I searched my wardrobe frantically and saw that as a a lover of dark colors, majority of My clothes are falling in the same range.
Not a good idea for a fashionista
Are you like me?
Or should we do a wardrobe check to know if you also have a majority of some colour line.
It’s cool to try on some new colors.
For me, certain colors lift my spirits and I am certainly not the only one.
I didn’t like pink, but at a recent event I wore pink and Girl!!!! I felt really cool and sweet.
This season has some new color trends. Muted colors is on the rise. It means a lighter or a bit duller shade of the bright colors.
I love Mustard Yellow in particular. Its really beautiful, oozes some confidence, and gives you that “Boss Chic” style.
Here are my picks for the week as seen on the net. You could try some out. And if you need any of these as a ready to wear. Feel free to contact me. I deliver worldwide.
As a tailor, fashion designer, seamstress or seamster, you need to consider having this measuring tools to make your projects easier to handle at any given time.
I’m already certain you have an idea of what a measuring tape should be like. Also remember we have different textures and brands of these tapes.
Buy the ones that will last longer. And buy different types that will come in handy whenever you need them.
1. The regular 60 inches with cm on reverse side for easy conversions
2. 80 inches, don’t limit yourself to 60. Save yourself the stress off adding up measurements
3. 120 inches is a plus. Especially if you will be sewing beddings/ curtains.
4. Retractable taperule- your easy Carry on tool everywhere you go
If you’ve not been in this shoes, and you own a business in naija I must say – Una Wehdone o.
I wish I could say may it never happen to you. But, knowing fully well that success stories comes with a lot of sides we don’t want to share with the public. I will say, what for it. Its not a curse, its the reality.
What happens when such things come up.
Okay, as a consumer and customer to other businesses, I will say no one is at fault really. Its always a battle of one side vs the other.
Either the client is the one at fault, trying to give the vendor a bad image due to some reasons known to them alone.
You will be surprised, some business owners set customers against their competitors in the name of pulling them down, for them to rise and shine better.
Same way, sometimes it’s the business owners who take up jobs they clearly can’t deliver and call for these unnecessary dragging.
Then we have these instances when no-one is at fault, but the 2 parties just can’t clearly understand and manage the simple situation till it gets out of hand.
Have you been there? What did you do?
If you ask me, oh yeah I have been there and in all occasions, I’ve ensured my part is well delivered to a good level of justification. The clients of course may not accept but I want a case where you hear the story and I can boldly say- I did my part.
I happened to work on a project a while ago which involved a 3rd party organisation. Things happened, clearly out of my control and the affected people were threatening fire and brimstone. I just dey observe, did what I could and left the rest.
Should this push you out of business? Of course NO! You will likely face more troubles, they are the hurdles you cross to get to the top.
Just be fit and good to go. The more you scale, the better you get at managing your business.
Have a productive weekend.
Follow me on Instagram @dgvstyles @ibcityfashioncollege
You will encounter people who ask fro free jobs in the name of publicity and promotions, no doubt. But, the question is – is it okay to keep accepting and giving in to it?
In my early years of starting my fashion business, I met a lot, I mean a whole lot of these people and I will share my personal take on this with you. Take the part that works for you and leave out the ones you don’t want .
There are influencers and celebrities, they do a lot in helping your business grow. As a new business owner, enter this kind of engagement with caution. Except you have a lot of financial reserve and can afford running the business for a while without expecting detailed profit.
Free Jobs mean zero profit, don’t forget. Free Jobs can help you but not at the detriment of the main goal of the business.
Don’t use too many of them in the name of getting famous. You are not the only one they are asking for the same privileges.
The part that baffles me is, the same people wear and flaunt ,they even advertise for foreign brand names all in the name of “I Belong and I wear luxury” – these brands don’t pay them but they’re happy to do free advert why?
These brands took time to grow their products, their brands and they became a name everyone wants to reckon with.
Have you done the same for your business for just 12 months?
What new thing have you added to your business in the past 6 months?
What improvements are you looking at in the next 3 months?
If you don’t have a good product everyone wants to have, the fame will only make your name ring in their ears, give you likes and followers but not paying customers.
In my business early years, I worked with a lot of celebrities and I realised if care is not taken you may keep attracting the wrong audience.
The willing ones assume your brand is for rich people alone. Or they feel they just can’t afford you.
Some assume you must be too busy for ordinary people like them.
On and on.
Learn to say no, if you want your business to grow.
Let me start by asking how is your business going. For those planning to start, what are the steps you have taken?
How far have you gone with your business plan? Your growth plans? And startup plans? Note I have an economy coming up that will help you get this done in simple ways, as simple as ABC. I’ve penned down how I started and I am sharing it all with you in the books. Watch out.
Today, we’re talking about choosing a name for the business. For existing business owners, you may want to take a second look at your business name.
Does it need adjustment? Is it just okay the way it is for now? Don’t put yourself under unnecessary pressure if you are not yet sure. Take your time.
It’s a common thing to see business owners combine their names into acronyms to make a business name, or put the names in the family together to form another name. This is a good idea as long as it sounds good and not too long, difficult to spell and pronounce.
The name you will choose for your business is the name you want to be called. Don’t rush to select.
Consider how far you want the business to go. What is the vision? The end goal.
Your business name is unique, and your clients must be happy to relate with it.
If you choose a name that doesn’t relate to your business, people may get a wrong interpretation of what you represent.
Search for keywords in your industry. And work around it. I’ve seen people use beauty lingo in the fashion industry. It may sound okay, but the first impression customers get may mislead.
Let’s take an example
RONNIES LOOKS
RONNIES
These 2 names belong to a fashion house. To the best of my knowledge, the first name sounds like a makeup business or a hair/ beauty business.
The second name is simple and general, could fit anything. This is an idea of how your name can mislead your audience.
Don’t choose names because you heard someone using it. Sometimes in the spirit of competition, I’ve seen business owners coin name close to what another person is using. It could be out of admiration. If you find yourself on this seat, try to be unique. It’s part of what you want to do.
Copying makes you lazy intellectually, if you don’t task your creativity, it won’t task itself. Carve out a niche for yourself with your business name.
For global brands, products or services- consider your foreign clients too. Simplicity does it.
Your business name will keep being on people’s lips. Don’t take it with fingertips.
Another issue is religion – for those who get over religious with business names. Its okay, it is a personal choice. But ask yourself, is your service, product or brand for some kind of religion only?
If not, you are already creating a demarcation which will affect the business growth.
Take a short time and review your business name.
Search for industry keywords.
Search for keywords in other languages, some languages have beautiful interpretations that are so easy to pronounce, spell and they sure sound exquisite.
As fun as sewing is, we all know when the frustration sets in…
• Thread cutting
• fabric puckering
And so on……
What could be the cause?
At the fashion college – Ibadancity Fashion College- we had an instructor who was nicknamed “Mr Change your needle ” he would tell anyone who came to ask him to fix their sewing machines if they had changed the needle.
He understood that many problems come from using a wrong needle to sew, and this leads to other small issues.
No matter how beautiful or strong your sewing machine is, the needle can make it malfunction if any of the following happens.
● Using Dull Needles
How often do you change your needles?
If you are constant on your machine, try to use a new needle daily if possible. It’s not costly, so it’s a low maintenance issue. It saves you a lot of stress. Dull needles pucker the fabric and can cause real damages to soft fabrics like silk, chiffon, satin even some cotton fabrics.
Bent Needles
Will keep hitting your machine and making strange sounds. The danger of this is it can cause damages to the sewing machine plates.
Wrong Size and Wrong type of needle
We have different brands and these brands may have the same sizes, the fineness of the sizes differ. A size 16 violin (brand) is different from a size 16 butterfly or orange brand etc. It’s safe to have different brands and sizes in your haberdashery.
If you’re not using industrial sewing machine, HA type is most suitable, although you can settle for DB, DP is also common In the market but the problem of DP is its too strong for some machines and fabrics.
Know Your Tools – it makes your work easier and smoother.
We are not all in the sewing business for money. Right? Some of us are here only to learn how to make clothes for ourselves, our family and make the necessary amendments when needed without having to go look for a tailor.
If you’re in a country where getting tailor isn’t as easy as it is in other countries, most especially developed countries. You don’t like the idea of booking appointments, or the nature of your work doesn’t give the time, how can you blend this in?
Knowing how to take your measurements by yourself saves you a lot of stress.
Either when sewing or when you have to send your measurements to your tailors or choosing clothes online / in a store.
This video is as simple as ABC.
The guide is easy and you will see its really not a big deal getting a hang of it.
Before you watch. Have you followed my social media handles? Kindly do. And turn notifications on so you can get first hand notice when new posts come up.
Don’t forget to Click subscribe on the YouTube channel
You’re on this page because you are probably nursing the idea of starting a fashion business, or you have already started one and you are thinking of how to navigate this busy road with ease. These small tips will definitely be helpful, trust me.
I am Aderonke Olubanjo, the CEO of Ibadancity Fashion College and DGVSTYLES
WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT TO SELL?
This is the first question i will be asking you. I have met many people who want to start a business with a general idea. ok, there is nothing bad with a general idea, but you will need to narrow it down to a level to attract the clients you are looking for. If i ask you and you say “I want to sell clothe”, fine, my next question will be – What Type of Clothes? Casuals?, Natives? Maternity? Kids? Teens? and so on.
You should have a clearly defined line, this will enable your clients relate with you more based on the area. Also it will help direct the customers who need the services to you. There are so many general people in your industry, make yourself more visible by being different.
You need equipment tools and equipment, some, not all. a common mistake is investing in the wrong startup tools or equipment with the initial capital you are investing into that business. Research and know what you need before buying. Buy what you really need and maximize your capital adequately.
ask yourself this and weigh the options available to you. if the available capital is enough to Rent and Equip the store? Or, should you start from home and seek to expand after?
The cost of renting and furnishing is not a small cost. Here, note that if you want to set up, do it in a way that will attract the right clients. instead of renting a space that will not give you the needed look you want for that business, start where you are and focus on your marketing and online visibility for now. Not taking for granted the quality of your products and services.
these are just few questions to deliberate on as you prepare to launch your fashion business.
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