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How to Connect at a Networking Event (Without Saying A Word)

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by Latrice Cole

We all know it’s necessary for growth professionally or personally, but let’s be honest, it can be dreadful, intimidating, and downright awkward. What do you wear? Do you suck it up and wear the four-inch heels? How do you sell yourself? Do you humble-brag about your degree, or do you grit your teeth and smile until the very end? The most awkward part of networking is striking up the initial conversation with a complete stranger. But what if you didn’t have to? With just a dash of fashion-savvy, you can skip the stress-inducing walk-up and the whole boring introduction speech with this simple trick I teach all my clients: Wear an ice-breaking accessory that’s a stellar conversation starter. Below is a list of accessories that will get people approaching you now – and long after the event.

1. Scarves –Try wearing a unique vintage scarf or a scarf that you bought while on vacation with a great story behind it. This will allow you to share the story while taking the pressure off you. There are several ways to wear your scarf. Close to your face is best (around your neck), but if you’re not comfortable with that tie it on your handbag, but remember the key is for people to notice it. So, if you are going to tie it to your bag, make sure you can showcase it.

 

2. Pop of color with your shoe or handbag – Wearing a classic or neutral outfit to a networking event is a great way to look polished and professional (think Little Black Dresses, pantsuit/pants, and blouse combo).  However, show a little personality by adding a great pair of shoes or bag in a print or color that pops (like burnt orange or red). You will surely gain compliments that can ease into a conversation.

 

3. Jewelry – One of my favorite ways to top off an outfit. Try wearing a stand out heirloom, like a ring or brooch or handmade earrings that boosts your confidence. Last October, I attended a fashion networking event, and I wore handmade earrings. They were a hit! People started conversations with me based on my earrings. It broke the ice, allowed me to engage with others, and exchange contact information.

 

 

4. Eyeglasses – Those who wear them use it out of necessity, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. Use your necessity as an advantage by stepping up your eyewear game with an interesting shape, color, bedazzle, or print, according to your personality. I wear glasses and depending on the type of event, I may switch my frames to make a statement. Glasses draw attention to your face making it easy for people to make eye contact with you.

If you don’t wear glasses you can always flip the script and admire someone else’s to get the conversation going.

Why Living With Less is Actually Better For the Planet and Its People by @twofoldclothing

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by Morgan Wagstaff

How might living with less actually be better for the planet and its people?

Living with less is so much more than just not buying things. It’s about living with intentionality, building habits that make daily life less hectic and purchasing only the things that bring us joy or serve a purpose. We all have to purchase things to live. We all need shelter, food, clothing, transportation, etc. But are there ways we can be more mindful about those purchases? Since we cannot live without these few things, how can we shift the way we purchase these things to help us live with less?

We all wake up every morning and get dressed. It’s something we can’t live without. That being said, it is so important to learn about what we’re putting on, it’s effect on our plant and why having less is actually more. Living intentionally is about being conscious of our decisions and that goes for the clothes we purchase and wear.

Within the last decade there has been a lot of talk about our clothes and the impact they are having on our lives, on our planet, and the well-being of those designing and making our garments. For starters, the apparel industry is the second largest polluter in the world, second only to oil. The production process is a complicated one involving long and varied supply chains, raw materials, textile manufacturing, clothing construction, shipping, retail, use and the inevitable disposal of the garment. The pesticides used in cotton farming, the toxic dyes used in manufacturing, the great amount of waste discarded clothing creates, the extravagant amount of natural resources used in extraction, farming, harvesting, processing, manufacturing and shipping is only a few of the ways the shirt on our backs are harming our planet.

Synthetic fibers, such as Polyester, take hundreds of years to breakdown as compared to natural fibers, such as linen, which take as little as two weeks. Synthetic, man-made fibers result in pollution and harmful chemical run-off. And across all textiles, the manufacturing and dyeing of fabrics is chemically intensive.

More than 60 percent of our clothing is manufactured in developing countries such as Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, and Pakistan. There is little transparency as to the conditions of the factories these items are being made in. Because retailers are demanding lower and lower prices from these manufacturers, the factories are forced to squeeze their costs, hamper their workers and are cutting corners and disregarding safety measures.

It has become an out of sight, out of mind mentality for retailers, and they have turned a blind eye to the lives of the workers in these factories. The conditions of these facilities have fallen to such a level that they have become detrimental to the health and wellness of these workers. More than just the conditions, the owners are being forced to pay their employees unfair wages to keep up with the demand of reducing costs.

After learning about the impact the apparel industry was having on our planet and its people, I knew I wanted to help change the way we think about, purchase and manufacture our clothing. Two Fold was born out of dislike for excess and to give women an eco-friendly, sustainable option while remaining feminine and simple. Getting dressed is a necessity and it shouldn’t be another difficult choice each morning. The first collection is made of 7 versatile pieces that fit perfectly into any wardrobe. Each piece is made from only organic, sustainable, and naturally reoccurring fibers and plan to keep it that way.

Two Fold definitely hasn’t done things the typical way. By engaging with like-minded folks and reaching out to inform others of ways they, too, can make an impact with their clothing purchases, I have pushed the launch of the first collection. Learning what women want to wear rather than designing pieces for trend is the moto behind Two Fold. I decided to launch through a Kickstarter campaign. “Kickstarter helps artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and other creators find the resources and support they need to make their ideas a reality” per their description on the ‘About’ page on their website. It is a crowdsourcing platform that innovative ideas can be pitched and, hopefully, funded. They have a rigorous application process, and do not let just anyone start a project. You must submit essays, business models, and even a video about your campaign.

The first collection from Two Fold is now available on Kickstarter and aims to change the way we think about, purchase and manufacture our clothing. These minimalist styles with simple silhouettes are meant for simple living and intentional purchasing. Living with less helps to take a stand on the demand we’re necessitating from the factories and workers in the apparel industry. We are connected! What we buy and where our money goes absolutely matters – to the people around the world and to the environment. Where we spend our money communicates our values in the marketplace. We get to choose what type of marketplace and world we want to support: opportunity and freedom, or the opposite.

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Morgan Wagstaff is the owner and designer behind Two Fold, an environmentally and socially conscious womenswear brand aiming to change the way we think about, purchase, and manufacture our clothing. Two Fold’s first collection has launched through Kickstarter and aims to make getting dressed each morning easier with timeless, minimalist styles that fit perfectly into any wardrobe. Morgan is passionate about helping women see their true beauty and feeling confident in what they wear.

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Brand, Sweat, and Tears: How Much Does It Take to Start a Fashion Brand by @amanda_curtis of @19thAmendment

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LEAN_2

by Amanda Curtis | Featured Contributor

How much does it take to start a fashion brand? Blood, sweat, tears, and between $300,000 – $3 million upfront.  Granted, it’s quite a range, but this is what it takes to launch a fashion brand in 2015 and there is no guarantee of success.  The risk is so high that 60% of trained fashion designers drop out of the industry or, if they don’t, go to work for someone else as a designer while relegating their own brand to nights and weekends.  Those that do stay for the lonely haul of running a fashion brand as their sole source of income are often supported by their family – financially and otherwise – though often don’t talk about it.*

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Fashion is a game of perception and what some designers and most consumers fail to understand is the glamour versus the economics of starting a line.  For example, a professionally produced, 10 minute runway show during New York Fashion Week can easily cost over $100,000 and that show does not translate directly into sales.  Many of the pieces that go down the catwalk are never accessible to consumers.  Fashion shows in turn become more of a (very large) marketing expense than a sales opportunity.  For bigger brands, these shows have become a necessity, but, for smaller brands just starting out, productions like this often break the bank with limited exposure as it may take three or more seasons of showing collections to get on the radar of retailers, let alone sell to them.  This model of breaking into fashion and retail has largely remained untouched since its inception close to 100 years ago.  Since that time, the financial bar to entry has only risen as larger brands – with deeper wallets – contend for the same audience of retail buyers and press.  The result is a largely static ecosystem that is not wholly reflective of the design talent that is left untapped.

As a designer, I value tradition and respect the roots of this model but now is the opportunity for change and innovation. I know the story of the struggle first hand as a designer. I have had what would seem like major industry success – after co-designing a line that launched at Lincoln Center during New York Fashion Week 2010, I took a solo designed collection to the final round of judging at London Fashion Week in 2012. Both lines were financially backed by investors, and were well received, but both ultimately failed. Like I said, success isn’t guaranteed. There should be a better way to bring the best creative brands to market. Technology has disrupted and improved so many industries, allowing more participation, creation and innovation to move us forward.

As a shopper, now you can be a part of helping designers “stilleto-strap” their lines without the pain of events that often don’t help them reach their end goals. With sales playing the biggest factor in their success, it’s up to you to decide whose talent is worth pushing production forward. Help us seize this opportunity in the fashion space to create the stronger, leaner, meaner brands of tomorrow.

*Lauren Sherman of Fashionista wrote a great overview of this problem.

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Amanda Curtis Amanda Curtis Part tech, part marketing, ALL fashion. CEO CoFounder Nineteenth Amendment.  As a designer turned entrepreneur, I know first hand how difficult it is to break into the fashion industry. After graduating from Parsons, I went from backstage at New York Fashion week to designing for celebrities and bringing a solo designed collection to judging at London Fashion Week. Despite all that success, I was never profitable. Nineteenth Amendment was developed as the way to help designers break into the fashion industry with the least amount of time, effort, and money (stiletto-strapping), while growing micro-manufacturing. I intend to make the fashion industry better for everyone: from designers and consumers, to manufacturers and retailers.

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With The Right Tools, Creatives are Great at Business by @amanda_curtis

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by Amanda Curtis | Featured Contributor

BUSINESS_MANStop calling creatives bad at business. Creative types who are driven and can execute are excellent at business. As a creative who spends a lot of time with business types, I hear all too often the perception that fashion designers are right-brained individuals who are not naturally good at business, which is their view of why so few designers succeed in the business of fashion. This naive and superficial observation needs to be debunked just as the left-brained, right-brained theory was in 2013. No matter what lobe may be more active, ultimately, hustle, drive, and creativity – the highest form of intelligence – are major determinants of success.

The fashion world is ever changing, rigorous, and requires designers to operate not just in the present, but to predict and determine the future.  Never has a designer created collections of work in obscurity only to become famous postmortem like some fine artists.  As the saying goes, “the dream is free, the hustle is sold separately.”  Talent is necessary but talent without drive and execution is valueless, especially in the fashion industry.

Along with creating, fashion designers must have a plan to promote, sell, produce, and scale. TV programs like Project Runway have done a terrific job showing the determination, relentless passion, and sleepless nights behind the glamorous facade of being a fashion designer.  These are the real fashion designers, not the mega funded celebrity designers who sit down with a trained team of designers, marketers and sales teams a few times a season, to knock off existing trends, and mass manufacture sub par quality products overseas.  The side that Project Runway does not show is the less sexy business, manufacturing, and marketing piece. In reality, this is where independent designers should spend most of their time.  The problem is that until recently managing each of these pieces was a full-time job. However, with tools such as Model Mayhem, Joor, Modalyst, and Nineteenth Amendment designers can bootstrap in the same the way that tech startups have been doing for the past decade.  I call this ‘Stiletto Strapping’.

Fashion designers aren’t scared of business, they, until recently, just didn’t have tech products and service providers building the necessary tools to help them efficiently launch and grow successful brands.  For example Nineteenth Amendment gives designers a production management system, a network of vetted partnered US manufactures, a marketing curiculm, a visual consumer data dashboard, and an online platform to sell their designs without having to hold inventory.   Model Mayhem connects designers and models with minimum fees.  Joor and Modalyst connect designers directly with retail buyers with low amounts of friction.  These new approaches to a traditional business ultimately give designers a way to run lean in a digital age.

Fashion designers are both artists and business people, interpreting the world around them and translating that into visual, functional, and sellable communication.  Fashion designers are the ultimate convergences of business meets creative. By giving them the correct tools and platforms, like Nineteenth Amendment, I guarantee we’ll see the independent designers of today become the business IPOs of tomorrow.

 

By Amanda Curtis  @amanda_curtis CEO cofounder Nineteenth Amendment 

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Amanda CurtisPart tech, part marketing, ALL fashion. CEO CoFounder Nineteenth Amendment.  As a designer turned entrepreneur, I know first hand how difficult it is to break into the fashion industry. After graduating from Parsons, I went from backstage at New York Fashion week to designing for celebrities and bringing a solo designed collection to judging at London Fashion Week. Despite all that success, I was never profitable. Nineteenth Amendment was developed as the way to help designers break into the fashion industry with the least amount of time, effort, and money (stiletto-strapping), while growing micro-manufacturing. I intend to make the fashion industry better for everyone: from designers and consumers, to manufacturers and retailers.

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