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Higher Learning - Day One Wrap

On Thursday and Friday 16th/17th of June, I attended the Higher Learning fashion conference at The Ivy Sunroom at The Ivy.  The audience was predominantly made up of fashion and accessory design students, aspiring designers and a sprinkling of PR and fashion retailers who had paid $250 a ticket to listen to a cross section of some of the most successful entrepreneurs working in the fashion industry.

The first speaker was Amy Sutherland from PR agency Sweaty Betty who provided an overview of the company and their approach to dealing with clients and the media.  A few helpful suggestions were provided regarding being consistent with ones brand and nurturing relationships with clients and the media.

Michaela Lease –Griffiths was next and she provided a basic introduction to the role of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (RAFW) and its role as a business to business event and specifically as a marketing tool for fashion designers.  A few interesting questions were raised during question time such as “what is a lookbook?” and “what do we put in a linesheet?”.   It became apparent that there were numerous audience members who had never worked in fashion and this was their first introduction to the industry.  Although there were a few raised eyebrows from the more jaded participants, (I’ll admit to being surprised at some of the ‘greener’ comments) it’s important to acknowledge that events such as this are a great introduction for individuals trying to decide whether or not to pursue a career in fashion.   I’m sure retention rates in fashion or design courses might improve if students engage in some research such as attending conferences, before actually applying for a place in a course.   Overall, Michaela provided and informative session, specifically aimed at aspiring fashion designers and the role of RAFW in providing a means with which to sell designs and reach a greater audience.

Natasha Sefton, women’s buyer and fashion designer for General Pants had the audience twittering in anticipation of the advice that she might provide for aspiring designers.  She provided a concise and informative overview of her role in buying and designing apparel for General Pants.  More specifically, she advised potential designers of some of the tactics to avoid when trying to secure stockists. She advised designers to research a company, find out the role of employees and learn names before contacting a company.  The session was practical and also provided advice for designers to cull each collection and to remember that at the end of the day, “fashion is about selling clothes, not about what’s on the catwalk”.

Online entrepreneur Kath Purkis, was next and provided an overview of her company before outlining her strategy to developing a business brand and communicating it to a global audience. She provided technical advice regarding utilising only organic SEO and by strenuously researching for a web designer that would suit her business. She admitted to seeking a quote from anywhere up to 40 web designers and that she ‘gets rid’ of web developers after a while because they become ‘duds’. She recommended that when designing a website that there is no need to pay a developer to build an ecommerce system as there are plenty of off-the-shelf products available that allow business owners to cut costs.  
Kath also had some interesting suggestions when it came to the topic of fashion bloggers.  She described utilising fashion designers to promote products and the brand. An audience member asked where it might be possible to find these infamous fashion bloggers and she suggested that designers look into fashion magazines.

Luke Sales was the final speaker for the first day and rather than deliver a prepared speech, he sat down with host Glynis Tailor-Nash to discuss his label and their work.  Luke provided some interesting insight into the label such as where they draw inspiration from, their design process and Luke’s thoughts on the media response to their collections. Luke had a few interesting details about his approach to developing a range and presenting it on the catwalk.  According to the designer, his passion lies with putting on a show and he feels that when people attend a fashion show, that it should be more about the ‘spectacle’ of a dazzling show.  He described spending a significant amount of time preparing for a show and developing the characters for each show.
 
The first day was a whirlwind of information, although in summary the most important pieces of information communicated were:

1. Understand your brand. Know your target market and communicate your message effectively.
2. Understand your clients brand and communicate that through your work, but pay careful attention to the way that your brand is perceived with regards to the professional relationships you cultivate.
3. The fashion industry is hard work and far removed from the glamour and gloss represented on the pages of fashion magazines. Luke Sales pointed out that he was only able to start paying himself after five years of hard work. As an aspiring designer expect to work in a variety of odd jobs to make ends meet.
4. Fashion is a business and to make it in this business, you need to have strong business skills. Undertake a business course or pay someone who can provide you with regular advice and handle your financial accounts.
5. Do your research on supplying the necessary materials for your designs and ensure you can deliver quality products when you start taking orders.
 
Stay tuned for my day two wrap, coming soon...

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