CHEERS TO THE WEEKEND..... AND THE SLAYERS!!!!

Some friends have just got it together. 

Share with that friend of yours, that goes to the movie with you dressed like this?

#Cheers#Fun #Flirty #SlayQueenAlert #PepperThemGang!!!

ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE PLUNGE?

READY TO TAKE THE PLUNGE?

Setting up a business takes guts, patience and financial acumen of some sort. Setting up a fashion business goes a notch higher on the voltage meter because it is a highly-saturated market.

Fashion designing is an art that applies design or aesthetics to clothes or accessories. It is usually influenced by social or cultural attitudes and varies as trends over time. 

 Everyone with the ability to describe a style or roughly sketch hourglass designs believe they are the next Vera Wang. Which is okay after all the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Nevertheless, fashion on that scale is real serious business and complex even in its self. Most fashions businesses must hit the ground running, so your ability to continuously manage all the spontaneity that comes-with-it it, is a sure plus.

For some, this is an extremely exciting and challenging situation to be in. For others, it is not what they bargained for.

All of this is to say that one of the key drivers of success will be your entrepreneurial skills and your commitment to running a business. As a fashionprenuer you are both CEO and designer rolled in one, but most of all you are CEO first.

You will manage people, processes and finances. This is a great deal of responsibility and you would be required to make important business decisions each and every day. The buck will stop at your CEO desk and the business should always be at the forefront of your mind, not just an afterthought.

As an aspiring fashionprenuer, just like any business, you must have the following and much more. 

·         Your Business Name,

·         Your Business Plan,

·         Your Capital,

·         Your Ready clientele

These we will address in other articles. Right now, let’s do a reality check…

1.        How creative am I?

Your creativity needs to be Universal: - Art is just awesome, right? It is personal expression, so it takes an abstract mind to get it right all the time and yes as an artist you will get it right most times because it will be personal. But there is a difference between the creativity of art for art, and creativity in fashion as a business.

The business of fashion is much more than a personal expression, because it requires creativity that transcends our local environment to other climes. I bet Coco Channel would not have anticipated how many Africans will one day wear her designs (and I am not talking of those who got on the boat) I mean those right here in Africa.

Your creativity must go beyond being personal, even if you have a style, it must cater to a diverse range of clients or customers.

2.       What skills do I have?

Get Formal Skills: - That video on YouTube might be powerful enough to tickle your fancy but might not get your name in flashing lights or on the center Pages of LAMODE. The truth is that most YouTube videos give you the barest minimum. Certifications or an actual apprenticeship will do a whole lot more than that video on how to ‘sew in seams’ or sew that really intricate patterned skirt for a thousand customers. It can be cute when you are sewing for your 3-year-old daughter, but a whole big deal when the whole Aso-Ebi gang for #gbemicole17 hangs in the balance and depends on that skill.

Knowing where your skills lie, also allows you to complete an honest assessment of what skill gaps you require in scaling up to enable you source appropriately, to let you focus on your creative streak.

 Your training is one thing, but when It comes to taking it your passion in fashion commercial, you must determine what organized creative process works for you. Having a clear business process is paramount to making it big fast. If you don’t have this in place now, perhaps you may want to spend some time learning from someone else first.

3.       Am I really entrepreneur material?

Take the Plunge for the right reasons: - You can have some mad talent, you cannot wait to show the world and you might have it to skill level, but don’t go into fashion just for the thrill of being a society butterfly, or being around hot, skinny models, the truth is all those reasons are great and a goal to look forward too but shouldn’t be the end game.

The reality of it all is, it is not as glamorous as it is meted out to be. Behind the scenes, you will likely spend more time selecting fabrics, marketing  new clients and convincing them to try out your designs ( this will involve a lot of logistics),  while the rest of the time, you will be managing  your employees hoping they don’t disappoint, dealing with suppliers and vendors, who want their money (now!), begging fashion magazines like LA MODE  to showcase your designs, managing receipts, production and delivery of client’s orders and trying to eat and bathe in between. On top of all that, you will worry about making enough profit to ensure you stay in business and not pursuing a recreational sport.

Your business will become your baby and like all babies, you must feed, bathe and clean its poop to ensure it survives. (Did I just use that analogy? Opps pardon my manners)

4.     Do I have the X factor?

Standing Out with your Unique Streak: - Don’t go cloning every Tamaris, Kuddus, and Deola. As a creative expert, looking to bank on your creativity, it doesn’t make much sense if what you are offering can be obtained from the tailor around the block.

What is your Business Concept? What will make your business standout? What is your target market? Your clientele must go beyond your friends, siblings or that very rich Aunt that always bought all your Girls Guide cookies or your school fun day bazaar tickets. This client base is inadequate.

 With your Business concept, you need to decide if you would be going Haute Couture (Custom made), Pret – A – Porter (High end ready to wear) or Mass Produced Designs.

You get to think deeply about your clientele and ask the questions: -

What are their preferences in fashion their body type? Are they just everyday kind of customers or the event junkie? Where do they spend their time and for what events will they need your services for? What makes them spend?

Get ready to enter their psychology, emotional needs and relationship with clothes. Visualize all the aspects of their lives and assess how your business can blend into making them even better.

 Well, not all fashion businesses have to operate at such a glamorous scale although every designer wants to get there.  Just bear in mind, your business concept needs to offer a clear proposition of value to your customer, and that value could be world-class designs at more reasonable prices.

 Many designers have successfully done this catering to customers in different strata of society. E.g. Guess, Coach etc. 

So, If you read all these and thought to yourself ...” That don’ scare me”, then you are surely ready for business…. Can wait for our next chat.



If this blog were print, it would definitely stay on your coffee table. Cyn-O-Sure 2014 gives relaxed views on the Business of Fashion. Cynthia Yinkere, the writer, is a fashion lover and designer. She has a fashion label called Cynosure2014 (No Coincidence right?).

Cynthia also runs a client services consultancy, C.E.M PRO SERVICES, which she believes will assist largely, in bringing a change of attitude to the service industry in Nigeria,  Inclusive of the Fashion. Industry