DIY: FASHIONS NEXT BIG WAVE?

FAQs

GGW — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:30:00 GMT

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

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I AM A STUDENT AND WOULD LIKE TO REP YOUR LINE ON CAMPUS. HOW DO I DO THAT?
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OCCAISIONALLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Since this is a fairly new website, there aren't many FREQUENTLY asked questions. But there are others that are sometimes asked that we think you should have the answer to.

WHAT IS THE COMMISSION RATE FOR INDEPENDANT ASSOCIATE DESIGNERS?
        While we are in this Beta Stage, there are no commissions. Once we feel we have all the 'bugs' worked out we will institute the following commission schedule: All sellers, both retail and wholesale, will receive the sales price minus actual shipping costs and a commission charge of 22 percent. Of course, we will notify all sellers before we make the changeover. Additionally, since you must use our pages and 'Buy Now' buttons, we will subtract the fees PayPal charges us for the financial transaction and send you the balance.
WHY IS THE ASSOCIATE COMMISSION SO MUCH HIGHER THAN EBAY OR ETSY?
        We do more for you. We are the only site that actively physically solicits buyers from boutiques and clothing stores. That is why we sell both retail and wholesale. This helps you to build your own brand by getting your product into stores you wouldn't otherwise reach. Our selling thereby increases your sales volume.
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WHAT HAPPENS IF I WANT TO REMOVE AN ASSOCIATES ITEM BEFORE THE 90 DAYS?
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AND WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON'T PAY THE ASSOCIATES COMMISION?
        Well, there is nothing we can do to force you. But we will be sure to heavily publicize you as a dishonest deadbeat, and of course, you will no longer be alllowed to list anything or use our site.
AS AN ASSOCIATE WHEN DO I GET PAID?
        Since we offer a 21 day return / exchange policy, you will be paid on the 22nd day after the item is shipped.

DIY: FASHIONS NEXT BIG WAVE?

GGW — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 07:29:00 GMT

I've been studying the DIY fashion movement over the past several months. I've come to the conclusion that with a few guidelines, this could be the next big thing in American clothing. At the moment, clothing sales are declining in our country. Some believe this is because there are no interesting style trends. In other words, there is nothing new or different to buy. This is where alternative fashion comes in.

In D.I.Y (do it yourself) fashion, I was intrigued by the fact that people, mostly women 17 to 25, were going into business for themselves, and making money at it, even while being hamstrung by the format of EBay. While it's true many just do it for side income, and cannot yet make a living at it, I saw that with a few changes, it could be a great new business model. Since most of the indie designers are self taught, and have no real experience in businesss, I wondered what would happen if an experienced businessman and managerial consultant (like myself) were to evaluate the idea.

The result is this blog:

I began by e-mailing a number of OOAK (one of a kind) clothing artists. I asked general questions about their business. Except for one snippy bitch from NY, ("you asked way to many questions. try limiting them, you'll probably get a better response.") most were very helpful. Some assumed I wanted to start making DIY stuff and even gave advice.

Some of the basic things I discovered were:

1) Most do it as a part time job. Not always because they want it that way, but because of the sales volume.

2) MySpace seems to be the favored promotional channel by far.

3) EBay is the favored vending channel, but the more experienced ones prefer Etsy (more profit).

4) Pricing is done by various means; some very businesslike and others very hopeful. Some depend on market forces to set a price, others realize EBay does not have enough depth for that to ensure consistent profit.

5) Because a great deal of the people who do this seem to dislike commercialism, big business, and mass market, they only seem to average about $10 per hour for their work. I think they could do much better if they took a few hints from the production world. You don't have to be a sell out to be efficient.

6) The vast majority don't bother with fabric content labeling. The reasons being: fabric unknown, don't think consumers care, or too much cost and work.

7) Material is usually chosen by what is available at a low price, though most will splurge for a really cool fabric. Some also get politically correct about it, using only cotton and bad mouthing synthetics.

8) Many keep their prices low on general principle: Either through empathy for the buyer, lack of conceit, or because they feel if they wouldn't buy something ridiculously priced, why should they expect you to?

9) Most are doing it for fun as much as to make money. Many hope their hobby can someday turn into a career or store. The ones that really make money at it put a lot into it by: (A) Custom work / original pieces along with deconstructed/reconstructed. (B) Sales on more than one website along with their own domain. (C) Selling in other stores. (D) Lots of promotion: Trading banners on MySpace. Getting friends to add their banners. Flea markets, street sales, church sales, boutique shows, fashion shows...

Now... how does it become the next big wave?

The advantage of DIY is it's infinite diversity. Even if a particular style is copied, everyone has their own take on it. And because just about every style of clothing has been made over the thousands of years humans have been around, is anyone really original? One design idea can be made into 1000 different styles just by changing the combinations of fabric and trim.

Evaluating from the point of my "B.S.Business Administration; Management Major" Degree (He stated obnoxiously) and having owned a few retail stores, here are some of the things I think would be required to bring DIY out of the subculture and make it a huge fashion style. (That's not really a bad thing.)

Find a better promotional channel. MySpace is good for viral advertising and word of mouth. Unfortunately, you need a seed point. By this I mean, how do they find you initially, if you are new to the game? You basically have to befriend the friends of other DIYers. This means in many cases, you are all working off the same target market. The vending locales, (which serve as the promo locales) also have their disadvantages. EBay makes you hope your "styling soulmate" finds you in the time alotted for an auction. If they don't, you don't make much money. Etsy gives you a better chance because the time limit is not present and it's cheap to list. But Etsy is a huge craft community. Potential customers have to sort through the basket weavers and glassblowers to find you. Someone who has seen the style but does not know all the buzzwords (keywords) used will have a hard time finding you there 'cause they don't know how to class the product.

Find a better vending channel. Preferably a site that specializes in mostly DIY clothing. A site that sells both wholesale and retail. A site that enables the entire community, "novice to old pro" to make money. A site that helps you build your own brand. A site that offers all flavors of DIY; including punk, goth, lolita, harajuku, rockabilly, industrial, vintage, cyber, reconstruction, roller derby, club wear, etc.

Stop being a snob. Clothing is not always better because it's not mass produced. Straight stitch and zig zag because you don't have an overlock machine and a cover stitch machine is not preferable. And loosen up on the OOAK. There are millions of people in your potential market. If you made 200 of the same thing in a limited edition, it still works out to "one in a million". And if you made each edition run in a different fabric combination, you can easily make a one in a million piece that reaches 2000 people. There would be very little chance of any 2 being seen at the same time or even in the same area. But 2000 units means you can get a bulk price on fabric, add the federal content label, bulk cut the pattern and sew faster by doing all parts (sleeves, backs, fronts, hoods, etc.) at one time in a production run. The repetition leads to increased speed of production.

I'm not saying don't do one of a kind, I'm saying do it for a practical reason! For examples; The trial of a new style idea. Because there are only 3 yards of the fabric left in the world. Because it is hand painted or hand stenciled or otherwise hand decorated. Or, since many indie pieces combine different material for the front, back, arms; do the same style in 40 different fabric combinations. Each one is OOAK, but you were able to do it in a run of 40.

Don't worry about it becoming mainstream. In theory, it never will. There are so many different DIY styles that no mainstream store could carry them all without looking like a flea market. The only stores that can pull it off are small stores and boutiques, and most of them have a general design theme. As to the designers, if you're good you can always find new ideas. When everyone on the planet is wearing leopard or tiger or neon, pick something else. Fashion nowadays is so eclectic, there *is* no style. Most of you DIYers are pretty good in the imagination and creativity department. Plus, you will have the satisfaction of producing tons of stuff for those 2 boring, unimaginative clowns on "What Not To Wear" to complain about.

Label the fabric. Technically, you're in violation of federal law if you don't. Buying the fabric in larger lots or from vendors who mark the content should make that more feasible. You can make labels with iron on heat transfer paper (the so called "tagless"), so the content can vary with each label and you don't spend much money. This also allows you to build your brand by putting your name on each article.

Keep the low price goal. Yeah, I know, some fabrics are $20 a yard. But you can still usually find something similiar at a lower price. Perhaps buy larger lots of fabric and sell the excess to the others in the "better vending channel". If you interweave a few commercial prodution efficiencies into your process, you can double your income and still sell the stuff for the same price. At the same time consider using the more mainstream feature of free delivery.

For those of you who say "Everyone can point out problems, but where is your solution?" Well... I'm working on that. While doing the research for this, I decided the best solution was to set up a website to try to make the "better vending channel". It is still under construction. However, I'd still appreciate feedback and suggestions. Check it out at DIY-Fashions.com.

Also, since any good manager knows to listen to the people actually doing the work, if any of you independent artists disagree with what I've said, and can present a compelling argument for your side, I welcome your comments. I also welcome all other intelligent, logical comments; feel free to post.