Textile Blog week 3

#VAMFF

POW!!! Wow what a day at the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival Business Seminar. The pow is for all the knowledge that was bestowed on my little noggin today. It was great to hear from many different sectors of the Fashion Industry and this one day seminar has really opened my eyes to more of whats actually possible for designers in the Fashion and Textile world.
This seminar got me thinking outside the box or more precisely looking beyond myself and how as a textile designer you can really have a positive impact on the world by just changing your approach and straying away from the norm and looking for alternative resources like Fair trade cottons from Africa instead of buying cheap bulk cotton form China or as they were more favouring using the expertise of the Artisans in remote regions of the world and promoting them and their skills to the world.
But one of the great things I like about the Speakers was that even though you are helping out communities and giving people the spot light needed, it is also OK to make money and charge a high price for an item created/crafted by a Artisan from somewhere like Africa or Portugal which I think is important to note as it seems a lot of people see making a lot of money from your craft or designs as a bad thing which was shown today not to be and which is something I agree with but see a lot of people in the industry being stubborn and mean to people that create wealth from being successful(seriously if i hear another person say Lisa Gorman's a sell out I'll….)which is simply not the case most times.
The seminar did show that contacts and knowing the right people is vital to growing your brand and that raising Capital for your business id important for growth or simply when you're just starting up.

Again like a tape recorder I thank my Cycling contacts for allowing me the contacts that will hopefully one day help my business reach the high goals I have set for it and won't be achievable with out some Cash investors. For my business I will go to the aid of my friend who's job is Capital raising for Companies such as Architectural firms, Air lines, Oil companies and new start ups, with this contact I feel very lucky to have this person on my side.
The only people I really lack in my business endeavours are the right manufacturers to make my products and this is why I think things like Internships and going to Seminars and trade shows are vital if you want to know where the best brands get their apparel made.



Cam

Textile Blog week 2

This week we were visited by a panel of Textile design Pro's ranging from a seasoned vet right down to a shiny Smiley new graduate making a total of four knowledgeable souls for us to be inspired by or to at least learn some hot tip or two.

I was a little disappointed after the Panel had talked about their experiences and what they do on a day to day basis…………The only real glimmer of light was from Camilla who just seemed to be Camilla….always chirpy and driven.

To me personally they all seemed a little worn down by the huge expectations and work loads expected of them in the Textile Industry and I just wonder how long one can last at what seems to be a ridiculous amount of work for teams of only a few Crafty souls. I guess like in all commercial work the longer you stay the more you get paid until you find yourself disliking what you do but staying because of the money and fear of going backwards in Career and finance.

This has got me questioning myself where do I want to start? Even though I do see myself just going for it and starting my own Cycling Fashion label there's a part of me that is intrigued by what working in a large commercial company would be like and I also feel it could work as a bit of a security blanket if my Business failed and then at least I would have some work experience to fall back on and not just a degree and no experience.

I do feel quite lucky that through my cycling background and also my 2 years as a Remedial Massage therapist I have created quite a network that I don't think would of been possible at a young age otherwise. Through mainly cycling I have met a lot of people who I think I would never have met if there was not a fondness of the bicycle. I have found myself sitting next to people like Fashion designer Paul Smith who just wanted to talk to my about my Bike Frame or the guy (can't remember his name) who design Jeff's Shed who I thought was some Bum sitting on our table…oops!These are things that I know will help me in my business endeavours as I have discovered that successful people actually do like to help out people who are starting out and want to be in their position.

So to sum up this jargon I still feel myself floating to my direction but a quick stint in the commercial world would be a great way to get my feet wet and maybe steal all their Manufacturers.

Cam

Textile Blog week 1

Kicking off my final year of my 3 year degree has been a pretty lathargic experience.After 4 months of holidays I had settled into my life of waking up at 9am and wandering around the house until I would go to the gym for a couple of hours and then return home to recover on the couch and watch TV.They do say it's good to create Patterns in life.
So I guess by returning to my final year of University it's a good time to start thinking about my future and where I see myself this time next year and where I will be in 10 years.
Other than just going to the gym during the holidays I did (somehow) manage to launch my Brand of cycling clothing quite successfully. This was one of those things that I was in no way prepared to do and caught me totally off guard when for some reason people loved the Cactus design I had put on the jersey and even the name 'team Cactus' which has taken off to my queried surprise.
This short burst of popularity of my team Cactus clothing got me thinking more deeply about my future as a Textile designer and what exactly I want out of my life……….well……pretty much I just want to do something that I am fully passionate about and doesn't feel like work, after coming to textile design with the aim of becoming a sock brand and manufacturer I feel as though it's pushed me further than I ever expected and has given me not just the skill sets but the confidence to go for exactly what I have always wanted……this saying socks will always remain close to my heart and I am happy to say that team Cactus sold 35 pairs of socks in it's first order with a total 105 units ordered and another 20 units on back order at the factory in Hong Kong and I am very excited that the launch date will be the 29th of march and will be spread over Beach rd like Peanut butter on bread.

So overall I am happy to be back at RMIT and ready for one last CRAZY year.

Cam