2 years later....

Monday, August 10, 2009

A new chapter in Birds Eye View

When I had someone suggest that I do a blog for both our clients and for the general public I kept thinking who is going to read this and how do I do it...
Thanks to Micheal Garret here we are...thank god for the younger generation-the thought process that usage of the internet will forward your business. It's not something we old school-ers are used to...nor do we or me accept it with open arms...

My business is retail and wholesale consulting. My whole job is to push the envelope, push what the general public sees in windows and in store layouts as well as what the retailers see when they come to purchase for their stores for the coming seasons.
I have 2 mantras..
1-"change is good-change is good-change is good"
and
2-everything happens for a reason

In order to push yourself or your company you have to change..you can't stay safe or complacent..you have to push the envelope-not everyone will get it but it will make
those think about it..
Simon Doon the brilliant man who does the windows at Barney's NY has pushed the envelope
for years-he never stays safe and is constantly pushing the world of visuals forward-my favorite story he tells is of him doing a christmas window...Simon is not traditional- you will not find the normal holiday windows. One year they decided to do the typical nativity scene but in a total non-traditional way..Simon in his brilliance used hello kitty in lieu of baby jesus..while I find the humor in it the catholic church did not and put a full page ad in the NY Times...
The up side of all of this was the best free press and long long lines of people going to see the window display with hello kitty...that is pushing the envelope-that is not staying safe-that is what I love about this industry.

Everything happens for a reason...you may not see it at once but its always there...I lost all my stores after the earthquake- I was devastated..it was all I knew..it was my ego, it was my job..it was essentially what I thought was me-however, that me was a snotty 27 year old that yes pushed the envelope but not in the right direction..thank god that earthquake happened. I can't picture what I would be like now..or where I would be now...
I had to re-learn retail, re-learn what worked and what did not- how to drive traffic to a store, how to drive your buisness thru visuals and simple floor planning. I had to re-learn what customer service was and how to utilize it. I started my company 6 years ago and never looked back-I have never had to go out and look for work- all my buisness has been through word of mouth. I am very lucky and I know it..there are a lot of us out there and a lot of us all jocking for the same jobs..

This blog is for my retailers and the general pubilc- it will later be turned into a subscriber service for my clients who want the upper hand in retail solutions.
I will post windows I see, inspiration and ideas. I will list items and places I love etc...

The subscriber portion will have trend forcasting, show overviews (for those whom only make it to the reginal shows) and detailed display how-tos.
Hope you enjoy it and hope it brings inspiration to you!
m-

Who knew?

WHO KNEW...I certainly did not when I signed on to open Forge's store in Lancaster that I would go from retail consultant and merchandiser to a buyer again...and,for men's no less....
I have not been a buyer for menswear in almost 20 years. Once a very long time ago I had three
stores in Fred Segal Santa Monica that I loved very much. I was very young and did pretty much what I wanted. I made a lot of friends, I made a more than a few people pissed off, but most of all I found out what I loved to do and I had the opportunity to learn it in an amazing arena!
There is nothing I would change about my education of the fashion world...nothing. I may have lost it all...but I would change nothing....
So, who knew when this opportunity came up that I would be submerged again in not only what I know like the back of my hand, but also men's and women's apparel buying...
Who knew that I would be nervous my first day back in the showrooms that I once knew, ruled (only because of having a store at Fred Segal) and understood so well...
Who knew?
But, just as riding a bike, it all is coming back....the eye, the verbiage ( and it does have a vocabulary to its own, let me tell ya!) the sizing, the delivery dates and so on and so on...
So, here I sit...scanning sites for new upcoming lines, re learning how to walk the walk and talk
the talk...and you know what, I am loving every minute of it...
WHO KNEW?
xo