Taking Advice to Learn By – But are WE Ready? – Advice for Profit!

Over the past 13 plus years, since writing my book Fashion For Profit and founding the Fashion Business Incorporated I must have met with, and advised an average of around 300 new members per year for the FBI and even more through my public speaking engagements and publications.  As part of the FBI annual membership ($250.00) you receive a one hour free consultation with your choice of a variety of industry experts (listed on the website). However, as I am the “face” of the FBI, that “expert” for this initial consultation has usually been me.

I have to say that I have had a very interesting few years meeting an amazing cross section of people from all kinds of occupations. It has been a pleasure getting to know them and advising some fantastic creative people and hearing all about their new business ideas. There have been a few that were not such great ideas!:)  But the interesting thing I have learnt being Dr. Fashion For Profit physiatrist during this time is, unless people are really ready to take my advice then it can often be a waste of everyone time to try to help them.

Starting a new business venture demands a great deal of time, focus and forethought.  Often the new entrepreneur has decided there is a real need for their creation as it is not already being offered in the market place. So, a new product is developed and born. But is there in fact a real need for their brain child? Do these new entrepreneurs understand the apparel industry and the complexity of the industry? ,

This week I received a holiday greeting email from one of my FBI members who I consulted with for more than the initial one hour free consultation. She is a brilliant highly educated physicist who also has a wonderful creative side with a dream of owning a fashion label, which she is now energetically perusing. As you will read below she now realizes that she should have listened to my initial advice and kept her line small and focused before the expense and the energy she needed in developing a full blown line. She has the talent but not the industry connections or the funding to take on board such a large commitment.

“Hi Frances,…  still optimistic. I understand that I’m not out of the woods with the fashion business, so to speak, but I hope that this time with the narrow focus I’ll make it. I often remember your initial suggestion to start selling my skirts first before doing anything else – that was the best advice – but I fully appreciate it only now, when it’s too late for me to do only that.”….

Confession! I have also found it hard to stay focused and take my own advice. Maybe my New Year’s resolution will be to take my own advice and keep a narrower focus on what I do and try not say “yes” to too many opportunities that I have been fortunate to be offered and often found hard to turn down!

Just returned from London and Europe where they wear every kind of exotic fur know to man and beasts to learn about this interesting story from Hollywood or as some call it Hollywird!

West Hollywood recently became the first city to officially put a ban on fur, and though it won’t come into effect until September 2013, retailers in the area are already expressing their grievances.

I would be interested to know how many of you have an opinion one way or the other?  Should we ban the sale of fur and all that goes with the production and association of fur products or not?

While living and working in Munich 20 plus years ago I was guilty of purchasing a “waschbaer” (raccoon) jacket. After learning more about the farming and the killing of animals used to keep us warm and beautiful I sold it at a garage sale here in LA for $10.00.

My feeling now is, why have any animal die in pain and suffer if there is no really NEED to do so?  We have many other choices of clothing to keep us warm and beautiful. I now look at fur and can only hear and see suffering eyes, cries of pain and confusion.

So I say GOOD FOR YOU HOLLYWOOD! Congratulations on leading the pack!  

NO!!! It is not alright to scan and copy original artwork, graphics, prints then change it 20% to 30% and claim ownership!

It amazes me how often I hear from people in the industry that they think it is fine to scan original art work, which include graphics and prints, then make certain changes. Some industry experts, instructors and students think that by changing them a certain percent that they can then claim ownership to producing them for resale commercially. They have been ill-informed.

I have just successfully completed another expert witness case that involves these copyright infringement issues. Many cases that I have given my opinion on have been more or less the same scenario. Once the original art work has been created a textile firm, and or designer will register copyrights to this original art work. The copyright piece could have been either created by an individual, or a company with their own designers, or it could have been purchased from a design house who sells their art works, which may include graphics, and surface designs. Then a few months pass only to discover their designs have been “copied” and hanging in a major department store. Often textile firms who make their living from selling their original works have records of the “headers” being borrowed for review by manufacturers then returned as unordered yardage. In years past when working in design rooms I often witnessed this practice. Rather than buy the graphics or prints from the textile firm it is cheaper to “create” and produce their own prints to then print onto fabric or t-shirts.

Role of Copyright
Copyright is a form of protection provided to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, visual art, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection for apparel products is typically for the artistic expression of the work. Copyright protection generally gives the owner of the copyright the exclusive right to use and to authorize others to reproduce the work in copies, and to prepare derivative works based upon the work.

Important to note: As a rule of thumb. If the print looks like the original copyright art work from approximately 10 feet, then IT USUALLY CAN BE PROVED THAT IT IS A COPY! Another dead giveaway; if you lay one print over the other over a lightbox or up to the light, and there are similarities then it is often obvious that it has been scanned and altered.

Things to compare when looking at copyright issue infringements. Original copyright art work, which include prints and or graphics when compared to the knock-off print, has the same look and feel of the original design arrangement is suspiciously similar, e.g.
• ·Size and scale of the prints
• ·Execution of art work
• ·Novelty of overall layout design
• ·Rich coloration of detail
• ·Refined artistic aesthetic

WARNING! Don’t DO IT! It could end up costing you your life savings, and or your company! Create your own original artwork or pay to use copyright art work.