Thursday, March 27, 2014

Working with MECA Students for new Logo Design!

Tomorrow I am going to the Maine College of Art(MECA) Portfolio Day for their Graphic Design students. 

MECA has a Artists at Work program where you can hire these budding artists for freelance, internships or full-time jobs. It is an amazing resource that I am excited to use. I live two blocks from MECA so its easy but more importantly I feel great giving back to the Portland community.

I will post the Jackie Real Designs logo as soon as it is complete. I am hoping by mid April! 

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Color Inspiration for SS14





Kickstarter...My Hero...

By utilizing Kickstarter to launch I am able to get my product to market much sooner than expected!

I was originally designing for a SS15 launch. My plan was to bring my samples to Accounts/Boutiques in August for my collection to be on the shop floor by January 2015.
But-now I can sell for Summer 2014:) So excited about this. With a 4-6 week production timing..I should have my samples here in early May! 

As soon as I receive my samples I will create a video to post on Kickstarter. I am going to wear my dresses around Portland,ME....doing different activities such as commuting on a bike, business meetings, running errands, and meeting friends for happy hour! 

Why Kickstarter? Why Not! See below for the top 5 reasons why I am using crowd funding to start!
  1. Low Cost with High Rewards-All I need is to have one sample, a video which I plan to make with my iPhone, and my idea.  If/When I do reach my target than I go ahead and buy fabric and place the order with a factory. It's a great way to pre-order with little or no up front cost to me.
  2. Funding is All or Nothing-I set my target (which in my case will be fabric and production minimums). If I don't reach my target backers do not get charged anything. I am not left with extra fabric liabilities or inventory.  
  3. Keep 100% Ownership-Although people are backing my venture, I keep 100% of ownership throughout this process. The backer however will receive a fantastic reward-a dress by Jackie Real! 
  4. Access to Larger Market Pool-Kickstarter has access to a lot more people than I do in a very fast amount of time with little cost to me. They only  charge 5% of the money I raise. On there website...they have stated that since they launched in 2009, they have had almost 6 million people pledge $1 Billion dollars...so far  they have funded 58,000 projects. 
  5. Fast Way to Get Smart- The best part is that I will learn whether or not my idea/assumptions are valid. Basically-if people back me; then my idea is good. If not-then I need to make changes and try again. Anyone, even if do not give money, can offer their feedback. This is a great tool for me to learn what people think of my venture. It also, allows me to keep track of backers and keep them in the loop with my process. 
What do you think of Kickstarter for me or in general? Have you tried crowd funding before?



Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Let's Talk about My Idea...

I am taking what I have learned from the performance apparel business and infusing it into high fashion garments for the woman who does it all! 

I will start with 2 styles. You need to start small but we will talk about that more in a later post-maybe tomorrow! The two styles are dresses that she can wear to work and look professional. The best part is that they are made from performance
/athletic fabric so that she can have even the most hectic days

Let's call it EFFORTLESS STYLE. Think if DVF and Lululemon had a baby...it would be Jackie Real Designs. 

For example...She can wake up and immediately put on a JRD dress,walk her dog(s), commute to work on a bike or crammed subway, have a crazy day at work, run errands during lunch, have a more crazy day at work, go to happy hour and then go home and cook dinner with friends or family... all while staying dry, smelling good, no wrinkles and looking fabulous.

Make Sense?! Let me know your thoughts on my IDEA...








Let me fill you in...

1985:
Born in Boston, MA. Spent a lot of my early life traveling to exotic places. Both my parents were born outside the USA and felt it pivotal to give me a global perspective on the world. 

1993:
At the age of 8 I started sketching women's clothing in secret. Mostly, dresses. I kept my "portfolio" hidden from my family. Looking back-I am not sure why I did this! However shortly after...my Mom found them while she was cleaning my room.  She was very impressed at my work and knew that there was something there...

1999-2007: 
My wonderful Mom started taking me to Florence, Italy to study Fashion at Top Art schools. I was the youngest there by at least 5 to 10 years. Everyone else was there on a study abroad from College, while I had not even entered High School.

2003-2007: 
Made the decision, with much help from my Father, to go to Babson College for UGRAD. I had visited the beloved Fashion schools in NYC but wanted to get a more broad knowledge of the business side of it. I concentrated in Retail Supply Chain Management. 



2007-2009: 
From school, I went to work at TJX Companies in their Buyer Program. I was working in Allocation and Planning for HomeGoods; where I learned a lot about the flow of supply and demand and inventory management. I worked closely with the Buyers to increase profitability of several departments including candles, wall art, stationary and home decor.



2010-2014: 
Was recruited by PUMA North America. For 3 years I was on the Performance Apparel Merchandising team. It was here that I learned a tremendous amount regarding the ins and out of apparel and most importantly-about performance construction, trends, fabrics and benefits. 



Present Day: 
My husband and I sold our Condo in Concord, MA and I Left PUMA. 
Myself, husband and our two toy poodles Louis and Coco moved to Portland,ME. We currently live in the heart of the Arts District... just a block away from Maine College of Art (MECA) and the Portland Art Museum. We are surrounded by amazing restaurants-our current favorite is  BODA, a thai restaurant just across the street.   

Oh yeah-we are also getting our MBA from Bentley University and expect to graduate this summer. 



As of February 2014, I am spending 100% of my time devoted to my new venture...read more of blogs to learn about what is going on in My Life!