Are you a Fashion Manufacturer?

What is your current biggest concern or problem?

IS THIS THE PROBLEM: You need to take some action around the Future of your Business, create a strategy during this time of massive disruption and acquire more Clients.

You need to do something, but you don’t know what to do or how to do it. “I want to do something, but I don’t know the best way to do it”. You feel frustrated, confused and overwhelmed.

And what are the Circumstances?

A. You have a lot to do, which is another issue. You need to do it but don’t have the budget or time.

B. If someone saw you, you would be looking confused and unclear. You will be researching, and asking others.

C. You may be saying: “What should I do, how do I solve this?”. “Maybe I am not cut out for this”.

D. Why have you not solved this already? You don’t know how and don’t know who can help.

What is the TRANSFORMATION you want?

⁃ CLIENT ACQUISITION - A roadmap specific to your business.

• You feel relieved, informed, inspired and authoritative.

• You become a leader in the industry.

• You will be smiling and sharing.

• This affects your business and the way you are seen by others. As a leader; you will take leadership into other areas of your life; your family and friends.

If the above is you, then engage in our Manufacturer of the Future programme now!

Here are the CONTENTS OF THE PROGRAM:

⁃ Mapping: Current/Future

⁃ Visioning Tool

⁃ Branding and External Communication

⁃ Product and Niche Strategy

⁃ Leadership

⁃ New Client Acquisition

WE STAND FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY & CREATING FUTURE LEADERS.

The RESULTS you and your company will obtain:

You have A STRATEGY AND ROADMAP. You know what to do, and you are clear on the path ahead.

You are getting more attention and customers, articles and industry attention.

You feel inspired, and you inspire others. You are gaining attention and notoriety.

Others come to you. You receive attention and credibility. It feels amazing.

We would see amazing products and activities around your business.

You are so happy and fulfilled.

The consequence of not doing this: You will go out of business and become irrelevant, left behind.

Thanks

Kate

Founder at Fashionable Futures

No Business As Usual!

For the past few years, there has been a lot of talk of disruption in the fashion industry, and the topics which were associated with this were generally very closely linked. Such as the movement from ‘Bricks and Mortar’ to ‘Online Sales’, the domination of Amazon, the ‘Retail Apocalypse’, and the ‘Millennial Consumer’ being not as interested in Fashion as the previous generations. A lot of these subjects kind of made sense as to why the industry was so impacted and Fashion Retail so disrupted. The ‘Trade War’ followed due to the aggressive action of Donald Trump to bring jobs back to the US and rebalance the ‘Trade Deficit’. The ‘Brexit’ issue which seemed to suspend the UK and therefore, impact the buying patterns of the British consumer due to their sense of uncertainty and lack of clarity.

All of these seem quite logical, understandable and related. However, we’ve started to see other things emerge, which are really unexpected and hugely impactful. Writing this in Hong Kong, we’ve had eight months of pro-democracy protests, which has seen the numbers of Mainland Chinese tourists and, in fact, many other tourists, plummet and keep many locals at home and not in the mood to shop. We have seen many events cancelled or postponed, including the major Art Fairs and many Industry trade shows.

At the beginning of 2020, we saw the Covid-19 virus, or Coronavirus as it was then known, start to become a news item and over the past two to three weeks, there has been an escalation in concern regarding this. The question is, what does this have to do with the fashion industry? It impacts the industry on so many levels. The majority of China has been shut down, and Hubei province is a big part of the industry. The country was shut down during Chinese New Year, which extended the holiday and completely disrupted deliveries and manufacturing. However, the country is extremely efficient and will get back to normal as soon as it is able. The fear has certainly turned everybody‘s hunger for Fashion elsewhere. When lives are being impacted, this is where the importance lies. It has made us realise what is important in life.

How do we ensure something valuable comes out of this? Here are a few areas where we can really make an impact on ourselves and others:

1). Consider how others are impacted during these times. To have generosity and compassion, reach out to people in other countries. Offer your time to listen to them; you don’t know what they are dealing with.

2). If you are not able to move around as freely as usual, use the time to catch up on your sleep, and overall, encourage your well-being.

3). Look for new things to do, maybe take up a new hobby.

4). Meditation is a great way to centre yourself and really adds deeper dimensions to one’s life.

5). Spend time in nature, go hiking, running or even just a walk. It makes a difference. The most important measures to take during these times are to take care of ourselves and take care of others.

Be generous, caring and kind.

Thanks

Kate

Founder at Fashionable Futures

Fashion Brands and the Digital Age

For Fashion brands and business, the coming of the digital age has allowed for immense speed to market. You can now create a prototype and sell it before you make it. You can get feedback and engage with your target market; you can get analysis and information from data at the speed of light, which all adds up to more competition in the marketplace. It has never been easier to create a brand than it is NOW.

Thus, it is essential to make your mark on the digital world. Best of all, creating a profile on any given social media is immediate, free marketing. Below we share with you five ways to leverage the digital world and build your brand.

1). Build a community of followers and engage with them. Having an engaged community and being in constant communication with it is key to having a thriving business. Create content that adds value to their lives and builds the brand and consumer trust. This moves nicely into the next point of how to stay on top of creating fantastic content.

2). Create an Editorial Calendar. Although this seems like a basic task, often, being business owners, it’s easy to get wrapped up in a to-do list of, which this gets tagged onto the end. It is crucial to set out a content calendar similar to how you would if you were running a magazine.

3). Analysing the Analytics. Know your metrics; be sure to check what content is working and what is not. In the complicated world of data, pick a few important metrics for your brand and check on them regularly. Learn, edit, engage and repeat.

4). Lead Generation. Find ways to grow your fan base by giving them value through email sequencing. There is a range of software options that can help you create this; learn and build a campaign relevant to your brand.

5). Create loyalty stickiness programmes. Create focus groups, give them rewards, ask questions about what is working and what is not. Keep them coming back for more.

Finally, think out of the box!

Thanks

Kate

Founder at Fashionable Futures

“This Too Shall Pass” – A Lesson in Impermanence

During challenging times, we feel it will go on forever. We can feel overwhelmed and helpless. At these times, it is essential to remember that 'life is a journey'.

This is a valley (of death) we are travelling through.  

A beautiful way to explain this is through a Parable from King Solomon:

There was a king, and he once said to the court sages, “I have a ring with one of the finest diamonds in the world, and I want to hide a message under the stone that can be useful in a situation of extreme despair. I will give this ring to my heirs, and I want it to serve them faithfully. Think of what kind of message will be there. It must be very short to fit in the ring”. The sages knew how to write treatises but did not express themselves in short sentences. They thought and thought but did not come up with anything.   

The king complained about the failure of his venture to the faithful old servant who had raised him from infancy and was a part of the family. And the old man said to him, “I’m not a sage, I’m not educated, but I know such a message. For the many years I spent in the palace, I met a lot of people. And once I served a visiting mystic whom your father invited, and he gave me this message. I ask that you don’t read it now. Save it under the stone and open it only when there’s no way out at all".

The king listened to the old servant. After some time, his enemies attacked the country, and the king lost the war. He fled on his horse, and his enemies pursued him. He was alone; his enemies were many. He rode to the end of the road. There was a huge deep cliff before him; if he fell there, it would be the end. He could not go back as the enemies were approaching; he could already hear the clatter of their horses' hooves. He had no way out. He was in complete despair, and then he remembered the ring. He opened it and found this inscription: “This too shall pass”.

After reading the message, he felt that everything went quiet. The pursuers got lost and went in the wrong direction. The king was filled with gratitude to the servant and the unknown mystic. The words were powerful. He closed the ring and set back out on the road, where he gathered his army and returned to his kingdom. On the day he returned to the palace, they arranged a magnificent feast for the whole world - the people loved their king. The king was happy and proud. The old servant came up to him and said softly, “Even in this moment, look at the message again”.

The king said, “Now I am a winner; people are celebrating my return; I'm not in despair, not in a hopeless situation”.

“Listen to this old servant”, the servant answered. “The message works not only in moments when everything is bad but also in moments of victory.”

The king opened the ring and read, "This too shall pass".

And again, he felt a silence fall over him, although he was in the midst of a noisy dancing crowd. His pride dissolved, and he understood the message.

The old man said to the king, “Do you remember everything that happened to you? Nothing and no feeling is permanent. As night changes day, so moments of joy and despair replace each other. Accept them as the nature of things, as part of life".

Remember your own times of challenge and abundance. They were all impermanent; they all passed. 

Take power and freedom from this, and have a beautiful day!

Thanks

Kate

Founder at Fashionable Futures

What’s Next for Fashion?

In my previous blogs, I talked a lot about the future of fashion. It is something I am deeply interested in and committed to impacting.

As we’ve discussed many times how the past two+ decades have driven us to a consumer culture where we have been programmed to buy large amounts of clothing at low cost, wear them briefly and discard them. Until relatively recently, nobody really understood the true impact of that. I still encounter people who proudly tell me that their beautiful dress was only X amount from X fast fashion company, whether it’s H&M, Zara or Shein, whoever. What I’m reminded of is this is not the true cost. This collective guilt that many of us have is at the root of our focus and extensive commitment to reversing this damage wherever we can.

Yet do we really know what we want in the future of fashion? Are we clear about the balance and structure of brands in the future? 

At this point, I want to introduce the concept of “spiritual fashion”. We could also call it “mindful fashion” or fashion that is “aware” or “present”.

The subject of spiritual fashion I will explore further, but it’s something I’ve been considering and studying for some time.

A few points to consider – do we want fashion that:

• Sparks joy 

• Creates healing, well-being, a feeling of happiness and fulfilment

• Is honest, respects and loves everyone involved

• Clothes that are filled with love, intention and beauty                                     

• Isn’t this a future of fashion that is engaging, one that we would love to be a part of?

Thank you for reading and let’s talk again soon.
With love,
Kate