/script>

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Turning passion into business?


Saptamana trecuta am avut ocazia de a participa la un masterclass de Fashion Marketing. Fiind foarte interesata de orice tine de fashion m-am inscris cu entuziasm la doua evenimente sustinute de profesorul Clarence van der Putte. Astfel marti seara am participat la cursul  organizat de IAA Young Professionals Cluj, iar miercuri seara, intr-un cadru mai restrans, sustinut de Business Ladies Club, am avut ocazia sa il ascult a doua oara pe Clarence. Ambele evenimente au fost frumos organizate, iar subiectul dezbatut a fost de-a dreptul fascinant. Am ramas surprinsa de faptul ca profesorul si consultantul, Clarence van der Putte a sustinut doua 'cursuri' diferite. Ma asteptam oarecum sa reia discutia din prima seara si sa o reproduca, insa ne-a surprins cu o noua abordare si cu o noua prezentare.

In prima seara, intr-un amfiteatru plin de persoane pasionate de marketing, designeri, economisti, studenti, bloggeri si iubitori de frumos, sub deviza Fashion as an expression of your inner self, s-a discutat despre strategii de business, segmentare, targetting, studii de caz, industria fashion internationala, branding. Acest masterclass de mare amploare s-a datorat dorintei membrilor IAA de a organiza un workshop intern, care ulterior s-a transformat intr-un eveniment cu peste 400 de participanti si peste 15 parteneri.
"The dynamics of fashion is very interesting"

In urma discutiilor legate de branding, dezvoltarea unei afaceri in domeniul fashion si targeting, am inteles ca nu mai este suficient sa fi pasionat. Desigur, pasiunea reprezinta un element cheie in dezvoltarea unui business de succes, insa lucrurile au evoluat puternic, totul se rezuma la marketing, sau market getting. Nu mai este suficient sa lucrezi din greu si sa te dedici trup si suflet ideii tale, ci ai nevoie de o echipa, de un mecanism, care sa se ocupe de selectarea si introducerea produsului tau pe piata. Profesorul van der Putte ne-a explicat ca fara un astfel de mecanism majoritatea fashion business-urilor noi reusesc sa supravietuiasca maxim un an. 

Traim intr-o lume in care promovarea a devenit mai importanta decat produsului in sine, fara de care afacerile nu se pot dezvolta. Un produs bun combinat cu o strategie puternica de marketing poate sa ajunga departe, cunoscut si achizitionat la nivel mondial. De asemenea am invatat ca modul corect de a lansa un produs este prin cunoasterea cerintelor pietei in prealabil. Abordarea combinata de inside out si outside in este adecvata in constructia unui fashion brand. Metoda inside out se bazeaza pe capacitatile companiei, pe punctele sale forte si posibilitatile acesteia, in timp ce outside in se fundamenteaza pe preferintele si sugestiile clientilor, orientarile si experientele acestora. Astfel combinand cele doua puncte de vedere se poate consolida o afacere, tinand cont atat de capacitatile interne, cat si de dorintele consumatorilor. 


In a doua seara, la discutia cu acelasi specialist, Clarence van der Putte, organizata de Business Ladies Club, pe tema Fashion Brand Identity am intrat in detalii, am dezbatut situatii concrete ale unor brand-uri aflate la inceput si am aflat cate ceva din abordarea celor de la ZARA. Combinatia masterclass-ului cu fashion show-ul de dupa a fost ideala, iar locatia aleasa, Tube Social Chemistry, a asigurat succesul serii. 
Secretul succesului in industria fashion consta in calitate, insa crearea pieselor de calitate premium, promovarea acestora si efectiv lansarea si desfacerea lor pe piata este extrem de costisitoare. Din acest motiv, articolele de designer devin pentru noi, clientele, o adevarata investitie. Asa ca daca tot investim, sa o facem cu cap, sa alegem piese din materiale superioare, cu design deosebit. Business Ladies Club ne-a sugerat 3 designeri care bifeaza cerintele de calitate si unicitate, si anume Isabela Teodor, Mihaela Cirlugea si Andrea Szanto. 
  • Creatiile superbe, din materiale deosebite ale Isabelei Teodor, in nuante metalice, cameleon sunt reprezentatia optimismului si a unicitatii.
  • Colectia Mihaelei Cirlugea se intituleaza 'Take me wherever you want', si este construita pe conceptul de versatilitate, outfit-urile fiind adecvate atat pentru a fi purtate dimineata la birou, cat si seara la un cocktail.
  • Andrea Szanto a creat o colectie chic, inspirata de femeile care folosesc bicicleta ca mijloc de transport. Colectia sport couture este creata din materialele folosite pentru echipamentele de biclisti, cu un design extraordinar, revolutionar pentru acest tip de tinute. 

Per ansamblu am invatat multe de la profesorul si consilierul Clarence van der Putte, un orator desavarsit, cu un bagaj de cunostiinte extraordinar si exemple fascinante. Organizatiile IAA Young Professionals Cluj si Business Ladies Club, au realizat doua evenimente frumoase, bine organizate, la care mi-a facut o deosebita placere sa particip. Astept cu nerabdare astfel de intalniri si in viitor!


english

Last week I had the chance to participate in a very interesting masterclass, on Fashion Marketing. I am actually extremely interested in fashion and everything it implies, therefore I signed up for two events with professor and business adviser Clarence van der Putte. One of the events was organised by IAA Young Professionals Cluj and was held at FSEGA, gathering over 400 marketing enthusiasts, fashionistas, bloggers, students, economists, designers. The other lecture by Clarence van der Putte took place in a more intimate manner, at the Tube Social Chemistry pub, with around 40 current and future business ladies. The second event was organised by Business Ladies Club and to my complete surprise, had a different approach. Mr. van der Putte managed to present his expertise from two different points of view, succeeding to surprise us with his quality speeches and impresive business experience. 

During the first lecture, Mr. van der Putte talked about the business and marketing strategies, segmentation, targeting, case studies, the international fashion industry, branding. This amazing masterclass happened thanks to the IAA YP members, who wanted an internal workshop on the subject of Fashion Marketing. The event developed to be also wanted by over 400 people and managed to gather more than 15 partners. It was great and inspiring!

"The dynamics of fashion is very interesting"

Listening to professor van der Putte, I understood that passion is no longer enough when you want to build a powerful business. Of course, passion will always remain a contributive factor when you start your own business, but nowadays everything revolves around marketing and the skills of selling your product.  Market getting is hard and you might need a team to put together a good platform in order to successfully introduce your product to the market. New fashion businesses go bankrupt in a year if they are not able to properly advertise. 

I've also learned a bit about combining the inside out and the outside in methods in order to achieve the perfect business approach. The inside out method is about the possibilities that emerge within the company, the company's capacity, the strong points and what it can do. On the other hand, the outside in method is all about the customers, about their likes and dislikes, their needs and their orientations. Combining these two points of view will guarantee a successful business approach. You need to understand the market before you try to introduce a new product. First of all you need to find out if there is a market for your product, and adapt it to the costumers' needs. Mr. van der Putte's lecture was truly inspiring and I feel I have learned a lot about fashion businesses. 

We have also discussed some case studies, concerning emerging brands and their methods of advertising and marketing, we received some amazing tips & tricks on how to build a business and had a great debate on how to properly promote a product. 

Designers choose premium quality fabrics to set them appart from the mass production clothing companies. They also have to invest a lot of money in advertising, marketing, placing their product on the market. Buying a designer item is an investment for all of us, so we should always pick a product that is made of a good quality fabric, a product that is unique and special. Business Ladies Club suggested three talented designers:

  • Isabela Teodor, for her beautiful items, made of a cool fabric, in beautiful metallic shades. Her collection is unique, special and streams a lot of optimism.
  • Mihaela Cirlugea, for her versatile collection, called 'Take me wherever you want', made of beautiful clothes that you can wear in the morning at the office, or in the evening at a cocktail.
  • Andrea Szanto for her chic collection, inspired by women who ride their bikes. Her clothes are made of professional biking fabrics and represent the sport couture. 
Overall, I learned a lot from the professor and consultant, Clarence van der Putte, an amazing speaker with tremendous business knowledge. Both the organizations involved did a great job and I am looking forward to participating in their next events. 


No comments:

Post a Comment