Success! First day goal accomplished as you can see :
on SALE now INDI Apparel!
So...posting dresses on Etsy and changing prices...not as hard as it sounds...promoting is another story!
Today it seems like design is all about marketing and social media--not so much the design itself, the work put into every garment. This has all been lost in a sea of Facebook posts, celebrity drama, twitter scandals and artsy photos on Etsy.
I recently watched a documentary on Valentino which speaks to how much the business of design has changed. It was interesting to see the designer in his own world, designing, surrounded by seamstresses, models and advisors. Valentino spoke of dreams he has of beautiful scenery and how he wakes up and designs a dress. Outside this exclusive circle they showed all of the business men buying, selling, marketing, promoting--everything that keeps such an epic name alive these days. The company being bought and sold repeatedly and eventually causing Valentino to drop out of his own label. His name stayed but his artistic vision was withdrawn--all because he would no longer have true ownership of his name.
Watching this film at the beginning of my first year of self employment as a designer was confusing--I felt half inspired and half depressed. I would love to accomplish as a designer even a small part of what Valentino has done, but at the same time when I think about art in a business sense it always makes what I do seem very materialistic. I studied art after dropping out of business school because I didn't want to "sell my soul to the devil quite yet". It's so difficult for me to be a business woman, and to think about money when I work with something that I'm so passionate about. Perhaps this year I should find a business partner who will take care of the $$ and just focus on the art. I think that would make my job perfect : )
I also watched a documentary called "The September Issue" which follows Vogue editor Anna Wintour as she works to create the ever so awaited September issue of the year. She speaks about how many people think that what she does is kind of trivial and silly--and that fashion overall can be seen as something superficial by the general population and it can be completely misunderstood--mainly out of fear. Fashion gives off this sense of being about exclusivity-- there is always an in crowd and then the rest of the world.
I have never had this attitude, and if anything I try to include everyone in my life in my profession. I like to ask everyone male or female, interested in fashion or not, what they think of my designs, etc. I like to interview friends or strangers to see what I could improve or innovate. It's so refreshing to listen to another point of view. People will surprise me all the time on how much they do pay attention to fashion, even if they say they don't follow it.
I also like fashion to have a purpose, which is why I created INDI to be clothes for women who travel and dance. I want to make a difference in women's lives by creating clothes that will help them. Make the clothes work for the person, not the other way around.
Anna Wintour is often accused of being an "ice woman" due to her lack of emotional display on a daily basis. This truly makes her a very intimidating figure, and raises the subject of strong women in the work field. This is a long subject that I will dive into another day--but I would like to state here that as a woman who is labeled "intimidating"very often, I can definitely relate to what it does to your personality and your interactions with others. Anna--if anything, we have intimidation and a love for fashion in common.
Watching these films was a way to get my head in the game for this year and the challenges that await.
I'm also at the point where I'm looking for inspiration EVERYWHERE. Thus far, my inspiration board consists of images like these:
on SALE now INDI Apparel!
So...posting dresses on Etsy and changing prices...not as hard as it sounds...promoting is another story!
Today it seems like design is all about marketing and social media--not so much the design itself, the work put into every garment. This has all been lost in a sea of Facebook posts, celebrity drama, twitter scandals and artsy photos on Etsy.
I recently watched a documentary on Valentino which speaks to how much the business of design has changed. It was interesting to see the designer in his own world, designing, surrounded by seamstresses, models and advisors. Valentino spoke of dreams he has of beautiful scenery and how he wakes up and designs a dress. Outside this exclusive circle they showed all of the business men buying, selling, marketing, promoting--everything that keeps such an epic name alive these days. The company being bought and sold repeatedly and eventually causing Valentino to drop out of his own label. His name stayed but his artistic vision was withdrawn--all because he would no longer have true ownership of his name.
Watching this film at the beginning of my first year of self employment as a designer was confusing--I felt half inspired and half depressed. I would love to accomplish as a designer even a small part of what Valentino has done, but at the same time when I think about art in a business sense it always makes what I do seem very materialistic. I studied art after dropping out of business school because I didn't want to "sell my soul to the devil quite yet". It's so difficult for me to be a business woman, and to think about money when I work with something that I'm so passionate about. Perhaps this year I should find a business partner who will take care of the $$ and just focus on the art. I think that would make my job perfect : )
I also watched a documentary called "The September Issue" which follows Vogue editor Anna Wintour as she works to create the ever so awaited September issue of the year. She speaks about how many people think that what she does is kind of trivial and silly--and that fashion overall can be seen as something superficial by the general population and it can be completely misunderstood--mainly out of fear. Fashion gives off this sense of being about exclusivity-- there is always an in crowd and then the rest of the world.
I have never had this attitude, and if anything I try to include everyone in my life in my profession. I like to ask everyone male or female, interested in fashion or not, what they think of my designs, etc. I like to interview friends or strangers to see what I could improve or innovate. It's so refreshing to listen to another point of view. People will surprise me all the time on how much they do pay attention to fashion, even if they say they don't follow it.
I also like fashion to have a purpose, which is why I created INDI to be clothes for women who travel and dance. I want to make a difference in women's lives by creating clothes that will help them. Make the clothes work for the person, not the other way around.
Anna Wintour is often accused of being an "ice woman" due to her lack of emotional display on a daily basis. This truly makes her a very intimidating figure, and raises the subject of strong women in the work field. This is a long subject that I will dive into another day--but I would like to state here that as a woman who is labeled "intimidating"very often, I can definitely relate to what it does to your personality and your interactions with others. Anna--if anything, we have intimidation and a love for fashion in common.
Watching these films was a way to get my head in the game for this year and the challenges that await.
I'm also at the point where I'm looking for inspiration EVERYWHERE. Thus far, my inspiration board consists of images like these:
