Going & Going & Going. . .

Time waits for no one. So I am just trying to keep up the pace. And that requires a juggling act of epic proportions. I've found it a necessary evil to manage multiple projects simultaneously without them crashing down around me. And that is just the life of a successful fashion executive. Ha. After my friend Chris teasingly called me a fashion executive a few years ago, it just sort of stuck. I think it has a nice ring to it. But back to juggling. As Ashanti, Serosh and I were busy selecting a new web designer and we were preparing for Queens Fashion Week and I was meeting with my hat man, OH, and my make up artist Alexandra, I was also finishing up the sketches for Spring 2011. It was absolutely insane! A couple of years ago, I answered one of those online personality assessment questionnaires and I found out I was a 7 which is The Enthusiast. And basically it described me as a serial multitasker who craves happiness through creativity. Yet, I also tend to wear myself out in the process. Sounds about right. I am so psyched about Spring 2011. It all began with the idea to dissect the trench coat that just mushroomed into an 18 look collection. Now that's ambitious. And I hear a lot about globalization, so this collection is called "Been Around The World". My lady has just returned from far away exotic locales like Bombay, Africa, Bali, and South America with a quick jaunt in Montego Bay, Jamaica too. But all the dresses have a distinctly American sportswear sensibility. Think It's A Small World in New York. And my songstress of choice for this season is Chaka Khan. Man, did I have a crush on her as a kid. Chaka is sexy, earthy, sensual and just bad to the bone. Everything I want these dresses to be. So just sit back, keep up, and enjoy the ride. I've got a ways to go before it's all said and done. I'm just getting started. But right now I've got to polish up my juggling act. The next few months are going to be very, very busy.

Peace & Fashion!

2010

As a new year approaches, I always make an assessment of my life. Where am I as a human being? As a fashion designer? What happened this past year that I am proud of and what can I do to improve my life and perhaps the lives of others? I thank God that I am still blessed to be able to pursue my goals and for the wonderful people that support me, challenge me, and propel me forward.

2009 was a year of a few firsts for me. I threw caution to the wind and made the decision to design a line of cocktail dresses. I'd wanted to do a line of more tailored and sexy looks for a little while now. But with things being the way that they are and it being difficult to break into a market crowded with well-known names and faces, I had put that part of my dream on hold. I was informed by an industry expert that what I really wanted to do accounted for less than 20% of consumer dollars and made more sense for me to turn my energies toward a line of tops for the young contemporary/junior market. There it would be less difficult to get my big fashion break. But it never took off the way my business partners and I had hoped. I have not yet found anyone willing to invest in my line of deliciously vibrant, rainbow-hued tops or my brilliant business model to sell them online to digitally astute young women between the ages of 15 & 22. After all, this is where they socialize (twitter anyone?) and share (facebook) and learn (wikipedia). I've gotten far more interest with the dresses than I did with the tops. Experts be damned!

I also started writing this online diary, at the urging of Ashanti & Serosh, my two fashion partners in crime. They felt like people would want to hear more from the man behind the seams. "What you have to say is important," is what they tried to convince me of. I always feel like such a small fish in a big pond in the fashion game and that's probably never going to change. But this blog has given me a voice to share the good times and some of the bad. I've been able to release some of the bad just by sharing it with you. And you've read that so many factors come into play with this industry defined by glamour, smoke & mirrors, and ego. By now you've learned that I am an eternal optimist and feel like my proverbial ship will definitely come in. My entire being feels so connected to this journey and I know the universe will provide the answers to all of my questions. I just have to keep doing what I do so that I can get to where I am supposed to be.

With each collection under my belt, I become more and more confident in my creativity. As I look back and see my growth as a designer, I wonder to myself how I got to this place. I've evolved beyond my own expectations and I know I've got more growing and more learning to do. It is my wish for 2010 that all of you accompany me on this odyssey, every small step of the way, and celebrate my evolution and my maturity. Hey, you may even learn something new about yourself in the process. So Happy New Year and Welcome to 2010! It's going to be great!

Peace & Fashion!

Over The Rainbow

Ugghh! It is hot and it's making me feel very lazy! But as I assess everything that I have done this summer, individually and collectively with my partners in fashion crime, I realize that there is just no rest for the weary. And like the energizer bunny, I just keep goin' and goin'. Deep down, it is my fear of not reaching my goals that propels me forward. I have learned that I gotta make my fear work for me. And as an entrepreneur, I've learned to be especially proactive. I've already sketched my collection for fall 2010. I know you're probably saying to yourself that I must be crazy. After all, we just hired Marla, our sales professional, to get the inaugural spring collection into stores. But when you are working on the tightest budget this side of Fashion Avenue, you've got to plan your spending well in advance. And it is essential that we not run out of money. Fall 2010 sketches have elements of the subtly masculine and the overtly feminine because that dichotomy is just so provocative. And it can be kinda sexy, too. Whoever said sex sells knew what they were talking about. In addition, Ashanti and I have just re-designed our business cards. Ashanti is the wizard of illustrator and photoshop. Well, if I'd only had the skills. Maybe the wizard can give me some? Enough of channeling Dorothy for now! Serosh and Ashanti and I have just completed the updated version of our executive summary to reflect our new business direction. Having a document as a point of reference helps us to remain focused with our eyes on the prize. Plus, we are going to submit it to someone who will hopefully point us in the direction of raising a little working capital. That's the kind of wizard I'd like to meet. Now if I could just get my size 12 feet into these damn ruby slippers. . .

Peace & Fashion!

Fashion Stardust

You know, it's those little things that can make me feel like I really matter and that I am not completely overlooked. A few months ago, my partners in crimes of fashion, Ashanti & Serosh, convinced me to write a blog. Originally, Ashanti was the author of her own online diary. I was convinced that people would really respond to her, particularly women. You know, Girl Power! and all that. But A & S persuaded me that more people wanted to hear from the man behind the seams, so to speak. And now here I am probably sharing more than I normally would or should. I guess since President Obama has taken a vow of transparency, I sort of adopted the vow, too. And it is quite cathartic. But sometimes I feel like I am starring in some really bad reality show that is about to get cancelled because nobody's watching. Only it is my life.

While many times I feel like the kid in the lunch room who is not worthy enough to sit with the cool kids, every so often I get invited to the table. This week I made a concerted effort to reach out to designer extraordinaire Eric Gaskins. I wrote about him last week (http://iamfabulous-ablackfashiondudesodyssey.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-if.htmlablackfashiondudesodyssey.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-if.html) and thought we shared some loose similarities. The idea of finding a potential friend in a seventh avenue alum excited me. Maybe he's not a hang out buddy, per se, but I welcomed forming an alliance with him as my new online confidant. After posting a response to his blog and not receiving an acknowledgement, I decided to search him on FaceBook. I found him! I quickly invited him to be my facebook friend and wrote effusively about how much I loved the blog. Within minutes, I received a response from him. It read: "I'm glad you like the blog. Thanks for letting me know. E" Wow! I am cool by association. I can now apply for membership as a fashion insider. It doesn't matter that he didn't accept my friend invitation. And it certainly doesn't matter that he did not respond when I followed up with a link to the blog post I wrote about him. I am not really sure what I expected. Perhaps he thought I was a bit stalker-ish? But it's all good! Whatever that means. I have been sprinkled with the fashion stardust. And I know it's only a matter of time before Ralph Lauren and I are discussing his vintage car collection over an exceptional bottle of bordeaux.

Peace & Fashion!

The Juggling Act

Last night I had a meeting with the pastor of my church. No, I was not having a spiritual crisis. Several months ago, I had been asked by one of the members, who is affectionately referred to as Mama Brown, to assist her with a fashion show for the church. In the black community, church fashion shows are a common way to raise money for the ministry. And they are usually, how can I put this delicately, very CHEESY. In fact, when I became a member of Mount Moriah almost 3 years ago, I declared to my mother that under no uncertain terms would I ever be involved with a fashion show at the church. What if it had been discovered by the fashion elite that I was entangled in a church fashion show? This kind of felony would appear on my record for the rest of my life! Yet, last night there I was face-to-face with my pastor, Mama Brown, and one of the other members of the clergy to nail down details for our November 21 fashion extravaganza. I just find it funny how the universe will set you on a path that you've already decided is not right for you. And you've just got to surrender and learn the lesson that comes with it. But now I am wondering how I am going to find the energy and time and emotional fortitude to take on another project.

Ashanti, Serosh, and I (The 3 Musketeers of Fashion) have been brainstorming on how we are going to move into the next phase of our plan with hiring an independent sales rep and finding a space to have appointments with buyers. Ashanti suggested our old reliable, craigslist, as a possible resource for locating a sales rep. Since nothing beats a failure but a try, we went for it. And I still find it amazing how some people will apply for a job without dotting their Is or crossing their Ts. Our posting reads:

Looking for independent fashion sales representative to sell a line of cocktail dresses. This position is commission only. Must have strong relationships with specialty stores. If you're interested, please contact Wilbur at 917.520.4615

This was one of the responses that was emailed to us:

Have 25 years in evenwear dresses, us too own( after dark). if you are looking for a pro please feel free to cll me.Will not work commission Only.

That's just all wrong! So we keep pressing forward. Serosh has reached out to some of his associates who have been in sales and I've tried reaching out to mine. And we even got a bite from someone who sounds interesting. But we have not met with any candidates just yet. But time marches on and we need to have someone in place for market week next month when all the buyers descend on New York to look at what's new and has value for their stores. So as I field responses to our posting and begin work on my first stab at the world of church fashion shows and strive to remain positive about the possibilities of this inaugural collection, I realize that in this juggling act I've got to keep all my plates in the air. I cannot let one drop and shatter to pieces.

Peace & Fashion!

Do You Believe?

When I picked up my mail today there was a special insert included with my edition of WWD. For those of you who don't know, WWD or Women's Wear Daily is a trade newspaper published Monday through Friday (mostly) that serves as the fashion professional's go-to resource to find out the latest & get the industry 411 on everything from runway show spectacles to company financials to trade shows to which industry titan is flexing its muscles. It is like a cross between The Wall Street Journal and People magazine for the fashion set. That aside, the insert is titled WWD Collections and it is brimming with an encapsulated montage of color photos and stories even more colorful from the New York, London, Paris, and Milan fashion weeks. The reader is treated to a concise overview of the runway trends, the editors top 10 favorite presentations, and profiles of fashion's most rich & powerful. Yours truly has been fortunate enough to have been featured in this publication twice! This time out the magazine profiled Ralph Lauren. Great! Ralph Lauren is my hero. Business wise he is at the top of the heap. His message is always clear, not convoluted. And his clothing is always well made and wearable. If I were to model myself after anyone , it would be Mr. Lauren. In the article he says, "Be as good as you can be and give it your all to project what you believe in. . ." These are certainly words to live by. At SK Wilbur/Sorta Kinda Enterprises, we are committed to doing our best. I am creating tops that are fun, happy, affordable, and easy to care for. And because I believe color can incite joy, each piece is infused with a myriad of colors. We are also in the process of creating accessories, like our "tee" bags, that are functional and fun applying some of the same vibrant colors from our tops. For us, it is about taking something that we might see everyday and tweaking it so that it is fresh and new. My team (Serosh & Ashanti) and I are working diligently to acquire the financing to bring our line of happy tops and bags to the consumer as soon as possible. Sometimes we feel as if we are chasing our tail, but we continue to give it our all because this is a project we believe in.

Peace & Fashion!

Let Your Fingers Do The Walking

When I was a kid I remember watching the commercial for the yellow pages that advised viewers to "Let your fingers do the walking." It was a television moment that has stayed with me throughout my career. Looking to establish my own company was unchartered territory. After all, I'd never even worked for anyone in the fashion industry. So it was a moment of reinvention (Hello Madonna!). Dutifully, I began to make a list of things I needed and let my fingers do the walking. I found clothing label manufacturers, shoe companies, sample makers, fabric stores, etc. The Yellow Pages held a treasure trove of potential contacts. But when I started searching for a financial backer to assist me with taking the company to the next level, there was no listing for Angel With Lots of Money. Up until that moment, it had been my go-to guide for problemsolving. One day about 5 years ago, I was commiserating with my diva friend Josette when she suggested a new kind of yellow pages. "Divo," she said, "why don't you put an ad on craigslist? It certainly can't hurt." Nothing beats a failure but a try, so I wrote my ad and posted it on craigslist the next day. The response was not overwhelming, to say the least, but I did manage to get three bites. One person sent an anonymous message which strongly suggested that I go back to school, take some business classes, and get my head out of the clouds because I obviously had no clue. Ouch! I actually met with the next prospect and he suggested that I just copy designs that were already in the marketplace and sell them. Clearly, he did not share my passion to bring something innovative into the retail landscape. Buh-bye! I was a little worn out when I met with the next dude. He was fresh faced and a little young. He was from Pakistan and had no money. But he had a connection to someone with lots of money who was also interested in building a fashion brand here in the U.S. Serosh (that's his name) and I shared a similar vision for our futures. Jackpot! So even when this financial backer backed out, Serosh and I have continued to try and rub two pennies together to see if we can make Sorta Kinda Enterprises a bonafide success story. But we have to remember to let our fingers do the walking.

Peace & Fashion!

Genesis

Many years ago, over 11, I decided to start my own clothing line. What led up to that a-ha moment is a story for another time. But for now, let's just say that the universe supported my creativity. I christened the line Sorta Kinda because it was part of a phrase I had come up with to describe a girlfriend's oh so fierce new hair weave and my then boyfriend thought it had a nice ring to it. Naturally, I was very excited when I scampered off to one of those federal buildings in downtown Brooklyn on July 29, 1998 and filled out the paperwork for sole proprietorship. It was official! I could see my future unfolding like the movie with the classic "feel-good" Hollywood ending. I was going to set the world on fire, rise to become fashion's next darling, and have women across the U.S. chanting my name as they posed on sidewalks and red carpets wearing my clothes. The question on every woman's lips would be, "Versace, who?" Was I delusional, suffering from feelings of grandeur, or just green? Well it's 2009 and that has not happened, yet I am still in the game.

Fast forward to today, my business partner, Serosh, came up with this fantastic idea to create an accessory that would compliment our tops that we hope to bring to market this spring. I came up with this concept called "tee-bags" that would include a tote and a wristlet style. It's gonna be H-O-T! But right now we are faced with drama from our manufacturers overseas. First, our order was too small so a couple of manufacturers turned us down. They said it wasn't worth their time. Now we've got this French dude who says he can make it happen for us, but then disappears for days at a time without so much of a word. Wassup with that?! Everyday we are learning, but, damn, I am sick of the classroom! All I want now is to have those bags for sale at skwilbur.com. Whoever came up with the saying "Patience is a virtue" must have had me in mind. And since I am being SO virtuous, then you must be too. That's it for today, but check in from time to time just to see where I am in my odyssey. And if you feel like dropping me a line, then post something. Please, NO APPLAUSE! Just kidding. . .



Peace & Fashion!