360FASHION!

I have this amazing entrepreneurial idea...as a matter of fact I have A LOT of them just swimming around in my head, crowding my mind and constantly consuming me. So what’s the problem? I don’t have an entrepreneurial mind set! How do I turn these fabulous ideas into businesses? Have you ever felt like that?

Searching online for the perfect swimsuit for an up coming trip, I stumbled across a website I think might have the potential to be life changing. 360Fashion! 360Fashion is a social network, media platform for the fashion industry created to assist in the development of new business models, customers and to create job opportunities all over the world! With all the technologies they offer: Mobile Apps, Fashion News, E-commerce, Mobile Reporting, Live! Streaming, etc there’s no way you can’t create, promote and sustain a thriving business!

“360Fashion is also a user-generated fashion portal, created out of the network member’s collective information. We feature and promote the latest news from our network members on our front page and throughout our syndicated mobile applications, television programs, and RSS feed. 360Fashion is a giant PR machine, broadcasting out our member’s messages across different media platforms under one umbrella. Your brand communication is ensured to remain next to other high quality communications.”

360Fashion is connected to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube allowing you to reach users across multiple platforms making it easier for you to stay connected to your customers and make sales! You can also build Fashion Mobile Marketing Campaigns and send them to your customer’s cell phones! This mobile technology puts your company’s PR efforts in everyone’s hands regardless of their mobile devise as long as it can access the internet. It is also a great tool for your loyal customers giving them VIP status and the opportunity to have first pick at merchandise, and who doesn’t want to feel like a VIP!

I was very excited when I learned about this website. It is cheaper than hiring a traditional PR firm to promote a business and it’s a lot easier on those cute pumps you’re likely to ruin pounding the pavement promoting your business yourself. It also offers so many convenient technologies for your customers! They can shop for that perfect, one of a kind garment they know you are sure to have from the comfort of their home or while at work, or sitting on a bench in the park watching their children play. Women keep very busy schedules and don’t always have time in their week to visit the mall. If they knew they could see everything you are selling from their computer or cell phone any time of day, I think that would definitely result on high profits!

Unleash Your Inner Designer!

Project Runway is one of my favorite reality TV shows. A selection of 15 designers compete with each other to create the best clothes and are judged. One or more designers are eliminated each week. The designers are given a budgeted stipend to select and purchase fabric and most of the time the budget is as low as $50.00!! After a number of challenges, the three remaining designers are given a budgeted stipend of $500 and the opportunity to show their collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City. The winner of Project Runway receives a compilation of prizes including a few thousand dollars to start their own clothing line!

I am always amazed at some of the fashions these designers come up with and execute in such a short period of time and on a $50.00 budget! I’m even more amazed at some of the collections (12 garments) made on a budge of $500!! Have you ever tried to design a fabulous outfit from nothing? Yeah, neither have I. I’m guessing the first step would be coming up with the concept. The second step would be to sketch it and the third would be executing the pattern. I, like most people wouldn’t get past the third, and most important, step. The designers on Project Runway are usually only give a day to come up with a concept, sketch, cut patterns, and sew the garments and they do everything without the help of any modern technology although new software and design feature are being introduced every year! That takes talent!

HOORAY! for modern Technology! For all you recession conscious people who actually have the desire and time to create your own clothes, there are new software packages you can purchase that will assist you in pattern making! From any computer you can select the version that suits your style, priced from $29.00 to $2,500 depending on the level of support you need. Then you simply type in your measurements to create custom patterns and print the pattern from any computer! 

I absolutely LOVE this new technology! I shop ALL the time and most of the time I can’t find a basic button down shirt under $50.00! Then add in an extra $20.00 or $30.00 for tailoring and I’ve just spent over $70.00 on a button down shirt! The thought of having an entire outfit for the same price, if not cheaper, and it being an original Cari Carter design puts little stars in my eyes and a smiley face on my wallet. Now all I have to do is find a software package that will sew it for me! Is that wishful thinking? I guess we’ll see! Stay tuned, Fashionistas!

"FASHION" is everything!

When I hear the word “FASHION” I immediately think “Clothes, bags, shoes, OH MY!” Loosely defined, Fashion means a form of style that indicates ones style of dressing. And dressing is everything you put on from head to toe! Your hat, the way you style your hair, your clothes, shoes, even your sunglasses! What we never stop to think about is the many technologies that are now used to enhance the things we wear. Some are just for show, some actually serve a purpose and some do both!

All alone on a Sunday morning viewing my new found fortune in my bank account, I decided to venture off to the mall for a new pair of shades (sunglasses). NO outfit is complete without the perfect pair of shades, even in the rain and you can quote me on that! As I’m scanning the case in search of the cutest, and a little bit obnoxious, pair of shades my eyes catch a glimpse of the prettiest girl in the world! It’s me!! I’m looking at my reflection in a pair of mirror-coated sunglasses. My first thought was “Wow! A great alternative to use for a quick lip gloss check in addition to protecting my eyes!” That’s the responsible girly-girl in me. (smile) I later learned that the mirror-coating technology reduces glare and limits the amount of light that can pass through the lens and can be applied to almost any lens! (Sunglass hut) Stylish AND serves a purpose! I eventually settled on a pair that didn’t encompass any cool, modern technology. Still, I skipped away a happy girl, new sunglasses in hand and feeling like my trip to the mall was productive and a great leaning experience!

Hello shopaholics!

Gone are the days when you had to drive from one store to the next in search of the perfect outfit - shopping can now be accomplished with a few clicks of a mouse! What’s that you said? “You had me at Hello?” Shopping online seems to have won many consumers over at “hello.”  The benefits of online shopping far outweigh the pros of shopping in person. Postage is a small price to pay when the odds are much greater to find your preferred size, color and complimentary accessories. Shop at home in your pajamas. Shop while you’re waiting in line. Shop at 3am when the malls are closed! The conveniences are endless and online merchandising has evolved into a billion dollar industry. Online shopping has gone viral and the technology that supports it is astonishing. There are interactive sites that allow you to try different looks after adding your picture to the model. Cosmetics companies allow you to sample shades of makeup online and most businesses have online ordering options. In this day and age you can create an entire wardrobe online and only have to walk from your computer to your front door (when the delivery arrives). With the increase of revenue generated from online sales, both large and small businesses are clamoring to publish attractive websites to provide modern conveniences for shoppers. Has  technology changed the retail industry forever? Are shopping malls next in line to becoming extinct? Let's explore!!