What are you planning on designing for the Spring and Summer or even Fall? Have you even starting thinking about your fall line? Do you adjust your designs for the season’s fashions or do you have a style and stick to that style no matter what? Are you designing to appeal to the fashion maven? If you’ve done your Position Statement you know who your target market is and you’ve envisioned your customer. You know what she wears and whether she follows the fashion trends. Everyone is influenced to some extent. How much do you allow it to influence your designs.
photo from www.dujourmag.com
This season florals are big, there are juicy colors of the tropics, graphically designed fabric, Boho with an edge, military jackets, “boyfriend” pants, baggy pants, bondage shoes and big statement jewelry. Sounds like fun! Mix it up and get eclectic.
Are you ready to go big? All the trends for spring and fall are big bold jewelry. Pearls will be hot for fall. They were shown big and strung on all sorts of things including ribbon, sewn into fabrics and more. I’ve always incorporated pearls. For me they are never out of style, but I’m glad to see they’ll be prominent this fall.
Good thing BronzClay and CopprClay (avail in 2-3 weeks) are available to expand our metal materials. This will allow us to work big and yet affordably. Dark metals are all the rage (think Black Max and LOS patina) and colored metals (titanium, tantalum, gold, and niobium) are becoming more commercially mainstream. Here’s a link to Modern Jeweler, a commercial jewelry trends site which features pictures of beautiful colored metal. Check out that amazing bracelet cuff on the front page!
At times when the economy is receding, fashion, like a good marketing coach is telling us to expand. Go big or go home. This isn’t the time to shrink to pull back. It’s the right time to start that business, expand the business, a time to grow. How have you taken this time to begin the cycle of growth? All bubbles pop, all things die. It’s what you do out of the gate that matters. It’s truly a time of metamorphosis.
I’m looking forward to seeing your fall collection. Start gathering ideas, sketches, materials so that by June you’ve begun to make your pieces. Bead and Button Show is a great time to gather those materials and see what’s new. Don’t forget to stop by Whole Lotta Whimsy‘s booths (733, 735, and 737). We’ve got a great give-away planned that will knock your socks off!
A shout out to my very good friend, Lora Hart who celebrates her anniversary on Such and Such, her fantastic blog. I highly recommend subscribing to it. Congrats Lora! I hear she is going to have a give-away to commemorate the date. Run to her site now and check it out….although, I hope I win 🙂
Oy vey! Now I not only have to think of designs, but I have to have a collection! And if I need a Fall one I suppose you want me to do a Spring one too??? It’s all too much for my tiny brain to conceive. But I’m glad to hear that black jewelry is in. I love the Black Max look and use it in almost everything I do.
How proud of you am I! And you know why. 😉
p.s. Thanks for the shout out!