Online Marketing for Fashion Designers

How do you represent and market your designs online? Do you use Etsy? An online portfolio? Online presence is as unique to a designer as the design itself. There are plenty of great options for everyone. No one strategy is ultimately right or wrong. It's about finding a plan that works for you- your schedule, your resources, your interests. Here are a few starting points to inspire ideas: 

1) Portfolio Websites: These sites are great because they offer an opportunity to connect with other users as well as offer an attractive and professional looking online portfolio to potential partners and clients. The supreme queen of graphic design portfolio sites is Behance. What is out there for fashion? 

2) The Importance of Great Content: What do your photos and videos look like? Whether it's a blog, website, twitter feed, or photo gallery, don't skimp on quality when it comes to photos and videos of your work. They need to be nothing short of amazing. A photo speaks so so much more than words. With excellent photo and video content, you can have your audience at a glance. 

3) Use Events: Events and online marketing are best friends. Bracelets and everything. Tattoos on the butt. Best buds forever. Posting events, photos from events, reviews from events, and talking to friends from events online generates much attention. Get involved with local events or create your own, and use the opportunity to talk about your brand, online, along with the event. 

4) Social Media is Hanging Out on the Internet: When managing social media for brands, the worst thing to do is constantly plug yourself. Check out this, check out that. Not gonna happen. Instead, work with friends and contacts to get conversations going online. When people reply to you, re-tweet, or comment on your posts, their network will see your name. Case for having a clever, interesting name that packs a punch. 

5) Contribute to Online Groups: If you're trying to get in with an online community / blog / group, the best thing to do is to support them and contribute to them. If it's a blog, comment on the posts, be active, and offer to spread the word about the blog or contribute posts to it. They may let you tag your work a few times in exchange. 

Best of luck to everyone! Any other ideas and feedback are appreciated! Leave a comment below, or contact me on twitter: @BassAsana. 

Herman Miller: So Not Retro

Herman Miller designs - known instantly for their embodiment of nineteen-fifties and sixties efficiency chic - run deep.

Eames molded plastic chairs with wood are 84-93 percent recyclable at the end of their useful life. Eames molded plastic chairs without wood are 99-100 percent recyclable at the end of their useful life.

 An Evolving Approach

Since 1991, the company has worked to establish a rigorous sustainability protocol, developing standards to measure the environmental impact of a given material. "In some cases, this might involve tracking material back through four or five tiers of suppliers; the company that manufactures a chair component, the company that manufactures the plastic for that chair component, the companies that make the colorants for the plastic, and finally, the companies that make the pigments for the colorants.

Every ingredient of every material, down to those that make up as little as .1 per cent (by weight) of both the material and the final product is identified."1

At Herman Miller, designers can consider, for example, data related to a given material's human health concerns, or to the  renewable resources used to create it. They can then make design choices accordingly, addressing sustainability concerns as they would cost or aesthetics.

It's called "Cradle to Cradle," and it "goes beyond regulatory compliance to thoroughly evaluate a new product," the company says.2

"Our commitment to corporate sustainability naturally includes minimizing the environmental impact of each of our products. Our Design for Environment team (DfE) applies environmentally sensitive design standards to both new and existing Herman Miller products."2

Those design standards are categorized under:2 

•  Material Chemistry and Safety of Inputs What chemicals are in the materials we specify, and are they the safest available?
• Disassembly Can we take products apart at the end of their useful life, to recycle theirmaterials?
• Recyclability Do the materials contain recycled content, and more importantly, can the materials recycled at the end of the product’s useful life?

A (New) Classic Emergence

The Aeron chair’s components are constructed from aluminum, steel, plastic, and foam/textile. The Aeron chair is up to 94 percent recyclable at the end of its useful life.

The often imitated Herman Miller Aeron chair (listed in the MOMA Architecture and Design Archives  in 1992 as a work by Donald T. Chadwick and William Stumpf)3 is an exempalry manifestation of the company's design process. "From its earliest developmental stages, the Aeron’s raw material selection and sourcing process emphasized environmental friendliness, with a preference for renewable, sustainable, and recycled source materials."2

According to the company, Aeron is "certified level 2," indicating "a comprehensive, independent, and impartial assessment of the environmental and social impacts of a product."4

"This means that Aeron is composed of environmentally safe and healthy materials, is designed for material reuse in a closed-loop system, such as recycling or composting, and is assembled using 100% renewable energy," the company says.

It's a lot to think about - the Herman Miller protocol really demonstrates how important it is for companies - and individuals - to embrace and pursue innovation, however it manifests.  

Obtain an Aeron  office chair - or a few of the quintessential molded plastic Eames chairs -  through DWR (4310 Sharon Road Suite 21 Charlotte, NC 28211 (704) 365.6514) or visit www.hermanmiller.com

Event:  Happenin' Herman

Thursday, July 26, 5–8pm DWR Charlotte Studio, in association with Herman Miller®, invites you to join us for a screening of “Eames: The Architect and the Painter,” a feature-length documentary by Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey about the world of Charles and Ray Eames. Using archival footage and modern-day commentary by friends and family, this must-see film presents an exclusive inside look at the husband-and-wife team, highlighting their influence on significant events in American history and revealing their untold personal lives. Sip refreshments and enjoy popcorn while watching the film.

RSVP to cwarner@dwr.com

Yogoco

Crafted using  fresh scraps salvaged from a T-shirt  factory floor, the mindful composition of these  chic, eco-friendly yoga  bags is sure to foster a little Samadhi. Originally created  in response to her own pre- and post-class scrambles, Charlotte business owner Avi  Woolman 's design is both elegant and efficient.

Earlier this month, Avi was kind enough to answer some questions for Redress Raleigh.

This question is for our would-be eco-entrepreneurs. From inception to the first finished products, how long did it take to make the earliest Yogoco bag? Considering the initial production process as a     whole, were there any particularly memorable obstacles? What were the first signs of success?

From inception to a finished product, it took 6 months. The first prototype was a disaster, and I really considered throwing in the towel.  I consulted with some friends who had manufactured other products.  They told me that initial prototypes are always lacking, and not to give up - that it will get better. It took another 4 prototypes before the Yogoco bag of today was created.

Take us through the process of manufacture. Are you making any socially responsible decisions that the averaHi Saramaterial. The fabric itself is made from pre consumer t-shirts scraps that are collected and blended into a new fabric.

Please see this YouTube video on how the Yogoco bag is made using pre-consumer t-shirts scraps:  

The "blending" process is interesting. How is it actually done? There are some textile-science majors out there who would probably love to know. 

The pre-consumer t-shrit scraps are collected and sorted by color. They are then blended and rolled into a new fabric. The new fabric comes in rolls like any other fabric that you can buy.

Earlier articles have said that about ten per cent of the recycled cotton used in the bags is organic. With the popularity of organic clothing (some of it locally produced), do you think that percentage might change?

Our process involves using pre-consumer t-shirt scraps that were on the way to a landfill. We feel that stopping that process whether it is organic or otherwise is equally worthy.

Have you received any new certifications or awards? To you, what has been gratifying about the recognition?

We won the Shape Green Living Award. It was really an amazing achievement because Shape magazine had our logo placed squarely between Walmart and Nokia.

Tell us your favorite thing about the Yogoco bag. What makes you glad to have brought it into existence?

The Yogoco bag is the only bag on the market that can fit the large black mat, a separate section designed to keep a yoga towel clean and your water bottle accessible. I love seeing people using the bag even at my local yoga studio that have no idea that I created the bag. I sometimes tell them I love their bag (with no disclosure given).

What is your favorite aspect of eco-fashion entrepreneurship? Any advice for new business owners?

The old saying - if you don’t succeed, try, try again - really has a lot of truth to it. I can’t tell you how bad the first prototype was, and how close I was to giving the whole thing up. To date, I have won the Shape Green living award and sold more than 1500 Yogoco yoga bags.

What are your long-term plans for the bags? Are you working on any other accessories?

We plan to do a new range of Yoga bags. I did look at gym bags for a little bit, but I couldn’t get the design quite right. I may re-visit this in the future.

Is there anything else you would want readers to know? How can we help?

The bags are gorgeous! If you are in the market for  a highly functional, gorgeous, eco friendly yoga bag, the Yogoco yoga bag is a great option that won’t let you down. 

All feedback is welcome!

For more information, visit ww.yogoco.com. The Yogoco bags are available at ActivewearUSa.com. here is the link: http://www.activewearusa.com/store/pc/Yogoco-Yoga-Bags-c58.htm

WHITE OUT LUNG CANCER - THE FASHION SHOW

We totally dropped the ball on not mentioning this earlier, but this sounds like a great event happening tomorrow! In honor of her mother, who passed away from lung cancer in 2011, Meredith College graduate Jordan Jaked created White Out Lung Cancer - the fashion show, which will also include a wine tasting and silent auction. The event supports the NC Lung Cancer Partnership - which strives to provide research funds and educational materials about lung cancer. 

In recognition of the ribbon colors used in tribute to lung cancer, the designers had to use only white, ivory, and silver fabrics to create their looks. Tickets are only $15, and it is Friday, June 15th, at 6:30pm at Burning Coal Theatre. The website has lots more information on the featured designers and this amazing show for a very important cause! 

superstars!

I can't resist posting this gorgeous magazine cover, featuring the Redress Raleigh co-founders. Amazing, eh?