The Wall Street Journal has an article on women's fashion, and notes -
1. "woman feels great..." There it is. Fashion is about aspirations actualized, and clothes are the expression. John Molloy said dress for the status you want.
2. Note the price point. Every industry has these. So you not only compete on design, you design to the price point. A $400 retail means you have about $50 at cost to make the dress. you need to find out what these are for your industry.
3. The article goes on to talk about designers who follow their market over the years, "up the ladder." A dear friend of mine has spent forty years with several companies designing for the exact same customers, as their tastes, sizes and incomes all enlarged.
4. People often ask me, if one is competing on design, how do you research what the next thing will be? How to pretest an idea if the customers cannot see your fashion item? That part is easy, because the competition is intense. Look at any women's fashion catalog at any time, shop in any store you like at any time. What do you see? Don't do that. What don't you see that you want? Try to buy that. Yes, they will try to cross-sell you something else. But get to "it's a good idea and does not exist." Then you have your opening when you come back with the answer.
5. Regarding number four, if you do not feel physical pain and mental anguish in regards to fashion then it is not your field. Everyone wants to be in fashion, but only those who experience passion (to suffer - get that straight - to SUFFER - passio (genitive passionis); f, third declension - suffering, enduring) over getting the design right have a chance, and only those who find joy in getting it right succeed. If you simply like clothes and think it would be neat to play at it, then keep looking for something else to do (discover where you do experience passion and joy - you are needed there). If you often experience morning-sickness like symptoms regarding fashion, then this may be for you.
6. Sound hard? Not at all. The buyers first question is what is new, 2nd question is what is your minimum? Have "new" and low minimum (for buyers to test) and then you have something to offer. But see number 5. Repeat after me: the customer is he most important thing, the design is the hardest thing.
7. In 30 years of teaching nearly one billion times I have heard "this will be successful because my friends all like it. People stop me on the street and ask me where I got it." Problem is never in the history of mankind has this led to a viable business. There is a difference between buyers and friends. But let's run down this series:
Six friends say they love it. Six buyers say no.
Six friends say hate it. Six buyers say yes...
Whose opinion matters? Never listen to anything anyone says who is not a buyer. Be polite, but ignore them. And never, ever, believe your own PR.
8. Read the comments after the WSJ article cited above, see many negative comments. The fact is the article is about sales taking place of a certain style and price point. The fact some are incredulous does not change the fact that sales are taking place of a certain style and price point. Yet people object! To what? To their own ignorance.
I sat next to a sales rep/womens fashion on a flight from SEA to LAX last night. She was visiting Seattle for the SWAG show. In the course of our conversation, she pretty much confirmed all of this.
Embrace the flu-like symptoms!
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
With prices ranging from about $200 to $500, many contemporary labels share a sweet spot—the $400 dress. It's beautifully made, stylish and sexy, a piece a woman feels great wearing to the office or to a special occasion. It also attracts young fashion enthusiasts who might buy one and cherish it, eventually repeating that pattern up the designer price ladder as she earns and spends more.A couple of points,
1. "woman feels great..." There it is. Fashion is about aspirations actualized, and clothes are the expression. John Molloy said dress for the status you want.
2. Note the price point. Every industry has these. So you not only compete on design, you design to the price point. A $400 retail means you have about $50 at cost to make the dress. you need to find out what these are for your industry.
3. The article goes on to talk about designers who follow their market over the years, "up the ladder." A dear friend of mine has spent forty years with several companies designing for the exact same customers, as their tastes, sizes and incomes all enlarged.
4. People often ask me, if one is competing on design, how do you research what the next thing will be? How to pretest an idea if the customers cannot see your fashion item? That part is easy, because the competition is intense. Look at any women's fashion catalog at any time, shop in any store you like at any time. What do you see? Don't do that. What don't you see that you want? Try to buy that. Yes, they will try to cross-sell you something else. But get to "it's a good idea and does not exist." Then you have your opening when you come back with the answer.
5. Regarding number four, if you do not feel physical pain and mental anguish in regards to fashion then it is not your field. Everyone wants to be in fashion, but only those who experience passion (to suffer - get that straight - to SUFFER - passio (genitive passionis); f, third declension - suffering, enduring) over getting the design right have a chance, and only those who find joy in getting it right succeed. If you simply like clothes and think it would be neat to play at it, then keep looking for something else to do (discover where you do experience passion and joy - you are needed there). If you often experience morning-sickness like symptoms regarding fashion, then this may be for you.
6. Sound hard? Not at all. The buyers first question is what is new, 2nd question is what is your minimum? Have "new" and low minimum (for buyers to test) and then you have something to offer. But see number 5. Repeat after me: the customer is he most important thing, the design is the hardest thing.
7. In 30 years of teaching nearly one billion times I have heard "this will be successful because my friends all like it. People stop me on the street and ask me where I got it." Problem is never in the history of mankind has this led to a viable business. There is a difference between buyers and friends. But let's run down this series:
Six friends say they love it. Six buyers say no.
Six friends say hate it. Six buyers say yes...
Whose opinion matters? Never listen to anything anyone says who is not a buyer. Be polite, but ignore them. And never, ever, believe your own PR.
8. Read the comments after the WSJ article cited above, see many negative comments. The fact is the article is about sales taking place of a certain style and price point. The fact some are incredulous does not change the fact that sales are taking place of a certain style and price point. Yet people object! To what? To their own ignorance.
I sat next to a sales rep/womens fashion on a flight from SEA to LAX last night. She was visiting Seattle for the SWAG show. In the course of our conversation, she pretty much confirmed all of this.
Embrace the flu-like symptoms!
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
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