Fashion Incubator » Slavery or Bravery http://www.fashion-incubator.com How to start a clothing line or run the one you have, better. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:36:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Everyone should do things my way http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/everyone-should-do-things-my-way/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/everyone-should-do-things-my-way/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:07:02 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10357 my way. It is not because I think I'm right. It is not because I think I know the best way to do things. It is not because I think I know the only way to do things. It is not because I think other people's opinions do not matter. It is not because I think others don't know anything. It is not because I think others are incompetent. People are missing the point. It is a paradox. If you can get everyone to do the same thing the same way, it creates the opportunity for creativity and problem solving. Isn't that what you want? Freedom to do it your way -which is presumably better? If everyone has been doing things in competing ways all this time and it hasn't produced consistent results for everyone, how will continuing to do that improve anything? Follow me:]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/everyone-should-do-things-my-way/feed/ 10 OT: Veteran’s Day http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/ot-veterans-day/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/ot-veterans-day/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:37:46 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=10310 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/ot-veterans-day/feed/ 7 How designing is like writing http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-designing-is-like-writing/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-designing-is-like-writing/#comments Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:51:32 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=9625 this video is the best example she's ever seen of how to pitch an agent. Or rather, you first get to see how not to pitch an agent. I can't count how many designers have pitched me exactly like the bad examples. You can't pitch a service provider, sales rep or buyer the way you would a consumer. Here are better suggestions. Switching gears, many new writers (designers) have the idea that all they have to do is come up with a great story line (sketches) and a big publisher (manufacturer) will swoop in with their cape to give them an advance (royalties) and make the book (line) a bestseller (Vogue cover). In real life, the publisher (contractor) is only responsible for printing and distributing the book (cut and sew sale ready products). The author (designer) is responsible for writing a book (designing and producing a line) that resonates with consumers and to market it effectively.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-designing-is-like-writing/feed/ 16 Why you get cheated -and a possible solution http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/why-you-get-cheated-and-a-possible-solution/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/why-you-get-cheated-and-a-possible-solution/#comments Tue, 24 May 2011 22:51:00 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=9484 The Trusted Advisor again; I love that site. It's all about building trust. A guest author there (Ian Welsh) has written two parts thus far on rational trust using themes common to game theory. Most specifically, The Prisoner's Dilemma which describes possible outcomes between two people who stand the most to gain by cooperation but often don't. In part one, Ian explains why people are only trustworthy to the extent it's good for them rather than you. I think too often people assume the transaction will be good for both parties when it's not (and why you get cheated). Ian says rational trust breaks down in five ways:
When it’s no longer the long term; When someone can cash out; When you’re not at the table, but on the table; When the social mechanisms of reputation and deterrence break down; When someone has a dominant strategy, something they can force on other people.
For our purposes, I think it is too often the case that it's not in the long term interest of the other party (say a package service provider) to cooperate (at least price-wise) the way you think it is. It is fairly easy for a provider to know this too. As in, you order a bunch of product for which you have no orders. The provider knows you're a one-time customer, you won't be here next season (if it's hard enough to succeed producing to order, it's ten times worse if you stack the deck against yourself). Since you won't be a repeat customer, there's no incentive to work with you on minimums or pricing. ]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/why-you-get-cheated-and-a-possible-solution/feed/ 3 How to motivate yourself with envy http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-to-motivate-yourself-with-envy/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-to-motivate-yourself-with-envy/#comments Tue, 10 May 2011 22:42:54 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=9382 H. said (in part):
I suppose it’s one of the disadvantages of the old fashioned “guild” system where industry knowledge is hidden amongst those who are in the business already, with very little room for newcomers to enter. Who wants to train their competition?
I've wanted to write about this for awhile too but lacked an opening. I'll open by saying I want to train my competition [Kind of. Sort of. There are ground rules based on reciprocity and context.] because consumers and industry are best served with a strong institutional knowledge base. At last glance, ours isn't in the best shape. My first point is that competitor is used too frequently and colleague isn't used nearly enough. Second, I'll explain recent research on the nature of competition that motivates you to do your best. Namely envy versus admiration. But first, a discussion of semantics. Colleague vs Competitor Experienced designers avoid using the term competitor directly; saying "who I/you hang with" instead. That's because no consumer wears one brand to the exclusion of all others anymore than people only listen to one musician, eat at one restaurant or shop at one store. I'll grant there are exceptions but few visitors are in those categories to hold sway in the market. At best one entity competes for the same slot in the market based on a number of factors (often corporate policy over which they have little control) but not stylistically. Beginning designers often describe respective market leaders as their competitors but this is rarely true. Using the term competitor is self-elevating; its use presumes you're in a position to do some damage to the other when the truth is, you aspire to be in the same league. Nothing wrong with that but watch your phrasing. You don't want to marginalize yourself. ]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-to-motivate-yourself-with-envy/feed/ 6 Consequences of the fashion school bubble http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/consequences-of-the-fashion-school-bubble/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/consequences-of-the-fashion-school-bubble/#comments Sat, 07 May 2011 00:50:16 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=9213 Oh, to Be Young and a Star, addressing the question of who deserves success. Reporter Eric Wilson mentions tension in the "generational shift taking place in fashion" writing there are "more than 350 designers showing collections during New York Fashion Week, compared with about 50 just two decades ago". He also said (paraphrased) that today's designers think they've had it harder than anyone preceding them. I can see it both ways. In many ways it's easier to become a designer today (barring the case of celebrity designers) in that a designer-entrepreneur only needs money because they can outsource the technical mastery. It's a double edged sword though; without technical mastery, they must outsource requisite skills. [I know many of you are annoyed by people who call themselves designers when they have no training or experience but I'm only bothered if they imagine skills are commodities.] I'm troubled by the consequences of the fashion school bubble -350 designers at NY Fashion Week being but one sign of it- the blame for which we mostly attribute to Project Runway. A similar thing happened with the TV show LA Law, law schools were inundated with applicants and our legal system is burgeoning with excessive lawsuits as the logical consequence of lawyers needing to make their student loan payments. Simplistically speaking, these are trend careers. In the same vein, Mr. Fashion-Incubator says many young people are studying to become forensic pathologists because of CSI and Bones. I think that is great because it makes science and math careers more popular. Anybody who can make the grades can find a fulfilling and rewarding career even if they don't become forensic pathologists. Conversely, the problem with fashion careers is that few will find jobs.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/consequences-of-the-fashion-school-bubble/feed/ 25 100 Years of Shame http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/100-years-of-shame/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/100-years-of-shame/#comments Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:53:25 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=9028 HBO is featuring a documentary in observance of the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. The first airing of the documentary is March 21, 9:00 PM ET/PT (other showtimes listed at close). You'd have to be living under a rock to not know of the tragedy. It was on March 25, 1911 that 123 Jewish and Italian immigrant women (half were teenagers) perished in the Asch building fire. The total death count was 146. It's a painful anniversary, one that by virtue of implication and inclusion, you'll bear some responsibility of its legacy because communal consciousness designates a free-for-all bashing of the apparel industry. Reducing the fire to a simplistic conflict between workers and owners over wages, profit and safety is disingenuous because most workplaces of the day were just as dangerous if not worse (and most workers were just as poorly paid). Workplace safety wasn't a priority; it took a tragedy to ensure it would become one. The fire was an accident waiting to happen and it could have been prevented if anyone had listened. Even after the tragedy, nearly all businesses protested government interference in their affairs. Regulatory oversight by government was not part of the consciousness of the era. ILGWU_TriangleShirtwaist People forget that women had been beaten and thrown in jail for protesting their working conditions for two long years before the fire. In fact, many of the women who died in the Triangle fire had been beaten and arrested by New York City policeman just two months prior. The victims had tried to make their plight known but the citizenry wasn't ready to listen until after the tragedy occurred. In those days, few citizens had the consciousness to advocate for safety, holding company owners accountable. Truthfully, too few cared; men held sway in public life and many aspired to become wealthy themselves. On the other hand, the mal-contents were immigrants -and swarthy ones at that- and they were female. Maybe it's better to read The Fire Last Time from the New Republic. It's a snapshot of social history few of us will ever know.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/100-years-of-shame/feed/ 8 What is meta-cognition? http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/what-is-meta-cognition/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/what-is-meta-cognition/#comments Fri, 04 Mar 2011 23:38:18 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=8802 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/what-is-meta-cognition/feed/ 12 The Elements Survival Coat http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/the-elements-survival-coat/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/the-elements-survival-coat/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 23:57:01 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=8572 Photo courtesy: Brittany Thomasson survival_coat2It's been bitterly cold here, 11 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit). Rolling blackouts of gas and electric service led the NM state governor to declare a state of emergency. Many of the pueblos are in dire straits. It has never been this cold here in recorded history. Which reminds me of a project I meant to tell you about; it's called The Empowerment Plan and it was started by Veronika Scott. I first heard of Veronika on Morning Edition. A junior studying at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, she's designed a self heating waterproof coat for homeless people that converts to a sleeping bag at night. Although she's garnered the support of apparel producers like Carhartt (they donated materials and machines to start) she's poor herself and could use a hand if you're inclined to help out.]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/the-elements-survival-coat/feed/ 12 Getting things done when you’re not in charge pt.4 http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/getting-things-done-when-you%e2%80%99re-not-in-charge-pt-4/ http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/getting-things-done-when-you%e2%80%99re-not-in-charge-pt-4/#comments Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:06:23 +0000 Kathleen Fasanella http://www.fashion-incubator.com/?p=8509 two and three. Other related links appear at close or within the text. Recap of key points:
  • You can't change anyone other than yourself.
  • You can't persuade anyone to change.
  • Change behaviors and attitudes will follow.
  • You must be committed; existing conditions are no longer tolerable.
  • You are willing to pay the price (sacrifice) for change
Before I go into this case history of change, it would help to know I didn't have a grand visionary plan to take the company by storm or anything crazy like that. The company I worked for was doing one specific thing very wrong. While my goal was modest, it ended up changing the entire company, its culture, dramatically improved new product launches (up 25%) reduced product development costs by half and our defect rate was so low as to be immeasurable. Suffice to say that the 4 person repairs department was reduced to only one person doing repairs one afternoon a week. If you think the resulting company consensus was that I was great, you'd be wrong. I would have been fired if I hadn't quit first. It was only a year or so later that they (and I) realized the value of all I had done and tried to get me to come back. In other words, don't be delusional and do it for the sake of being a hero because no one is going to appreciate it in the short term. Only pursue your course because it is the right thing to do, not because anyone is going to love you for it because they may resent you instead. That's life. ]]> http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/getting-things-done-when-you%e2%80%99re-not-in-charge-pt-4/feed/ 8