Month: June 2019

Margie’s Active Wear was a boutique clothing store which had been in business for ten years. And any store which has been in business is probably doing a few things right. Of course, the other side of that coin is that any store which has been in business for ten years is probably set in its ways to a certain extent. It may be running on autopilot. The only problem with running on autopilot is that it may be difficult to react to the unexpected. If unforeseen problems come up, there may be no one at the controls to take over and keep things on a steady course.

And that’s exactly what happened at Margie’s. The turmoil in the economy revealed some weaknesses in the controls. Because things had been steady for so long, there hadn’t been much attention paid to marketing. And so regular customers became irregular customers, and many customers stopped coming altogether. When things finally stabilized, Margie realized that she had learned a very important lesson: that it was a very bad idea to sit on one’s laurels and let the autopilot take over.

She decided that she wanted to start to build a marketing program that would be for the long haul. She called a friend to see if he could recommend someone who might have some good ideas, and she was referred to a salesman at a full service printing company which had been in business for many years. He dropped by the next week, and they had a lengthy discussion. He came to the conclusion that Margie ran her business well on an overall basis, but he had to agree that she was taking a bit of a risk by not making more of an effort to create a consistent marketing plan.

Finally, he made his recommendation. He thought that a calendar would be a great starting point for Margie to start promoting the store. In the first place, a calendar was practical. No one threw them away if they could find a place to put it. Secondly, she could put information all over the calendar which would promote her store. Each red letter day in the year – start of various seasons, the time of key sales, and so forth – would be marked on the calendar.

Starting your own private label clothing company is not as difficult as you may think. I assure you that the founding members of Volcom, Paul Frank, Hurley and Von Dutch, are not mad geniuses of fashion. You can duplicate their rise to brand stardom provided that you have the following:

1. A decent logo

2. Creative concepts and graphics – Design Talent

3. A unique, blank apparel supplier

4. A decent screen printer

5. A Line Sheet to show potential buyers

6. Sales and promotional talent.

Which do you think is most important? Its obviously design talent you say? Are you Joking? You must be joking. Have you stepped out of the house recently? Have you seen Von Dutch clothing? Crayon weilding Chimpanzes produce better designs. Furthermore, I imagine the monkeys are more sanitary, but I digress.

#6 is clearly the most important element. You can create an entire line of fashion forward, beautiful clothing but if you can’t pitch it – no one will ever see it (excluding your mom of course). So, unless you want a closet full of your fantastic designs, ask yourself the following two questions:

Can I sell?

In other words……can I hit the pavement with my line sheet and walk into every boutique clothing store I can find? Then will I harass the hell out of retail clothing store buyers so that they’ll try to squeeze 5 minutes of time in for me at Magic 06′ (Clothing Convention) ?

Will I be able to make a professional presentation to a Nordstroms buyer?

Can I promote?

Do I have and creative viral or gureilla marketing ideas to get this label kickstarted?

If the answer to both of these questions is No – you better get some help. Namely, find someone passionate for fashion who also happens to be ridiculously outgoing, great on the phone and aggressive as hell. Lastly, (and superficially) it would help if your sales rep is hot.

It seems like everywhere you look, whether on tv, magazines, or the internet, the women portrayed are very thin. But these models aren’t the norm. Instead of trying to fight nature, you should embrace your gorgeous and voluptuous figure! In actuality, the average size today for women is 14, although the market is behind in catering to this larger size range.

Larger women who are interested in fashion are often flustered by boutique clothing shops where racks often end at size 12. Plus size clothing shops are gaining in popularity. They make it easy for curvy women to find clothes that both look great and are comfortable. Many stores have similar outfits, if not the very same ones, that are carried in regular stores. In addition, they often have original designs that are exclusive to plus-size shops.

Department stores often have a section for larger women as well. Look for signs marked “plus size” to find the plus size clothing department. Often the clothes are very similar to or even the same as those in the regular women’s department. Be aware that even though you may find an outfit that’s exactly the same as one available in smaller sizes, larger sizes often cost a little more. However, as with any other clothing department, plus size clothing often goes on sale.

A few extra pounds are often a large source of needless stress for brides. Instead of letting worry that they won’t be able to fit into their dream gown cause them to starve and take other drastic measures, it would be better to visit the bridal store and find dresses that actually fit. Plus size dresses are available at most stores. You will be able to find something that fits well and looks great, no matter if you’re the bride, bridesmaid, or the mother of the bride.

Lingerie also comes in larger sizes which means no woman needs to hide her figure at bedtime. These pieces can typically be found along with all other lingerie. Even though it can be incredibly uncomfortable to try on pieces it is essential that you do. Finding the right piece can transform your figure. Take a deep breath, grab your favorite teddy and head to the fitting room. Plus size lingerie can and will make you look fabulous!

Even though it can be discouraging sometimes, don’t give up when it comes to finding plus size clothing that fits you and your style. Stores are increasingly focusing on the plus size range and many now offer entire fashion lines just for this group.