dream about doing even if they think its unattainable or impossible. We are all capable.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

SCS: What have been the biggest challenges or hurdles for you to conquer while building your brand? 

LT: I think almost everything is a challenge when you’re building a company and a brand from nothing. They’re good challenges though. The ones that force you to learn things you might not have known you needed to learn. I am constantly learning something new, almost every day. I tell everyone I feel like I’m back in school sometimes. Many things are a challenge until you learn how to do them or how to overcome them. It’s all part of the process and the experience. 

SCS: What have been your best successes so far?

LT: Having a final product that I was able to launch online and sell to consumers. A year ago I wasn’t able to see that it was possible. I just dreamed about it being possible. Actually getting to that point was a true indicator of success for me. 

SCS: Launching a brand can be scary and very emotionally driven even in the best of times. What outlets have you used to keep the sanity while going through this process? 

LT: Talking it out. I’ve reached out to other people who I know understand the struggles of trying to start a business and who know what it’s like to not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes. I also talk to people who know more about the process than me: who can answer questions I have that cause me stress and they can usually offer advice.

Meditation has helped me tremendously when it comes to staying sane. Giving yourself even a few minutes a day to really dive into your own thoughts can provide so much clarity. 

SCS: Are there any lessons you have learned so far as an entrepreneur? 

LT: You need to be willing to give up control sometimes, and you need to be prepared to have plans go out the window. Things happen all the time that are going to be beyond your control. No matter how hard you try to stick to a plan, sometimes it just isn’t possible. Also, budgeting is so important. However, you are going to be so far off unless you talk to someone who has done something similar to what you want to do before. Have them help you with planning your budget. I incurred so many unforeseen expenses because I just didn’t know better at the time. 

SCS: How have you had to pivot to accommodate the economic shut down? 

LT: Three months ago I was thinking so far ahead in terms of what I wanted to do with Eltee Swim once it launched. I thought that financially within 4-5 months of launch I would be in a place to do so many of those things. In reality I’ve had to dial back. Those ideas are filed away somewhere to revisit at a later time and just take things day by day. I think that’s all any of us can really do right now.

IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL

SCS: Where do you see your brand in 3-5 years (besides wildly successful)?

LT: Hopefully in 3-5 years I can expand into other categories. I have so many ideas and designs already!

SCS: Are there any major brand initiatives that you can share for the upcoming year? 

LT: For the upcoming year I plan to expand my sizing to include up to size 5X. We currently offer XS-2X. I had wanted to include it on the first run. We just needed more time to be able to do so. 

SCS: Have you seen any interesting selling trends so far? 

LT: Black is my best-selling color. I knew it would be, but I am amazed at how much better it does than the other colorways. 

SCS: Digitally native brands face a major hurdle with online returns. How have you built this into your structure? Is there anything you’ve learned about shipping and returns so far that you were not anticipating? 

LT: I now know why so many small brands say all sales are final. Navigating returns and exchanges is tough, even aside from being a swimwear brand and dealing with the issue of hygiene. I host my site on Shopify and I initially thought I was going to have more capability to easily do exchanges than I currently am.

My first two weeks in business I tested out so many app plug-ins to try and help and nothing worked. I can say the one thing I did do that is working so far is install an app to initiate returns/exchanges rather than having customers reach out to me via e-mail. I am very excited about that. So far I love that process and it seems more logical, elevated, and it helps keep all of the details I need organized in one place. I don’t have to toggle back and forth through my site and e-mails. The app I integrated is AfterShip Returns Center.

SCS: This period of isolation and social distancing has been challenging and also has allowed time to take life a bit slower than usual. What have been the most difficult aspects of this time and what have been the most enjoyable for you personally and as a brand? 

LT: The one thing I have enjoyed is the opportunity to take life a bit slower than usual. I have time to appreciate the little things that I’m typically moving too fast to notice. When we’re moving at the normal pace of life I think the moments we get to slow down and take things in are special and appreciated. In times like this though, it can become difficult to be sitting with one’s thoughts all the time. I almost have too much time to sit and overanalyze scenarios and to speculate about the future, of my brand and my life. It makes me extremely anxious a lot of the time. 

SCS: Who would be your ideal celebrity customer? 

LT: Serena Williams or Demi Lovato because I love how they embrace their bodies, their confidence and the way they share that with their following. Kristen Noel Crawley for the way she would style it, and Beyonce because…well because she’s Beyonce. 

SCS: Which beach or body of water would you be most excited to see your swimsuits worn once the world reopens? 

LT: I will be happy to see them anywhere once the world reopens! After this, I will just be so happy that people finally get to put them to use! It would be so surreal to be somewhere and to see someone I don’t know wearing one of my designs. That’s a dream – whether it be in Chicago, in Maui, in Bora Bora (I’m trying to manifest that I will travel there in the future), I would be beyond excited to see it. 

Thank you, Lauren for taking the time to tell us your story! Check out all of Eltee Swim’s product and follow their brand journey!

We will be going live with YWCA and Lauren Tinerella later this week on May 21st, 2020. There, we will be diving deeper about building a business and navigating crises. Join us for a great cause and a great conversation. This is part of a fundraiser series for the YWCA Chicago. Get your tickets here.

Thanks for stopping by! As always, and especially now, we love to hear from you. Read more client stories like this one on our blog and be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

The post The Art of Launching a Brand During a Pandemic appeared first on Suite Creative Studio.

In response to our current reality of mandatory business closures, a strong sense of panic cut through design studios and brick and mortar stores alike. Many brands began reaching out in hopes of finding a sense of security and togetherness in this very uncertain, and for many businesses, unfortunate, time. Because of that, Business of Fashion facilitated a conversation amongst a group of fashion industry designers and retailers to establish a proposal for the entire industry to rewire the way the fashion business is run.

Think of this: Fashion shows focused on the consumer rather than the industry and media, deliveries closer to season, less discounting. Ah, what an idea. The proposal is for this industry to strip itself down and shake itself up. Model its future to be more sustainable for brands everywhere. This is done by providing longer full price selling seasons. Reduce the the ability for copy cat brands to knock off higher end designers before their product even hits stores. Perhaps most importantly to finally shake the consumer out of their hard held habit of demanding deep discounts. 

For many direct to consumer brands this has already happening. To the rest of the industry: Welcome to the party! 

WHAT HAPPENED

The global pandemic that has effectively shut down our economy, and many others across the globe, is essentially becoming the last straw for a fashion industry model that was not working already. As a result, bankruptcies have begun with a domino effect. Retailers have announced many stores that will never reopen. Independent brands are struggling and looking for ways to pivots, many turning to producing PPE in order to keep the lights on long enough to get out of this current crisis.

Now, designers and retailers are fearful of what’s to come. As they should be. We are in uncharted territory. We have never faced a government mandated shut down like this and hopefully never will again. 

Over the last six weeks or so, the team over at BoF has been facilitating Zoom calls with a mixed bag of fashion industry folks ready to spearhead a change to the overall industry calendar. Fashion has been notoriously on a calendar if its own; shipping Fall clothes in the dead of summer, summer clothes in the throes of winter, fashion show structures that have not seen much change in 50 years. It is time to change things up. 

“Normal” as we knew it is gone.

WE HAVE SEEN THIS COMING

For years now, digitally native brands and direct to consumer brands that have foregone traditional wholesale retailer selling channels have been operating mostly on a calendar of their own. They put product out when it’s viable for selling, not dictated by the traditional buying patterns of big box department stores. Hashtags are their runway shows. Their ad campaigns are constant, personal, and timely. Selling seasons are long and void of deep discounting. Is the rest of the Fashion World finally taking notice? 

THE PROPOSAL

The proposal that has come from BoF’s group think is very reminiscent of DTC brand habits. But still, we applaud them. “Normal” as we knew it is gone. This pause of the industry has allowed people to think about what is working and what is not. How can we improve and redefine our systems to serve us all better?

In this new proposal the fashion calendar has been totally reworked to establish deliveries that are closer to seasonal selling. Besides that, it will push fashion shows out to be presented closer to when the product will be available in stores in order to preserve the excitement of the consumer. Therefore, consumers are ready to purchase once the runway looks are available. Men’s and women’s fashion weeks would now be held at the same time.  Most importantly, the new calendar would eliminate excessive travel for fashion buyers and media. Instead of fashion shows being at one time and buying seasons another time of year, this new calendar marries presentation timelines with buying seasons. In doing so, buyers and media make fewer trips to major fashion capitals.

Streamlining the calendar serves many benefits to the larger world surrounding fashion. Benefits include degenderizing fashion week, saving on travel costs and inefficient scheduling, reducing excessive travel to reduce the carbon footprint of this very wasteful and polluting industry. 

See the full proposal here and sign-up to be included in the on-going conversation. 

Thanks for stopping by! As always, and especially now, we love to hear from you. Tell us what you think about this new calendar. Does your brand already work on a non-traditional fashion calendar? For daily inspiration, motivation, tips, and brand shout outs be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

The post Fashion Gets a New Calendar Post-Pandemic appeared first on Suite Creative Studio.

Today, we are featuring NadiaGirl and an interview with the brand’s founder, Briana Beazley. NadiaGirl launched this past Fall with a focused collection of girls’ staples. They are a sustainably focused brand using natural materials that are made in the USA and production is done domestically. On top of that, they are committed to giving back to a cause that is near and dear to Briana and her family. Read on to learn about this brand and where to find them!

SCS: Tell us about yourself. What is your professional background and what lead you to start an apparel brand?

NG: I was in the advertising industry for 18 years and was focused on the operations side of the business for a large portion of that. As my daughter began growing into a pre-teen, finding clothing for her that she liked and felt good in became more and more of a challenge. She wouldn’t wear jeans, only leggings. But the leggings would sag or whisker and didn’t fit well. They were often not great quality and the options were limited. She would often go through my closet and ask why there wasn’t clothing like that in her size. I thought it was a great question! Beginning as young as age 9, girls begin feeling insecure about themselves. This is at the same time the clothing options are very limited and most are not great quality or fit. I identified a gap and it was something I was passionate about and wanted to figure out how to improve on, not only for my daughter, but all girls at this very important and difficult stage in their lives. 

SCS: What was the process like for you to decide to become an entrepreneur? 

NG: As soon as I identified the gap, I got to work on researching the market and the target. It became apparent that I was on to something and there was a real gap in the market. I decided to move forward with it while still holding down a full-time job. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve shifted to focusing all of my time to NadiaGirl and making it a success. Taking that leap is not easy and can be very scary, but I believe in the brand and the goals which is what drives me to take the risk.

SCS: You’re right! Taking that leap can be very scary but also so exciting and rewarding in the long run. What/who has been your biggest motivator or muse in building your brand? 

NG: My biggest motivator has been my daughter and all pre-teen girls and their moms who struggle to find quality, stylish, comfortable, age-appropriate clothing that girls can feel confident in. There’s so much to navigate at that age that is hard enough. Finding clothes that help you feel like yourself shouldn’t be one of them.

SCS: Who is your target customer? 

NG: Our target customer is two-pronged: first, are moms of pre-teen (tween) girls who do everything they can to instill confidence and a strong self-worth in their daughters, but see them struggle to feel comfortable in their own skin, trying to fit in at school, and unable to find many good options for their clothes. Shopping can become a dreaded task with girls leaving feeling bad about themselves and their changing bodies. Then there are the pre-teen girls themselves. They experience this confusing time directly and know how it feels to not find clothing that fits them well and feels comfortable so that it’s one less thing to feel self-conscious about. 

SCS: Tell us about the brand! When did you launch? Where can your goods be purchased? What makes you different? 

NG: NadiaGirl launched just recently, in November 2019. So, we are in the infant stage and trying to navigate the very large waters of ecommerce. We can be found at nadiagirl.com and @nadiagirlstyle. Our clothing is made with quality, super soft eco-friendly fabrics and made in the USA. The clothing is stylish but comfortable and fits really well. No sagging or gapping. 

SCS: What is your brand story or messaging that you really want consumers to understand?  

NG: We believe that girls deserve to have clothing that fits well and empowers them to have the confidence they need to be themselves. And it’s clothing they can feel good about wearing because we keep the environment in mind by using more eco-friendly fabrics and donating a portion of sales to girls’ education.

SCS: Fit is everything when it comes to confidence in your clothing! As a studio, we love to focus on brands with sustainability in mind as well and donating to girls’ education is such a beautiful way to give back. Bravo to that!

What would you say have been the biggest challenges or hurdles for you to conquer while building your brand? 

NG: Initially, it was figuring out how to get our product made since this was a brand new venture for me and I do not have a background in the apparel industry. Now, we are faced with the challenge of getting the brand out there and increasing awareness. It’s easy to get lost in the vastness of ecommerce so navigating that is what we are focused on now.

SCS: You are still in the very beginning stages of building your brand but it’s so important to celebrate even the small wins along the way. What have been your best successes so far? 

NG: We are completely self-funded so building this brand from the ground up and having a product we are proud of and that is getting some initial positive feedback has been a great accomplishment. But it’s only the beginning and we have a long way to go!

SCS: Launching a brand can be scary and very emotionally driven. What outlets have you used to keep the sanity while going through this process? 

NG: Working out when I can is always a good way to release stress and I also try to meditate regularly which makes a huge difference in managing the emotional rollercoaster of doing something brand new and taking a risk.

SCS: Are there any lessons you have learned so far as an entrepreneur? 

NG: Too many to count! Every day I learn something new and discover how I could have done something better. It’s just a matter of identifying it, acknowledging it and knowing and doing better next time. It keeps me challenged which I love! 

SCS: This could not be more true. We are all learning everyday how to be better. As a business owner, it is so important to learn from your process and to continue to improve. No one is ever fully done growing personally or professionally. Keeping that in mind can really help you to move through challenges and mistakes with grace. 

Let’s talk about the future! Where do you see your brand in 3-5 years (besides wildly successful)?

NG: I want to see NadiaGirl in the closets of all pre-teen girls. When they wear our clothing, I want them to feel comfortable and that they can be themselves. I also want us to have the ability to give back by supporting programs and non-profits we believe in.

SCS: Are there any major brand initiatives that you can share for the upcoming year? 

NG: We are currently working on our Spring/Summer 2020 line and I’m really excited about the designs. We started small this year with just leggings and a tee. What’s coming next will really broaden the options for girls so that there’s something for everyone.

SCS: Building this brand has really been a family affair for you. Tell us about the process of developing your products with your daughter. 

NG: It definitely has been a family affair! Since my daughter really inspired the initial idea, she’s been a big part of the process; from sharing her input on fabrics, to being our fit model and giving feedback on where adjustments are needed. She also has a really great group of friends who are all different so getting their input and thinking about what not only my daughter likes, but what other girls will like too has been incredibly helpful.

SCS: That is so great to source direct feedback from your target market. Having a finger on the pulse of what these girls are really looking for will be so helpful. Typically, girls clothing is designed pretty independently by adult designers who may or may not be able to really get into the head of their intended consumer. Keeping a group of young girls as a sounding board for the brand seems like it could prove to be a huge advantage. 

The photoshoot for your campaign looks like it was so much fun! Tell us how your daughter and the other models handled being in front of the camera. Was this just one big party in the studio or what? 

NG: Our first photoshoot was a blast! The models were my daughter and a group of her friends so the vibe was fun and relaxed. For all of the girls, it was their first time in front of the camera, but you wouldn’t have known it! They really did an amazing job and were confident. I’d like to think in addition to a great production team, the clothing had something to do with it as well!

SCS: They did great! You can see their playfulness and confidence coming through in the photos. 

How has your daughter embraced this process and being one of the faces of this brand?

NG: She has really enjoyed seeing the process and being a part of it. She loved the photoshoot and seeing herself on our website. It has her thinking she wants to model! She clearly loves the spotlight!

SCS: She is fortunate to be able to watch, and help, you build this brand at such a young and impressionable age. I’m sure this will have a really positive impact on her as she grows and starts to think about her future. Maybe even future CEO of NadiaGirl? We’ll be staying tuned to see how her involvement grows. 

Thank you so much for opening up to us about your brand and journey! We are excited to be a part of your growth. 

You can see Briana’s sweet daughter and her friends when you check out NadiaGirl! Try their products for the tween in your life and support them by following along on Instagram and Facebook. 

The post NadiaGirl Meets World appeared first on Suite Creative Studio.

It was not until the 1900’s that American fashion adopted the concept. It is likely that the first show was put on in New York City by the Ehrlich Brothers store in 1903. Large department stores began holding their own fashion shows in the coming years. Often, those shows featured gowns from Paris, or American copies, and were directed towards the attention of affluent female shoppers.

Come the 1920’s retailers across the country were putting on fashion shows that were theatrical and themed. The shows drew thousands of customers and on-lookers.

Fashion shows moved out of retailers and into private spaces in the 1970’s and 1980’s. However, there were enough mishaps and unsafe locations to lead the industry to seek out something more sanctioned. Enter Bryant Park. In 1993, as a response to these problematic private shows, New York fashion week shows became centralized in this famed location. This is the fashion week that many, especially New Yorkers, know and speak of with fond, somewhat chaotic memories. After 17 years in Bryant Park, the fashion week tents moved to Lincoln Center. Now, those tents are long gone and designers again have started spreading out throughout New York City, many shows moving into Brooklyn. Most shows are now being held at Spring Studios in Tribeca. Alternatively, many brands opt for more unique spaces around the city, both indoor and out. 

Fashion Shows have a rich history in showcasing couture designs. Ready-to-wear started taking focus in the 1960’s with Yves St. Laurent’s first ready-to-wear collection. Lingerie was not a typical product to be shown on the runway until much later. Victoria’s Secret’s first fashion show happened in 1995 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The intimate apparel brand spent the next 20-plus years one-upping itself on the runway year after year. They broadcasted the show on television for the world to see. And the world watched on. In 1999 when the show was first broadcast, they had 2 million viewers. The show peaked at just under 13 million viewers in 2010. 

Victoria’s Secret held the top spot for many years as the #1 bra and underwear brand. They almost monopolized the industry for the tween to middle age set. Their signature Angels were aspirational creatures of flawless nature, fabricated by the likes of Ed Razek, recently retired chief marketing officer. Perfectly coiffed hair, too perfect to be true cleavage, stomachs that seemed to curve in if anything, legs that went on for days, and not a body blemish in site. They embodied these bubbly, flirty, untouchable, fantasy girl-next-door personalities. Looking back, it almost seems obvious that the average consumer would tire of such manufactured perfection. 

The Victoria’s Secret shows grew to be out-right spectacles. The signature Angel wings became bigger and more elaborate. The diamond crusted-multi-million dollar bra features were beyond over the top. They spotlighted the hottest bands and made household names out of many young female models. I remember myself intently watching every December to see what they would put out next. 

The luster faded for me when they started breaking the runway views to show back stage scenes. It seemed to just highlight the fake-ness of it all. The constant duck-lipped, peace sign holding poses from the models, and kiss blowing was enough to give me a cavity. While every fashion show is designed somewhat to model a fantasy, this one became almost annoying to me, and it seems I wasn’t alone. By 2018, the viewership dropped down to only 3.27 million, with a steady decline over the previous few years. 

Recently, Ed Razek, who is believed to be responsible for Victoria’s Secret’s tired image, has been lambasted for his comments about plus size women and transgendered women being unwelcomed in the brand’s imagery, not to mention their product offerings. The 71-year-old white male businessman failed to get the memo that the world is changing. Women don’t want to be fat-shamed. They are taking control of their own fantasies. Those fantasies include all bodies. 

The industry and consumers were obviously ready for something new. But what brand was positioned to give it to them? Then came Savage X Fenty. 

If you follow Rihanna on social media, there was pretty much an Instagram take over in anticipation for the brand launch. Powerful, in your face images showed up telling us that something major was about to happen. Rihanna launched her Savage X lingerie line in 2018 as an inclusive brand. She was bringing to lingerie what she had already brought to the makeup world; multiple skin tone shades, diverse body types, sizes and looks, and bold, trendy styling. Then she held her 2018 NYFW fashion show, featuring a rainbow of skin tones and bodies, including 2 very pregnant models. Slick Woods serendipitously went into labor almost immediately after walking off the runway.

This past New York Fashion Week’s Savage X show was basically that on steroids. Rihanna pulled out all the stops to redefine what a lingerie fashion show should look like. Not to say that many fashion shows are not great theatrical feats but, Rihanna did not approach this like a typical designer, instead more so from the perspective of the global entertainment superstar that she is. And the world of fashion shows may never be the same. 

Rihanna and the brand partnered with Amazon Prime to stream the show exclusively on their platform a couple weeks after the runway show wrapped. If you did not have the pleasure of being a ticket holding audience member of the show, you were likely waiting patiently for it to finally air after closing out New York Fashion Week in the Brooklyn Navy Yards. 

Savage X took a bit of a page out of Victoria’s Secret’s handbook by starting the documentary by showing insider footage of the inspiration for the line, how it came together, model castings, pre-show fittings and day-of behind the scenes pre-runway footage. The difference? The people, the inclusion, the messaging, the confidence and portrayal that this is for the wearer, not just for male pleasure. 

Rihanna did not hold back on the star power included in the show, from musical performances by Migos, DJ Khaled, Asap Ferg, Asap Sean, and Halsey and top models including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Cara Delevigne, Normani, Laverne Cox and even Rihanna herself in the opening scene. Top models though were more of an accessory. The true stars of the show were the dancers, the unknown models sporting beautifully feminine bodies in countless shapes and sizes. There were trans women. There were rolls, there were abs, there were prosthetic legs. There was every shade from the lightest beige to the richest brown skin. Every woman that walked that runway owned it. Every woman in that show was beautiful and confident. It was a refreshing, beautiful type of fantasy world where we all can live, love, dress and accept, a vast departure from the “perfect” Angels that traipse down the runway at VS. 

The Savage X show seemed to say that the woman is the focus. She is the one that is being listened to, thought about, and empowered. Almost every woman out there could identify with someone walking in that show, which is not commonplace in this industry. While it was sexy to the core, it did not wreak of feeling that the women were only on display for someone else’s pleasure, as the Victoria’s Secret shows tend to do. 

As far as fashion show production goes, Rihanna nailed it. She just set the bar a few notches up. Bravo to her and her team. 

My one complaint about the show was that it was a little hard to really see the garments for what they were because of how much was going on. Everything looked great en masse but looked more of a sea of bodies and pops of color than anything. While the Savage X line is super affordable and has some great styles, the quality of the garments has come into question. They are also seemingly lacking any sustainable processes in their supply chain. If they have them, they are not making them known. I realize you can’t always do everything at once, but sustainability is a huge necessity right now, especially from companies that are fully funded and producing a high volume of goods. I hope to see these conversations entwined in future product ranges from Savage X Fenty. 

Until then, we’ll stay inspired, empowered and in love with Bad Girl RiRi. 

Did you watch the Savage X Fenty show? Tell us your thoughts about the line in the comments. 

Oil painting credit: Rajasekharan

The post Fall of the Angel, Rise of the Savage appeared first on Suite Creative Studio.

Tariffs imposed on China are hitting even domestically produced brands hard if they are ordering their fabrics from Chinese suppliers. Over the course of about 6 months from late 2018 to early 2019 silk prices increased about  $4.00 per yard due to imposed tariffs. Now you add on the increased labor costs that are found in US factories and you have a recipe for financial disaster for US brands made of imported materials. 

While this is constantly changing, the US is threatening to levy up to 25% tariffs on about $300 billion worth of imported goods from China, including mobile phones, bedspreads, household goods and more. There is really no solution that would avoid impacting the price that the end consumer pays. Keep in mind that China is the world’s largest exporter of textiles and clothing. The United States is the largest consumer of those exports. 

Mexico is also facing possible tariffs. Seeing that Mexico is the largest market for American-made textile exports, this has the potential to have a large negative impact on US based businesses.

So why don’t brands just pull production out of these regions to avoid these tariff hikes? Sourcing new suppliers and manufacturers can take years to do. Tariffs can go into effect almost immediately, causing instant financial hits that can last until production can logistically be moved. Depending on the size of your company and the amount of units per year you are producing, making such a drastic change does not happen over night and can itself become a huge financial undertaking. Another factor is making sure that the factories you move to are compliant with any ethical and quality standards that are necessary.

The US footwear industry, in a united front between those manufacturing domestically and those importing, wrote a letter to the president expressing grave concerns that these tariffs will cause a negative impact to all segments of the industry. They have warned that there will be unintended consequences that will continue to damage the industry for years to come. Consumers will be negatively impacted. Businesses will be negatively impacted. It is a lose-lose situation. 

Previously, with the backing of 170 companies, the footwear industry has collectively called the new duties “unfathomable”. They believe that they could result in a 100 percent duty for some working-class families. These new duties could in fact undermine the domestic footwear industry by putting as much a financial strain on brands that are made in the US as brands that are importing. This is due to the fact that certain materials, trims and machinery are not made in the US and therefore will have to still be purchased from overseas suppliers, mainly in China, exposing them as well to the tariff hikes. 

Most recently, the imposed 15% increase on apparel and footwear imported from China as of September 1st, will hit businesses with a significant increased cost of goods, especially small ones.  Some companies are trying to skirt these tariffs by taking in goods early, changing composition of the fabrics they are using, working through trade partners and moving their supply chain all together. None of these options come without a cost and without time spent on sourcing and development. China also has factories with the largest production capacities, so moving all production out of China will be met with capacity constraints when working with other global countries, including the United States. 

Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association has reacted to these new tariffs, calling them “truly shocking” for hard-working American families. The National Retail Federation has advised that a misjudged tariff strategy would harm the US economy more than help it. In general, most groups are supporting the goal of restructuring the trade relationship between the US and China. However, they seem to be unified in the belief that the current attempt to execute the necessary change will be detrimental to US companies and individual Americans alike. 

The impact of this flawed tariff strategy is being shown as slowed US economic growth, fear of investment, and threatening US jobs. This is all on top of increasing costs for American families on everyday goods. 

Re-shoring is a positive result that could come from this trade war. However, the US does not have the capacity, skilled labor, or all of the necessary supply options currently to fulfill a complete, or even major move to re-shore entire supply chains. Can it eventually? Sure. But it takes time to rebuild the industry up in the US. Skilled sewers are becoming harder and harder to come by here. Sewing is not being taught in most schools or households. Things like zippers and molded bra pads are not being produced in the United States. Tariffs happen quickly. Movement of industries happens slowly. In the meantime, there is likely to be drastic casualties to small businesses that are left to scramble to figure out their next move. 

Glossy reports that Eileen Fisher CFO, Vince Phelan, has stated, “We are always reviewing our sourcing strategy to make sure that we are taking advantage of the most sustainable and efficient vendors who can produce clothing at the quality we demand while balancing that against the value we place on long term relationships. We have, though, revisited our sourcing strategy and reliance on vendors in China more quickly than we anticipated because of the increase in tariffs. With the hope of offsetting the financial impact of these increases, we are exploring vendors in different countries with similar and/or more innovative capabilities.”

Lafayette 148, who expects their costs per item to double, will be impacted greatly. For future seasons, they can plan their retail pricing to increase or engineer their costs down somehow. However, for the current season where there was not time to factor in doubled costs, they will lose significant margin that can be very costly for any company. Their brand specializes in women’s wear and footwear. They hold most of their stores in China: 15 versus 6 in the US. Revenue for the brand was $160 million in 2017 and they have steadily had sales increases for almost the entire life of the brand. However, they are still small enough to be seriously impacted by unexpected tariffs. Brands have to work to strike a balance of offsetting these additional costs with both sides, supply chains and consumers, to ensure their continued success. Deidre Quinn, CEO and founder of Lafeyette 148, has said “ To put it simply, a global crisis calls for a global solution.”

The CFDA noted in it’s response that large companies may be in a position to eat the added cost of tariffs at least for the short term, while smaller brands will have no choice but to pass the added cost onto their consumer by way of retail pricing increases. Small businesses then receive a major disadvantage when competing with larger companies, as most consumers make purchasing decisions based on price. 

The fashion industry requires inputs from around the world. Yes, that includes Mexico and China. The American fashion industry will continue to move forward. Designers will continue to create. New businesses will continue to surface. Tariffs will not stop these facts. However, they threaten to have a devastating impact in the immediate and near future of many brands, while creating an additional layer of competition between small brands and large, fully funded companies. 

As always, we love to hear from you. Leave a comment on your thoughts on tariffs or how they have affected your business. For more on retail trends, check out our recent blog post here. 

Photo Credit: Charisse Kenion, Unsplash

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