Should You Crowdfund Your Design?

Launching a fashion brand or having a new idea to add to your existing brand would be a lot easier if it wasn’t for that pesky thing called money. You’re ready to dip your toe into the pool of fashion, but first you’re going to need to find money from somewhere.

Unfortunately, money still doesn’t grow on trees, but thankfully there is now a way that you can ensure that your fashion venture not only has financial backing, but that money does not have to come out of your own purse, or scary loans from the bank. Welcome to crowdfunding.

What Is Crowdfunding?

Put simply, crowdfunding is a way of collecting funding for project or venture by raising many small sums of money from a large number of people. You create a webpage on a crowdfunding website – whether it is a new start up or an additional project – and people that want to support it can donate money. Sometimes (but rarely) people just donate the money with no strings attached. Sometimes those that donate gain early access to a film screening, first dibs on the collection or a reduced rate to purchase products. And then there are donations … well investments actually… in exchange for equity – a portion of your business.

To break it down, there is money for goods, including:

1. All or Nothing – the money is only collected from the contributors after an allotted amount of time and ONLY if the target has been met. If the goal is not met, no money is collected.
2. Keep it All – Whether the project goal is met or not, all of the funds collected (minus commission) are handed over to the entrepreneur. If he or she has insufficient funds to meet the objectives, then it is up to the designer to refund the investors.

And then money for business ventures, including:

1. Equity crowdfunding – Investors receive equity in the company or entrepreneur that is raising funds.
2. Debt crowdfunding – The entrepreneur or company borrows money and must repay it (typically, with interest). Essentially, a loan.

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Often, crowdfunding sites have stipulations that the project needs to have a finite end. So it’s not really about launching an entire business, but it can be used for rasing funds to create your first collection, to buy equipment or that kind of thing.

Can It Help Your Design Business?

There are some definite positives when it comes to using crowdfunding to financially support your fashion, product or design venture. In many ways, crowdfunding has totally altered the design industry, and new and vibrant brands are gaining access to funding that they would never have been able to before. This means that their amazing designs get noticed years before they would have done. Many different businesses have used crowdfunding campaigns to great success. It also automatically gives you loyal customers who feel they have a vested interest in your brand succeeding. This is basically free advertising.

However, there are some downsides to relying on crowdfunding as a source of income. Research has demonstrated that on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter (that I’ll discuss a little further on), only 29% of the ventures have actually received enough backing to consider themselves fully funded. This means that a huge 71% of ventures never received enough money to get themselves off the ground, which is a real shame.

Success Stories

Some people use crowdfunding to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds and dollars! Mizzen+Main had created a new blazer, and they needed financial backing for it – so they headed to Kickstarter. Within four hours, they had hit their funding goal of $15,000, with an average pledge of $331. Read more about their sucess in this article How to Dominate Kickstarter.

This is a definite success story, but even when your backers give a little less, they can easily mount up to some big numbers. Just look at one of our fave brands Here Today, Here Tomorrow – they sucessfully raised £6000 to fund the creation of their new collection in Nepal. Find out more here.

Which Platform Should You Use?

It’s definitely worth shopping around for the best crowdfunding site for your needs. Some specialise in fashion, some take a bigger cut that others – read into it and don’t just go with the first site you come across.  These are some of the options.

Kickstarter

We’ve mentioned this one before, and it was one of the earliest crowdfunding websites to be created. Designed only for those with creative projects, it’s great if you have a traditional campaign, but isn’t typically strong on supporting fashion brands. This is an “All or nothing” platform, where you can give away items for investment, rather than equity stake. Only available to those in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

Crowd Cube

Professional investors as well as individuals mix and merge on the website Crowd Cube, which means that you can find yourself with some pretty high stakes backers – but they may want more say in your venture than you are willing to give. Investors will be looking for equity in your company.

Indigogo

Many different independent fashion companies and brands have started on Indigogo, which is slightly less well known than Kickstarter. Like Kickstarter, you don’t have to give away equity, but you will have to give away some other products or service in return.  Anyone, U.S. resident or not, can receive funding, using PayPal as the payment option. There is also a “keep it all” funding plan called ‘Flexible Funding‘; Indiegogo charges a higher fee for that.

Before The Label

This website is great because it enables new and vibrant fashion designs to be made, but if they don’t receive all the backing they need … they never get made.

Out of X

This is one of our favourites for fashion and accessory brands. Creators offer their designs at a reduced price than they would normally retail for (approximately wholesale price) before they are made. Once enough punters have paid for the wholesale design, the designer can use the funds to create the garment and ship them out to the customers.  The customers get a great deal, and the designers have all the money they need upfront – win win. They are having a sustainable fashion month at the moment, so head over and check them out.

How Can You Run A Successful Campaign?

If you want to do all that you can to bring success to your crowdfunding project for your fashion venture, then you need to make sure you sell yourself well!

Have An Original, Well Thought Out Idea

Crowdfunding is big these days and there are thousands of other people trying to garner attention. Make your idea standout, do something different! Don’t ask for too much money either, if you don’t need it. You must account for every penny you hope to raise and what you are going to do with it, don’t get greedy! Make sure you spell out exactly why you need the money and how you are going to use it.

Sell Yourself

Most crowdfunding sites require you to create a video to advertise your idea – this seems like obvious advice, but make it good! This is your pitch to the world, work on the script, editing, it’s worthwhile taking a long time to think this part over – or you may lose potential backers. You wouldn’t go into a meeting with investors unprepared, so don’t do this without it either. Have really vibrant original copy for your idea too.

Rewards

Make the rewards worthwhile and well priced! People are more likely to give if they think they are getting an amazing exclusive deal. Offering items from your collection is great, but it’s what lots of people do. Is there something else you could offer too? Be imaginative!

Tell Your Story

One of the reasons crowdfunding has become popular is because it adds an element of human interaction to ideas and products. It is taking away the power from big banks and investors and giving it to the general public. People want to know who you are and what you are going to do with their money. Often it’s just as much about you as it is about your idea. Show you care.

Advertise and Promote

You can’t just create the campaign then sit and wait for the money to come rolling in. You need to promote it in other places too. Keep updating your crowdfunding pages with your news. Show you are heavily engaged with the product. Have a strong presence on social media and send out press releases to newspapers, magazines and blogs, if you can get someone to report on your campaign you open yourself up to many more potential investors and customers. Try to build your following and get people engaged with your ideas before you even start the funding campaign. These first investors will be one of your main sources of advertising.

Update

Don’t forget about all those people who helped you when you started out, make sure you keep engaged with your backers after the campaign is done, you owe a lot to them and you never know when they’ll come in handy again!

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Unusual Eco Design Technique: Rust Dyeing

Striving towards being an eco designer can often leave you flummoxed as to how to ethically apply a design onto your fabric. Once you start learning more about the different techniques it’s often a case of which is the ‘least bad’ rather than ‘most eco friendly’. Which is never a good decision to be making…

Dyeing creates water pollution as well as lots of waste, as does screen-printing. Digital printing needs a special coating, it can be costly and depending on the ink, can be equally bad for the environment. Some of the mordants with natural dyes are actually more harmful than chemical dyes – decided the way forward can be a real headache!

This means that eco designers have to be even more savvy and create ingenious techniques that are kind to the environment and just as importantly, beautiful and appealing to customers!

Today, we explore the age old technique of rust dyeing. Yep, that’s right – you can dye with all those rusty old nails you were about to throw out, and what’s more you get some spectacular effects. We also talk to the founder of ACFD Designs, Francessca Bea who creates beautifully delicate rust dyed scarves.

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What is Rust Dyeing?

Iron is a metal that oxidizes when it comes into contact with air and moisture. When this happens, the surface becomes red or brown due to the formation of iron oxides. Fabric placed in contact with this rusty surface quickly absorbs the colour, and develops a permanent print that is almost impossible to remove.

Who Uses It?

This natural dyeing technique has been favored by many famous designers. Hussein Chalayan, two-times winner of the British Designer of the Year Award, used rust-dyeing in his graduate collection, “The Tangent Flows” in 1993.  The garments he showcased were heavily rusted because of the extreme oxidation process of being buried for months together. This stunning collection was bought in its entirety by the luxury brand Browns. That’s some successful rust!

Regina Benson, Alice Fox, Cecilia Heffer and Rio Wrenn are other designers who use this technique. The article “Rust Dyeing: Corrosion to Creation” by Wendy Feldberg gives a detailed account of the work of these artists.

ACFD Designs

Francessca Bea is an incredible designer and has been on my radar since her time at Chelsea College of Art, when she incorporated some of our Offset Warehouse ethical fabrics within her work. Now founder of ACFD Designs, I caught up with Francessca to get her inside knowledge on what it’s like working with rust.

How did you discover rust dyeing and what made you focus on it?

I had spent a lot of time trying to determine what my inspiration was and to try and identify a colour palette that was personal to me and my designs. Initially, I did this by photography, I honed in on the unnoticed aspects of London which left me with a colour palette consisting of earthy tones and natural hues. I then wanted to mimic the colour and decided to experiment with natural dyeing.

Natural dyeing was perfect as I was able to create the muted tones found in the photography such as cream, lavender and orange. Once I had decided that I was going to use natural dyeing, I wanted to create a print that wasn’t contrived and was more organic. So I began looking at various printing methods online and came across rust dyeing that had been successfully done on paper with beautiful results and decided to give it a go. Thankfully the results turned out beautifully and I spent the next few months perfecting rust dyeing and experimenting on different fabrics.

Do you use lots of different rusty object to dye with or do you have your set few you know work now?

I tend to use anything I can get my hands on, from rusty fabrics strips to screws.  I find that different objects imprint the fabric differently, so along with the print left by the rust there are also various indents left across the fabric which only adds to the uniqueness of the print.

Your designs look really delicate, something you don’t often get with rust dyeing, was that hard to achieve?

It was quite hard to achieve actually, I spent ages experimenting with various fabrics and different dyeing methods, to find a process that worked with the silk. I wanted it to almost look like the silk had been hand painted.

Do you always tell people they are rust dyed? Is that one of your selling points?

Often I tend to focus much more on the fabric used and explain that the silk is 100% natural and how important choosing an ethical fabric was for me and then the process that goes into making one scarf. I think its important to explain the handmade element that goes into making each one and the lengthy process involved from the natural dyeing to hand rolling the hems.

It’s probably here that I will go on to explain how the print placement is achieved using rust. I think its important to get across how much time and effort goes into creating a luxury handmade product. (Fran uses Offset Warehouse Peace Silk for her scarves!)

Are there any drawbacks to the technique and how do you overcome them?

One of the limitations of using rusted metals is that by repeatedly using it as a dye method the rust can often become over-dyed. Instead of achieving the striking rust orange colour a darker grey print is achieved, however, sometimes this is preferred depending on what kind of result I am looking for.

Do you have plans to develop the technique further?

Yes definitely. I want to start experimenting with other ways to achieve the print placement, for example techniques such as shibori and maybe tie-dyeing for different results. I think I have only scratched the surface of what can be achieved by using the rust technique.

ACFD Designs is a sustainable fashion and textiles company specialising in handmade silk scarves and prints. Each lovingly made in Britain using an arduous natural rust dyeing method these luxurious pieces are impossible to create identically meaning every piece is completely unique and individual.

ACFD Designs is grounded in principals of high quality design, home grown British craftsmanship and a global responsibility from the fabric sourced to the natural dyeing process. Find Fran and her scarves on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest to follow her journey!

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Can You Start A Brand Without Going To Design School?

A degree in fashion, textile, or interior design can help your career, but is it absolutely necessary? No!

Design schools offer structured education on both the theoretical and practical aspects of designing, but none of this helps us to become a successful designer if we aren’t creative, talented or passionate about it. Of course, there are definite advantages of going to design school, but you can still become a designer without attending one. In fact, there are many successful designers, such as Alexander Wang, who haven’t attended design school.

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Why then should we attend design schools at all? To find out, let’s take a look at the various factors associated with these Universities, and decide whether formal academic training is worth it.

Why Go To Design School?

Design in any form, whether it is textile, interiors or graphics, is a creative industry. The success of your brand does not depend on whether you attended fashion school.

Let’s take a look at the various benefits of attending design school.

Pros Of Attending Design School

The Intangible Stuff

When you go to design school, you shouldn’t aim to just complete your formal training and obtain a certificate. Instead, you should learn all that you can to make yourself an all-rounded designer. This article, “ Is Design School Actually Worth It?” on Greyscalegorilla emphasises that you should prioritise more intangible things like design, typography, composition, colour theory and story telling at University, instead of hard knowledge, like software.

I have to say that I agree with this. I went to design school and learned about the software I should be using, like Photoshop and Illustrator. I then spent hours and hours mastering the programs outside of the studio.  The studio was the place for interacting with likeminded people, networking, learning theories, broadening my design knowledge and opening my mind to different ideas and ways of doing things. Consequently, at home was where I developed the software knowledge I use daily to run my ethical textile company, Offset Warehouse, but my eyes were opened to the social and environmental horrors in the design industry while I was studying. It was this realisation that led me to start my company in the first place!

Perfecting Your Design

It is not possible to make a perfect product. With every design, comes a better design idea and an improvement you could make. Design school opens your eyes to this. Your work will come under scrutiny from your peers and lecturers, and you’ll soon be pushed by those around you to create products that are bigger and better. University gives you the chance to make mistakes and learn from them. You also receive guidance on different methods, technologies and ideas to really push your work to the best it can be.

Taster

At design school, you get a real taste of what your future job could be. As you work on different projects, you learn how to handle deadlines and complete work on time, just like you would once you begin working. You’re often encouraged to work in different areas, and hone in on the areas where you excel.

Unrivalled Facilities

The equipment and facilities you have access to are often world class, so make the most of them whilst you can. It may sound geeky but going to the library and having access to so many design books, magazines and online journals was one of my favourite things about going to University. I also tried to use as many different departments as I could. I wasn’t just working in the fashion department, I was using the print room to screen print onto metal, I collaborated with textile designers, product designers and vehicle design, used 3D printing, laser cutting… you name it! It’s all incredible experience and made me a better designer all round.

Getting Deep

The theory side of design is also explored deeply. Some students find this the worst aspect of school, but others find it fascinating. Understanding the theory behind design can improve your work tremendously, and it’s unlikely to be something that you focus on going it alone.

Mentors

Another huge advantage of going to school is being mentored and tutored by professionals, often those from the industry, who can guide you on the right path. Their experience and advice will be immensely valuable, and can help you realise your strengths and also find out where you need to put in more effort. Some students even say the entire course was worth it because of one tutor. Just look at the influence of Central St Martins Fashion Design MA tutor Louise Wilson. Now sadly deceased, she launched the careers of designers like Phoebe Philo and Alexander McQueen.

Networking

Going to design school helps you build the contacts to work with. When you are on your own, it is difficult to find the right people who will help launch your brand. Finding contacts is easier when you are at school, as you have teachers and classmates who can help you get your first break. Many business partnerships are formed at art school.

Why Design School Isn’t Always Worth It

Time & Money

You will need at least three years in school to complete your degree in fashion design. If you go on to complete an MA, that can be another one to two years full time. Apart from all this time, you will also be spending a huge amount of money for the course. Not to mention the materials that you need to create your products, which are usually not covered by the course. Is it really worth it?

Design Schools Don’t Know It All

Jonathan Ive, head designer at Apple, complains that most design schools focus on teaching software, not the physical making behind the product. As a result, students lack vital knowledge to make them inherently good designers. In his words, “That’s just tragic, that you can spend four years of your life studying the design of three dimensional objects and not make one.”

You Don’t Like It

A whopping 70% of students don’t finish their design course. Some of this is to do with my first point, time and money, but a lot of it is to do with the stress of it all. Being critiqued on your work can be emotionally draining. The hours are long and deadlines are incredibly stressful. I remember nights of working until 4am, catching 3 hours to get into University for 8am… it was rough. So, if you’re not strong enough to have your designs pulled apart and you’re not prepared for a nights of sleep deprivation – design school is probably not for you.

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How To Design On Your Own

You can become a designer without attending design school, if you are talented and know how to acquire the necessary skills. To begin, you should be computer literate and study the software that will help you do the graphic design for your product. You can study almost any software with online tutorials and website articles today. Websites like Lynda allow you to do this easily. Check out the article, 5 Sites That Help You Become A Designer Without Going To Design School to find out more about the various tools and websites that will help you. Websites like Designhill even allow you to create your portfolio and showcase your design.

To gain better insight into the actual design part and to improve your skills, read plenty of books and magazines on the subject and attend workshops or courses on relevant topics. Also, polish your writing skills as a good designer needs good communication skills to sell his brand. Start putting together a portfolio of your designs and ideas. Enter design competitions to showcase your talents and get noticed. Also consider doing internships with design firms, so you can build your contacts, gain experience and get an actual feel of how the industry works.

Would I Do It Again?

Undertaking my Masters was the toughest thing I’ve ever done. But what made it tough, was the most valuable thing I took away.  I worked fourteen hour days and came up against some huge egos. I don’t think one meeting with my lecturers went well – I always left confused and flustered, and disappointed that I had more to give with what I considered a perfect design.  And while the software and design skills are certainly useful in my day to day life as a textile business owner, what I developed during my time at University was much much more valuable: Strength, determination, fight-back, reason. I learnt to present my ideas to intimidating industry leaders and bullish peers. I learnt to stand up for myself and what I believe in – I developed a voice. A dedicated work ethic is now the norm – and working twelve to eighteen hour days, even on the weekend, is something that is required when you first start a business. While most of what I learned could be read in a book, many of the skills and traits I developed at University are vital to my businesses success today – I doubt I would have even had the courage to set out on my own without it.

We can safely conclude that it is possible to start a brand without going to design school. The question is, do you have the drive and passion to do it yourself? No? Then consider going to school, getting all the help you can and giving yourself as much opportunity for success as you can.

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Success Secrets Of The Best Online Fashion Boutiques

Online shopping is fabulous. Being able to purchase some of the most incredible fashion designs in the world without leaving your home is a fantastic feature of the modern world we live in. Whatever you are looking for, the chances are that you will be able to find what you want from one of the many different online fashion retailers that we have available to us – from ASOS to Secret Sales, Not Just A Label to Polyvore. Who are the best online fashion retailers – and what makes their sites so good? What is the secret to their success?

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ASOS

This British online fashion and beauty behemoth has really cornered the market in online fashion retailing. It’s often the first (and sometimes the only) name that springs to mind when younger consumers mention online shopping.

Why have they been so successful? ASOS have been around since 2000 and they have really moved with the times. As well as seeking out a gobal markets to increase their sales, they were one of the first retailers to embrace social media. They have positioned themselves as ‘a global online community of fashion lovers.’  They further embraced technology by being one of the first fashion retailers to create an app for shopping on the go.

The sheer scale of their range, over 850 different brands, means you can find almost anything here, which is really a big part of its appeal. The products hit different price points – from high end luxury, to high street. The ASOS Marketplace has blown the door wide open for up and coming designers to get their collection off the ground, it’s also a great place to hunt out unique vintage items. They really have hit a winning formula with young and fashionable clothes seekers, offering a vast range of shopping options in one place.

Net-A-Porter

Now 15 years old, Net-A-Porter was one of the very first magazine-style online fashion retailers, launched in the midst of the dot.com boom. You could say founder Natalie Massenet had the right idea at the right time! At first, she had to beg designers to let her stock their designs. In just a few short years they were clambering over themselves to be involved.

Net-A-Porter has gone from strength to strength, growing with Mr Porter (mens fashion) and Outnet (the outlet store) being added as well. You could describe Net-A-Porter as a mixture of a luxury high end shop and Vogue – and it definitely has the best of both worlds. Customers enjoy the slick layout, being able to buy designer items at home or at their desk, taking away the pressure often felt walking into a designer store. It may still be expensive but Net-A-Porter has made designer fashion much more accesible to everyone not just the elite few.

Not Just A Label

Not Just A Label or NJAL is quite different to the other retailers on our list. NJAL is a London-based global sales platform and community space highlighting the work of independent designers. Started in 2008, they are now world leaders in this field. If you have ever wanted to contact designers directly, then this is the place for you.

Designed to be more of a virtual showroom than an online fashion retailer, here is the place where customers and independent designers can discuss what they are looking for together. They do not hold stock for the designers, but take a 30% cut from the final price, which the designers set themselves. They have been heralded for their gracious support of new designers and sustainability is at the forefront of their ethos, listing locally produced items in keeping with the slow fashion movement. As they say themeselves: “NJAL has pioneered a revolutionary approach to the fashion industry, outside of politics and the tired existing systems that are detrimental to the growth and integrity of its designers.” Many different celebrities have shown their appreciation for Not Just A Label, including Vivienne Westwood and Beyoncé.

Boohoo

Another British success story, Boohoo is all about affordable, up to date fashion for those who do not have a huge amount of money.  Their target market is 16-24 year old fashionable women. Sometimes referred to as the online Primark, the quality is sometimes called into question but the sheer speed at which they change their stock is their appeal, they are the definition of ‘fast fashion’. New designs are released each week to keep up with changing tastes. Catwalks, fashion bloggers and trend influencers are watched closely and reacted to by the team of in house designers. Whether you agree with the fast fashion business model (which I don’t) or not, their sucess is undeniable, having started in 2006, in 8 short years the company was valued at £850 million in March 2014.

Something that may surprise a lot of readers is right now over half of their stock is made in the UK. To cope with demands for quick turnover of styles they transfered much of their production, that was originally in China, to the UK.  They and companies like them, also see Missguided who have a very similar tradjectory as Boohoo, are really pushing a resurgence in the UK rag trade.

On the surface this sounds really positive for the UK economy, but we do have to be weary. Manufacturing in the UK does NOT automatically mean fair wages and no slave labour. The 2010 sweatshop scandal in Leciester is a good example of this, where workers were being paid as low as £3.50 an hour for 12 hour days.

Secret Sales

No one likes to pay full price for anything, which is what makes Secret Sales so popular as an online fashion retailer. Packed to the roof with fashion that is still hot but needs to be moved on, you are almost guaranteed a bargain when you start to browse this website. Many people find signature and staple items from Secret Sales that they would never have been able to afford elsewhere.

Polyvore

Polymer is an incredibly unique concept. Many users see Polyvore as a creative platform, rather than an online fashion retailer, but that is what they do so well: Instead of pushing products, they instead allow users to create their own mood boards with images from retailers – so if a person wants to buy the ‘look’, they know exactly where to get it. It’s shopping without realising you’re shopping – genius!

 

As you see the success and stories of these online retailers vary hugely but do all have a number of key things in common: changing with the times, embracing technology, providing what their customers demand quickly and making their products look highly desirable. Although many of the sites sell different fashion brands like ASOS, NJAL and Net-a-Porter the names have become brands in themselves. They have made themselves household names that people trust for guidance and advice, not just for shopping.

Which of these online fashion retailers have you tried – and where are you going next?

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The Secret To Designing Treasured Products

Fashion is fast and volatile. The frequency at which trends change is shocking, and to keep up with it consumers have made regular shopping a habit. Aren’t most of us guilty of throwing out clothes as soon as they look slightly worn out or are out of fashion?

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Rapid consumerism is the mantra of the day, and most businesses aim to sell cheap and trendy products that are in demand. As we switch out fashion apparel from our wardrobes, we forget that the earth is being buried under the burden of waste that it cannot tolerate for long.

To rescue our planet from this throw away trend of society, we as designers must begin to help consumers realise the importance of sustainability. With sustainable design practices, we can create products that are environmentally, socially and financially better. Once consumers recognise the superiority of such clothes, their preferences will slowly shift away from low quality, fast-fashion choices. When this happens, we can immediately see a significant reduction in the wasteful practice of buying and throwing away clothes that easily lose their charm.

There are many different sustainable design approaches, but the one that fashion designers can and should always be incorporating, is designing products to be treasured forever, by creating Emotional Durability. Let’s take a detailed look at this concept and how you can implement it yourself.

What is Emotional Durability?

Jonathan Chapman, professor of Sustainable Design at Brighton University proposed the theory of Emotionally Durable Design as a solution to the throw away trend in society. If you’re fascinated (like me) and want to know more, you can find his book Emotionally Durable Design.

Chapman’s research focuses on the need for products that are responsibly made, have high quality and are valuable. The idea is for the user or wearer to build a strong emotional connection with the product over time. As the product ages, it develops character and continues to impress. The wearer becomes emotionally attached to the item, considering it an integral part of their collection and decides to hang on to it of his own free will.

Creating an emotionally durable product is not easy. Nevertheless, it is the way to establish yourself in the design industry. To put this into perspective, let’s take a look at why emotional durability is so important to designers.

The Significance Of Emotional Durability In Fashion

Fashion consumers are brand conscious. Brand identity is crucial to the survival of a product line, and unless our designs incorporate sustainable innovations, a business will not succeed for too long.

Emotionally connecting a brand with its customers makes them want to hold on to it longer. This is what brands like Appalach and Patagonia have managed to do.  Patagonia tells its customers to buy only what they really need and also offers free repairs of its products. This service keeps it ahead of its competitors. The marketing strategy of Appalach is weaved around stories of how they create their products. This tells consumers that each product is unique and enhances its appeal. Read more about these approaches in our article On Marketing Your Eco Credentials.

Challenges In Implementing This Concept

Emotionally durable products are those that improve and develop over time. One brilliant example of this concept was created by the students at the University of Brighton, who designed trainers that fade to reveal a previously invisible pattern. This makes the product interesting and the mystery of how it evolves over time is what makes it more desirable.

Designers have to think out of the box, and link together what a customer wants now and what he would favour in ten or twenty years, and then design a suitable product. For such a design, we should recognize what factors can create a positive emotional aspect in the consumer. This requires effort and time. Market research is also necessary. Once the design is ready, innovative marketing strategies will be essential for the product to generate sales. When you tackle these challenges, your product becomes a success.

How To Find the Emotionally Durable Connection For Your Brand

Research suggests that there are certain factors that make a brand emotionally attractive, and therefore helping it to sell. Timeless designs, for example, are those that never go out of fashion. Another one is emotional branding, where the user identifies with the product story and builds loyalty towards it. Exclusive designs promote individuality and the limited availability makes it attractive. Then there are DIY designs where the user feels a sense of achievement and gratification when they are also involved in the design of the end-product.

In his research titled Emotional Durability is the New Sustainability, Claudal Arguin places the consumer at the centre of the design process. For emotional durability, the design should be unique, carry scope to educate the consumer, be creative and unique and designed to meet the user’s needs and values. When we focus on these factors, we are on the right path to developing an emotionally durable product.

On a final note, it’s important to remember that marketing sustainable products is the responsibility of every conscious designer. Emotional durability is our path towards it. Not only is it economically viable because a longer physical lifecycle translates into better brand loyalty, but it is also how we can effectively contribute to the sustainability movement.

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How To Increase Online Sales With Responsive Design

Most of us surf the internet on handheld devices. In fact, in early 2014 internet usage on mobile devices exceeded PC usage altogether! This has seen a huge change in the online business landscape, so you may be wondering, “Do I Need A Responsive Website?”

Traditional web design focused on creating websites that were compatible with desktop monitors, and these designs were not always optimised for web capable smart devices. If you imagine looking at a full sized webpage on a tiny little screen, you soon understand how impractical it is. Consequently, when users now visit a site on their phone or tablet, they may not be so satisfied with their online experience. Not having a mobile or tablet-friendly site can damage a brand’s reputation, not to mention all the sales you’re losing.

Consequently, it is now more important than ever that websites are “optimised” for mobile devices, known as Responsive Web Design. With the growth of small screen devices, responsive design is now more of a need than a trend. Every business with an online presence, will soon find it necessary to invest in Responsive Web Design.

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What Is Responsive Design All About?

Responsive design is a web design technique that responds to the user’s behaviour and environment. The website adapts to the screen size, platform and orientation that the user is viewing it on – it’s all very clever. Whether your user visits your website on a small, medium or large screen, responsive design makes sure that the viewer will have an equally pleasant viewing experience in all cases – and most importantly, that they can use the website at all!

Let’s look at an example by visiting our Offset Warehouse website. Open the link and take a look at the site. Now, re-size your browser window. What do you see? The screen elements re-size themselves, so you can still access all the information. Next, try opening the same website on a mobile device, which has a different screen size. Notice how it is the same site that you see in this case too. So, we can safely conclude that we will see the same elements irrespective of the screen on which we view it. This is what responsive websites achieve.

Does Your Business Need It?

Why bother? That’s a good question. To answer it, let’s think about what happens if you stick to the traditional website model and have a website that is only meant for desktop or laptop users only. When your customer opens your website on their smart device, the webpage cannot be contained within a single screen. As a result, some elements of the page are out of view and the customer will have to scroll both horizontally and vertically to access all the information. Images and text will usually be far too small to see as well.

On the other hand, if your website uses responsive design, it will automatically resize and rejig all the elements to fit the available space. This means that the user can easily navigate by simply scrolling, and find the information on a tablet or smart phone, just as he would on a computer.

If you own a website, take a look at your traffic data. You will soon be surprised to realise just how many people access it using a mobile device. Work out the exact number of visitors this effects. Now, you tell me if you think it’s necessary to tailor your website to cater to them?

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How Does It Work?

With hundreds of different screens available today, and more entering the market every day, it is impossible to target each device individually. Instead, you need a fluid design that will adapt to any layout. Website designers use three factors to do this: Fluid grids, Fluid images and Media queries.

Fluid grids are based on a maximum layout size and the concept is to divide a website into columns for ease of handling. With fluid grids, the page elements are sized using relative units like percentages, instead of fixed units like pixels. When the screen size changes, the elements assume proportional values based on what we have defined for them. Therefore, the website is replicated in any size. Similarly, our second factor, fluid images ensure that no image in the website is stretched or distorted, and confines them to the fluid grid by displaying them in relative units.

The third factor, media queries, determines whether the device requires a responsive rearrangement. It does this by detecting the screen width and adapting to it accordingly. For more technical details on these three factors and how to engage them appropriately, I suggest you read The 2014 Guide to Responsive Web Design on Treehouse blog.

Where To Start & How To Incorporate It Into Your Existing Website?

Although it may look complicated, responsive design is not difficult to understand and implement. Start small, by optimising for mobiles first. You can create your own fluid grids, but it is easier to work with an existing CSS Grid Framework as your base. Webflow and ThemeForest are site builders that allow you to do so, without having to write your own code.  You will have to continuously optimise your design to ensure your users have the best browsing experience, but it isn’t difficult when you work with an existing CSS framework.

In the fashion and other design industries, creating a responsive website is a challenge we have to accept. Many customers use mobiles or tablets to shop quickly and easily, and so we must address this factor if we are to stay ahead of the competition. Fortunately there is plenty of information on this subject for you to explore and make an informed descision.

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Take Responsibility For Your Products’ End of Life!

What do you do with your clothes once you’re done using them? Do you stuff them into the depths of your closet, throw them in the trash or give them a second life? Most people would say yes to either of the first two options, and they may not even consider the last one.

This common practice of sending used clothes to landfill isn’t good for two main reasons. Firstly, textiles are solid waste that take time and environmental resources to break down or degrade. Secondly, more than 80% of textile waste can be reclaimed and given a new life, thus considerably reducing the environmental impact.

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As designers, we can do our part to ensure that unwanted products, particularly garments, are reused. When we design with an idea of what our customers can do with their purchase when they no longer want it, it is easier to give our products an after-life.

Textile Recycling: What Does It Really Mean?

There are two wise things that can be done with used garments:

1. Reuse
2. Recycle

A textile product that you no longer want may still be usable. In such a case, you can sell it, hand it down or give it away as second-hand. Many organisations like Oxfam or Goodwill accept such donations and give your clothes and nicknacks a new home. You can also repurpose items to create new and unique pieces. Converting your favourite pair of jeans into a shoulder bag is a creative example of this concept. This is sometimes called “Upcycling”.

The other option is Recycling. Turn your used goods into something that has a new use. Depending on the condition of the product, it could be converted into rags or cleaning cloths. Those that are entirely worn out can be used as insulation or broken down into threads and used to create new fabric.

Who Will Do It And How?

If you can sew, it is easy to convert clothing that is no longer wearable into wipes, cloth bags or quilts. This may not, however, be possible with clothes that are beyond worn out or when customers just aren’t sewers or makers. In this case, you should encourage your customers to dispose of them without sending them to landfill.

Ask Them!

One method would be to simply ask your customer to deliver their unwanted goods to council recycling centres that accept used clothing and distribute them to those who need it.  Why not include a useful “end of life” bag with an address?

When giving items to charity, there have been many damning reports into the oversaturation of second hand western clothes into markets of Sub-Saharan Africa. Western clothes have obliterated cultural traditions in many places, when consumers think they are giving clothes away to be reused here, they don’t realise that actually many of these clothes are bundled and sold overseas. This has had a postive and negative effect on these places, it’s not as clear cut as just giving your item to charity and forgetting about it.

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Take-Back Schemes

Many garment manufacturers like H&M allow you to drop off used clothes in any condition, and they recycle them. Why not take a leaf out of their book and offer the same? I suggest that you take a look at this article on their Garment Collecting Program, to find out all about it.

Taking clothes back is a step in the right direction, but the tricky part is encouraging customers to give up their used clothes instead of sending them to landfill in the first place. There are some brands that have come up with solutions. Let us find out what they are.

Ideas For Second Use

Simply asking a customer to send back their used clothes is not always going to work. A customer may be reluctant to go through all this trouble, unless he considers it necessary. In many cases, customers may be bored of their clothes even before it wears out, and may find that throwing it in the bin is easier than carrying it down to a collection centre.

So, what we need is develop a strategy to entice even those customers who aren’t environment-conscious to recycle their used clothes. Riz Board Shorts manages to do this by offering a 25% discount on new shorts to customers who send their used shorts back in after they are worn out. This also encourages brand loyalty.

Organisations like Marks & Spencer and their “Shwopping Scheme” and H&M (mentioned above) also promote zero waste programs by offering discount vouchers for clothes that are brought to their collection centres.

You may begin to question the ethics of this: By offering monetary rewards are we just encouraging customers to buy more? We are lulled into a false sense that we are doing the right thing. As ethical fashion activist Timo Rissanen suggests, is it simply ignoring the core ethical issue of over-consumption?

Progress

One of the areas where end of life processsing and reusing is making giant leaps is with corporatewear. When uniforms become obsolete, brands and companies are reluctant to sell off their uniforms for reuse as this may tarnish the brand. In the past this was a huge issue and often uniforms would go straight to landfill. Happily, many companies like The Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse are developing technology and ideas on how to recycle these uniforms effectively; whether that is by strategically placing the logo somewhere it can be easily removed, so that the rest of the garment can be used again, or by using fibres that can be completely reformed and recycled.

Unlike fashion brands who rely on their customers actively engaging and returning their used clothing, corporatewear stays in the control of the company, who can return every item back to the manufactuer. The question is, can fashion brands follow this lead?

What Can Designers Do To Encourage Responsible Recycling

You may be surprised to learn that not all consumers are aware of the fact that clothing and textiles are almost always 100% recyclable. As those who belong to the fashion industry, we can take initiatives to educate our customers of this fact through our website, blogs and advertisements. Encourage your customers to donate their used clothes to charity or sell them off at garage sales or online, and reduce their environmental footprint. The article “What to do with Clothing and Textiles” on Recycle Now provides more information on this topic.

We can assume greater responsibility in educating our customers about the efficiency of textile recycling and the massive demand for used clothing and reprocessed fibres. Also, as environmentally responsible citizens, we should focus on designs that are easy to recycle. We can begin by using only pure and sustainable fibres in our designs.

Ultimately, the customer decides what they should do, but they should know that the option of throwing their clothes in the bin and sending it to landfill isn’t the only one. The least we can do is to convince them of the importance of recycling, and make them aware of the environmental impact of their choice and the best we can do is offer recycling and re-use solutions.

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The Most Common Mistakes First Time Entrepreneurs Make

As an entrepreneur myself, I know all too well the common pitfalls that us business owners fall into – even if you’re not a first time entrepreneur. As I’m asked this question a lot from fashion and interior designers branching out on their own, I thought it might make a great post! So, here’s a little article to highlight the mistakes that entrepreneurs make, so you can avoid them.

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Listen

Yes, you have a passion for something – a fashion line, a product, a new way of thinking, something that no one has done before. But that doesn’t mean that you know everything. I’m a huge believer in “knowledge is power”, and I also believe that you can always learn. Accepting that you still have a lot to learn as an entrepreneur is a liberating step. Learn to open your ears. Do your research. Be grateful for advice you receive. You may not take it, but at least you’re aware of it – and that’s a powerful thing.

This same principle applies for market research.  Who will buy from you?  Just because you would, doesn’t mean anyone else would. Ask your target market their thoughts – and don’t hear what you want to hear. Really listen.

Accept Help

Whether someone has offered help or you are too proud to ask for it, refusing to get help is one of the biggest mistakes that you can make when you are a first-time entrepreneur. Not only will you miss out on support, but you may even lose potentially valuable networking connections.

I remember when I first started, I was so frightened that asking my friends and family to help would irritate them, that I didn’t even ask them to like Offset Warehouse’s Facebook page!  Looking back, the number of friends with contacts in the exact market that I was attracting, I wish I’d thrown a huge Offset Warehouse bring-your-friends launch party!

Expect And Inspect

A wise person once said, “You should never just expect, but always inspect”. That means that you can’t just assume that things are always going to go your way – you need to be inspecting every step to ensure that things happen the way you want them to.  I always find that as soon as you don’t explicitly say what you expect, it will inevitably be done in the wrong way, and let you and your brand down.

Maintain Branding

Your unique branding is crucial to your success, and if you aren’t putting in the effort to ensure that your brand is clear and reaching your targeted customers, then there is little point in continuing on and making the fabulous designs.

Save, save, save!

Money makes the world go round, so if you run out of it, then you are going to struggle to continue to make your business a success. First-time entrepreneurs should be careful about how you spend your money – particularly at the beginning. Make sure that you are spending it on essentials, not just things that you want.

Here are some good tips for cutting those costs:

1. Don’t employ staff right off the bat. It will be tough, as you soon discover that you need to be your own customer support, salesperson and accountant, but you just might have to do everything yourself for a little bit until you have the funds to secure another person’s livelihood. You don’t want it to be your fault if they are out of pocket, or suddenly having to terminate their contract.

2. What about working from home until you are off the ground? They say the best ideas start at the kitchen table! Particularly in this day and age, rent for offices or studio spaces are so high, if you can avoid that outgoing cost you’ll save a huge sum of money for other things. Or if that’s not an option look into hot desking or something similar where you pay per hour you use a desk, or only use a space for meetings.

Investors vs. Customers

What comes first, the investor or the customer? Some entrepreneurs think that the investor comes first. Yes, investment could give you a huge push in the right direction, but it’s your customers that will be the ultimate deciders of your success. Customers should always be your number one priority. If you have no customers, you have no need for investors. So before you get wrapped up in investor paperwork and start pushing your customer to the side – set aside time to speak to your customers every day.

Also, often investors want to see track record before risking any of their hard earned cash on you. And whats the best way to prove you’re a sure thing? Getting that list of customers together!

Keep To The Plan

Remember the plan! Every first-time entrepreneur starts off with a business plan, but it is all too easy to ignore it and wander off the path because it feels like a good idea: and it never is. Make sure that your business plan is a good one, and you’ll never need to leave it for very long. I find that revisiting your plan every year is a great way to see that you’re achieving your goals. We often get wrapped up in the minutiae of day to day business – don’t forget the big picture. Have a couple of big goals set out for your business that you’re looking to hit this year.

Too Much Too Soon

When you start a business, sometimes you have more than one idea. Or you might panic and think “I need to add more revenue streams, or I won’t make enough money”. Don’t. Don’t throw all your eggs into the basket at once. It will be too much to handle and you’ll soon find it difficult to make just one of them flourish, let alone all of the others. Business is about growth, so keep your ideas focussed. Of course, have all of these great ideas in your business plan, but remember you’re in this for the long haul. Introduce new ideas once the first ones are well established. You can always grow and improve – you don’t want to have to scale back.

Turn Criticism To Your Advantage

It can be very difficult to take criticism constructively – we’re human!  It may be that someone doesn’t want to invest in your idea, or doesn’t like your product, or has a list of ways to improve. Try not to retaliate negatively. Remember that one person’s opinion doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth carrying on with. It certainly doesn’t mean they don’t like you personally. Say thank you and keep their details – you never know when they might come in handy (or when you can get in touch to prove them wrong!)

Whatever you feel, use their words positively. You might decide that, after an initial shock, they have a point! If it’s purely negative and you don’t agree with the opinion, then use it to fuel your passion: keep working and come back even stronger. Develop a thick skin and remember starting a business isn’t a popularity contest.

Never Evaluating

This in my opinion is the number one biggest mistakes that a first-time entrepreneur can make. Evaluating may seem a little bit boring, but it is the best way to see how well you are doing, what you could be doing differently, and how you can continue to drive your success forward. Without evaluating, how will you know if you are successful?

As you can see, all of these mistakes are very easy to slip into, and you may have just realised that one or two of them feel a little familiar. Remember, it is simple to change that, as long as you are continuing to evaluate your progress throughout your venture. Think I’ve missed anything? Let me know what you think is the biggest mistake in the comments below!

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