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pre-ordering retail fashion for independent fashion designers

Crowdfunding and Crowdsourcing Fashion

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In one of our previous posts we highlighted some of the challenges that aspiring fashion designers encounter when starting up their businesses (you can find the full article here). To sum up, here are the top three problems:
INITIAL FUNDING – FORECASTING DEMAND – GETTING PRE-ORDERS

Let’s be honest, the fashion industry does not take full advantage of the advancements in IT, and the designers have to be very creative to overcome their challenges. Many resort to major online marketplaces to sell their creations. These work for designers offering custom made products – and they can sell one item at a time based on customer’s requirements. On the downside, the designers can’t source materials in large quantities because of the unpredictability in demand and they end up sourcing expensive supplies and pass that cost to the buyer. Furthermore, it is very difficult for the buyer to find a particular designer as these marketplaces become more like a universe of everything for everyone (For example, Etsy reportedly has over 800,000 active shops).

What we’ve recently noticed is that independent fashion designers are now appealing to the public to support their businesses and they do it on crowdfunding websites. Still, the fashion category on Kickstarter has the lowest success rate. We believe this is because the existing crowdfunding platforms don’t make for an elegant e-commerce solution. Consumers can’t really shop the designers’ products, but rather “donate” in return for different types of rewards. Crowdfunding works for fashion retailers that sell single products (such as the super-famous pebble watch); however, they don’t work as well for fashion designers that sell multiple products. crowdfunding fashion

Finally, a lot of new designers try crowdsourcing their designs, which takes care of the second obstacle they encounter – forecasting demand. By using a voting, liking and sharing system you can learn from your potential buyers more than if you were to investigate yourself. You can choose to produce only the most popular products or modify your collection based on consumer’s feedback. Still – desirability doesn’t necessarily translate into orders, as the potential buyers are not required to commit to a purchase.

At Luevo, we are working hard to develop a new kind of crowdfunding solution specifically targeted at aspiring and emerging independent fashion designers. We will use a combination of best practices from existing crowdfunding and crowdsourcing business models to create one solution to a designer’s top three challenges. We understand that as independent fashion designers you have certain production requirements. On our platform you will be able to obtain the pre-orders you need by crowdsourcing your demand.

You can find out more on how our fashion crowdfunding platform works here.

Event Review: MASHUPAFFAIR2012

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Last week, while most people were heading back home after a hard day’s work, I joined Ana Caracaleanu (owner of Acara Fashion Boutique and founder of Luevo) at MASHUPAFFAIR2012, an event thrown by Homegrown Boutique & ItsMusicFashionLife.com.

This fabulous networking event was held in the beautiful Homegrown Boutique, a small store located in the heart of Yorkville, Toronto’s fashion high end fashion district. Welcoming visitors with a glass of bubbly and tantalizing hors d’oeuvres (not to mention take-away containers prepped for sweets), the boutique offered designers and fashion experts from Toronto a chance to sneak a peek at some of the latest, and trendiest, items to hit the shelves including this beautiful dress, pictured right, accessorized with a classic pocket watch adorned with the signs of the zodiac; stunning.

After having a chance to roam the goodies, on, and off, the shelf, the owners welcomed make-up artists from Inspire Cosmetics, who shared  industry knowledge and offered free makeovers to all in attendance. While Ana enjoyed a relaxing makeover, I had a chance to speak with a few attendees who were really pleased with the event and advocated what the boutique stands for, particularly midst such a competitive industry.

So, what is the message? Apart from their exquisite taste in finger food, Homegrown Boutique’s major selling point is that it specializes in Canadian designer clothing and accessories.  As per their website, fashion items featured at the boutique are targeted for the “independent woman who loves to flirt with fashion”.  All collections are designed in Canada, and many are at least partially produced right in Toronto. In addition to producing beautiful pieces and throwing  top-notch get togethers, Homegrown Boutique is doing a great job helping local talent, find a home.

 

 

 

Custom made clothing: the comeback!

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Creating an Image

Nina Ricci. Valentino. Fendi. Lanvin; the list goes on. These fashion gods and goddesses are among the many designers creating custom-made outfits destined to be worn by some of the hottest names in Hollywood. Not only are these designers responsible for making celebrities turn heads as they enter a room; they are part of a team responsible for creating an image that reflects the personality and brand of each actor, singer or eccentric to walk the red carpet. Take, for example, the white Givenchy number sported by Rooney Mara at the 84th Annual Academy Awards in L.A. It was the perfect blend of edge and elegance, a sincere reflection of the image portrayed by the Girl in the Dragon Tattoo. Need another example? Bond, James Bond. Made famous by his witty retorts, womanizing escapades and specific choice in cocktail (vodka martini, shaken not stirred), he is best known for the style with which he successfully executed top secret mission; and by style, I mean suit. Granted, Bond wasn’t so much styled by the stars as he was clothed in suits that were tailored to perfection, but in this case, as in so many cases, the clothes really did make the man (dare I say legend?).

The history of tailoring as an art form

The art of tailoring, which has its roots in the 12-14th centuries, became exceptionally popular during the Renaissance as clothing started moving away from conservative trends sweeping the old empires and towards designs that accentuated and brought to life the human body. Curves and skin were suddenly in! Not too much of course, but enough to get the creative juices of designers and tailors flowing as floods of orders for custom made apparel came in from the crème de la crème of European society.

 During this time, tailored apparel was an expression of power, wealth and influence for men and women lucky enough to afford it. Moving into the twentieth century, tailored clothing became less a luxury for the nobility and more a way for women, in particular, to express themselves as they made the move from traditional wear to garments that allowed for simultaneous functionality and femininity.

Going, going… still here?

It seems to me that somewhere along the line, tailoring fell out of fashion. Perhaps wartime experiences and depression simply made indulging in custom-made clothing unaffordable for the average buyer. Perhaps woman, the provocateurs of fashion around the world, became less inclined to invest in custom made garments, preferring to mix existing pieces to create a sort of “self-made” look similar to that trending around the streets of Toronto as I type. As I see it, outside of particularly trendy (or wealthy) communities, tailored clothing is quickly falling through the fashion cracks. For starters, the definition of tailoring has moved from meaning custom-made to clothes that fit well without necessarily being tailored to fit the contour of a particular individual. Gone are the days of visiting ones tailor in order to be fitted for a new jacket; today, “tailored” suits, jackets and pants are widely available at popular department stores and independent boutiques. Perhaps there is a link between the decline of custom-made clothing and globalization as imports allow for the selection of material to increase tenfold. Whatever the reason, custom made clothing is due for a comeback, don’t you agree?

Putting customization back on the table

At Luevo, we believe that creativity is the essence of fashion and we are big supporters of customization tailoring. Some of the selected designers on Luevo will be able to offer clothing that are literally made to fit your body. There’s only one you, so make it count and dress it up! Get in touch with your style and check out Luevo soon for the latest line of customizable products.