The Queen has decided to take a stand, to take action... FINALLY

Who and how is  in itself is another story suffice it to  say that  it takes a straw to break the camel’s back!  Now in the letter I received recently she out rightly questioned the Caribbean Heads of States, Business and Tourism  advocacy units, and the CTO  itself on their sincerity in supporting the  regions talents Here with here is the text …(with her permission)

The Queen has decided to take a stand, to take action... FINALLY

Who and how is  in itself is another story suffice it to  say that  it takes a straw to break the camel’s back!  Now in the letter I received recently she out rightly questioned the Caribbean Heads of States, Business and Tourism  advocacy units, and the CTO  itself on their sincerity in supporting the  regions talents Here with here is the text …(with her permission)

Queen Esther here … Could you please tell me which CARIBBEAN Brands were you wearing to CIFWeek ? Which Caribbean Brands were the  CTO members wearing? Which  Brands are the Heads of Government wearing? And which  brands were Caribbean Organizations Leaders wearing ?

  The Queen is right, the fact is that branding, selling your message starts with believing and living  your message! The heads of Caribbean States and those responsible for building the  Caribbean Fashion Sector and The growth of Caribbean Import and Export… those who  will essentially reap the benefits of growth in these sectors … need to live their message!   The Queens goes on

There are lots of talented Tailors /Dressmakers /Designers right here in the Caribbean where is the support?   Instead they boost and make it easy for the foreign brands who are all ready super rich to come into our markets ..  and exploit us by not (providing resources that help) developing our skills or support our businesses. Tell me why did I, (Queen Esther) not see them wearing: Caribbean Designers!

 

Yes we have talent!!   What are they doing to promote Caribbean Designers? Where are the factory sheds for manufacturing, our designs; where are the MARKETING Professionals is that all they could offer us, a ten foot, steps stage with lots of empty seats in a Fashion Capital Like New York Please I am not impressed!   Waste of resources it cost about $2500.00 US,  (Designer) attendance  fees plus Air fares, taxi, spending monies, hotel accommodation  and yet no results please !!!   It’s   time to bring out the truth about the Caribbean Fashion Industries.

  Aside:- as a Designer’s advocate dealing with designers in the African  and Independent markets  I can assure you this is NOT a solely Caribbean problem! Caribbean National in NY  also have the same issue.   Queen Esther continues.. .  

The problems DESIGNERS have to go though to CREATE a living (especially) without  proper supporting systems in place to grow the industry.  (the Caribbean Fashion Weeks) all gain from the designers creative industries. Have the leaders put monies to train sewing technician and building the Fashion Industries in the Caribbean I would not look beyond the waters of the Caribbean.   We're talented  with no outlets to expand! IF they look at the millions they  are spending on importing clothing and invest  monies  in  Fashion Schools/skills training  they would be providing employment for thousands and have more to trade with the world and the Tourist Industries… just look at wasted Talent !!!!!!!!!!    Queen Esther is a house hold name she's talented with lots of awards ( I can Attest) that she is “willing to work very hard to earn her respect!!  I need a VOICE will not remain silent any more, and I would really like all of them to see the other side of Queen Esther!  Designers cannot take it any more we are just traveling from Island to Island attending  these Fashion Weeks WE NEED RESULTS.   It takes a Revolution to bring about CHANGE FOR THE CARIBBEAN FASHION INDUSTRY. Queen ESTHER SAYs… “NO MORE USING ME!!!”  

She further admonishes

 To all the young Artiste & Designers;- “Speak out for change , for your future  for safe guarding your talents and your markets . Let those Promoters know  we expect better Cause we  are tired of being taken for a Fashion Hype with no sales We need more Trade shows, Show Rooms, Good marketing PR for Designers , more effective help from the commercial , Tourist Ministries, easier access to affordable loans. Retail outlets  Skills Training  programs… Those are my concerns…. Queen Esther

  Now I have received permission from the Queen to reveal that I have been working with her help her (and a couple other Caribbean designers) improve their presentation and identify the weaknesses of their entire PLM (product line management) in preparation for maximizing sales!  There is much wrong with the present system that many are adopting… But since the more popular designers have NOT spoken out younger designers are drawn into the waste-less revolving web of “Fashion Weeks’ As long as the politics and not expertise, is allowed to guide the selection of  those who advocate and steer the  sector Caribbean designers in  NY and the Caribbean will have problems! BRAND  CARIBBEAN The BRAND CARIBBEAN needs work… as I discussed in another  discourse (see resources below) … Branding is not simply a word or a logo… It is YOUR innate character… When we say  Italian Fashion ... There is an  expectation,  when we reference the Japanese, Or the Russian  sectors we have expectations! They have trend reports and forecasting...  Caribbean designers need to gain the confidence to stand on their own design aesthetic!  Where's the Caribbean color and print show and forecast and reports!   Short cuts  do not  always bring you to the destination of your choice... if  you want to be taken  seriously then get serious!   Do you keep your word; are you loyal to those who invest  in you;  is your product consistent;  Can you work with others; overall accolades  and press… the nepotism has to stop !  Editors when you paste your “friends images’ as being the best … experts take that at face value as the best the Caribbean has to offer... when you  hire an  editor who  has no  idea how to curate or critique  Fashion... I am not impressed and neither will the world! A mentor an  elder said to me m "what  this sector need is genuine critique... not pandering for press, other wise we cannot  be taken seriously! Fashion Is an Ecosystem… and as the Queen rightly indicated there are core needs!   Fashion Weeks do not sell clothes… Look at  a fashion week, designers have a responsibility for filling seats... yes you heard right  YOU (designers) are "responsible"  for who sits in on your show!  Fill the seats or part of it with  YOUR followers, and buyers... a collective show should help by  creating VOLUME of followers, press and Buyers of All the designers. and attracting more mainstream press!  TOGETHER...   promoters and designers should work TOGETHER  to move the sector forward! Most designers do not have an active list and even when they do they  as one designer boldly  stated "come to get" new clients.  Now most "Caribbean shows"  have a door cost and are  open to  consumers... which immediately conflict with listing requirements for trade calendars! They essentially  become consumer shows!  DESIGNERS repeat after me;-

Fashion Weeks” may soothe my ego but  have NOT sold my line!

Then again few can honestly blame the fashion week… many admitted not attending  sales opportunities… many  were not ready  for either a press or trade  junket at the end of the runway!  Few knew of existing trade shows and many had not “shopped” around to see which suits them!  Now that is without touching the delicate subject of industry timing! When is the best time to add Caribbean Fashion events to the international calendar! But a sector stuck on itself does not NEED to consider such things… or do they! This week Business of Fashion had an  Article that  itself questions the value of How we present it, show and sell and the fallout

This brings us to the related question of how Fashion Weeks themselves are going to remain in business. They are, as many would agree, a clumsy, inconvenient and costly way to show clothes each season. .... But what about the other cities? And what about the burgeoning number of fashion weeks around the world? Can they, in any meaningful sense, now or in the future, have any value or viability in terms of international fashion, faced, as they currently are, by the highly organised competition of the huge conglomerates of the west? And will their designers be doomed to be small and always cash-strapped before quietly fading back into the woodwork or be taken up by one of those big conglomerates and possibly suffer the different fates personified by John Galliano and Alexander McQueen? Neither is a happy prospect, but I don’t see any solution until international fashion embarks on a co-ordinated root-and-branch investigation of its world and starts planning for a future that will be much more rosy for young designers than it is now, at this difficult time...Something Is Rotten in the State of Fashion  

The Malady that is Independent design  We want press... but Is that dress available for sale...  in quantities I do not mean  5 pc or 12 pcs lets at least  speak of 100 - 300 units!  DFesigners reading this it's time to be honest with  yourself as to where YOUR business is!  It cost about $1000 to properly  prepare one design for market (Techpack,pattern Grading) ... even if you do  it  yourself...    you NEED to sell enough units at the right  price to recoup your output  and MAKE A PROFIT! Few designers I question make $1000 US a Month! Few are even selling  every month!   The simple fact is to sell you need to hit the streets and REACH buyers…  Trade shows, Showrooms, Sales reps... As a fashion editor I  found the runway was NOT the Best way to view clothing... 2 seconds and the(damn) dress is gone... Few designers even understood that  the clothing went on a press junket after the show... I do not want the images you posted on FB  on the front page of my  paper or magazine... seriously (then again Be careful of Images posted  online)!   Many  did not have showrooms that we could see the items and even  fewer had any  print or digital  collateral!  To top it off few designers had production in  play... post Brooklyn Fashion Week last year I am still waiting on info from designers and had to field complaints from  buyers that designers have not  followed up with them! In fact  the  press info  many designers have sent me, have little to do with fashion! they're from PR  agencies who  did not  understand the differing silhouettes, one sent me a Tee shirt  line when I specifically  said it was not being sort!  I do NOT care how current the  lingo  a Tee shirt is a Tee shirt!   EVEN on a direct one on one basis, DESIGNERS CANNOT FILL ORDERS ON TIME and with a guarantee of quality!   At www.BrooklynFashionWeek.com we worked with our designers so that they  streamlined their production... even  after getting the tech  packs and grading  for production, testing  fit  and fabrication... they face the  issue of  financing and funding!  The Caribbean and African designers at  least  have some governmental support but still their production is not ready or consistent in  quality...  and it  shows... one can almost tell which  pieces were  executed  by  the same ( and different) tailors/dressmakers!   So this may sting but many designers are simply making clothes NOT  creating cohesive collections and whenI return to the role of editor I promise I'll call you out!   Look these are the core issues we have identified as needing to be addressed by local Brooklyn designers… and as  I review designers in The Caribbean  and Africa It  seems we share more than common ancestry!  Note a vast  number local Brooklyn designers are Caribbean! We've  worked or are working  on solutions for obstacles  but in the end a designer has   to make changes... whether it's in their sizing, their fabrication, their production, where and how they sell and even their name to survive! 1.     Tools and resources for research 2.     Sourcing inspiration/ trends; Fabrics/  Material 3.     Facilitating Product development and Exploration 4.     Conceptual Design,  Exploration & Development= 5.     Seminar and workshops in Business strategy, development and execution! 6.     Line Development & Merchandising 7.     Production and Finishing services 8.     Branding & Intellectual property  Management 9.     Funding and Financial Service and Support. 10.   Schools, Education  & Training 11.   Niche (specialist in this sector) Service Professionals & Professional Association 12.   Pr/Marketing & Press;- both to Consumer/Trade 13.   Development of promotional press kits, portfolios, 14.   Space & Platforms for sales 15.   Funding, Financing grant and loan solicitation. 16.   Warehousing & Fulfillment Export/shipping 17.   Development of digital skill-sets 18.   Development of Mentor & Experts to present on topics 19.   Presentation Opportunities Exhibits, whether kinetic or static, will be sought and/or developed 20.   Direct audience presentation at a critical stage. Effort is made towards 21.   Retirement & Legacy Planning 22.   Archival documentation of  processes 23.   Collaboration barter &  Volunteers 24.   Cultural Crafts & Artistry: utilitarian Arts 25.   Community, peer support and collective responsibility Virtual enterprise   Now many will throw out existing  industry “solutions”…  but  for several reasons (and a series of articles) they  DO NOT  WORK! Fashion has many Sectors and end consumers each with differing needs! Simply put we need to customize solutions for the Caribbean (or Brooklyn Or African) independent design Sector!   To top it off we have the touchy issue of “Declaring asset...”   Point blank the Diaspora suffers from unhealthy attitudes towards money… If this sector is to be seen as a potential revenue stream  worth investing in designers will need to  not only Pay taxes   but yes… open their books!   QUARTERLY  REPORTING? I’m speaking quarterly  and annual reports …  designers you cannot have it both ways… you are either worth investing in or you are NOT! You can Ignore me but unless you do what’s needed there will be no change!   The Queen and others know that I do NOT mince my words… I believe that when we embrace the BS( My initials and tagline);-  The truth of matters … we start addressing any real possibility of change! When I ask local designers who are the  buyers  they hope to attract many have no clue…  Now how can you design a line without  a concrete idea if of where it will sell and what is needed  to sell in that venue… and to their customer.   Caribbean Fashion is still very much an “Artform” Many do not produce the  clothing  shown on runways… many actually sell their “originals” … forget  putting together retrospectives in the future!  The process of taking fashion from art to products, merchandise, licenses and even services has been lost in the hoopla! Yes they are talented but can they  run Fashion companies! I'm not talking waiting till two days before an  order is due to  drop it off by  a tailor! I Grew Up In this sector so I  am QUITE  familiar with its practices!   Queen Esther has been waging a one woman campaign to get me back to the  Caribbean to  help the Caribbean designers … yes  I said designers she has taken it  upon herself to sing the  praises of designers ACROSS the Caribbean  ( and even Africa)  and has recommended many designers she believes have the potential! She is a one woman cheering team  who is simply hard to ignore!   I understand what I can bring, yes I plan to return  but the fact is there is at present still issues to be addressed here in the US! There is no space in the US , especially NY  that I will trust to send my  product… no space to recommend to  designer colleagues  in Nigeria , Trinidad and Europe who have returned to their Countries of Birth! You see when all you take  care of,  is your own  immediate needs you find yourself in a situation of LACK!   Which is the core problem.. Everyone refuses to  take care of the communal path so they are all stuck in their cubby holes!  Look if designers worked together  the questions on what the Caribbean leaders wear and how they support  local sector will be mute… they will understand that  they are ignoring  a core constituent who is providing  jobs and feeding  voters…   Mama was right... If you want respect, if you want them to buy the cow,  you need to stop giving away the milk… and I mean literally giving  these people the clothing you  make without  compensation! We are connected…   the Caribbean Fashion needs the US, Black fashion Sector and the Black Fashion Sector would Love to produce in the  Caribbean, The same with Africa!   Now let’s look at the event that prompted this the Caribbean international Fashion week, was held recently in NY… The ARROGANCE of the CTO  (via It's Organizer),  to come into NY arena where local black designers and promoters have been  fighting to build and  preserve a path for all in the Diaspora since the late 1950’s with the Grandassa Models sits at the core of the issue… when I step  up to the plate as a designers' advocate or Fashion Technology expert or yes  a designer,   I am seen as a BLACK designer … simple.  Today the Euphemism of “Global” is being put into play but the sentiment is the same!   We have designers from the Caribbean and African entering the US market without the courtesy or the diplomacy, or the acknowledgement of existing  local efforts! It embarrasses me, I understand what the  Black fashion sector has endured ! To think that one could have entered the NY market without the help or advice of Local NY Caribbean Nationals or other blacks in the NY  Fashion Scene  (that is till you needed their contact), was arrogant!   Three  of the core sector leaders in the  NY Black Fashion (as Business) are of Caribbean Heritage, Many of the top fashion promoters in  NY are Caribbean;  together we have a wide network that we are willing to  use to help our Caribbean brothers and sister… However Caribbean designers need to  humble themselves  and simply stop being arrogant …   Yes I said that… To believe you can enter the local sectors without  acknowledging those who work here year  round, simply shows disrespect  for the hours and years  of work and  advocacy. I'll say it again  our Black American brothers and sisters  who have gone before us have laid down the foundation we step on show some respect!  The Irony is that  COLLECTIVELY, together we are a formidable buying  and creating  force!   Queen Esther asked a simple question   and I’d like to address this same question to local “fashion lovers” Who do You wear! How much of  your dollars comes back  into  your local  economy...  I am Not advocating a Ban of "foreign Goods" Rather a change in the  appreciation  for one's culture and the  understanding of the social and economic impact of buying local... GLOBALLY!   I have stopped attending fashion shows for about three years! I am A “fashion Editor”  ... I found attending many shows designers were not ready to handle or meet with  Press or speak on or sell their line or (Brand) Fashion as entertainment is cool but I know like many designers that fashion weeks do not  drive sales or profits  in a manner that Caribbean designers, (In The US or The Caribbean) Locals  are set up or positioned to leverage! Personally I have long understood that Fashion Weeks Do Not sell… Disclaimer I  run  www.BrooklynFashionweek.com and last year  as per the desire of local designers staged a traditional "fashion week Show"!  It is an Expensive undertaking ...   our focus was not on Buyers but getting designers ready!  Every designer  received interest… few were ready with  retail versions or to deliver,  in 2006 and 7  I designed a local trade show that had direct  access to buyers not one of the 7 designers were selected in the two years to be reviewed by the Major retail chain not one was ready!   Is the Fashion week obsolete...   fact is  the few designers who sell do so at trade shows! Yet technology is seeing a change in even that model...  I seriously believe we can  move to the head of the  line by embracing  new technology which is where I  focus my attention, and use it to  attract buyers ... If only i could get a  complete set of  product and sales  info from  just one designer! But the Designers also have serious issues with their business! One local buyer, another local fashion advocate in Brooklyn, with access to other buyers has admitted that only one or two of the local designers have actually  sort her out for advice or help! Designers do not understand who  or how to reach  buyers! Buyers … many  Boutique owners are free on Mondays…  during the  day… Local Buyers for larger retail  establishments are available during working  hours only for all but the very  biggest names… the fact is Buyers do not  usually attend “Fashion Weeks” you can see them by the thousands at trade shows! Editors attend fashion Weeks… and Bloggers and the fact is that editorial may affect  your press but  press does not sell in the volumes needed to  be successful... unless say  The President's wife wears your dress!   Buyers will select their final  items in their store with the comfort of a cup of coffee and while reviewing line-sheets... so where are you line-sheets or catalogs The truth is.. SELLING is at once complicated and Simple! When a designer walks into a boutique the buyer want to know simply Buyers take into account

•   Is the garment or accessory relevant and “fashionable!”… on trend or fashion forward!
• ·         will it fit the customer… sizing and specs
• ·         How easy is it to merchandise..
• ·         is it affordable… costing , pricing driven by competitive sourcing and Manufacturing
• ·         Can they deliver On time and in the  quantity  needed… quality control
• ·         Is it well made… factories and skill development!
• ·         Is the quality consistent
• ·         Can they deliver… few can answer questions on meeting  import and export demands…

Frankly the CTO should be working on trade agreements and import export issues   (not one designer had that well situated) … rather than trying to hold an expensive event such as a fashion show. So what will happen to Fashion Week and Fashion Shows or the "You're taking Money from the poor man...argument" The internet or technology is opening up doors that make advertising, branding and marketing and yes sales much more affordable! Promoter need to look at new models of showing and selling and opportunities in  providing support!  Strengthening  he designers the stable you  pull your talent from can only  be an INVESTMENT in Your Future...  imagine having designers who can actually PAY for the expense of showing!  As well as attracting  international Buyers and  Magazines of clout!  A Fashion Week is an Expensive Production... why Not  Originate a solution that actually  serves designers need and help them to sell!   Designers in the meantime need to  get their sales and Pr collateral in order ,,, and please stop saying  “ I have a  Friend”! It’s time to get serious… your friend does not know what  they are doing! … simply put  designers need to address their lack! Miss any one of those marks (above)  and YOU HAVE A CORE PROBLEM.

• When talent   understands their value… they come together take action and move their sector forward!
• When they understand their needs they come together take action and move their business forward!
• When they understand their responsibility they  take stock and individually get their business in order so that the sector on a whole thrives

  But in today’s competitive market Brand awareness and industry perception affect the value of the sector as a whole and the individual designers.  So a move by the Caribbean bodies to brand and sell the Caribbean aesthetic should be welcome…  but frankly the recent showing was nothing short of arrogance and is  ignorant as to the  workings of the  fashion sector and the Local Fashion Scene!   For those who are  put off  by the strong terms please understand my use of such  terms.. Arrogance  "When a person is led to believe that they are in some way more superior to everybody else.., so often I meet the attitude that  the folks from the  Caribbean or Trinidad or Brooklyn or a specific clique is somehow superior rather than an understanding that skill-set needed to move  yes even Caribbean designers forward will need to come from a wide cross-section of the community! As for Ignorance:- " lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact", Many claiming to be staging  events to benefit the  "BUSINESS of Fashion" are IGNORANT about the "Business of Fashion!'!  My apologies but there is  is not a "nicer way to bring these two VERY important  issues out!   Within  Fashion there are several genres and niches and even attending "traditional"  fashion institution does not  give adequate preparation for the Cultural  fashion Sector, especially in  given the technical advancements that have catapulted to  significance in the last  6-7 years!   Who's In Charge!  The Caribbean (ok, we need to add,  Brooklyn and African) culture of nepotism and "croneyism" needs to be addressed!  In sort it’s time to stop putting your best friend , wife, cousin and/or long  time associate in  key positions when they  have no idea what  they are doing! Especially when they do not have the  good sense to hire QUALIFIED personnel!   Look what we need is a meeting of all the leaders of, experts and those with a vested interested in fashion, forget the pomp with government leaders "Speaking " on Issues they have no  expertise in! Sorry if I offend but we do not have time for “niceties” this is intended to deal with reality and start the conversation! I have kept  quiet for very long ... and even  now I'm showing restraint! It bothers me to see talent wasted!  WHen I look AT designers whose clothing  I   borrowed for fashion shows at my TT (BAHS) high school... they  are nearing retirement... and a medal of honor does not take care of retirement or medical  bills!   Those who are familiar with me will also understand that I am an advocate of “Fashion as BUSINESS” and have repeatedly cited our tendency to see fashion as entertainment… and at that, an “Entertainment Platform”  that sees designers as expendable talent a fact that endanger  the growth of the sector!   But as I reminded the queen we need to look at all angles of this and lay the responsibility where it truly lies … at the feet of designers!   Without your clothes there is no show… at some point YOU are going to have to take a stand if and make changes if you plan to move forward, what will it take!   UNITY IS KEY My native Trinidad and Tobago has 3 Fashion weeks… An sign of SERIOUS problems within the sector! Sorry  folks… you got problems that need to be addressed… If you cannot work with each  other  how do you think the rest of the world sees you … or will be able to trust  and invest in you as a sector without  fear of you bailing… First  build the  platform  before fighting over who will be king!   As we proved in the  Mid 1980's in Trinidad standing up and standing  together leads to  long-term results! I  Personally sat in with negotiations and drafted the industry  requirements! So I am aware that the high levels of textile training and sewing  skills  that everyone expect  from Trinidad designers came about because of collective actions by designers and tailors and dressmakers (yes they actually  worked together)   What we also learned was that it takes a long term plan when C.U.T.T.A.G.E and the Designers Association  secured the rights to import  Fabrics we understood the next step was training and export! At that  point  when I entered FIT  professors lauded the quality of factories such as Jay zee's (shirt  factory) as one of the best in the  world! 22 plus years later (designer)  training is somewhat in place and export  opportunities is still an issue! Fabric is now again a problem... as is manufacturing... why Designers sold out and gave the responsibility to others! Yes I include myself dealing with my country folk the first time around was a bitter lesson for a 20yr old... now as a leader an advocate in Brooklyn I am called upon  by designers in NY, The Caribbean and Africa to step up... the question  I and the other leaders ask Will designers ever take responsibility?     Fashion Weeks do not sell clothes… repeat after me "Local Fashion Weeks may  soothe my  ego but they have NOT  sold my line!   Suggested reading…

• What is Branding- a conversation in design facilitation! http://j.mp/qShRzR
• What sets www.Brooklynfashionweek.com Apart http://j.mp/pr5ElN
• DIsclaimer:- I run www.BrooklynFashionWeek.com and I have refused to continue the  traditional model of  fashion week…  As I have indicated to Queen Esther and other s, the solution is in  addressing the issues  either individually or as a community!
• Is the Fashion week obsolete. the question from South Africa http://missmillib.blogspot.com/2011/01/terminal-illness-of-fashion-as-we-know.html
• Joah Spearman: Fashion Weeks and Trade Shows: The Has-Beens of the Fashion Industry? http://j.mp/mQmRjh
• Cross-Cultural Marketing: Can I Get a Camel With That? - AdVoice: gyro - Ignite something - Forbes http://j.mp/rh9Tkv

• Something Is Rotten in the State of Fashion