FASHION MASH-UP Workshop: The Business of a Local Fashion Designer

WHAT:  FASHION MASH-UP Workshop

TOPIC: THE BUSINESS OF A LOCAL FASHION DESIGNER

WHEN: May 19, 2011, Thursday, 6-9PM

WHERE: Pigment Cosmetics, One Market Street (Studio 2), San Francisco, CA

FEE: $5 for SFFAMA Members/ $10 for Non-Members

DISCUSSIONS

1) Give us a rundown of the creative process from design inception to production
2) What challenges do you face as a fashion designer locally?
3) What are your experiences with manufacturers, textile companies, importers, fabric retailers?
4) Do you sell online? Do you have an online store? Do you do consignments? Do you have your retail shop?
Explain these processes.
Why staying put locally instead of relocating is ideal for you?
5) How do you find clients? Who are your clients? Explain your demographics.
7) How do you maintain the day to day operations to run your business?
8) How do you market your product? What type of marketing strategies do you utilize?
9) How do you utilize technology and social media to promote your fashion design business?

• INDUSTRY SPEAKERS
  

• BACCA DA SILVA. Fashion Designer and Boutique Owner
  

Founded in 2004 by the Brazilian-born Bacca, the up-and-coming international fashion house Bacca da Silva focuses on incorporating international style and elements of luxury into every day life. Bacca views luxury as a way of living, and emphasizes this emotion in his pieces by combining fine fabrics and elements of hand work into expressions of style and global influence within each seasons' memorable collection.

The expression, the world is your backyard, is taken literally by Bacca da Silva. Based in San Francisco California, the company utilizes material suppliers and craftsman from around the world and views fashion-conscious clients from around the globe as its customers.  In addition to its California headquarters, the company also has representatives in Brazil, London and Beijing. He also garnered the GENART fresh faces in fashion in 2006 and San Francisco Best Menswear Designer at Stellar San Francisco Fashion Fashion Awards 2010 and San Francisco @ CBS News 

 

• INDU ARORA. Designer of RockChiq and founder of Pink Weave.

RockChiq is a womens ready to wear clothing line targeted to age group 18-45. Indu Arora is The Creative director and owner of the brand. IT was launched in late 2008 and is headquartered in Cupertino. RockChiq stands for unique high fashion, rich in color texture, high quality fabrics and very tailored looks for today’s confident woman. The brand is very versatile and carries everything necessary for a womens wardrobe from day wear to evening wear .

RockChiq is available at SF bay area stores and the company owned online retail site
Pinkweave. Pinkweave is a retail platform for indie designers. To view the entire collection go to www.rockchiq.com and to shop go to www.pinkweave.com

 

• JULIAN DASH. The Julian Dash Factory Fellowship

Holy Stitch! was founded on the premise that we are all products of the environments that we call home, the experiences we escape through, the connects and sparks that we share. Whether people, places, or passions, we could not exist without their daily influence.

The Julian Dash Factory Fellowship (JDFF) is a program that fosters the future of our community - its youth - and treats these youth as they are - our successors.

Like clothing, our youth have lives before and after they come in contact with us. This transformation from seed to finished personality happens through our direct influence and is impacted by our touch, our direction, and our lessons. The process is subtle; it's the duty that is overt. We owe it to ourselves to plant the best seeds.

• GERRY KELLY. Fashion Designer of Sonas Denim

Sonas Denim was founded by Gerry Kelly, an international music festival enthusiast from Ireland now living in San Francisco since 2000. Gerry has traveled extensively, to music festivals around the world, funding himself through the buying and selling of clothing and jewelry to fellow fun-loving travelers. His tastes in fashion were a hit and introduced Gerry to the international fashion world.

• PRODUCT PRESENTERS:

• KATE McMILLAN of Collyer Bristow

Collyer Bristow. From property to popstars, from airlines to artists, the lawyers at Collyer Bristow work with a wide range of businesses and individuals, advising them on challenges of all shapes, sizes and complexity. What our clients have in common is that they are looking for high quality legal advice delivered in an unstuffy way by people who understand what clients need.

Collyer Bristow LLP is a UK firm of solicitors with over 33 partners and about 140 staff. We have been around for over 250 years; fortunately things have changed somewhat since the days of quill pens. So have we.

Whilst our base is in central London, our clients come from around the country and indeed from around the world. Our international pages explain more about the countries where we have strong links. In 2004 we opened an office in Geneva, from where we can provide a range of commercial and private client services to our expanding client base in the area.

• VISHAL KALIA of Alylee

Alylee exists to promote you, that's it. Alylee is a free community for anyone who has passion for fashion and wants to share their creative dressing style with the world. At Alylee we believe that everyone is a designer/model in their own unique way. We created Alylee to cater to the designer/model within you. Individuality, uniqueness, quirkiness everyone has it in their own way, so come make that uniqueness your brand. Join the community and flaunt your style.

About ‘FASHION MASH-UP’. Our mission is to provide an open dialogue forum on how to develop innovative solutions to become better business entrepreneurs. This workshop was developed as a platform to discuss the business of fashion and arts through the utilization of current business models and technologies. As a thriving epicenter of independent talents, ‘FASHION MASH-UP” features local entrepreneurs, fashion designers, bloggers, retailers and techies in an effort to brainstorm and share new business solutions and to create an exchange network amongst peers in San Francisco’s fashion and art community. Presented By: San Francisco Fashion And Merchants Alliance.

About PIGMENT COSMETICS: Pigment Cosmetics is fashioned by professional makeup artists and stylist who work at the pinnacle of the hair and makeup industry. Pigment Cosmetics is endorsed by fashion designers who see what it can do on their runway and photographers who see how it looks behind the lens and in print. The colors are fashion colors, and the staying power is a professional make up artist’s dream. Pigment concentration in each element of this line is painstakingly done to ensure its perfect for its application. Pigment is located at One Market Street, San Francisco, CA. Visit their website: at www.pigmentcosmetics.com

About SAN FRANCISCO FASHION AND MERCHANTS ALLIANCE.

SAN FRANCISCO FASHION AND MERCHANTS ALLIANCE, INC. is a California non-profit corporation, the leading institution in the San Francisco Bay Area’s fashion industry. SFFAMA, Inc.is a social development network that champions in various sustainable projects in support of the thriving local fashion industry in the San Francisco Bay Area.

SFFAMA, Inc. possesses the in depth understanding of the ever changing and unique San Francisco Bay Area fashion industry landscape. In utilizing the latest technology in social media marketing and hosting innovative industry related events we are highly adaptable and very progressive in our thinking .

Mission. In utilizing social media marketing, SFFAMA, Inc. was created to provide an ongoing open dialog between the local merchants and fashion entrepreneurs to form a cohesive alliance in promoting creative synergy and productive business opportunities.

Our organization is focused on tackling the local fashion entrepreneur needs in the current economic climate and in all facets of their business strategy to offer solutions by means of altruistic vision, coop alternatives and sustainable approach.

More about SFFAMA: SAN FRANCISCO FASHION AND MERCHANTS ALLIANCE, SFFAMA, in short, is the ultimate “go to” resource for fashion in Northern California with close to 1,100 members in our social network at Ning.