New Era

I know i have been a little silent for awhile but i have been under it with some disappointments and some highs and some strange - things you never realise until you go through it - type situations. Disappointments being lovely Emily being so overpopular that she is inundated with work  and though she has completed first toiles cannot do any edits until 5th Oct w/c - shock horror. David business mentor says he is away on holiday so wont be available until end oct begin novwe can have our next catch up so i must must must hav my samples by then. I am getting all confused a littel with deadlines and what i need to do. My job is having a busy period and its kinda getting in the way...do you ever feel that way. BUT i need to work as i need to pay my day to day bills and until i make that first 100k turnover and at least 40k in profit then I will still have to work. Highs being me starting my masters in ethical fashion and feeling extremely excited to be getting things going in my education again..though i do often forget that i will to actually do some work ... mmmhh that is easily overlooked no :). Just looking at other peoples thesis makes me cringe with the thought that one day very soon i will have to go through that...is it right and okay to compare that to the idea of labour...mmmh welllll maybe not but I am sure it will be fine.. I do like to write so we will see.
And the other stuff - that would be import taxes.... i really need to get clued up on all this as it is rather confusing. The fabric i ordered from the usa for my sampling has arrived at the borders and i am being charged a small but annoying vat and clearance fee. I had been warned about that but am now living it.

very annoying but very adult business stuff that i better get more and more used to and it is stuff like this why the idea of buying fabric locally and making in the Uk would be fantastic yet due to my aims of business is not possible or feasible

the journey continues to the next junction...

LINE OVERVIEW

Weekend gone was quite successful. I FINALLY ordered my fabrics for both businesses AND did line overviews for styles and fabrics to see how i could consolidate fabrics and alongside that I did an overview for factory allocation for styles and graphic overview so now I can visualise the range as a whole and broken down too.

One major factor now is finance....my budget is reducing extremely that I am unsure I will have enough to make them up and so may have to look at my overdraft for now.

Also to do now are to resketch all styles into illustrator (as easier to edit) and colour them up properly
OR once they are photographed I could colour them up then.

I also need a white parachute to make up some styles....

Still lots of little things to do including hangtags to purchase, labels in organic cotton to buy and even to look at who will do the embroidered logo to all styles...kenya has facilities so i could do those with them ro even send all out to them to do but i would rather keep the uk ones here and get a company to embroider them here if poss

This fashion game is definitely more than i originally envisioned....lessons of hindsight too ...mmmh.

Order Quantities

NOw this is the question that often throws me.  Factories want to know what your production quantity will be once you have finished sampling with them BUT my question is HOW do I know. Firstly I need orders but to get orders I have to have the samples complete. Maybe I have done this wrong...I should have gone to a sampling unit to get my styles sampled up after which I would go to stores to show and get an idea of orders and THEN contacted the factories to see if they can remake the sample ..mmmmhh actually that could work against me. I know i really need to seek funding as i want to have the money to actually produce to the quantities. I am saying 1-200 pieces each for now but not sure if that is enough or not....this fashion business game is not easy

teddy bear - your faithful childhood friend

I have now found me a teddy bear maker....they look so cute and would be perfect.

I actually have a few options but of course it all comes down to the price of the bears. One manufacturer/seller actually gets them produced in good ol' china....often an issue for me for obvious reasons and then there are others who make them by hand...but then they will probably be more costly....what to do what to do. Cheap and cheerful...but you dont know the conditions they are being made in OR locally made supporting talent in england BUT much more money..mmmh mmmh......i think this is a TBC  moment....

parachute 2 has arrived!

well my second parachute has arrived and though a bit dirty it looks cool
cant wait to get cutting!!

watch this space!

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