Well, of course it does!  Especially if you were at the Neiman Marcus “Fashion Rules” event last week in Beverly Hills.  I’ll admit I’m not really a Neiman Marcus shopper.  My budget may allow for an occasion splurge at one of their very fine restaurants or bars, but that’s about it for me.  However, I have a great appreciation for the store, the merchandise and the value of the brand “Neiman Marcus.”  I was grateful to have the opportunity to attend the event and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The store was packed with NM’s loyal customers and a few curious onlookers (me included).  Events were staged throughout the store as well as food and beverage stations.  A makeshift runway was setup on the second level with models wearing the newest looks and accessories for summer.  There was a terrific display of NM’s photographer, Matthew Rolston’s, latest images and signed copies of his newly released coffee table book. 

My favorite part of the evening was Ken Downing’s presentation via video-conference, straight from the Paris runways.  The poor man was up at 4:30 a.m. in Europe to broadcast live to Beverly Hills with the latest, greatest trends for Fall, 2011.  No, I’m not going to reveal them here.  You’ll just have to wait and see, or better yet, subscribe to one of the Trend services available.

While walking around the store, I kept thinking about how well the Beverly Hills Neiman Marcus store is arranged and merchandised.  Aside from the fact that the merchandise is beautiful and of such great quality, there really is an art to creating a directional flow in a store and how the products are displayed.  The display cases, racks and shelves are never over crowded with product, allowing your eyes to take in the details of each item.  Nothing is crammed in or fighting for space. Yes, I realize they have multiple thousands of square feet to work with, but so do other department stores whose racks always seem to explode with product.  Boutiques are a different animal altogether, but the best ones follow the same principles.  Ever stopped by the Prada store in Beverly Hills?  The sleek, Rem Koolhaas designed store is an excellent statement in minimalism.  Each piece is given enough space to “speak for itself” and shines brightly among other jewels on Rodeo Drive. 

Don’t forget, FBI is doing a number of seminars next week at the Los Angeles International Textile show March 15 - 17 in the California Market Center.  Stop by our office at suite C786 for three days full of informative sessions as well as a mixer on Monday evening starting at 5:00 p.m.  Meet some of our great members, employees and contributors (including yours truly) and get to know us, if you don’t already. 

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

It’s tradeshow season in Los Angeles. This week, FBI was at the GlobalTex show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. For those of you who haven’t attended, GlobalTex is more than a textile show, its main focus is on textile and fashion trends. I attended the inaugural show in October, 2009 and blogged about it here. This time, there were a number of great seminars, FBI included. We presented a panel discussion on “Turning a Changed Economy into a Profitable Business Opportunity” which included Frances Harder as moderator, Bobby Hines – International Trade Specialist with the U. S. Department of Commerce, Ken Wengrod – President of F. T. C. Commercial Corp, Susan Brandt – Internet marketing expert, and Dana Fried - apparel industry expert and owner of Delphic Consulting. It was a lively discussion regarding the ups and downs of starting your own business in today’s economy.

My favorite non-FBI seminar had to be Fiona Jenvey’s Men’s and Women’s trend focus seminars from MUDPIE, Ltd. As someone who is not on the cutting edge of fashion trends, I’m always interested to see how designers, stylists and retailers translate the trends from the couture runways to desirable, saleable products. I’ve bumped into Fiona at GlobalTex, but I’ll admit it right here, I follow her daily through her LinkedIn page and Mudpie group postings. I like to think of these seminars as a designer’s or merchandiser’s cheat sheet. Taking a sneak peak at colors, fabrics, prints and textures as well as designer’s inspirations and global influences is one of my favorite things to see at tradeshows or on-line. Trend and color forecasters like Design Options, MPDClick and Style Sight do the research, follow the fashion shows and focus on the next, great influences to allow mere mortals to focus on key ideas and colors for future deliveries. All of these companies provide pay-for-service websites and newsletters for their subscribers to stay in touch with all of the latest trends, even if they’re far from the runways and tradeshows.

So what else did I learn at GlobalTex this time? Well, I made sure I wore comfortable shoes.

1. I’m looking forward to Spring/Summer 2011 for the colors and trends. If you’re not paying attention, or haven’t subscribed to any of the trend services above, I’m not going to it give away.
2. Tradeshows are the best place to gather a lot of information in a small amount of time.
3. Trade shows are still the best way to see and feel new products, colors and designs. I’m a big fan of technology, don’t get me wrong, but nothing beats holding something in your hand to really understand the product. (This isn’t new, I cribbed this from my previous blog, but it’s still relevant.)
4. Take advantage of seminars whenever you can. You never know what you’ll learn. FBI has a number of free or low-cost seminars coming up at L. A. International Textile Week. Stop by and say “Hello.”

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

I had lunch with a friend recently. I mentioned FBI was presenting a number of seminars on Sourcing at MAGIC, February 16 – 18, 2010. When she asked me what sourcing was, I had to think long and hard about how to describe sourcing in general. It seems easy enough to describe: the supply of resources as required by a business process. I’m sure that’s not what she wanted to hear, so I thought about it for a while. She is a screenwriter with no experience in any sort of manufacturing or service industry. I realized, however, that sourcing can be applied to almost any business process. In her case I related it to her wedding, I asked her to think of her wedding planning as sourcing. Think of the logistics, planning, purchasing, deliveries, setup, payments and tastings as sourcing.

Unless you’re doing everything yourself, including sewing your own dress, baking your own cake, growing your own flowers and playing all of the instruments in the band, you’re sourcing. Many brides hire a wedding planner – let’s call that the agent. The agent’s job is to facilitate the sourcing process. They smooth out the bumps, they help ensure shipments are on time, they deal with customs and suppliers and manufacturers to make sure everyone has what they need to get the merchandise manufactured and delivered on time. In the case of a bride, however, late shipments, extensions, customs holdups and shortages aren’t acceptable at all, so the wedding planner has his or her hands full just as much as an agent. Throughout the wedding planning or sourcing process there are a number of vendors supplying goods and services. A bride might have a caterer supplying food, a photographer, a DJ or band, florist, clergyperson, venue and more. A manufacturer might have fabric or trim suppliers, cutting and sewing services, shippers or freight forwarders and more. Retailers can be as demanding as a bride, so keep in mind your retailers requirements throughout the sourcing process.

That’s not the half of it, however. You don’t just start sourcing, just like you don’t just start planning a wedding. First, you need to think of your budget. How much do you have to spend to bring your products to market or to get yourself and your spouse-to-be to “I do?” Second, what should the end result look like? Third, what is the timeframe to get to the deliverable? How long do you have to plan this? In the wedding world, it may be months or years, in the retail world weeks are better than months and rarely can anyone get away with years. Fourth, how do you find a reliable, high quality agent or wedding planner that fits your requirements - budget, personality, location, contacts, etc.? Do you work off of recommendations, advertising, Angie’s List? How do you know that the person you entrust with your business will provide the services you need? Fifth, how do you begin to execute your plan? Where do you find your suppliers? How do you know the designs and fabric swatches you sent months ago will be delivered to your specifications and quantities? Can you get TOP samples? A bride can’t. But she can have her gown custom altered and chances are good, you can’t do that with your production run. Sixth, what about logistics? What are you doing to track your purchase orders, customs clearing, quota numbers and containers? Let’s hope you have a good system in place to provide visibility to all of that information. If the bride is savvy, she’s tracking her information in an organizer or spreadsheet. Last, but not least, how are you tracking your finances? Letters of credit? Payments to your agent or vendors? Due dates and payment terms? Hopefully the bride is tracking her deposits and payments by check or credit card.

By the time I finished explaining the sourcing process with my bridal analogy, my friend actually understood sourcing better than many of my clients. Then I hit her with “Hopefully, this is the only wedding you’ll ever have to plan. Apparel manufacturers source year round for millions of products to be delivered to thousands of retailers. It’s like planning hundreds of wedding a year, without the cake tasting or big parties at the end.” And, if you do it right, make your deliveries and even make your margins, you’ll keep on doing it year after year.

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

Recently, Fashion Business, Inc. conducted a seminar on selling goods to foreign markets. We were fortunate to have Julia Son from Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and Bobby Hines, International Trade Specialist, from U. S. Department of Customs as our guest speakers. It was a fascinating discussion, not easily summarized in a few paragraphs, but I’ll do my best.

As I’ve talked about in previous blogs, if you’re looking to expand your customer base, perhaps you should look outside the U. S. borders. The U. S. government has a number of programs in place to help your business sell to foreign markets if, and it’s a big IF, the products you’re looking to sell are made primarily in the U. S. I won’t try to explain the details of this – go to the Office of Textile and Apparel website for more information on what types of products qualify. All products will need a certificate of origin in order to be considered for export. For mixed origin materials or manufacturing, you’ll want to check with the Office of Textile and Apparel to see if your products will qualify. NAFTA or CAFTA goods have a different set of rules and regulations, so be sure to check with the Office of Textile and Apparel regarding these qualifications.

Enough of that, The U. S. government is very happy to encourage businesses to sell internationally. Exporting goods to foreign consumers helps strengthen our economy and who doesn’t want that? The Department of Commerce has offices in over 170 countries. Some of the many purposes of these offices are to help to identify markets for your company’s products, determine the best methods to handle financial transactions, orders, shipments and more. Plus, help you make connections in the countries your looking to develop your business contacts. Looking to find out the basics of exporting? Go to http://www.export.gov/ for essential information. Want to know more? Consider purchasing A Basic Guide to Exporting available at the U. S. Government bookstore.

When I talk about exporting with some of my clients, I usually hear about all of the barriers they’ve encountered trying to create an international business. Well, that may be true. Not all countries have the same type of trade relationship with the U. S. Some of those barriers may be with a specific country, or perhaps with the type of product a company is trying to export. Your best bet is to look for countries with Free Trade agreements with the U. S. Currently, we don’t have a Free Trade agreement with India, which makes trying to export products there very difficult. You’ll have a better chance trying to sell to Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Peru, Oman, or Singapore each of which has a Free Trade agreement with the U. S. Free trade isn’t limited to these countries – remember NAFTA or CAFTA? There are plenty of trade agreements with more than 150 countries, so do some homework to find countries and markets that are right for your products.

Looking to sell your product to China? Your first stop should be Hong Kong. Why? Prospects are bright, despite the global economic downturn. The U. S. government expects Hong Kong and China to bounce back faster than the rest of the world and Asian markets are hungry for U. S. products. Hong Kong is an easy entre to Mainland Chinese markets. It has a separate legal system, currency and customs system from that of Mainland China. And, did you know, English is the official language in Hong Kong? Hong Kong has an open financial banking system. There are no foreign exchange controls. It may be easier for you to get paid through a Hong Kong company rather than a Mainland Chinese company. If that’s not enough to entice you, Hong Kong is a free port with virtually no duties or tariffs; perfect for small to medium sized firms looking to do business in Hong Kong or Mainland China. Hong Kong is the perfect stepping stone into Mainland China and the rest of Asia. Want to find out more, go to Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) for information.

One more thing, the U. S. is one of the last countries in the world still using the Imperial measurement system. Almost every other country uses the Metric system. If you plan to sell products to foreign markets, make sure you sell them in the correct unit of measure for each country. A 32″ waistband won’t get you very far in many countries.

Some important websites to visit for anyone looking to export U. S. goods:

http://www.export.gov

http://www.buyusa.gov

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

As a relative newcomer to the world of blogging, I didn’t realize how much fun, or how difficult blogging can be. It’s fun, because I can write just about anything I want – which is also what makes it so difficult - narrowing down my ideas into one somewhat coherent stream of thought. Which is why I’m getting back to the business of fashion. Because that’s what we do here at Fashion Business, Incorporated.

And speaking of here, did you know we now have an FBI location in San Francisco? That’s right – We now have a chapter serving the San Francisco Bay Area, offering classes in multiple locations including through our partnership with the Small Business Administration. Janet Lees is directing all FBI programs in the Bay Area as well as fund raising for the SF FBI office. A native of UK, Janet has been involved with the Bay Area fashion and design industries for 16 years and is especially proud of the programs she’s developed to support entrepreneurs in fashion and the arts. In addition, she is an experienced small business owner and an active partner in her husband’s modern furniture company, Jason Lees Design, located in Oakland, where she is responsible for Public Relations and has secured ink in local, national and international press. We are so fortunate to have Janet on board and are very excited to be able to present many new and popular seminars to our Bay Area members. Check out our list of upcoming events in Northern and Southern California, Atlanta and Phoenix – open to members and non-members alike.

When most people think of fashion they think of runways filled with glamorous models, fashion magazines full of glossy advertisements, celebrities at movie premiers or awards show or maybe even “Project Runway.” At FBI we know that the finished product, what the consumer sees, is the end result of many months of design, planning, manufacturing, logistics and more. There are so many pieces to the puzzle of successful fashion businesses that it’s no wonder so many companies can’t make it in today’s economic climate. No, not just because people aren’t buying clothing, accessories or shoes. They are, just take a look at the latest retail numbers to see sales have improved greatly. It’s because business is changing. Wholesale, retail, ecommerce – it’s all changing. As a fashion business, you need to have the skills to stay on top of new retail buying and selling trends, new credit and financing issues that are affecting us all, new business and technology skills and even new ways of doing business with your vendors. That’s where the FBI comes in. Why not take full advantage of your FBI membership? Or, if you’re not currently a member, become one. Memberships start at $200 per year, but the knowledge you gain is priceless. We’re here to service the fashion communities in California as well as seminars in Atlanta, Phoenix and New York. Can’t be here in person? We have a number of classes and seminars online at very affordable prices. Contact Jacquelyn@fashionbizinc.org for more information or just stop by our offices or website. We look forward to seeing you.

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

If you were in the Los Angeles area this week, I hope you had the opportunity to come by the Globaltex trade show at the LA Convention center. There were a lot of great vendors, new products, new and familiar faces and interesting seminars. Since GlobalTex is a new trade show, they’re still fine-tuning it and responding to exhibitor and attendee feedback. I’m hoping the next show will fill the entire room and then some. If you’re looking for industry trends, companies such as MPDClick were there as well as a trend area showing some of the latest fabrics, colors and prints.

So here’s what I learned:

1: Trade shows are still the best way to see and feel new products, colors and designs. I’m a big fan of technology, don’t get me wrong, but nothing beats holding something in your hand to really understand the product.

2: Hemp jersey is my new favorite fabric. Seriously. I was thinking “Hemp Jersey?” How soft can that be? Well, it’s as lovely as Modal – soft and drapey, without the clinginess of Modal. One of my clients is already using it in some of their designs and I can’t wait to see it when it comes to market.

3: Heavy rains made for a light turnout the first day of the show. It also made for nightmarish traffic, but that’s to be expected in Los Angeles.

4: Frances Harder of FBI, Victor Dahan of Shipson, Ken Wengrod of FTC and I had a great time on the “Speed to Market” panel. We approached the subject from our own view points. Frances moderated and injected her wisdom about bringing production back to the LA area and how California designs are sought after around the world.

5: Ken talked about financing and the current credit situation. Everyone wants to know what will happen if/when CIT files for bankruptcy. Ken explained the most likely scenarios and let everyone know that business would still continue. I swear I heard a collective sigh of relief.

6: Victor discussed how to improve the supply chain and how markets in China and Russia are opening up to American goods.

7: We all talked about how selling to the international markets should not be a barrier in business any more. Financial transactions, credit, customs, commercial invoices and more are easy to address and can expand a company’s revenue stream dramatically.

8: I talked about the role of technology in speed to market and how using tools can give you a 360 degree view into the design, sampling, production, inventory and financial aspects of your business and how no company should ever be without them. No matter what your budget is, there are tools to help your business.

9: Retailers are conducting business differently and manufacturers need to be able to react quickly to change. Keep inventory low. Don’t expect the re-order. Speed to market is an entire process from design to delivery, know how to react.

10: Don’t wear boots with three inch heels when walking a trade show.

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

Lots of excitement here at the California Market Center, or as I will never stop referring to it – the Mart. For those of you looking to find new suppliers or just check out the latest trends in textiles, don’t miss the Los Angeles International Textile Show . And, for all of you technology fans, or those looking for hardware, machinery, software and all the latest gadgets you won’t want to miss Material World. Let’s hope for a big turnout this year. It’s great to be able to pull all of these activities into one great space.

While you’re here, come up to the FBI office – Suite 786 and say hello to our great team. Stick around for great seminars. Seriously, people, FREE SEMINARS for FBI Members and only $10 per seminar for non-members on all types of relevant topics. I’m presenting a seminar on the Importance of Networking Wednesday night. Even if you know how to network with the best of them, it will be a great opportunity to meet new and interesting people and maybe learn a thing or two.

FBI SEMINARS:
 

Wednesday Sept. 30Understanding Apparel Principles Using Software Applications

9:00am - 10:00am

EDI Made Simple; De-mystifying EDI & RFID
10:00 am - 11:30amQuickBooks for the Apparel Industry

12:00pm - 1:00pmRetailing Online

2:00pm - 3:00pmHong Kong Trade and Development Presents:  Export to China - (Hong Kong) World Boutique - Jan. 2010)

4:00pm - 5:00pmThe Importance of Networking!

6:30pm - 8:30pm 

9:00am - 10:00am
De-mystifying the Small Business Loan Application

11:30am - 12:30pmChoosing a Factor

1:00pm - 2:00pm

Friday Oct. 2Starting Your Own Apparel Business
10:00am - 11:00am Realities of the Investment World
11:30am - 12:30pmBrothers Digital Garment Printer Training
1:00pm -2:00pmIllustrator and Photoshop for Textile Designers
2:30pm - 3:30pmWhere & When

110 East 9th St., Ste C786
Los Angeles, California 90079
213.892.1669

When I say “Job Creation” I’m referring to new jobs or positions created in our industry, not the act of filling an existing position. For example, several years ago, it became a necessity for many companies to have an on-line presence. Whether it was a web site devoted to the company or brand or an actual on-line marketplace would be determined later. What most companies lacked was an existing employee with the knowledge and skills to create and maintain a website. There were a rash of jobs created specifically to support websites and ecommerce positions. Now these jobs exist or are outsourced at most apparel manufacturers. So I’m wondering what the next set of necessary jobs skills will be.

Many companies have moved away from internal or domestic production in favor of outsourced or full-package production. With the economy the way it’s been, retailers demanding lower stock levels and quick turnaround, are we headed back to a domestic cut and sew production model? If so, we’ll need to be able to ramp up domestic production. Sewing and cutting contractors, dye houses, trim and fabric suppliers may start filling long empty spaces in and around downtown. Production managers and assistants would be required to manage cut and sew operations. Marking, grading and patternmaking skills would be in demand. Wouldn’t that be nice? Instead of losing more jobs to off-shore manufacturing, we’d start creating new jobs to be able to support the retailers’ need for speed-to-market.

FBI is working hard to help create new jobs in the apparel, footwear and fashion industries in general. Specifically, we work with new and existing companies to help them grow by providing the resources and training they need to survive and thrive. Where else in Los Angeles or San Francisco can a designer with a great idea for a new product go to get help finding a qualified contractor, a respected accountant or business advice to create a profitable company? Where else can a business go to find seminars, classes, even certification programs on industry specific software and skills? I can’t think of any other place than the FBI. And yet, most fashion companies aren’t aware of the benefits of an FBI membership. At a starting price of just $200 per year it’s the best investment a company can make.

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

I’d rather use a “Top Chef” analogy here, rather than “Project Runway” but it doesn’t feel appropriate for this blog. Truth be told, there is no specific recipe for success in the world of fashion. Seems like some people have it and other, equally talented people don’t. Elusive, isn’t it? I was watching “Project Runway” this week as the contestants designed styles inspired by the California surf scene. Aside from the fact that only one team used Neoprene© in their design, I don’t think you’d want to go anywhere near the water in the rest of those styles. But I digress. The team with the best designs of the show won AND lost. They came up with two great designs – one of them was the one with Neoprene©. Turns out, however, that trying to get two ego driven designers to divide design, draping, sewing and fitting tasks doesn’t always work so well. One team member (Ra’mon) did the bulk of the design, sewing and other tasks while the other team member (Mitchell) seemed to crack a lot of jokes about getting kicked off the show. Sure enough, the team won the best design, Ra’mon won the contest and Mitchell was dismissed from the show with a fairly curt “Auf Wiedersehen.”

So getting back to a recipe for success, how do you assemble the right team for a fashion business? Let’s say you make enough samples to take to a show or at least around to some potential customers or showrooms. Let’s say you start taking orders for your products. Now what? Do you have the money or financing to purchase raw materials, cut, sew and fulfill your orders? Where do you find trustworthy contractors or vendors who will do justice to your designs? How do you ensure you’re shipping to credit-worthy customers? How will you begin to collect on your receivables? How do you know what needs to be done to keep your business moving forward and hopefully growing? Well, that’s what Fashion Business, Incorporated is all about. FBI has the tools and resources to take your business to the next level.

Most companies start with one or two people – hopefully one person has a knack for design, the other has a knack for business and/or sales. The two of you scramble around for months (or in the case of “Project Runway” two days) trying to produce wearable, saleable designs. Let’s hope there’s a natural division of labor within the business (on the “Project Runway” team the division of labor looked to be about 90/10). As the business grows, start adding part-time or full-time employees to fill in the blanks – order entry, shipping, inventory, bookkeeping, production, etc. But how do you make those important business decisions? Like when to start adding? Or how to start growing? Tim Gunn isn’t going to magically appear in your workroom to dispense sage advice. The seminars and workshops at FBI are designed to help you fill in the blanks – business knowledge, technical skills, design, sales and marketing and my favorite, using software to improve your business processes. No, I’m not kidding – I teach one of those seminars.

The business resources you get with your FBI membership are as valuable as the seminars and workshops. Where else do you meet many of the industry’s leaders? Accountants, bankers, factors, lawyers, industry consultants, heads of contractors and textile associations of Los Angeles? How else can you network and make the right connections to move your business to the next level? Come to FBI’s next networking event and meet our team of experts. You’ll be glad you did.

Some people have it and some people don’t. The lesson I took away from last night’s show is that you need to choose carefully when assembling a business team. How better to do that than by joining FBI and availing yourself of our seminars, workshops and experts? The recipe for success? Knowing how and when to ask for help.

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

I was very excited to see two of my favorite trade shows happening at the same time in the same location. It’s a great opportunity to see a lot of familiar faces and companies as well as new businesses, products and service providers. For those of you who are new to the industry, there’s no better way to see so much product and make so many connections. For those of you who are veterans, what better way to get some fresh ideas? Registration is free.

The fashionista in me is excited to attend the L. A. International Textile Show to see the latest trends in colors, prints, fabrics, trims and more. The techie side of me is excited about Material World and seeing the latest cutting edge (pun intended) technology, hardware, software and equipment. Much like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, these are two great shows that work well together. September 30 – October 2 at the Mart. I’d better put a lunch order in now at New Moon.

FBI will be putting on a number of topical seminars to coincide with the L. A. Textile and Material World shows. A finalized list of seminars will be published in the next week or so. If you haven’t been by to see our new space at the Mart C786, please drop in and say “hello” and see what we’ve been up to the last few months.

There’s so much going on in such a short amount of time, be sure to plan ahead for all three days. You may have just enough time to see everything and everyone you need to see. There’s just enough time to catch your breath before GlobalTex at the L. A. Convention Center October 13 – 15!

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