by trish on May 19, 2009
Smashing Darling is a website whose sole focus is the independent fashionista, whether it be consumer or designer, viewers can come to shop or “be” one of the “unbranded” design houses. Giannina Granata Silverman took a moment with Trish Ginter to find out why SmashingDarling.com is well… a smashing success!
Giannina Granata Silverman: Why is Smashing Darling important to the fashion world as a whole?
Trish Ginter: We think it is important to showcase this niche segment of the fashion industry. We wanted to give indies the chance to have a web presence if they couldn’t afford a website or couldn’t keep up with the web’s maintenance. We also think being together collectively under one roof, so to speak, shows that the indie fashion market not only exists but is a growing industry getting stronger everyday. We think this will impact the fashion industry because the trend for indie fashion is becoming more and more evident as consumers want to know where and from whom their products are coming.
GGS: My particular area of interest is in brand image. What kind of brand image tips would you recommend to young designers selling on Smashing Darling to attract customers and develop a following through your site? Does having a unique name help to draw people in? Does it also help to have a website so people can learn more about the designer?
TG: We think it is each designer’s personal story that builds the strongest following. When a designer articulates who they are, where their inspiration comes from, and what the collection or the pieces are about, it gives the customer insight into their world. It makes every item purchased more personal. On Smashing Darling designers can tell that story in the bio section of their boutique. We also recommend clean, crystal clear, large images as another must for indies. Even if they don’t have the budget for a photographer, we try to give tips to help them improve the images of their product.
A lot of the designers on Smashing Darling do have their own websites. This is great because the image of the brand is definitely stronger on a personal site. We have had many designers tell us their SEO for their personal sites has gone up since joining our platform. Many use Smashing Darling as their shopping cart so they don’t have to go through the trouble of having one built in their site. Read the rest of the interview here.
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by Mo on May 5, 2009
Don’t you want to know more about Nolcha and what this Fashion – Business – Network is all about? We have been posting Nolcha opportunities here in the Smashing Blog to entice you to jump in and see how Nolcha can help you and your business. Some of you have done just that…congrats go out to Kimberly Hendrix, we’ll be seeing her designs hit the Nolcha runway this Fall during New York Fashion Week and we can’t wait! In the meantime, get to know Nolcha better below.
Darlings: Give us the skinny on “Nolcha,” and the meaning behind it.
Kerry: Nolcha provides business resources to the emerging fashion market in a professional and sophisticated manner. Although our resources and opportunities are cost effective for the emerging and independent fashion designer, this does not reflect in our events, materials or programs. We are aiming to be the one-stop destination for new fashion designers and retailers to grow their brand whether through promotion, marketing, sales and business connections. Networking is key to Nolcha. It has got us where we are today and we encourage all members and associates to do the same. Nolcha means sun in the sky in Native American. This is not why we chose the name, but you could say we are the enlightenment of the emerging fashion market (grin). On a serious note we chose a unique name that allowed us to create our own brand association and mantra.
Darlings: Where did the inspiration come from to start Nolcha, and how did the project come together?
Kerry: My background is in business communications, marketing and events. I moved to NYC from UK after college and quickly learned that there is a huge gap in the fashion industry for those starting out – they need business advice and support. I provided consultancy to brands but knew there was a larger demand and decided to grow an online network. I met Arthur Mandel, current President and Co-Founder of Nolcha, and we have grown Nolcha to what it is today.
Darlings: When was the first fashion show produced?
Kerry: It feels like many years go, but the soft launch of Nolcha was September 2007 at the Maritime Hotel in New York City. We did fashion shows for new designers in New York, London, LA, and Miami. Looking back it was a rather courageous thing to do with only enough money for our plane tickets, staff and solid relationships in these fashion cities!
Darlings: What is the most important thing you learned from doing that first show?
Kerry: Plan ahead, protect yourself with contracts and always be ready for the unprepared.
Darlings: What’s the criteria for a designer to be considered for a Nolcha fashion show?
Kerry: We are looking for designers that are bringing something new to the marketplace. A fresh eye with a strong business plan and a willingness to succeed. If they have the basics implemented we can do the rest but the designer needs to be ready to produce and sell once Nolcha Fashion Week is completed. An oooh factor from the crowd is always something we look for as well. Will the garment be show-stopping in a good way? Good cut, good drape, and great fabric choice is also very important. There are a lot of young designers that produce 20-30 looks with cheap fabric when they should be producing 15 with finer materials
Darlings: You recently opened your first retail space, will the designers change from time to time? If yes, who should designers contact to be considered?
Kerry: Yes, the designers can rotate every six months however the original eleven have first right of refusal. Designers should contact retail@nolcha.com.
Darlings: You are launching a new online resource, can you tell us a little bit about it and how you see it being used?
Kerry: The online retail portion is how we keep ahead of the trends before they even happen. We like to think of ourselves as trend makers, so if a piece by one of our designers makes it on a celebrity or in a magazine we can post it online for sale before anyone else can, giving our loyal clients the first pick. It is a new evolution in “get it while it’s hot” almost a “pre-press” instead of “hot off the press”. In the in between time we will have bi-weekly features of products that adhere to the current trends seen in the likes of the major fashion magazines chosen by some of NYC’s top stylists just to keep consumers ahead of the pack. All items will be available only for a limited time.
