New Years Musings on Success

My husband Rob always says that when I become successful at something, I ditch it.  In a way he is right about somethings.

  For example, when my Salsa Dress appeared at the fashion shows, it took three years before people clamored for it.  By then I was on to some other designs, because the nature of the fashion business is that you always have to come up with something new.   I had stopped production on the Salsa Dress, could not make any more because the fabric was long gone.  To this day, I still get clients coming up to me telling me how much they love that dress, they throw it in the wash, in the suitcase, dress it up and down.

It's been three years since I showed in NYC at Atelier, Moda Manhattan, and one year since Chicago.
I think it is good to step back.   I can see the strengths and weaknesses of the collections--that is hard to do when you are in the thick of planning shows and new lines 24/7.     I feel much better about what I created the last decade, I know what I would like to bring forward with a new twist.   I have learned more about the consumer being on the retail end of things with Porter Studios in Hamilton.    It takes about three years for the public to come around to new designs.   

My nature regarding design is to seek out what will be the styles in the future.   Being a client of Peclers Paris think tank taught me to be aware of not only the new textiles but the changing eco-trends and global economies.   I learned to twist and turn silhouettes of the past, infuse them with disparate textures so that light reflects many planes.    And those lessons take time to seep into the public's consciousness.

So ditching early is something I need to work on for 2011.    I need to simmer the ideas, patterns, textures.
Introduce them, but not expect a big response, because  it is a new idea and people need to think about it before they adorn themselves.    Learning the balance of creativity and financial success is the biggest challenge I face.     Keep designs simmering, add a dash of spice for freshness.    Bring my experiments forward in glimpses, like jewels in a case.   Fill the racks with silhouettes that people love to wear now and forever.


Happy New Year to All!