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Fashion Crowdfunding – The Challenges

Over the last year we’ve seen hundreds of applications from eager independent fashion designers who want to take their brand to the next level, with a little help from crowdfunding. So,what is crowdfunding? Simply put, today, crowdfunding means raising money from different individuals through an online portal.

There are three types of crowdfunding: donation based crowdfunding, when the project owner gets “donations” for his or her cause; reward based crowdfunding, when the project owner provides different rewards to backers for their monetary support; and there is equity based crowdfunding, when the project owner gives away equity in return for money.

Luevo’s crowdfunding platform is product-based,  very similar to the reward based crowdfunding model. On our platform, fashion designers use their product as a reward, so those interested in supporting a  brand they can do it by pre-purchasing a product. It is the basis of pretail and the future of fashion.

With so many choices and success stories, crowdfunding is an easy way of raising money, right? Wrong. Crowdfunding like any other type of fund raising has its challenges. More so, studies show that fashion based projects have a lower than average success rate (for example, on Kickstarter – the largest crowdfunding platform the average success rate is about 40%, however fashion projects have  success rate of approximately 25%)

IS-CROWDFUNDING-RIGHT

I feel it is my duty to give you some insights into the challenges of creating a successful fashion crowdfunding campaign, and in a future article I’ll go over best practices and hacks you can use as a fashion project owner.

1. Time.

Project owners underestimate the amount of time they need to put into building a successful campaign. I sometimes get the very eager fashion designer asking me “I want to use your platform, how soon can I login and use it?” Well, like with any other platform, designers can use our system any time. However, my answer always includes a reminder that they should spend at least 2 months preparing for the campaign.

And this is the first challenge: taking time away from your day-to-day business in order to plan, create and monitor your crowdfunding campaign. And once the campaign is over, you are not done yet! Hopefully you’ve been successful and now it’s time to prepare those rewards for your backers.

2. Money.

Funny enough, you need money to make more money. You will need money for marketing, PR, and even for creating the rewards, packaging and shipping. Most often, packaging seems to be an overlooked expense that you will encounter. You will also need to set aside a budget for the campaign itself: you will need good photography (especially if  you are using your products as rewards), a video and you even might need help from a copy writer. All of these cost money.

3. Rewards

Creating the actual rewards can be a challenge, especially for fashion designers. The most successful campaigns on Kickstarter are those that have”affordable” reward levels, like gaming projects. Gaming project owners can ask for small amounts in return for early access to the game or other features. This is easily achievable for digital projects but not as much for physical product companies, like fashion brands.

So the challenge to overcome here is to find the right suppliers and manufacturers, lower your production costs, and give discounts to your initial buyers in a crowdfunding campaigns.

I know this last point will not sit well with most designers. But you have to think of a crowdfunding campaign like any other marketing campaign. The highest cost to pay is to gain a new customer, but once you do gain them, your goal is to sell them again, and again (cheaper to retain than acquire customers).

With a crowdfunding campaign, you not only gain new customers, but you gain PR, advocacy, word of mouth marketing and support and so much more. You will gain brand ambassadors that will advocate for you and support you in your venture’s future. So yes, while there are challenges, the rewards are much greater, and  a crowdfunding campaign should be seen as only a part of your ongoing branding and marketing efforts.

If you enjoyed this article, check out our crowdfunding e-book, 77 pages full of templates, workbooks and step by step instructions on how to build a successful crowdfunding campaign on any platform.

This article was written by our co-founder Ana Caracaleanu.

Finding manufacturers for your clothing line (part 2)

In the first part of this article we looked at a fashion designer’s first steps towards choosing the right manufacturer for a clothing line.  Let’s continue by diving in even deeper and pin-point what you must consider when you go through your production process.

First, consider where the manufacturer is located. Are they close to you? Perfect! Set up an appointment and meet with them! Start the quotation process and get a tour of the facilities.  Enquire about the technologies they use, the lead times and the delivery terms. The goal is to get an idea of the services they will provide you, from customer service to when and how will you receive your goods. Enter these discussions with several manufacturers, and once you get quotes, compare them.

When you are talking to overseas manufacturers, getting into contact and building a trustworthy relationship with them is of course a bit more tricky. Nowadays you have the ability to order online, send in your sketches with very precise details and get samples in return. But nothing compares to an actual visit. If you get the possibility to travel and meet your potential partners, don’t hesitate. Go. You might find better deals for when you’ll produce in bigger quantities. Be aware of: delivery terms, FOB, Ex Works, even currency exchange rates. Because the product is not the only important part of your contract. But the payment and the delivery terms of your goods are also critical to the success of your line. Let’s look at the 4 main points you have to consider when you evaluate a manufacturer: product quality, money, time, terms and conditions.

Product Quality.

Asses product quality by visiting your manufacturer. Moreover, your manufacturer might not have all of the components you will require for producing (trims, rivets, etc.). You might need to source them yourself. This will cost you more money and time.

Money.

Remember that it is not the producer who will dictate your retailing price. Your customer is. Your business plan should be ready by this stage and you should know the cost you are able to absorb for production in order to preserve your profit margins. Consider this: When do you have to pay? Do you have to place a deposit? How much of the order is the deposit?

Time.

Make sure you get confirmed lead times.You need to know when your product will be ready from the manufacturer for you to sell it to the end customer.

Terms and Conditions.

Check all the little details, like where will the merchandise be delivered? It could be delivered directly to you or to a warehouse for pick-up. When do you transfer the ownership of the merchandise? It could be outside of the producing facility or at the delivery. Find out which currency will be used for the transaction. And finally find out if you have any kind of liability insurance from the manufacturer, in case something is wrong with the quality of your products.

Once you go through these 4 points with your pre-selected manufacturer, use your negotiation skills to place your order.

This article was written by Alexandra, fashion consultant. Follow her on Twitter @Stylindublin

Learn how to crowdfund your fashion business

Crowdfunding is now a popular alternative to traditional funding, but is it right for you and your fashion business?

Luevo has teamed up with Startup Fashion and put together a detailed and resourceful guide and workbook for fashion businesses interested in crowdfunding. It took us months and we accumulated hundreds of hours in research and in writing, but here it is available now to fashion entrepreneurs around the world.

The 77 page guide includes 7 chapters from how to choose the right platform, how to prepare for a crowdfunding campaign, how to market it and what to do once the campaign is over. To make things easier, we’ve also included templates, checklists, extra resources, budget tools and sample social media messaging. Basically, everything independent and emerging fashion brands need to know to successfully launch and manage their crowdfunding campaigns, on any platform of their choice.

Check out the table of contents!

Chapters:

Introduction to Crowdfunding
Is Crowdfunding Right for You?
Choosing Your Crowdfunding Platform
Preparing for Your Crowdfunding Campaign
Marketing Your Crowdfunding Campaign Before Your Launch
Marketing Your Live Crowdfunding Campaign
What to Do After your Campaign Has Closed

Tools and Bonus info:

Pre-Launch Campaign Checklist
Social Media Resources
Social Media Sample Posts
Email Templates
Project Budget Template
Fashion Industry Interviews
8 Tips for Positioning your Brand for Funding
12 Tips for Continued Business Success

If you’ve used our crowdfunding guide let us know how it helped you and your fashion business via Twitter. If you’d like to apply as a designer on our platform, please do so here, our platform is now open for any designers located in USA and in Canada.

 

Getting to Know Jose Luis Rocha

Freedom. The freedom of knowing that age is what allowed designer Jose Luis Rocha to realize that everything is possible. It gives him a completely relaxed mood when creating the next pieces for his collection. With no board to please, guidelines, and not needing to “sell to eat” liberates him from a pressure most designers have.

“When I finished design school and came back from Europe I was very exited to create “Mexican” designs that will have something to do with culture, geography, and materials available in the country but I was crushed to see that most of the manufacturers just copy whatever is coming from Italy or Spain. They would go to the trade shows and asked us to copy styles, I hated that! Now I control my factory completely and I am finally happy to have the creative freedom to do what I want.”

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The creating process without a doubt is Rocha’s favourite part of being a designer. He enjoys that he can translate visions into products.

“It is very transcendent when an idea, a feeling, or even an aroma becomes a wallet, jacket, or shoe. I find it challenging to mix different medias, experiment with tanneries, and explore new processes always respecting the traditional designs.”

At what Jose likes to call “old age” he has other business interests. One of them allows him to have a view on interior design for the hospitality industry. This gives Jose the chance to furnish fixtures, furniture, and equipment for the highest hotel brands with properties in Mexico. He is a designer no matter what.

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Being humble and proud at the same time are a result of being the first Mexican shoe designer to get into the USA market. Everyone that has tried, purchased, or reviewed Jose’s products have had great things to say about quality, fit, and forward design.

Obstacles from perspectives, more than realities, are what Rocha has had to face. Once Jose started coming to trade shows with his brand, retailers frowned upon the “Made in Mexico” portion of the Jose Luis Rocha logo.

“There is no way I would ever do that. I am a proud Mexican and I am completely behind the quality of my designs and processes. I respect Italians and Spaniards as my equally. No more, no less.”

Jose’s has invested his family’s money into his adventure and has all their support and belongs. That scared him but he is sure he will be a success.

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The elegance of the past. Rocha firmly believes that trendiness is a phase and elegance is a virtue. He sees well-dressed men on the street wearing their own fashion, whether they are casual looks or formal. Many times, he is unable to identify the brand or quality of fabric they are wearing, but he knows they look amazing. That inspires him. The new Jose Luis Rocha collection is about to giving you the tools to get your style, not his. The fact that he is taking his family name and making something beautiful that is both accepted and cherished by the public, makes everything worth while.

To Jose, life is a chain of accomplishments and there is always more to conquer. One of the high points in Jose’s career is when bloggers and people that work for other venerable shoe brands ask for his shoes. It makes him happy and drives him to move forward.

Ticket To The Tents: Day 5 Spring 2015 NYFW Trend Report

Featuring Lela Rose, Carolina Herrera, Dennis Basso, Reem Acra, Libertine & Oudifu

The FashionMingle.net team wrapped up Day 5 late covering the last shows of the day; Libertine & Oudifu.  Oudifu is considered an emerging label to the U.S., but is very popular in China!  In addition to bringing in designers from around the world to showcase their collections at MBFW, IMG has done a major push to feature international emerging and up and coming designers.  Grant it, this may be due to the fact that heavy-hitter names, such as DVF, Michael Kors, and more, have been pulling out of MBFW over the last few seasons to showcase offsite. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Young, emerging & up and coming designers have embraced the new culture of fashion, and with these gaps in the time slot of MBFW, they now have an opportunity to bring their designs to the masses.  Designers such as Libertine, Oudifu, Vivienne Hu, Mark & Estel, Falguni & Shane Peacock are just a few brands that have now become MBFW household names.

COLOR

The real first emergence of black and white combinations showed up on Day 5 of New York Fashion Week, starting with Lela Rose’s runway for spring. Lela Rose featured bold gingham and polka dot prints in black and white.  Carolina Herrera favored the color red in her collection, infusing single, and ginormous red flowers on white fabric.  The popular all white ensembles also showed up in CH’s runway, and like Victoria Beckham the day before her, Carolina Herrera featured a dark hue of purple, which is unexpected for Spring!

Lela Rose - Spring 2015

PHOTO CREDIT: www.fashiongps.com

Carolina Herrera - Spring 2015

PHOTO CREDIT: www.fashiongps.com

FABRIC

Dennis Basso opened his collection with a dedication to the late Joan Rivers. All of us at FashionMingle.net and our media partners send our condolences to Joan’s friends and family.  In typical, Basso style, his collection featured fur! Surprisingly there wasn’t as much fur as some of his previous collections, but there was fur nonetheless.  Reem Acra has the best name in the world for a fashion designer! Her name makes me think of fabric! Reem created looks that featured tons of sparkle and shine. The audience collectively let out ooohs and aahhs as the amazing gowns just kept coming.

Dennis Basso Spring 2015 New York Fashion Week

PHOTO CREDIT: Shalanda Turner, www.live-life-in-style.com

Reem Acra Spring 2015 NYFW

PHOTO CREDIT: Shalanda Turner, www.live-life-in-style.com 

UNIQUE FIND: Johnson Harting’s Libertine

Johnson is the designer behind the label Libertine. Every season I discover new brands…well at least they are new to me.  This was my first time seeing Libertine clothes and I had no idea what was in store! As soon as the lights went down, I knew I was in for a treat.  The models came storming out one after the other, to upbeat, pop culture tunes, while wearing the wildest street wear looks imaginable. Wild but functional and fun.  There were tons of colors, fabrics, and 3D enhancements on the clothes.  To finish the show, Johnson led his models around the room in true party walk style. The audience, who simply loved the collection, cheered and clapped for the final walk.  Johnson’s clothes may not be for everybody…especially the faint at heart, but watching the show and viewing his creativity is definitely exciting!

Libertine Spring 2015 NYFW

PHOTO CREDIT: Shalanda Turner, www.live-life-in-style.com


Written by Shalanda Turner, FashionMingle.net Style Editor

Introducing Jaime Elyse of Couture Bridal

Having a successful fashion brand is in no way easy. For Jaime Elyse of Couture Bridal, goals are a large part of growing and keeping her label moving forward. So far, the goals that Jaime is most proud of include over 16 featured covers, editorial spreads with an international reach. She started her career at a young age that she doesn’t remember having any other professional interests other than being a mother.

“I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to be both.”

View More: http://ashleybee.pass.us/jaimeelyse-fall2014

It is believed that everyone has a gift. Elyse has always been able to look at a design or a piece of clothing and see the construction as a puzzle; how the pattern is cut out and the way the pieces are put together. Early on in her career, she would often go to bargain stores to purchase items she planned to tear apart, just so she could see the inner workings of construction. While doing so, Elyse learned how each textile moulded, flowed and added to the designs. This really helped her become the designer she is today.

“I chose wedding couture because I loved the fairy tale that most brides dream of. Much like a wedding, owning a successful brand doesn’t just get a happily ever after. There are many obstacles, long nights, failed attempts that involve starting over and a clear direction almost always has different roads. I work hard every day and although some days are harder than others I love the feeling of success, even if it means there are some missteps along the way.”

Elyse enjoys having a bold of fabric and watching it become a beautiful gown. The details and texture that it involves is in many ways magical.

“I enjoy working for my clients and designing for their perfect day, but when it comes to my collections, many times I just let the material speak to me and that is when I fell in love with the gowns.”

View More: http://ashleybee.pass.us/jaimeelyse-fall2014

For Elyse, and many other designers, funding has been her biggest challenge. She has built a great brand on limited resources. All profit built is put back into the company. As she prepares for her upcoming Fashion Week experience, she is proud to say that she has done her best to build a brand and product that she is proud of.

Each of Elyse’s previous collections have had many different inspirations. Most of her inspiration is taken from the brides that she works with on a daily basis. She knows what brides are looking for. This new collection is inspired by a recent trip to Lake Tahoe in Northern California.

“As I sat on the lake watching the trees and waves move with the wind, I wanted to create texture and movement within my collection. I was inspired by the strength and texture of the forest and protection they offer the creatures that live within it. I wanted to create a collection that would be empowering.”

Having clients walk into her boutique because they saw a gown and thought, “I have to have it” is the best feeling to Elyse. She enjoys being able to share her designs and talent with other people and to see the joy in their eyes when they wear a piece from her collection or a piece that she has custom designed for them. To sum it up in three little words, “It is priceless.”

View More: http://ashleybee.pass.us/jaimeelyse-fall2014

Strength. That is the only word that can be used to describe Elyse’s new collection. She loves a structured bodice with texture and definition. When Elyse was inspired for this new collection, she found materials that seemed strong and powerful on the bolt and moulded them into wedding couture to add depth, texture, and volume. Clients aren’t just looking for romance anymore, but strength and confidence in the designs.

Successfully finishing LA Style Fashion Week was the point that Elyse realized that her hard work has paid off. The experience was truly an amazing one. After her show, Elyse sat backstage, with a Pepsi in hand, and silently watched all the hustle and bustle of the other amazing designers displayed.

“The emotional feeling was one that I will never forget. Now to be invited to grace the runway during New York Fashion Week is truly a dream come true.”

Written by Tianna Alexandre, yourstyleforecast.com Editor. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.

Are you looking for a new writing opportunity? Perhaps you have style tips that you would like to share with the world? We value new fashion trends and are always looking for talented guest bloggers. If you’re a blogger or writer, this is the place for you to get noticed. Can you see yourself as a part of our blogging team? Apply here!

Ticket to the Tents: Day 4 Spring 2015 NYFW Trend Report

Featuring Fashion Shenzen, Nanette Lepore, Victoria Beckham, Czar by Cesar Galindo, Custo Barcelona, Vivienne Tam, DVF and Parkchoonmoo

Every fashion week, something is bound to go wrong! From losing equipment to someone being sick, and this fashion week is no exception! Our team is definitely being run through the ringer, working out technical difficulties with our laptops and  our website, but we won’t let that stop us! It’s all a part of the experience of covering New York Fashion Week. Even with our technical difficulties the team wrapped up Day 4 in one piece!

UNIQUE SHOWCASE

In addition to the regularly scheduled designers that show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, IMG works to bring unique shows to the venue. Fashion Shenzen is always a delight, as it features fashion designers from China.  Fashion is a universal industry, and it’s amazing to see styles and design aesthetics from around the world! The Fashion Shenzen designers featured looks made in shiny and sheer fabrics. They also favored highly embellished gowns with lots of sequins.

Fashion Shenzen Spring 2015 NYFW


Fashion Shenzen Photo 1- Spring 2015 NYFW

STYLES

Custo Barcelona and DVF took us to shorter lengths with miniskirts and above the knee dresses respectively, while Nanette Lepore and Victoria Beckham featured ankle-length styles.

PRINTS & FABRIC

Custo Barcelona featured abstract prints and perforated fabrics. Vivienne Tam incorporated palm tree prints into her collection, continuing the popular tropical prints theme we’ve been seeing over the last couple days. Cesar Galindo used metallic and sequin fabrics in his collection.

DVF Spring 2015 NYFW


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COLOR

All white ensembles are still popular going into Day 4. Nanette Lepore featured a few all white looks, but the favored color for her collection was definitely yellow! Yellow shoes, yellow-based prints, and solid yellow dresses, Nanette let us know that yellow will be trending for Spring, and she’s not the only one. Cesar Galindo also featured yellow in his collection, along with greens, pastel oranges, and metallic.  Victoria Beckham’s spring collection was heavy on the tans & neutral colors black and white. Victoria even featured an oxblood hue that is typically reserved for Fall!

Nanette Lepore - Spring 2015 NYFW (2)


Victoria Beckham Fashion GPS

HAIR

For the most part, there’s been 2 big trends for hair: Braids or slicked back and loose. I think braids will always be a popular choice for Spring & Summer!

ACCESSORIES

The bigger the better! The Czar collection featured bold, colorful necklaces that would make the wearer the center of attention in any room.


Written by Shalanda Turner, FashionMingle.net Style Editor

Ticket to the Tents: Day 3 NYFW Trend Report

Featuring Mara Hoffman, Alon Livne, Amir Taghi, Anya Caliendo, Herve Leger, Malan Breton & Venexiana

For Day 3 NYFW trend report,  the FashionMingle.net team again split up to bring you maximum coverage. Style Editor, Shalanda Turner headed to the Garment District to cover Amir Taghi’s debut New York Fashion Week show, while Heather, Jeanine & Arielle covered Alon Livne. Later in the evening, our team reconvened at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to cover Malan Breton and Venexiana.

STYLES

Apparently, crop tops are here to stay! Amir Taghi favored sexy crop tops that incorporated deep V-necks. Mara Hoffman’s collection featured wide-leg pants, in all lengths (culotte and full). Mara Hoffman is also the queen of maxi dresses and sent a plethora of vibrant maxi dresses down the runway. Alon Livne stayed true to his warrior woman style, presenting a fierce collection full of sparkles, cut-outs, and 3D-enhancements.

AMIR TAGHI Spring 2015 NYFW

PHOTO CREDIT: Shasie, www.live-life-in-style.com

Alon Livne Spring 2015 NYFW

PHOTO CREDIT: Arielle Breedyk, www.ariellebreedyk.com

FABRIC

There seems to be a lot of transportation through clothes going on this week! Malan Breton presented his “Journey to Taiwan” Spring Collection, complete with dancers and musical performers.  Malan chose to use sateen-finish fabrics for the majority of his collection.  At a minimum, Malan Breton showed 60 looks last night.  He may win the award for the most extensive runway presentation during fashion week!

MALAN BRETON Spring 2015 NYFW

PHOTO CREDIT: Shalanda Turner, www.live-life-in-style.com

PRINTS

As fashion week continues, we’re starting to see more and more prints. Herve Leger by Max Azria featured bold prints and embellished fabrics in their Spring 2015 collection. Tropical prints are pretty popular for Spring! Nicole Miller took us to Rio De Janeiro on Day 2, and Mara Hoffman took us to the beach with palm tree prints, and prints that resembled the sun rising over the ocean.

HERVE LEGER SPRING 2015 NYFW

PHOTO CREDIT: Fashiongps.com

COLOR

Lots of all white ensembles, pastels, and pops of bright color! Designers who featured tons of prints incorporated color by default, choosing vibrant and bold prints.

ALON LIVNE SPRING 2015 NYFW

PHOTO CREDIT: Arielle Breedyk, www.ariellebreedyk.com

ACCESSORIES

Mara Hoffman takes the baseball hat to a girlie level by adding a tie-back scarf for the cap closure.  Heather and Jeanine checked out Anya Caliendo’s hat show at St. Regis Hotel! Of course we have to feature some of Anya’a amazing work for Spring! Wearing one of these hats will definitely escalate your fashion status from blah to haute couture faster than a sale at Bloomingdales!

Anya Caliendo Spring 2015 NYFW

PHOTO CREDIT: Heather Petrey, www.lafashionsnob.com

Ticket To The Tents: Day 2 Spring 2015 NYFW Trend Report

(Featuring Trina Turk, Charlotte Ronson, Zimmermann, Nicole Miller, Monique Lhuillier, & Mark & Estel)

For Day 2 at New York Fashion Week, the Fashion Mingle team kicked off the day with Mark & Estel’s Spring 2015 Collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. After that the team split up. Heather, Otaymah, and Jeanine covered Saunder, and conducted an interview with David Tupaz off-site, while Michelle, Jane, & Shalanda stayed at Lincoln Center to cover the shows there and conduct an interview with Nicole Miller.

FABRIC

Sometimes less is more as displayed by Mark & Estel.  Their collection was solely made out of cotton found in your everyday denim, sweatpants and t-shirts. How do I know? Because during their final walk, Estel Day announced it to us during their closing song performance. Attending a Mark & Estel is always fun, and it was a great way to kick-off Day 2 of New York Fashion Week.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Shalanda Turner, www.live-life-in-style.com

In stark contrast to the cotton-heavy Mark & Estel Collection, Monique Lhuillier, opted for shiny, and metallic finish fabrics such as satin and silk and glittery fabrics for her plethora of gowns and dresses.  Zimmermann also favored metallic hues in suiting.

Monique Lhuillier Shalanda Turner

Photo Credit: Shalanda Turner, www.live-life-in-style.com

COLOR

As seen on the Day 1 runways, pastels were again the favored choice amongst designers for day 2.  Charlotte Ronson featured peach, pale blue, and pale green hues and Zimmerman featured pale yellows.  And while there was a pop of pastels here and there, Trina Turk stood by her claim to fame and design aesthetic of using bold and vibrant colors. It appears that even if pastels are trending, Trina will rebel and stay bold, and who can blame her? The scene during her presentation was fun and flirty and the bold hues added to the playfulness of the collection.

Zimmermann Shalanda Turner

PHOTO CREDIT: Shalanda Turner, www.live-life-in-style.com

ACCESSORIES

Trina Turk collection’s was not only playful, but it made me think of the 60s, especially with the models wearing wide scarf headbands!  The models wore bold, statement necklaces and posed with handbags of all shapes and sizes.  Popular in both the Charlotte Ronson and Trina Turk collections were these comfortable looking sandals.  Is the gladiator sandal being replaced next season as the it-shoe for Spring? We’ll find out.

Trina Turk Shalanda Turner

PHOTO CREDIT: Shalanda Turner, www.live-life-in-style.com

PRINTS

Nicole Miller’s collection stood out on Day 2 for having the most prints. Her vision of transporting her wearers to Rio De Janeiro Brazil was creatively conveyed to the audience. The models wore prints that featured birds and palm trees, while carrying luggage.  Charlotte Ronson featured a few floral prints, but overall prints were pretty minute throughout the collections with solid colors dominating day 2.

CHARLOTTE RONSON

PHOTO CREDIT: Shalanda Turner, www.live-life-in-style.com


 

Written by: Shalanda Turner, FashionMingle.net Style Editor

Ticket To The Tents: Day 1 Spring 2015 NYFW Trend Report

(Featuring Nicholas K, Richard Chai, BCBGMaxAzria, Tadashi Shoji, Marissa Webb, CuteCircuit, & Desigual)

It’s September! Which means we’ve arrived at another New York Fashion Week. If you’re like us, this makes September one of our favorite months of the year! In fact, we’d go so far as to agree with Instagrammer, Candy Price Pratt that “September is the January of Fashion!” New York Fashion Week officially kicked off yesterday with designers presenting their Spring 2015 Collections. The FashionMingle.net team was on the scene covering the first day of New York Fashion Week.  Representing FashionMingle.net this year, we have Fashion Mingle Style Editor, Shalanda Turner, Videographer, Michelle Elise Harding, Photographer Jane Kratochvil, and Contributors, Otaymah Bonds, Heather Petrey & Jeanine Valiente.

COLOR

Nicholas K kicked off Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in their usual 9am spot on day one inside the tents.  While the draping, layers and loose silhouettes are not new to Nicholas K, their introduction of a pretty, pastel teal green was a change from the browns, tans and whites.  We’re hoping this color is a fixture in all the runways for Spring.

Nicholas K - Jane Kratochvil

PHOTO CREDIT: Jane Kratochvil, www.janekratochvil.com

And continuing with pastels, it appears that pastels will continue to dominate next Spring as they did this year.  Lubov and Max presented a collection for BCBGMaxAzria that included pastel pinks & blue along with a ton of white and off-white garments.  However, some designers opted to include pops of bright colors in their collections. Richard Chai featured a bold lime-yellow color for spring, and Desigual, known for bold and colorful prints did not disappoint.

Desigual - Jane Kratochvil

PHOTO CREDIT: Jane Kratochvile, www.janekratochvil.com 

PRINTS

In contrast to Desigual’s bold use of prints in every garment, most of the runways were absent of significant amounts of prints, with the designers opting for solid colors to convey their visions. If there were prints, they were mosaic and abstract in nature, versus typical floral prints that usually dominate for Spring.

BCBGMaxAzria - Jane Kratochvil

PHOTO CREDIT: Jane Kratochvil, www.janekratochvil.com
SILHOUETTES
Long is the new black! Tadashi Shoji favored knee-length dresses and full-length gowns.  BCBGMaxAzria also went long for spring with wide-leg trousers and ankle-length skirts.   Marissa Webb featured super-chic outerwear pieces for spring from ankle-length trench coats, to peplum wind-breakers. There’s a lot of material on the runways for Spring.  Long and free flowing fabrics that offer tons of movement for the wearer.

Tadashi Shoji - Jane Kratochvil
PHOTO CREDIT: Jane Kratochvil,
www.janekratochvil.com

UNIQUE TREND
Wearable Technology is all the rage right now and CuteCircuit has taken the world by storm with their technological clothing innovations.  Their collection for Spring, featured cool, digital enhancements that were incorporated into the clothes, shiny and glittery fabrics, and even digitally enhanced bathing suites! Forget wearable tech bracelets, we want the clothes version!


Written by: Shalanda Turner, FashionMingle.net Style Editor.