Round Rock Prom Dress

Note: Are you an independent apparel consultant? Are you a local independent apparel retailer? Then it is time you inform yourself (or allow me to inform you) on what the Independent Enterprise Network can do for you after you view the video. The bold blue highlights are my additions. This article by Kelly Evans appeared in the Wall Street Journal. gt

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AHEAD OF THE TAPE by Kelly Evans

For Apparel Makers, ‘Challenge’ Is in Style



Apparel makers and some retailers could face a less-than-happy 2011.

That may seem at odds with the strength of this year's holiday sales season. But supply constraints, rising production costs and choppy consumer demand suggest it will be trickier than Wall Street currently expects for many companies to increase profit margins in 2011.

Consider sportswear giant Nike Inc. whose third-quarter results last week beat profit and revenue estimates. Despite this, its shares fell after the company warned of "strong gross-margin head winds for the next few quarters." Nike put the pressure down to higher labor, cotton and transportation costs, plus the recent strengthening of the U.S. dollar. Those aren't concerns unique to the sportswear giant; they are shared across the apparel industry. Rapid development in China, the "workshop of the world," is now pushing up global production costs, reversing a decadeslong trend.

To make matters worse, companies' typical response—raising prices—is proving rather difficult at the moment. The average selling price of apparel in the U.S. has actually fallen for 10 of the last 11 months, according to Piper Jaffray, even though the cost of imported apparel per unit is up about 1.5% year-on-year.

The profit squeeze will likely worsen as the year progresses due to the long lag between merchandise orders and their arrival in stores. The run-up in cotton prices is a particular nuisance and is just starting to feed through the supply chain. Short supply plus strong Asian demand has more than doubled prices from the mid-70 cents per pound range seen this past summer to nearly $1.60 now for March delivery.

As a result, 2011 estimates for many apparel makers "to me are too aggressive from a margins and earnings perspective," says FBR Capital Markets analyst Eric Tracy. Nike at least can use its strong brand and global heft as a bargaining chip with suppliers. This may also make it better able to raise prices for customers. Smaller companies like Gildan Activewear Inc., Quiksilver Inc. and Volcom Inc. probably won't be as fortunate.

Apparel executives were hoping these cost pressures would prove fleeting. Now, following in Nike's footsteps, more will probably have to let investors know they are in for a tough slog.

Texas Gets Torrid

Texas apparel (Cowboys, too!!) needs a little torrid of its own. Lets not be above learning a lesson from Torrid. A local Independent Consultant Network is totally capable of creating and supplying a local retailer or  the IC Network's own clientele such as high school girls prom dress apparel.

See Round Rock Prom Dress video.

This article is taken from California Apparel News Net.

Texas Gets Torrid

November 05, 2010

City of Industry–based Hot Topic will open a new Torrid store for plus-size juniors at The Centre at Preston Ridge in Frisco, Texas. The store will carry Torrid private-label apparel, as well as Source of Wisdom, Fragile, Ed Hardy, Hello Kitty and Z. Cavaricci–branded apparel and accessories. Carrying sizes 12–26, Torrid currently operates more than 150 stores, as well as its e-commerce site at www.torrid.com.

Round Rock Prom Dress

Claire James message on The State of Fashion

I invite you all to read Claire James' message. She delivered these comments Thursday at the Austin Fashion Week event on the south steps of the Austin Texas state capitol building.

Malissa, thank you for thinking to invite me to this event.

I am unable to copy/paste the text so here is the Claire's message.

Boutique manufacturer moving to Austin

This is a retype of an email message I just received. Since there is no phone included I encourage any of you interested to either go to the bottom of this article to the comment link and let Sharron know or email Sharron sharron@sharronleslie.com or email me GTorresCUE@gmail.com and I will forward your email to Sharron. Gil

*****

My is Sharron Aisenman and the name of my company is Sharron Leslie Designs. I'm planning a future move to Austin and was online looking for operators in the Austin area when I came across your site. Very interesting. We are boutique manufacturers of dance wear, club wear, swim wear, sexy wear and have the capability of producing lingerie. We were in sexy lingerie until it was all sent to China. I design, make and grade patterns. My factory cuts and sews garments and we ship from Sylmar CA. We have over twenty years experience and sell worldwide. Can you list me on your site? Do you have contacts in San Antonio, Austin for operators and mechanic for my new factory to be located in Austin? I emailed Tabitha and Christina and I'm going to call Lee. All sound like I can help them.
I'd appreciate hearing from you regarding these things.
Sincerely,

Sharron Aisenman
Owner, Sharron Leslie Designs
SLD Collection
p.s. I'm for real...look at my website.

Houston startup needs pattern maker & contractor

If you are interested you can reply to Tabitha at:

tabitha.grace@att.net

Hello, my name is Tabitha McKelvy out of Houston TX.

I have some sketches that I have been working on. I am interested in starting a clothing line with these sketches. I know that I will need a sample/pattern maker and contractor. Please, help me.
Thanks. Vixen by Tabitha Grace

Best regards,

Gil

Prom Dress Network Invitation

It will be here sooner than you think again! The biggest annual extravanganza among teenage girls. I am talking about Prom.

Once again, I wonder how many of the enormous talent pool of dressmaker consultants are ready to take advantage of the opportunity. I wonder how many will miss out again.

This is my invitation to all interested independent consultants and independent prom dress retailers to do something about it.

Before you reject this invitation because of the cost let me clear that up right now.

It costs you nothing.

Why is this free? Because I am more interested that people see the profit potential of the network for themselves rather than showing them charts and graphs.

I am the one extending the invitation. I am the one who will organize and communicate with the network. Your participation in the network costs you nothing. You participation is strictly on your terms and, ideally, as a professional. All fees are strictly between you and your clients. If you attract clients and turn a profit. Great! It's yours to keep.

I am the one who will incur costs. So for that reason I must limit the scope of the network to the Round Rock/Austin Texas area high schools. Anyone outside that area interested in checking out the network would certainly be welcome but my focus will be limited as I have stated.

What you need to do before February 28 is simply either:

1 Post a comment on this article expressing your interest, or
2 Email me directly to GTorresCUE@gmail.com. Subject: Prom Dress Network

KSE in a challenging economy

They are two people with whom I work. They do not know each other. They do know computer technology.

Despite neither one having traditional academic credentials they possess what I call KSE, the Knowledge, Skills and Experience people acquire and amass over their years of employment. Their KSE affords them a confidence and competence such as computer build, (and networking) diagnostics, repair and more.

Acquiring KSE

He immersed himself in every tutor and mentoring opportunity alongside engineers and technicians to acquire much of his technology know-how during his years as a Dell employee. She absorbed hers through her Electrical Englneer big brother. He, for his seeming amusement and her utter frustration, would dismantle her computer for her to reassemble and reconfigure. It was a few years before she would reflect and appreciate the gift he gave his litle sister.

Networking with buddies/working from home

It would not be difficult, he says, to connect with a couple of his tech buddies to take on some technology projects. Sound familiar? The problem, he explains, is finding the clientele to sustain their business enterprise. Sound familiar? She would love nothing better than to be able utilize her tech skills to supplement the family income from the comfort of their home with their children. Sound familiar?

Innovation in a challenging economy

Business technology needs versus family economic needs are not totally unrelated, folks. Aren't you amazed by some of the innovative sales ideas which have emerged with our challenging economy? Can you recall ever hearing a car dealer encourage people to buy a new car and the dealer would make the payments for a period of time if the buyer lost their job? Or, you can bring that car right back without any problems! Lets not foolishly assume there aren't conditions with these offers, but the point to note is the innovation of business to meet their sales demands while meeting the economic needs of the family.

The independent Enterprise Network model

The Independent Enterprise Network model is the meeting point between business technology needs and family economic needs. Any skepticism could be no less foolish than those who fail to understand the car dealer's offer. Whatever skepticism you have about the IE-Network may be affecting your profitabilty and ability to recruit consultants and take on technology projects. Something else about our challenging economy. Have you noticed how business turns to the small areas it had ignored or overlooked in the past? The whitebox/whitebook market remains an ignored, overlooked area of profit potential.

A good practice

Business owners rely on their shop, floor and store managers to make the best decisions to enhance and constantly build their profit margins. Are you sure they're not ingnoring or overlooking areas of profit potential riding out the economy while riding on the security of a paycheck from you? A good inventory audit practice is check your stock and your business management.

The IE-Network model brings together independent consultants and independent retailers/resellers in areas including computer technology, apparel and more.

Best Buy Offering $197 HP Laptop on Black Friday

The Best Buy offer is a great deal.

However, even at $197 it's way over budget for much of the untapped no-brand, whitebox/whitebook computer buyer in America. Whitebox/whitebook is the industry term which refers to generic desktop/laptop computers. Still, Best Buy does show the resourcefulness of big business to market their product.

My repeat efforts to present the IE-Network model to a major computer manufacturer have been ignored. Yet, their desire and efforts to break into the whitebox market were similarly ignored by that same market.

The whitebox market requires no less resourcefulness by at-home independent consultants, resellers and retailers. Certainly, the market is no less accessible for them then it is for major retailers and manufacturers.

Now, for the past several months, my focus has centered on computer component retailers and resellers. Any other time I would, grudgingly, understand such quickness to brush-off a network idea not in their business strategies manual.

But, in this economy who can afford to continue with the same mindset and attitude of business as usual?

The same IE-Network model allows major retailers and manufacturers as well as independent consultants and small retailer/resellers to penetrate and profit in the whitebox/whitebook market. This economy has brought out some previously unheard of marketing schemes. Who ever heard of car dealers telling car buyers: "Bring it back if you lose your job"?

Of course, IE-Networks are quite capable of providing much more than desktop and laptops for small business. Furthermore, small business is able to pace their spending. There's no need to lock into extraordinary budgeting structures. Rather, they simply absorb these developmental expenditures into the daily business operations and as profits permit.

Sewing Machine sales soar

I just wonder how these sewing machine sales affect old figures. A few years ago I corresponded with a Home Sewing Association (defunct, 2007) staff member. She confirmed the HSA information on home sewing figures. Namely, that there were over 35 million people who sew in their homes.

The HSA would not make any claims as to who was doing the sewing for profit or pleasure. Their sound estimates were on the basis of overall sewing machine sales in America. Although sewing machine manufacturers were unwilling to provide specific figures so the HSA, I believe, may have compiled the data from retailer sales.

I was especially pleased to learn of this figure from the HSA. What pleased me about it was that it supported one of my own conclusions. Namely, that there are vast numbers of people who have acquired, and in some instances amassed, a great deal of Knowledge, Skills and Experience in the production of apparel. Some of these are the same talented individuals whom the government categorizes as "non to low-skilled workers". Others include people who have studied the craft (my apologies if that is not the prefered term) through school even to obtaining a higher education degree in the field of apparel. Still others to be included are those who have an inbred know-how, a knack, which seems as easy and natural as breathing to them while others need to work diligently to attain.

The IE-Network model is all about bringing together those talented individuals, as local independent consultant/contractors, with local independent apparel retailers for fulfillment of their apparel production, design and related needs . . . for profit. Other possible target areas for networkers include prom dresses, soccer team uniforms and more.