I made my way around Brooklyn today. First stop was to drop off the print design on acetate for the hand-printed lining. The acetate [on the left] is the positive that is used to create a negative image on the screen. The ink is pushed through the screen to recreate the positive [on the right]. There, I discovered that I needed to repeat the design manually to fit the screen vertically. Ergh. Frustrating, but not difficult to do. Will be trekking again to Brooklyn again later this week.
I also visited the manufacturer in Brooklyn for my interview. I was little nervous because I was not sure of what to expect. Start of the appointment was my sharing of the vision of the brand and product and his silent staring at the designs and inspiration board.
After I stopped babbling on, he offered helpful advice. First, he said do not produce and sell in only one style because then the brand will not be long-term meaningful to luxury boutiques or customers. He suggested I develop a collection of styles. His justifications were that buyers want to feel like they have a choice in shaping their assortment. Also, he thought I should try to sell into a small case in a boutique to establish my brand.
On the positive side, after he talked more about how his company has been in business since 1930 and launched the original Halston, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren accessories, he said that my concepts and brand idea were beautiful and easily expandable to more silhouettes. But, he stated 'I don't work with just anyone so I only want to work if you launch a brand, not a bag. See me when you're ready.'
So, I have some thinking to do this week. I developed my financial plan based on launching with one style and slowly developing more styles, rather than launching multiple styles at once. Also, he is expensive compared to other manufacturers, so I have to assess quality of his production vs prices. Back to the drawing and finance board!
