Small Designers

[Lena]

if you find existing products and you make them your own, you are NOT a fashion designer, i think you can actually understand this no?

there are fashion LABELS mainly in mass production,
that do this, even Zara, mango, H&M dont work with ready material,
they have a designer pool for making their cheap copies.

i'm sorry but you need to get some more info on fashion design and how it works

 

[Lena]

as for marketing working with fashion, yes, it is essential
it is not the same as buying somebody's else work,
change the label and present it as your own... seriously

do you think this is the way Gucci works?

 

[micouture]

"its a VERY serious business, not 'all smoke and mirrors'"

Compared to what? Fashion is pure luxury an in no way a neccesity for life. We could all do without it. The industry could die and our lives would be no worse. Fashion is purely for dressing people up to make themselves feel better about themselves. Sounds like a puppet show to me.

Many of the top designers have stated thier distate for the fashion industry saying that it is pure bs, I will find some quotes for you another time. You my dear are one of the consumer being tricked into buying overpriced products, so you are standing in front of the smoke and mirrors and dont see what is actually going on behind the scenes.

 

[micouture]

Absolutely - do you think tom ford designs the T-shirts?

 

[brian]

Thanks a lot for all of the advice (good and bad), everyone.
I need a lot as I'm also starting up my own line (clothing).

 

[brian]

Originally posted by micouture@Feb 19th, 2004 - 4:29 pm
Absolutely - do you think tom ford designs the T-shirts?

I'd have to agree with that. I really doubt it.
Designer t-shirts horrify me anyway. The worst is Dior.
I've seen some of their t-shirts priced at $900+
How can ANYONE justify those kinds of prices for a t-shirt? :/
It's all BS to make yourself feel better because "you can afford it"

 

[Oria]

Originally posted by micouture+Feb 19th, 2004 - 5:22 pm--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(micouture @ Feb 19th, 2004 - 5:22 pm)</div><div class='quotemain'> <!--QuoteBegin-Lena@Feb 19th, 2004 - 5:16 pm
you are mixing up fashion marketing with fashion design micouture.

this topic is about Small Designers trying to make it happen,
nothing to do with how tomake a quick and easy cheat buck
with products designed/manufactured by someone else

What big designer today makes thier own fabric and sews thier own clothes? None. They hire cheap labor and buy premade fabrics and some existing peices and take it and mesh it all together. Being a succesful designer is as much about business and marketing today as it is about actual design. And if you think you can design and not consider your market or ways to make money then you will be selling your clothing only to your friends. Fashion is a commercial art and has to take into consideration the market and the consumer. If the consumer wants a good product at a good price there are many ways to achive this. One way is to make it from scratch, another is to find existing products and make them your own. There is no formula for success and no sure way to make it to the top. [/b][/quote]
You say none I do not think this is true. May I ask you a question do you work in the fashion business?

Informed people who know about fashion can spot a fake a million miles away. I know I can. And consumers are far more intuned and savvy as well, especially with mass media they know better now. So I do not think it is all product driven.

 

[brian]

Originally posted by Oria@Feb 19th, 2004 - 4:33 pm

Informed people who know about fashion can spot a fake a million miles away.

That sounds like me

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by micouture@Feb 20th, 2004 - 1:29 am
Absolutely - do you think tom ford designs the T-shirts?

do you think Ford goes around, buys some guy's t-shirts and puts the gucci label on?

for your info, i'm NOT a lux customer,
i'm a fashion designer currently working as fashion/strategy consultant
for big european manufacturers.

you can see my credits if you like , just pm me i'll be glad to provide

 

[Oria]

Originally posted by micouture@Feb 19th, 2004 - 5:28 pm
"its a VERY serious business, not 'all smoke and mirrors'"

Compared to what? Fashion is pure luxury an in no way a neccesity for life. We could all do without it. The industry could die and our lives would be no worse. Fashion is purely for dressing people up to make themselves feel better about themselves. Sounds like a puppet show to me.

Many of the top designers have stated thier distate for the fashion industry saying that it is pure bs, I will find some quotes for you another time. You my dear are one of the consumer being tricked into buying overpriced products, so you are standing in front of the smoke and mirrors and dont see what is actually going on behind the scenes.

High fashion is different than H&M. And I can not see the world living without clothes without a sense of direction no one is forcing many designers beat to their own music and many don't the same with the consumer. I think the biggest mistake is to think people are dumb and don't know how to make choices.

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by micouture@Feb 20th, 2004 - 1:22 am

What big designer today makes thier own fabric and sews thier own clothes? None. They hire cheap labor and buy premade fabrics and some existing peices and take it and mesh it all together.

all fashion designers/labels create their very own fabrics made exclusively for their label. To use 'premade' fabrics is a joke, nobody does this, not even H&M

"its a VERY serious business, not 'all smoke and mirrors'"

Compared to what?

compared to the huge amount of global money included micouture
dont be naive

 

[micouture]

I design a contemporary / bridge line called micouture. I have an education in Architecture, Fine Art and Fashion Design. I have started a dozen companies from scratch and have worked for myself with great success for the last 6 years. My company is built from the ground up with no outside investors and minimal investment. Being a designer who has gone through the pais of starting a line I know all about it from my own experience. I dont know if lena has her own line but would be currious to hear.

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by Oria@Feb 20th, 2004 - 1:38 am
I think the biggest mistake is to think people are dumb and don't know how to make choices.

absolutely right oria, thats rule number one for modern fashion business ,
respect the customer

the days of an easy rip off are gone for good

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by micouture@Feb 20th, 2004 - 1:40 am
. I dont know if lena has her own line but would be currious to hear.

i've already told you what i do micouture.

while in between projects and i'm been trusted consulting multimillion companies

but this topic is not about what everyone does, is about small lines and how they can get going producing and developing new original product.

for your own developement,
i hope you dont seriously apply
your much advertised copy&paste rule
to your micouture line

 

[micouture]

Well I dont know country you live in Lena but int he US the concept of respect the customer wont work in big business, its more like "manipulate the consumer" If the big labels wanted to respect the customer they should sell those dior t-sh*ts for $7 each since thats about what it costs to manufacture them. The rest is manipulation so the execs can vacation in nice places.

 

[Lena]

i live and work in Europe and we are using new ways of dealing with the end customer.
this is 2004 and customer is king in my parts of the woods.
you dont respect your end customer, you are finished.
thats the rule.

 

[micouture]

And another thing - despite all your accomplishments im sure you will admit that you do not know everything and every situation and market is unique, its true you may have had your own line in the past but that dosent mean you are the authority on what will make a line successful, you just have one opinion based on your experiences as do I, neither one is more valuable, thats life. But through this board people get exposure to lots of ideas. And thats the good thing.

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by micouture@Feb 20th, 2004 - 1:50 am
If the big labels wanted to respect the customer they should sell those dior t-sh*ts for $7 each since thats about what it costs to manufacture them.

dont be naive micouture
to start with the Dior t-shirt are not 7$ material.
one is paying advertising costs, annual fashion shows,
lux boutique rents etc etc when buying a lux label product,
hence item prices going up and up.

everyone knows how this works.
i wonder how it never occured to a much studied guy like you

 

[brian]

Originally posted by Lena@Feb 19th, 2004 - 4:39 pm
all fashion designers/labels create their very own fabrics made exclusively for their label. To use 'premade' fabrics is a joke, nobody does this, not even H&M

Okay, I highly doubt that.
However, if it were true then I am pretty much screwed as I do not have enough money to create/make/print my own fabrics.

Just like when someone told me that I can't have the name "haute couture" in my company/line's name if it's not "true couture"...which to them means garments made using the utmost highest quality $1,000+/yard European fabrics.
That is something I cannot do. Yet, anyway..

 

[brian]

Originally posted by Lena@Feb 19th, 2004 - 4:56 pm

to start with the Dior t-shirt are not 7$ material.

This is true.
I actually use the same stretch cotton jersey Dior uses for their t-shirts.
It costs anywhere from $25-40 a yard... unless I'm not using the exact one Dior does, and theirs is a miraculous European stretch cotton of some sort that somehow costs $100+ a yard, which I doubt. It's just a higher-grade cotton/lycra blend than most t-shirts are made from.