Keep It Moving

At the end of last week, my business partners and I decided to terminate Marla's contract. Although it seemed like she was initially committed to the cause of getting the line on store racks, she lost steam after our disappointing Market Week turnout. Ashanti and I tried several times over the past three weeks to contact Marla so that we could strategize our next move, but our phone calls went unreturned and our emails were unanswered. We are looking into other options as far as a sales professional is concerned and are hopeful. But our success is only guaranteed by a strong team who believes in the goals of Sorta Kinda Enterprises. In the meantime, this Tuesday past, I took a handful of dresses with me and visited 3 different Manhattan boutiques that we are interested in selling to. And the idea of the old school door-to-door salesman is dead. May he rest in peace. Because each one of the style emporiums that I looked into will only consider our goods through email correspondence. I spoke to my friend Chris this afternoon about this phenomenon and both of us thought it rather ironic. Because clothing is very tactile, most of us like to see the way a garment moves, how it feels, its weight. But modern technology has eliminated an integral part of choosing one design over another. And then, what if the buyer dislikes the way my photos are styled or my choice of models. Will that influence their decision? It's all quite precarious. But I've been emailing the images to every appropriate venue possible. All I need is a breakthrough.

Peace & Fashion!

Just Fine

Last week we signed on our new sales professional. Marla Freeman, a lovely, mild mannered mother of two, will be taking the reins and dazzling store buyers with her quiet charisma. They won't know what hit them! And the dresses will be hanging on the racks of some of the poshest stores here in the U.S. At least that is what we are planning for. But you know adding a new addition to your family is a little daunting. I can honestly say that Serosh, Ashanti, and I are truly a family. We respect each other and have developed our own language over the last few years. But we welcome Marla with open arms and we are looking forward to merging her talents with the language of Sorta Kinda Enterprises.

I just saw the movie "Julie & Julia" starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. Amy Adams plays Julie Powell, a woman who writes a blog about cooking the recipes from Julia Child's (played by Meryl Streep) cookbook Mastering The Art of French Cooking over a 1 year period. As a result of her project, she finds purpose, lands a book deal, and gains confidence. The story really resonated for me. Before I started pursuing fashion, I often wondered if I would die before knowing my place in the universe. Some days I still ask myself if I am living my life to its fullest potential. And writing about my fashion odyssey certainly gives me a reference point. I sure would love it if hundreds of people read my blog and were touched by some of my stories. And I sure wouldn't mind if a book deal came my way. That would be cool. But right now, this blog does what it is supposed to. It gives me an outlet to express myself and learn from my triumphs as well as my disappointments. And that's just fine.

Peace & Fashion!

Fashion All Day

You're dying to find out, aren't you? Don't act like you could care less about knowing the details of Saturday's photo shoot. It was in one word - MAGNIFICENT! The day could not have gone any smoothly. Originally, I wanted to shoot outside the United Nations. I had even acquired all the necessary permits weeks in advance. But after Mother Nature ordered the heavens to rain down on me, we moved the shooting location inside to a dear friend's apartment. His elegant home was to be our base where we only did outfit changes and made adjustments to hair and make up. But it instead became the backdrop - an instant photo set for the ladies readying themselves for a swanky evening on the town. New York, New York!

The day began with a very early 9:00 a.m. call and ended after several hours at approximately 7:00 p.m. But time did not drag and all of us merrily got along as if we were old friends. Monique coiffed the hair into modern masterpieces - a la Mary J. Blige circa The Breakthrough with a mishmash of Angela Davis & Funny Girl thrown in for good measure. Then there was Alexandra, a wizard with the makeup brush, who painted Vanessa & Valencia as if she were working on great works of art. My sister, Ashanti, is my go to manicurist and she lacquered the models' talons a candy apple red. I love red! My brother, N'Gai, and his comrade Spencer were on hand for security while my sister-in-law, Rebecca, was busy behind the lens. Having borrowed over $12,000 worth of lovely gold baubles for the shoot from my dear friend Camilla Bergeron who is a purveyor of fine estate jewelry, I thought having security was the smart thing to do. And since my baby brother is bigger than me, he was more than up for the task. Luckily, he and Spencer didn't have to let out their inner guard dog! The 2 V girls (Valencia & Vanessa) were not just gorgeous, but professional and divatude-free for the duration of the day. I really cannot express enough gratitude to all of the players. And it was extra special and reassuring having my family there.

Now that this part of the journey is over, it is time to move onto the next phase of the plan. Once I've selected the photos that best show the garments, I've got to hire a showroom to rep my line and get it onto store racks. But as I turn the page to the next chapter, I look back satisfyingly at the fun that we had with fashion all day.

Peace & Fashion!