What a great concept!  When I think of clothing that’s made to measure I think of men’s tailored suits or women’s couture gowns.  I don’t typically think about a functional, beautiful item of clothing for my own personal use.  I do now, however. 

Last year, I was wandering around the West Hollywood/3^rd Street area and came across a beautiful boutique.  I walked in and was taken with all of the beautiful fabrics and designs hanging from the racks.  While there were many dresses, sweaters and tops to choose from, each item hung neatly from a rack and nothing was cramped or crowded.  The sales floor was open and spacious and the accessories were carefully chosen and displayed in tasteful, functional cases.  If you’ve ever studied retail merchandising, you’ll understand why I was so blown away by this store.  If not, let me summarize…the art of retailing is more like a science.  You need to know how best to display your products to their full advantage.  Your customers need to walk into your store and flow easily and naturally through the entire space.  They should be able to see your products in a logical way without having to dig through racks or piles of clothing.  And best of all, they need to be able to see themselves in your products and, if you’re selling accessories as well, how best to accessorize their outfits. 

I wandered through the store and the sales clerk let me take my time before asking me if I had ever been to this store before.  When I replied “No,” she said something like “let me explain our concept to you…” “OK,” I thought…”what’s your concept?”  She informed me that the tops and dresses were available in a variety of fabrics, so if I found one I liked but they didn’t have my size or the fabric I wanted, one could be made for me within a short period.  If you read this blog, you know me… I’m a fan of anyone who is producing locally, so of course I was excited by the idea.  Now I just had to find a dress or two.  I found several, tried them on and found one I really liked.  It was a bit too long, but the sales clerk mentioned that they would have it altered for me.  Great customer service, I thought, but actually the store is called “Masse Made to Measure” so it is actually part of their concept.  Needless to say, I bought the dress.

Here’s the thing, every time I’ve been out shopping for a dress, I always come back to Melissa Masse and Masse Made to Measure.  Why?  Because I’m not someone who can buy a dress off the rack and expect it to fit me perfectly.  I’m petite and find dresses in the Petite section don’t always fit the way they should and dresses in the Regular section are always too long.  Now I get a dress that’s custom fit to my body.  Better yet, I might find a silhouette I like but in a print or color that’s not my taste.  Now I can pick the fabric or color I want.  Yes, I know I’m going to pay a bit more, but I’m more than happy to do so.  I’m supporting a local business that is manufacturing locally and employing skilled workers in the garment industry.  It’s a win-win prospect, if you ask me.

The last time I was in the store, Melissa Masse was there as well.  I was happy to meet her and have a chance to find out more about her and how she came up with the concept for her store.  “When my friends complained that they couldn’t find anything in the stores that they liked, or more importantly, anything that fit them properly, I realized that they couldn’t be the only customers who felt that way.” I couldn’t agree with her more.  

Trying to figure out your next steps in the apparel industry?  Check out our upcoming seminars or come by during Textile Week September 27 – 29 for free seminars, networking and more.  Fashion Business, Inc. is located at the California Market Center 110 East 9^th Street, Suite C786, Los Angeles, CA 90079

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated.  Email:  jill@fashionbizinc.org

A big thanks to everyone who attended FBI’s Meet the Resource Members event on July 28,2010.  If you’ve ever read this blog before, then you know I’m a HUGE fan of networking.  Really! And FBI networking events are a great opportunity for those in the fashion industry, or those who want to get into the fashion industry, to make connections and meet a lot of talented, knowledgeable people. 

Due to traffic, I didn’t arrive until after 6:00 p.m. so I missed a number of people I would have enjoyed meeting.  However, since this was a Meet the Resource Members event, it was the perfect chance to meet new resources and find out about their products and services.  Each resource had a table with their marketing materials and a display of their products or services.  This gave our attendees the chance to meet with each resource one on one, or just mingle with other members and catch up on industry news. 

Frances, Erin and Egle were hard at work making the evening a great success.  I, selfishly, had a chance to catch up with Resource Members Staci Riordan of Fox Rothschild, LLc - author of one of my favorite blogs, ”Fashion Law” as well as new resource members Nouvolution and Visual 2000 - both are ERP software for the apparel industry and both are great additions to FBI’s Resources. 

I also had a chance to catch up with the hardest working woman in the apparel industry - and that’s saying a lot, because I’d like to think of myself as pretty hard working, but I have no idea when Arlene Battishill ever sleeps.  Don’t believe me?  Check out her Twitter feed for LA Scooter Girls.  Her Go Go Gear and Scooter Girls products have gone from 0 - 60 in the blink of an eye, and it just keeps growing.  When she asked me if I had a few hours to come over and help pick orders, I don’t think she was joking.  OK, Arlene, let me know what day to come by and I’ll pick, pack and ship for you.  Seriously. 

Another one of our members, Korena Ellis, needs to be the next 0 - 60 success story from FBI.  She has a unique idea, with great designs and an inspirational story.  Her curent line consists of jewelry, made from lost wax casting, which gives each one of her pieces a hand made look and feel and sets it apart from many other brands.  Her designs are empowerment pieces and are meant to create personal inspiration in the wearer while also creating a fashion statement.   The designs are unique and will translate very well from jewelry to apparel - screen printed tees are a natural next step, but the symbols work well as prints, on hats, as logos and more. 

What Korena needs now is a business partner, someone who can help take her ideas and products to the next level.  In any situation like this, it requires an investment of time, energy, effort and probably some money.  If you, or someone you know, is looking for the opportunity to get involved with a growing brand and has the business acumen to merchandise and market a brand like this, get in touch with me or contact Korena directly. 

I actually connected Korena with Arlene in the hopes that Arlene had a few words of wisdom to get Korena to the next level.  Then again, I know what Arlene went through to get to the next level and I don’t know if taking that same path will lead to the success of Scooter Girls.  So network, if you’re out there and listening, do you have any ideas for Korena?  I know we’d all be interested.

Don’t forget…come by the Sourcing at MAGIC seminars August 16 - 19. FBI will be presenting 4 seminars and you’ll want to attend them all! 

Jill Mazur is an apparel industry consultant with Fashion Business, Inc.  email:  jill@fashionbizinc.org

So you want to be in the fashion industry?  You’ve gone to school, you’re on top of the latest trends, or, at the very least you’ve seen every episode of “Project Runway” and you’re ready for the big time.  Not so fast…While most designers fresh out of school would like to have their very own couture line it’s not going to happen day one.  Nor should it.  You may have the design, draping and pattern making skills to create a fantastic line, but you also need the practical skills and business knowledge you can only gain by working for a variety of companies and a variety of people. 

How do you get your foot in the door?  Where should you start looking for the kind of work that might lead you to your dream job?  Yes, it’s cliche, but start at the beginning.  You may be a talented artist or designer, but you might need to start out as a design assistant.  Cutting swatches and creating color boards may be a tedious job, but it’s how most people get started.  Look for openings at some of the bigger companies in your area.  They’re usually a great place to start and a talented design assistant can move up quickly.  Are your skills more technical or merchandising related?  Look for assistant positions in pattern making, technical design or merchandising.  Again, focus on larger companies. Smaller companies are looking for someone with an existing skill set, they don’t have time to train you.  The larger companies usually do. 

Can’t get a job with a brand name label?  Look for private label manufacturers.  It may have less “Brand recognition” but the job functions and opportunities are the same.  Or, think about companies that are apparel and footwear companies, but maybe not what you’d traditionally think of as “Fashion.”  Uniforms are a big business, and much more stable than fashion brands.  Lifestyle brands focus on one or more types of activities such as golf, swimming, skiing, surfing or more.  Orange County, CA has a much larger base of lifestyle brands that Los Angeles, the fashion capital of California. 

Maybe this is taking you away from your ultimate goal of having your own couture line?  Probably not.  Where do you think Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and more got their start?  All of them benefited from a hands-on fashion industry education by working for other companies before starting their own. 

The biggest mistake you can make…Don’t go into an interview expecting them to offer you a head designer or merchandiser position.  Be prepared to show samples of your work, if relevant to the job.  Talk about what you can bring to the job.  If you don’t have work experience, talk about your enthusiasm, your desire to learn, your desire to work for this particular company.  Most interviewers know that someone interviewing for an assistant position won’t have much experience so they want to know who you are and why you will benefit the company, not the other way around. 

Finally, What do when you get the job?  Make yourself invaluable.  Don’t be the person who shows up late, or worse - hung over, to the office.  Be on time, be presentable. Do things you swore you’d never do like get your boss coffee.  Most important, be a sponge, soak up everything you can.  Ask questions, take notes, be prepared and get your work done.  Establish yourself as an asset to your company and to your boss and, when the time is right, ask for an opportunity to do more. 

Looking to learn more, come by our FBI networking event Wednesday, July 28 at the California Market Center - 110 East 9th Street, Suite C786, Los Angeles, CA  90079, meet professionals in the Fashion Industry and start networking your way into a new job. 

Jill Mazur is an apparel industry consultant with Fashion Business, Inc.  email:  jill@fashionbizinc.org

The other day I had an interesting conversation with the owner of an apparel company.  The subject of budgets and plans came up.  Or, maybe I should say, I brought up the subject of budgets and plans and asked him how he was planning and budgeting.  His response was “Well, I kind of come up with my budget for the year and forget about it until next year when I have to plan it all over again.”  Talk about lost opportunities!  So I asked him what he used to create a sales plan.  His response was “Well, I kind of have a number in my head and that’s what I use.”  Then I asked him if he communicates this sales plan to his sales and merchandising team.  His response was “Not really.  The design and merchandising team builds the line and the sales team sells it.”  Oh, dear. 

I’ve known this guy for a long time and he does relatively well in his market space.  His sales volume is between 12 – 15 million, so he’s not really in the Big Leagues, but he has a great opportunity here to get much greater control and understanding of his business than I think he realizes.  No business is too small to take advantage of this relatively simple function called “Planning.”

Step one:  Start with a budget.  Be realistic about what you need for your operating costs, salaries, overhead, insurances, rent, materials, etc.  If you have never built a budget like this, take a few hours to meet with your accountant – What!?!?  No Accountant?!?!?  Seriously?  O.K. start the process by working with an accountant to build a financial plan.  You really need this, more than I can tell you in a blog.  In order to truly understand your business all the way down to the gross margin level, you need a financial plan.  You need to know your expenses in order to understand how to cost your products and how to determine your true gross margin after all is said and done. 

Step two:  Build a financial plan based on what you think your company will be able to sell and be realistic!  If you’re a 5 million dollar company this year, don’t expect to hit 20 million next year.  Analyze this year’s sales versus last year’s sales.  Have you added customers or lost customers?  Have you added market share or lost market share?  Now think about what next year’s realistic goal should be.  Are you looking to add product categories?  Will that open new doors for you?  Or are you expecting to do about the same as last year.  Neither of these is the wrong answer, by the way,  you just need to know how to plan.

Step three:  Work with your sales team to create a sales plan.  How can they plan to meet your sales goals?  What do they need to do?  Continue business as usual? Open 10 new accounts each at a dollar volume of 20,000 per account?  Let them know what you’d LIKE to see and have them come back to you with what they see.  Oh, and perhaps you can tie some of their compensation to meeting the sales goals you both establish?  This way, they’re just as invested in the business as you are.

Step four:  Work with the design and merchandising team to develop a merchandising plan that meets the needs of the sales team.  If sales thinks they can sell the heck out of dresses but pants and skirts are trending down and your designers are only designing pants and skirts, maybe you need to stop and review everything before moving forward.  The goal of a merchandising plan is to give the design team an understanding of what types of product, categories and price points they should be building to meet the needs of the customers. 

By tying the merchandising plan to the sales plan and the sales plan to the financial plan, you start to see how the business works toward a common goal – profitability.  Everyone likes to be profitable, no?  Now, when it comes to planning for the next year, you’ll know what your expenses are, you’ll know what your gross margins are and you can start thinking about what the next steps for your business should be.  Raises, anyone?  New office space?  Better computer systems?  At least now you’ll know if you can afford any or all of that. 

Looking for accounting or financial planning help?  Check out the FBI’s list of consultants and financial services. 

With friends and family in from out of town this past week, it’s been a bit challenging to keep up on the weekly blog.  My apologies for being a few days late.  Along with the friends and family have been many opportunities for dinner table conversations on a wide range of topics - in my family, baseball is chief among them.  However, this is a fashion blog, not a sports blog, so I’ll steer clear of the Dodgers and their chances for World Series greatness this year.  (Go Dodgers!) 

An interesting discussion came up last night.  One which never fails to irk me, as a fashion industry professional - counterfeit products.   I’m not talking about “knockoffs” or products “inspired by” a designer original.  I’m talking about actual trademark-infringing, counterfeit products.  Check out these blogs: Fashion Law by Staci Riordan and Fashionista’s Adventures in Copyright on the “knockoff” debate for further discussion. 

I generally like to enjoy my holiday meals without delving into controversial topics - you know, politics, religion, health care reform, etc.  I had even decided to politely hold my tongue when the topic of buying a “knockoff purse” came up.  All I did was make a correction to the statement - “That’s not a knockoff purse, it’s a counterfeit purse.”  And the floodgates opened!  If you have to ask me what the difference is, I’m going to give you an earful.  Or, a pageful, as evidenced by this blog.  If the product you purchased has the same brand name label as the original from which is was copied, that’s a counterfeit product.  Even if the product you purchased has a slightly altered name -”Prado” versus “Prada”- but the exact same design details, it can be considered counterfeit. 

This quote from Tim Trainer, president of the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition in Washington, D.C.  says it all “Counterfeiters trade off the backs of legitimate brands. They let the real brands pay for the marketing, advertising, develop the designs, and then they profit off of it.” Think about all of the time, money, effort and energy it takes to develop a new style for your brand-name label.  Think about how excited you are when your style takes off and is seen in magazines and on the arms or legs of a celebrity.  Now think about how upset you’d be to realize your style has been copied by one or more counterfeiters and is being sold through back door retailers and illegal channels.  What happens to your sales?  Your profits? What money do you use to develop your next great design?  Many people don’t realize when they’re buying a fake product they’re putting legitimate designers out of business.  They’re looking for a bargain; they want the latest and greatest styles but don’t want to have to pay retail prices. 

Even worse, in my opinion, is the fact that many counterfeit products can actually cause damage or injury to the person buying them.  Maybe your new “Prado” purse isn’t going to be the source of many injuries, but has it been tested for lead content?  Was formaldehyde used in the manufacturing process?  What about those “Channel” sunglasses you just bought?  Do you think the manufacturer thoughtfully used UV filtering or polarized lenses?  I sincerely doubt it.  What about those new “Reebook” trainers you took for a run?  Do you really think they’re using the same technology and support as a real pair of Reeboks?  There’s no way to hold anyone accountable for counterfeit products. 

How about this for a bit of advice?  If you don’t buy counterfeit products, the market for these goods will start to dry up.  Legitimate designers will be able to sell their products to consumers willing to pay legitimate prices and maybe we’ll all start making a profit? If you have questions regarding copyrights or trademarks, contact one our legal experts at Fashion Business, Inc. for legal advice.

Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology expert working with Fashion Business, Incorporated.  Email:  jill@fashionbizinc.org

F. B. I. members Erin Wieczorek, Susan Brandt, Korena Ellis and I had the opportunity to attend Hong Kong’s Fashion Week and World Boutique this past January.  It was a huge and well-attended event.  Taking over most of the five floors of display space in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, there was truly something for everyone.  Susan Brandt was hoping to find one or more fabric suppliers for a new product she’s developing.  Korena Ellis and Erin Wieczorek were also looking to develop new products and find potential manufacturing and sales resources.  I was intent on enjoying this unique opportunity and hoping to gain a better understanding of the global markets for supply and demand.  

The World Boutique, Fashion Week and all of the activities, seminars and fashion shows related to these events were exceptionally well-executed.  A big round of applause goes to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) for putting on such a well organized show.  An entire floor was dedicated to Mainland China sourcing with other floors and areas dedicated to a variety of merchandise and sourcing opportunities.  It truly was a global market place with attendees from all over the world.  Asia, to be expected as well as Australia, New Zealand and India were all well represented, as were buyers from the Americas and Europe.  

As has come to be expected, the fashion shows were the major highlights of Fashion Week, with the spotlight shining on Vivienne Westwood’s Thursday night show.  Other shows included Taipei In Style, William Tang/MARCCAIN by William Tang, La Mer by Ali Charisma (see photos above), Global Sphere by Ika, Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers, Moiselle, International Designers Show and an incredible Knitwear show.  

The Vivienne Westwood show was an invitation only event and the invitations were hard to come by.  Luck was not on our side, but from all of the press and photos, it looked to be a fantastic event.  Ms. Westwood’s husband, Andreas Kronthaler, Creative Director and Christopher di Pietro, Marketing & Merchandising Director  - both of Vivienne Westwood - presented a seminar on “Vivienne Westwood Kingdom Decoded” concentrating on how they’ve built their Asia business and are now expanding their retail sales in North America.  A special mention was made about the latest store opening in Los Angeles, the first retail shop for the iconic brand to open in 9 years.  

Of special note was the permanent HKTDC Design Gallery located next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.  This retail store is devoted to Hong Kong designers and products manufactured within Hong Kong and the New Territories.  The store sells jewelry, accessories, toys, books, games and more, highlighting some of best and brightest of Hong Kong’s up and coming designers.  What a great thought!  Maybe we can do the same for California designers?

This show is definitely worth attending for anyone looking to find manufacturing resources in Asia as well as anyone looking to sell to global markets.  The HKTDC office in Los Angeles made it easy for our members to attend with special airfare, hotel and exhibitor rates.  Hopefully, this offer will be available again.  If you have the chance, don’t miss out.  

  Jill Mazur is an independent apparel business and technology consultant working with Fashion Business, Incorporated. Email: jill@fashionbizinc.org

Fashion Business, Inc. in conjunction with the California Market Center’s Winter FOCUS | Apparel & Accessories Show was delighted to present the “DESIGNER LAUNCH PAD” fashion show. The FOCUS show featured emerging designers alongside established brands in the loft-like setting of the California Market Center’s penthouse showrooms.

Frances Harder, Jacquelyn Umof and Erin Wieczorek of FBI along with stylist and producer Leila Baboi, former West Coast Market Editor of Women’s Wear Daily and the great team from California Market Center put on a fantastic show featuring seven promising new designers. The show took place Saturday, January 16, 2010 in the California Market Center’s penthouse location for the FOCUS show. It provided an exciting setting for a great show, with expansive views of Downtown Los Angeles’ twinkling city lights. The show sold out quickly and was standing room only.

Some of the designers were showing their lines for the first time. Others are already experiencing success at retail. Even more exciting, many of these designers are manufacturing their designs right here in California. We thank all of the designers, Leila Baboi, FOCUS Apparel & Accessory show and especially California Market Center for all of their hard work and effort in putting on a great show.

Featured designers included:

ALTHEA HARPER COLLECTION (www.altheaharper.com) – a collection of ready-to-wear styles in soft, drapey fabrics, gorgeous colors and body skimming silhouettes. Many people are familiar with Althea as one of the finalists from Project Runway, season 6. Her premier collection of designs did not disappoint her fans or those who have just discovered her.

ANAHI BLUE (www.anahiblue.com) – a swimwear collection by designer Michele Sparks. Michele’s designs are a welcome addition to the swimwear market. Elegant, classy, fashion-forward swimwear that provides coverage and even a bit of camouflage for those of us with less than swimsuit-model bodies. Her styles made a great SPLASH! on the runway.

CAMELIA SKIKOS COLLECTION (www.cameliaskiknos.com) – a collection of ready-to-wear styles in beautiful silks, some with leather accents. Her designs have a strong, geometric feeling to them, influenced by modern art and sculpture combined with the softness of silk and feminine curves. Camelia produces all of her designs in California.

DUSTIEDOLL (www.dustiedoll.com) – a collection of contemporary fashion presented in knits and jerseys, adorned with studs, chains and other hardware. Dustie is a local Southern California designer and is manufacturing her products locally.

LI CARI (www.shoplicari.com ) – a collection of ready-to-wear designs from Jazmin Whitley. The Li Cari collection was filled with fantastic styles and inspired silhouettes. Jazmin is a young designer with a huge celebrity following and is well known from her MTV reality TV show “MTV’s House of Jazmin.” She produces her products in the U. S. and Italy in order to ensure all labor law compliance.

RISSA BY MARISSA ERSKINE (www.lovelyrissa.com) – a contemporary collection from Marissa Erskine. The RisSa collection was filled with beautiful dresses and knitwear in exotic, colorful silhouettes.

ZA ZA ZSU (www.zazazsu.net) – Sahar Hersel describes her collection as “Sunday Sexy” and that it was! Luxurious fabrics combined with elegant, effortless styling created a cohesive collection of pieces. Sahar produces all of her products domestically.

We welcome these designers to FBI and look forward to many more great collections!

Cal Poly Pomona Students Receive Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Scholarships

Students from the Apparel Merchandising and Management (AMM) department at Cal Poly Pomona won six of the eight Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Entrepreneurial Scholarships awarded annually through the Fashion Business Inc (FBI).

Sophomores Nicole Palumbo, Lynette Salgado, Samantha Gagne and Renee Roberts split an award of $1,000, awarded to students from a four year college who can present the best written business plan, and/ or the best thought through design concept for a line of apparel or accessories.  The Cal Poly team had developed a case analysis of Target’s women’s wear business, proposing a new business plan that would enhance bottom line profitability through improved merchandising and visual display strategies, centered on the concept of ‘My Brand’.

In addition, two other AMM seniors, Trish leBarge and Allie Poon, were honored with Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer scholarships for their outstanding work.  Each received associate membership of the FBI for one year plus $600.00 credit for any of the 80 plus seminars and classes presented at the FBI.  The awards were presented by Ethan Eller, Building Manager of the New Mart.

Other Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer scholarships were awarded to Diana Cha and Sara Caterinicchia.

The Apparel Merchandising & Management department at Cal Poly Pomona is a leading provider of Bachelor of Science graduates for the apparel industry in California, with specializations in apparel production and fashion retailing.  Fashion Business Inc. provides the industry with a range of training, education, consulting and other business services to support its growth and profitability

Speed to Market – Fast Turn – Rapid Response

What do these terms mean to the apparel industry in 2009? Good news and bad news!

New times = New methods of doing business = Rapid response to the demands of the retailer and consumer.

But, can the average apparel manufacturer respond rapidly? Well, for the small company who, due to their smaller orders are for the most part producing domestically it is good news. They can turn on a dime and produce faster than the larger companies who need a much longer lead time to produce their goods, usually in far off places. Smaller companies with small orders ship them to the retailer, then if the orders sell through they get reorders. This is the very best of new business news for new and smaller manufacturers. It is also good news for the retailer as they can plan for the demands of their customers, the weather, and the economy etc. This new type of selling and buying results in the manufacturer having a much better cash flow, as they will not be seeking funding for larger orders when selling through the traditional five seasons each year.

This tradition of selling at the four or five markets each year usually requires groups within each line that demands cash outlay for the expenses for patternmaking and sampling. Now, the manufacturer is constantly designing, which they really always have and then showing new products, and shipping weekly or monthly new merchandise. So now the manufacturer can get paid more often. They do not need to invest heavily in the five big lines a year as they are now producing and shipping new items to replenish sell through products. The retailer will also have less of a cash flow problem with this type of merchandise planning. The customer will see new items when ever they shop. A win win in a new economy! Well, we hope so.

So, it has at last been officially noted by many international economist that the small business owners are really the backbone of our economy, not only in the US but globally. The big branded companies are not fairing well and many have had to cut back or worse, close their doors. Small businesses can adjust and respond as they don’t have large overheads. For the most part they contract out all their work, including sewing, cutting, bookkeeping etc. and cut back on other expenses to respond to demands, or lack of demands of the economy.

Some for the negative results of this new economy is that bigger retailers are demanding, from branded manufacturers that they discount or allow markdown money. Additionally, major discount store, e.g. Marshals, TJ Maxx, Ross are producing more private label. This has resulted in much cheaper prices for the average clothing labels that are now being sold. The price of clothing today is the lowest we have seen in years. Due to the recession sewing factories around the world have all been forced to lay off workers. The ports in China and other locations are full of containers with cancelled orders. These goods may get discounted and sold or they will have to be destroyed.

However, much merchandise is still being produced domestically, especially in southern California where they produce premium denim, active sportswear and contemporary clothing. But sadly both the off shore and the domestic sewing contractors reluctantly have been forced to take cuts in their pricing so that they can keep their workers working. This rational is in the hopes that the economy will turn around and then the demand for new clothing will pick up. The alternative is to lay workers off and then when the economy turns around they will then need to reinvest time and money in finding good workers and training them.

Another change in business methods are that some of the higher end retailers are asking the smaller manufactures to sell on consignment and this is not a good idea. It was bad enough that traditionally the manufacturer has taken all the risks with development and production costs then have to wait to get paid. Now they are expected to take ALL the risk and maybe then get paid!

Talk about getting screwed!  - Consignment selling will be one of my next blog topics.

But, now onto a very different topic. It is the season to be merry! And I need to take a deep breath and keep my mouth shut when I see all those ugly heavy knitted sweaters decorated with Christmas trees adorned with lights and holly. Or, equally as offensive fashion trend, those cheaply mass produced red jackets lovely dragged out annually of the closets. Where, in my very opinionated opinion they should really remain for posterity. J

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES. I HAVE MUCH TO BE GRATEFUL FOR IN MY LIFE AND ALTHOUGH CLOTHING IS MY BUSINESS IT IS NOT MY LIFE.

Fashion Business, Inc. is asking for your input to help us conduct a study of the apparel, footwear, textile and accessory industries. Specifically, how the recession has affected job opportunities within these industries over the past 12 months.

We’d like to know a few things about your business. This study is anonymous – any information you include about your business will be kept confidential and only used for data gathering purposes. We will be happy to provide you with the results of the study, should you so desire. Please indicate this on your response, along with your email address.

1: What is your sales volume today (in dollars)?

2: Over the past 12 months what percentage of your sales volume has increased or decreased?

3: In the past 12 months, have you had any layoffs or reductions in staff? If so, how many people or percentage of your work force.

4: In the past 12 months, have you hired staff for any existing positions?

5: In the past 12 months, have you hired staff for any newly created positions?

Thank you very much for your time today. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Jill Mazur

Independent Apparel and Business Consultant

Email: jill@fashionbizinc.org