M.Bursztyn

Diseño "emergente" en Latinoamérica

2010-01-01T15:59:00.001-08:00

En el ultimo año he tenido la maravillosa oportunidad de conocer el "interior" del movimiento de diseño "emergente" no solo a través de una investigación que me propuse realizar, sino también gracias a la oportunidad que me permitió viajar a lo largo del continente suramericano.

Mi excursión comenzó en Santiago de Chile donde rápidamente fui introducida al mundo del diseño especialmente de vestuario y accesorios gracias a mis compañeras de trabajo. A través de ellas conocí el movimiento de diseño emergente, con el cual quede encasillada hasta descubrir sus raíces. A medida que fui explorando y llegando a cada una de las ciudades que logre en tan corto tiempo visitar fui entendiendo la necesidad local que contribuye a la creación y existencia del movimiento. Estando en Santiago inicialmente, no pude sino comparar lo que estaba sucediendo con lo que venia viviendo como diseñadora emergente en Colombia. Subjetividad que rápidamente fui revaluando, para entender que cada país me estaba llevando a una conclusión única de la existencia de dicho movimiento.
Chile, siendo un país donde el retail y la multitienda es la predominante fuente de "shopping", causo que el movimiento emergente (con mayor indice de crecimiento en los últimos 3 años) se formara como un movimiento "anti-marca" donde la necesidad de salirse de lo masivo hacia buscar lo único - se dio como un grito desesperado para encontrar el individualismo. Este movimiento actúa curiosamente como un movimiento "clandestino" y de alguna manera hasta me atrevería a decir - "por invitación únicamente". Esto lo digo porque la forma de vender este tipo de diseño se dio inicialmente acomodando antiguas casas de la zona de bella vista y el centro de la ciudad o a través de ventas cerradas en bares que se prestaron para ello; poco a poco el movimiento fue creciendo y hoy día encontramos tiendas de diseño en lugares mas transcurridos como Providencia y Las Condes. A su ves y evidentemente en Santiago fue también donde se les veía más marcadas las tribus urbanas y las similitudes, un grupo de chic@s en las calles destacandose por sus semejanzas en el total de sus looks.
Estar en Buenos Aires, fue un respiro de aire fresco en cuanto al diseño y especialmente la moda. La gente que se veía en las calles resultaron ser un cambio refrescante en cuanto a su audaz manera de vestir. Solo caminado por las calles de Palermo Soho se sentía la vocación hacia el diseño y la necesidad de "diferenciarse" que tienen los argentinos. En Buenos Aires la necesidad de expresión hacia lo único parece ser el mantra por el cual viven y se mueven - asemejandose mucho a sus raíces italianas, especialmente inspiradas en Milano.
Los argentinos además de vivir una cultura bien marcada en el diseño, tienen desarrollada la industria de producción textil factor que promueve el constante cambio. Buenos Aires es una ciudad egocéntrica, llena de orgullo el cual se destaca a través del diseño. Entender el movimiento "emergente" en dicha ciudad vino de entender que Argentina es un país educado a resaltar la estética en todo lo que hace; por lo tanto el movimiento "emergente" forma parte integral de la constante necesidad de toparse con el diseño.
En Bolivia, aunque socialmente La Paz y Santa Cruz tienen un comportamiento totalmente diferente, el movimiento emergente nace en ambas ciudades por falta de espacios retail. Irónicamente La Paz y El alto son dos ciudades productoras textil - la producción casi en su totalidad sale del país. Los jóvenes Bolivianos que han estudiado diseño han emprendido un movimiento de innovación, acción que los ha llevado a cruzar fronteras con el objetivo de traer talento (sea en producto, o personajes) del cual desean absorber e implementar lo visto y/o aprendido en sus propios proyectos.
Particularmente el caso de Bolivia me intriga, porque el desafío que enfrentan, el de iniciar un movimiento, me recuerda el camino que emprendieron Paul Poiret, Jean Patou, Coco Chanel entre otros iniciando el siglo pasado. Un camino lleno de aprendizaje y enseñanza hasta llegar a un lenguaje común, el de la "moda". Este país que se destaca por su riqueza cultural y su raíz indígena tiene un desafío bello por delante - el de incorporar su origen con el movimiento de moda occidental, y demostrarle al mundo la riqueza de su destreza.
Perú... la verdad el tiempo que lo pase en este bello país no me dio para observar el mundo del diseño, solo puedo hablar de lo que he leído. Perú es un país que se ha desarrollado en cuanto al diseño de una manera solidaria con los artesanos y las personas que componen la Base de la pirámide. He conocido numerosos casos de diseñadores que se apadrinan de comunidades indígenas y/o de bajos recursos para el desarrollo de sus ideas y diseños. Conozco también que utilizan mucho las técnicas nativas de tejido y textiles para usarlos en diseños innovadores. En cuanto al movimiento "emergente" per se - todavía lo estoy conociendo.
Por ultimo, Colombia. Colombia es el país en el que me forme como diseñadora, en el que di mis primeros pasos como tal y si, hoy entiendo que mi emprendimiento, aunque ambicioso, pertenece al movimiento emergente. Este país tiene la peculiaridad de ser productor textil, al igual que Argentina la industria esta bien canalizada y enfocada. Otra ventaja que tiene Colombia es su riqueza en tribus indígenas, elemento que ha sido fuente de inspiración y nacimiento de numerosas marcas locales.
En cuanto al movimiento "emergente" en mi país; yo lo veo enfocandose más hacia la necesidad de salirse del ser "artesano" y buscar un elemento que nos permita ser llamados "diseñadores" - la constante lucha que les escucho a mis colegas. El movimiento emergente colombiano se encuentra en una constante búsqueda de reconocimiento y espacios de venta, este ha despertado la necesidad de emprendimientos que crean en ello. Poco a poco vamos conociendo sobretodo en las ciudades de Medellín y Bogotá diferentes espacios que les esta permitiendo a estos diseñadores darle continuidad a su creatividad. Las importantes ferias, revistas y pasarelas del país también están haciendo un gran esfuerzo para encontrar y reconocer a los actores de este movimiento; dando así la seguridad a todos aquellos que están por iniciar su camino en el ambiente del diseño "emergente".

Coolhunters: Le toman el pulso a la moda por Mónica Bursztyn

2009-12-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

Nuestra querida amiga y diseñadora colombiana Mónica Bursztyn estuvo hace algunos meses en Bolivia y de esa experiencia co escribió un interesante artículo sobre el coolhunting y si propia experiencia. Acá les dejo un fragmento para que le tomen el gusto a su vida como cazatendencias...

Mónica Bursztyn siempre lleva consigo un bloc lleno de notas y una cámara fotográfica. Recopila cuantas cosas novedosas pasan por sus ojos claros. No importa si está en el mercado, caminando por una calle, en una fiesta o en una boutique de marca. Esta colombiana, que es una trotamundos, ha desarrollado una rara habilidad de reparar en lo que todos miran, pero casi nadie ve... esos detalles que inspiran, dice ella, a las tendencias. Lo suyo, entonces, es tomarle el pulso a la moda. Ella es una coolhunter o lo que es lo mismo: una cazadora de lo ‘cool’.

Si alguna vez se preguntó quién está detrás de los cambios y movimientos de tendencias o quién es el que manda cómo hay que vestirse para estar a la moda, las respuestas las tiene esta colombiana, que estuvo hace unas semanas en Santa Cruz dando un taller sobre el funcionamiento sui géneris de una profesión que se consolidó a principios de los años 90, como una nueva disciplina del marketing, en EEUU.

La definición del Urban Dictionary para coolhunting dice: “La práctica de infiltrarse en culturas jóvenes y entenderlas para predecir futuras tendencias y estilos que sirvan de informe para desarrollar y comercializar nuevos productos”.

Ahora, el aprendizaje que deja la experiencia a Bursztyn le permite afirmar que “el trabajo de coolhunting se refiere a hacer predicciones sobre cambios o surgimientos referentes a la cultura de consumo y la moda. Ayudando a las empresas a estar preparadas para aprovechar las tendencias sociales emergentes”. La diseñadora pone un ejemplo: “En el desarrollo de una colección no sólo se ‘caza’, sino que también se interpreta y se vaticina lo que vendrá, acomodándola a lo real del mercado local”.

Pero, ¿para qué quieren las empresas disponer de todo este cúmulo de información? Muy sencillo. El objetivo no es otro que fabricar nuevos productos o adaptar los existentes a las exigencias de los consumidores, a las nuevas modas, a los nuevos diseños y a las nuevas estéticas. En definitiva, a estar un paso por delante de la competencia y a vender más. Según los expertos, disponer de dicha información supone una ventaja competitiva clave.

El concepto, que arrasa en Estados Unidos y en Europa, y que en Bolivia aún no es conocido, se ha convertido en el pilar fundamental en la industria de la moda, aunque un ‘cazatendencias’ también trabaja para sectores como arquitectura, gastronomía, arte o publicidad. Por ejemplo, una firma de videojuegos puede estar interesada en cuál es la música que escucha, qué es lo que lee o cómo habla un niño de 12 años. “No te olvides que es un área de mercadeo, donde se sale a la calle a entender qué es lo que está pasando o cómo los consumidores se están adecuando a las cosas que se venden en las tiendas, cómo le da personalidad a lo que usan. De las mismas personas se están extrayendo ideas”, aclara Bursztyn.

Los coolhunters, que son como los ‘intérpretes de la sociedad’, han demostrado que son muy eficientes. Algo que reconoció el vicepresidente del emporio de Giorgio Armani, Robert Triefus, que definió su trabajo como fundamental en el mundo de la moda. “Nos ayuda a saber más sobre las tendencias del sector y las próximas novedades”. Para Cécile Huyghe, responsable de mercado de Burjois-Chanel, un cazador de tendencias “permite conocer lo que ocurre en todo el mundo y nos aporta la inspiración que necesitamos para nuevos productos e ideas”...

Claro que obtener la información de un ‘libro tendencias’ (en el que se incluye bastante apoyo gráfico) no es nada barato. El sueldo de un coolhunter depende de una serie de factores, como la complejidad del estudio que realice, el tiempo destinado a ello, la dificultad para acceder al público que se debe analizar y la empresa que le contrate. Aunque no hay una tabla salarial definida, un profesional puede ganar entre $us 3.500 y $us 15.000... si no es más.

El método más habitual para reclutar un coolhunter es por la Internet, al menos esa la estrategia de la que suelen echar mano empresas como Puma o Harley Davidson. (sigue leyendo acá...)

Fuera Artesanos

2009-03-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

Recientemente emprendí un viaje por Buenos Aires, siendo mi primera vez visitando la ciudad, quise aprovechar al máximo los pocos días que disponía para dicha visita encargándome de ir directo a las zonas donde se mueve el arte y el diseño. En el momento de caminar por las calles de Palermo-Soho, se me aclaró el motivo del nombre. Definitivamente tiene un aire de lo que es o más bien, era Soho en Nueva York hace unos 8 años.
Asimismo, no pude dejar de sentir que definitivamente me encontraba en un país latino donde el dejar “huellas” y marcar nuestra opinión, es parte de la cultura, simplemente opinamos sobre lo nos rodea.
En una de las fachada encontré este graffiti-esténcil que me llamó mucho la atención “fuera artesanos”, ¿por qué será? No logré entenderlo en el momento y sigo sin apoyar a la manifestación de rechazo. Es muy claro que el susto no es la artesanía, el susto es la competencia! Dichos artesanos logran producir elementos de diseño muy similares a los que se venden en las tiendas de diseño y están más que dispuestos a cobrar la mitad del precio.
En nuestra búsqueda de la exclusividad y el lujo, en los países latinoamericanos que he tenido el gusto de visitar, nos escapamos a buscar lo más costoso, o a lo mas nombrado, que por obvias razones podemos conseguir en las más lujosas tiendas de la cuidad; en algún otro sitio – no lo consideramos lujo, no es exclusivo y muchas veces lo descalificamos por ser de mala calidad. Es algo irónico, porque exactamente lo contrario sucede en Europa donde los dictadores de tendencias buscan sus elementos en los más insólitos lugares para precisamente diferenciarse de todas los seguidores de la moda “dictada” por los medios y dichas tiendas.

¿Será que todos estos graffitis que encontré en la calle son una manifestación a que veamos el diseño como lo que es… una expresión del individualismo? …

El cajón de mi ropa interior

2009-02-13T11:10:00.001-08:00

Cuando llega el momento en que tenemos que innovar el cajón de la ropa interior… ¿en qué pensamos?
Hoy… yo me imagino yendo al la boutique más fina, comprándome las prendas más sensuales y delicadas de ahí….y después me imagino en mi favorita Victoria's Secret llenando la canastita de todos los calzones de todos los colores, eso si porque lo especial de ir a Victoria's secret, es que cada vez están tus calzones preferidos, de nuevos colores y con nuevos adornitos que hacen muy divertido el usarlos.
Bueno, mi historia tiene un fin (y no necesariamente compartir con ustedes mi "pinta" más íntima de vestir - jeje); como parte de mi desarrollo e investigación cultural de porque o mas bien en este caso como compramos moda encontré esta imagen en la calle mas concurrida por las santiaguinas fashionistas, Patronato.

Nunca me imagine encontrarme viendo y hasta negociando precios con un vendedor ambúlate para la compra de uno de los productos mas sagrados para una mujer… pero lo hice… y no me arrepiento, salí con una variedad de calzones muy entretenidos por lo que hubiera comprado uno en mi tienda preferida!... y la experiencia… que le s puedo decir… de las andadotas mas divertidas de mi vida de "compradora".

Fotografías por: Mónica Bursztyn En: Santiago, Chile

About Fashion, passion, and a million other things

2008-11-30T16:16:00.001-08:00

Hapiness is Key

2008-11-24T07:28:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading this post on a blog that I have been reading for a wile
now, it goes with one of my latest posts Bring Happiness.

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: digital planning)

WEB... ECONOMY… What the F?!@?#! Dose it affect FASHION!

2008-11-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

The economy, the crises, and the web… it seams like today there are so many factors that are making us think twice about each purchase, which brings a natural creative consciousness back to fashion. The consumer is now becoming savvier on there decisions and are consciously buying only what's right for them and their lifestyle, fundamentally different from 10 or 20 years ago, when people were more likely to loyally buy into one designer's or Brand’s ethos.
One of the consequences of these developments is the fast growing in past few seasons of the phenomenon of "micro-trends", as well as the new found space for emerging designers, witch can easily adapt to this new way or structure in there business. A lot of buyers are starting to move toward a one to three month schedule, and buying less since it's hard to commit to large orders when you don't know where the season is going to take you.
Never the less one of the main catalysts behind this no-trend trend is the rise of new media (blogging, youtube, among many others), which allows, “micro-trends” to enter the mainstream and evolve into new trends much more rapidly. Some may argue that, in this word-of-mouth climate, online retailers have become new media outlets were we can find the brands or designers, broadcasting the newest and the latest faster than a traditional retailer can say "Who Wore it Better?"

GLAMOUR

2008-10-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

Virginia Postrel is a writer and cultural critic who examines the hidden economics of modern society; she looks at culture through the lens of economics, and vice versa -- looking for the hidden actors and attitudes that drive us to make the choices we do.
In this video she takes us thru what goes behind the world GLAMOUR, and the way we should be appreciating the glamour to understand how things or from where things really come from.

Bring Happiness

2008-10-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

As I browse myself into the pages of the Internet, looking for inspiration topic for a new post, something that will make sense to talk about, as well as being a stepping-stone towards my thinking and development process, I found this:
“The ultimate aim of all creative activity is to bring happiness to people's lives.”
As we know and should understand Happiness is an emotion that comes in result of positive experiences and affects human beings. Happiness comes from the experience itself and not from the result of it.
Designers, not only design objects, clouding, accessories… they design experience; the experience of using or wearing the ‘objects’ and the fact that someone is actually buying it, is mainly to satisfy a need being and feeling happy with what you have.
So the designer has to consider, while in the creative process, to convey and create experience that bring happiness to the life of those who buy. In order for us, designers, extract that feeling easily we must love and care about people and the world in which we all live in, and to see as our mission to proudly spread happiness throughout our creations.

I leave you with this video from: TED

The Creative process

2008-08-31T14:21:00.000-07:00

Amy Tan A writer, a novelist talks here about her creative process... the video grabbed my attention, when she says "By imagining fully and becoming that imagined and yet real world that is how I fined particles of truth..." and she finished by saying that by feeling what is in one story It becomes the closest to feel the compassion or what the compassion is.
I realized that this applies perfectly to my everlasting question of: how to start our creative process...??? and who should we have in mined wile doing it. I find Amy's answer very clear and accurate when I apply her theory... we the creative, have to KNOW the story = the costumer and his imputes - THEN apply our compassion and creativity, by offering our best work combining both experience.

Who do we design for???

2008-08-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

We finish grad school, we successfully find a job… we can consider ourselves officially as designers! Working designers! But now I ask you this… who do you design for? Who is your client? Can you tell?... do you know?... ARE YOU SURE?
I find time and time again that designers are her to pleas the internal client and vaguely understands how his client really is. That comes from inside, that comes from the fact that he has to present his work to his boss not to the actual buyer… so the end result is what a bunch of bosses mix and match to finally produce, and I assure you – they are nor designers, and some also luck the sensibility.
If we are going to talk about design and development, I assure you empowering actual designers, and making sure they understand how the CLIENT actually is… It will make your job in the bored room so much easier.

Donde esta el diseñador??!?!!?!

2008-08-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Donde esta el diseñador en el proceso? Como podríamos crear una plataforma donde el “creador” siga creando y el “administrador” siga administrando?

Encuentro que en el ámbito del diseño estamos por ver que lo que sea que va a ser nuestra vocación se debe comprender que el esfuerzo y el gusto que nos produce desarrollarlo tiene una recompensa económica. Hoy por hoy, ninguno vivimos por el amor al arte.
Existe una dificultad y una inquietud entre los diseñadores emergentes, cuya prioridad esta enfocada en desarrollar nuevas propuestas, romper esquemas y dictaduras de las grandes y reconocidas marcas, para ofrecernos nuevas propuestas con el agregado valor que esta - será única. El proceso de desarrollo de dichas propuestas es costoso y en la mayoría de los casos invertimos el 100% de nuestros presupuestos en eso mismo, sin pensar en el segundo paso – la distribución.
De aquí nace una pregunta y una oportunidad, algo que he analizado con el tiempo que llevo desarrollando mi marca; una unión comercial entre las tiendas de diseño, que ofrecen como prioridad la exclusividad, y los diseñadores, donde la oportunidad de crecer esta ligada de un muto apoyo.
SERA ESTO POSIBLE? Hoy encuentro este sistema sumamente injusto, el diseñador, quien invierte todo su esfuerzo económico en su creación llega a un espacio comercial, a una tienda o a una boutique para exhibir sus productos y esta obligado a pagar por ello además de sacrificar de su margen para que el establecimiento le suba el precio a su acomodo, y al final del día, si al vendedor no le gusto la propuesta corre el riesgo que ni la ofrece. Mientras que el almacén se asegura el pago de sus gastos fijos con los arriendos de cada diseñador que elija estar exhibido en su establecimiento.
Para lograr una sinergia y una igualdad en una oportunidad donde ambos, diseñadores y administradores, deberíamos estar de la mano para crecer, tendríamos que educarnos a valorar el rol de cada uno de los jugadores, entender la importancia que ejerce cada uno de nosotros; para que al final – se cree un ambiente gana:gana.

Individual innovation

2008-07-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

Images are credited to exactitudes.com

We are responsible for creating our own individual image, and it seems to me that we as society, instead of embracing all that liberty of choice has to offer, we find it easier to use what it dictates, no questions asked.
As a fashion creator, and as a student of what I call 'streetvision', I have always asked myself if there is a way to combine both...? How can you stay true to your individuality as well as to your tribe?
Individual innovation, is that such a scary concept to adapt?... is really our efforts to be individuals are ultimately in vain?
After lots of days of reading and researching looking in I can only imagine more than 100 blogs and consumer behavior sites, advertisement experts research projects, anthropologists and so many other sources… wanting to criticizes the retail industry for doing such a good job in mass producing the latest trends, making us in the end all look somehow alike… I come to realize – in order to influence people’s behavior and buying decision-making GIVE them something to copy from, someone to look up to and want to look alike, eventually that’s what they will easily buy.

STOP!

2008-07-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

So many times, we as creative don’t communicate, we fill our client with information.

In any field of design, advertising, products or services, we don’t anticipate or prevent the end resolute, we just do our job… isn’t our job also to see and prevent on how the product will be used?

Look – this is what happens...

You can watch the video here

Introducing STUFF

2008-07-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

I am raising the question… HOW DO WE DEVELOP PRODUCTS?
Products, design, development – comes from the heart! And all of us in this field of work put passion into our creation, as it was a newborn baby – our babies; and often put very little into looking around – we should start by looking around, this world is full of STUFF… lets observe witch of thus things we can make better, we can sell better, and most important… what STUFF costumers really go out to buy. We should develop a strategy of observation, and constantly change our business path according to the STUFF we see are needed and wanted… being a designer gives us the power to change the way people use STUFF, but only if they are ready – so… stop, listen and create with that passion!

what FIRST?

2008-07-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

I have been exposed to a new world… and as that has been evolving, I am becoming more and more observant towards my surroundings, career as well as my path.
I have been exposed to so many aspects in this industry, that now it is clear – you have to understand the consumer FIRST. Before sitting down to develop a line, a product, even the first steps of the business plan… I have come to learn that consumers, not necessarily buy out of desire, they are becoming much more demanding than that; there buying decision comes from so many factors, far from our understanding.

Design is in the details

2008-07-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

Why design?

2008-07-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

What works?

2008-06-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

As long as I can remember and as long as I have been in the fashion industry, the glamour of the fashion shows, the product lounge and the events have been the most talked about in the business, the reason so many people enter this chaotic an exiting world.
I have done my share of both, and enjoyed the rush of adrenaline in planning and executing each and every step up till the spotlight shuts down, and I can tell you I enjoyed and cherished every moment and will do it again in a heat bit – but business wise, if I never have to do one again…
The days and weeks after the events, only the memories and the nice reviews post on the wall got me going, costumers don’t really care if you participate at the fashion week, or witch celebrity used your dress in the endorsement of your new product party… not in Latin America at least.
SO… What works?... Product PLACEMENT, good products, good design, where people go to buy! That’s what works; that patience and perseverance, show your potential clients what you offer, give them choice, price quality and design and if they like it they will buy it and tell others.

Innovation?

2008-05-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Designers and product development teams work very hard on looking for innovative ideas, they pride themselves on investigating very well what will or should come next... But my question is: Do they have the team to produce this ideas?
Is the production teams really putting all there effort into the production process?
I find myself having a really hard time implementing in the minds of the production team the idea of producing innovatively, I find them having a hard time adjusting to new ways and ideas...
and questioning myself: where is the limit to innovation in the creative process; and how much I should compromise in order to get it done?

Fashion Avenue

2008-04-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

In Colombia, I have had the privilege of seeing how in the past ten years the industry has evolved form being a production oriented to a fashion savvy capital in Latin America.
Today when I went out to do some research and look into stores I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in a street full of creativity and innovation, the only thing that bother me and I couldn’t understand was way mix all this talent with brands made in china. There are so many places, malls, and commercial avenues... Way mix talent and high fashion with that? Way not dedicate a space especially for creativity and a different alternative for the brandless imports?

Images

2008-04-13T21:07:00.001-07:00

Sometimes we as creators / designers want to relate our brand to a specific image.
When we design we have an inspiration team in our mind, were we extract colors shape and inspiration to construct our ideas...
But look at this video.... Life, is full of images, our mine don’t even perceive because we are so busy creating the next big thing.
This is a reflection I what to send out there, and this video helps illustrate my point.

What is the formula?

2008-04-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

Designing today shouldn’t be only about talent, being a well-known brand or selling in the most prestigious departments stores. Here is how I see it; everything has to be a combination between critically acclaimed talents as being commercial savvy. Today even the largest names are designing for the most popular retail chains, and still making there way in the luxury world, So what is the formula?

Now I should tray to look for an answer… I know that there is no right or wrong, no formula, what works for me not necessarily will work for my colleague, but I can use my knowledge, my experience and off course the market I aim for to try and understand and maybe provide some idea of an answer…
I have always admire brands or designers with guts, off course I was naïve to know that all it takes is a sum of money and good PR to archive, but seeing grate brands merging with designers, celebrities always seemed to me like a grate way to catch peoples eye, and if we can innovate like that in a limited edition for small periods of time maybe we have a winner. I also admire the ability of mixing up the selling floor, so when I go into my favorite stores I never see the same product, they have a way of mixing it up every other day so I can never fined one thing twice! Geniuse!
I can go on an on but that only works for the large retailers, brands or department stores with floor space and cash to offer grate deals to celebs… my question still remains what should be the formula for small stores, new up and comers and brands in there baby stages?

I guess my answer is as complicated as my question… I think the only thing they have to show for themselves in order to gain the respect of the market is a remarkable, amazing or just plain spectacular, product with an even savvier knowledge of the marketing strategies, because today a designer without a commercial point of view will have a harder time to put himself and his product out there.

Get them talking

2008-03-16T17:07:00.001-07:00

I recently read this quote "No matter what we do for a living, we're in the fashion business!" by Seth Godin, and it got me wondering about what I am doing… As a designer as well as a business owner in the fashion industry…
We as designers have the sensibility to recreate every six months what we offer our costumers, new color, new shapes, new textures, a hole new image; but the most important thing we have to have in mine is being focused and every time that we are getting a new collection out there deliver a remarkable product / design that will get the people talking.

Not necessarily FAME

2008-03-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

Well what are we looking for… fame? Or competitive products that will show successes in the marketplace?
We live now in the age of technology, were anyone gets his 15 minutes of fame for free, just post your homemade video on YouTube, that’s all it takes…
So what will it take us today to become the next “Big Thing”? That’s scary… begin to think about how to make it in an industry were in it’s history the well known designer Name was the one everyone wanted to have or to copy…
Today as I see it we need to offer our costumers products that will contain the experience that will blend with there lifestyle, not necessarily looking for the FAME but for what mix perfectly within there lifestyle, one that is customized and retrofitted to there specifics wants and needs.
So, this makes me ask myself… What product we need to have? How do we advertise that product? Where do we sale it? Should we post it on the various Internet interactive community sites… will that gain as a market share? As YouTube dose it for the ones in the rush of 15 minutes of fame?
The only thing I can think of now is that instead of looking for the FAME I should look for the DISTINCTIVE element that will catch my target costumer’s eye and will make him what to buy my product, as long as what I’m offering in quality and design has that aspect, I would guess that it will be enough to look for it in any distribution channel I decide to use… off course always having in mind how is my client!

Glam or Business?

2008-03-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

What is happening in the fashion industry today that we, the designers, have to think more about the business and less about the fact that our creativity makes our business?
In the past years grate designers owners of there own privet labels empires have been coupling with the big retailers all over the globe to create lines exclusively for them, some have also abandon there own lines to continue working for this mass produced lines.
So here is what I think… As designers in college we dream to be the next Channel or the next Dior, there name convey so much glamour that we are blinded by it, but we are never educated, et least not when I went to fashion School, that this is a business, one were you have to sell and be profitable, in witch ever line you decide to peruse, you have to have in mind the bottom line.
So here is my reflection after being in the independent ride for a wile now, without losing our point of view, integrity, and common sense, all selling outlets are valid! As designers we always dream about our glamorous boutiques, but how says that having the prestigious address can’t come along with the line that seals in a bigger retailer chain, or with designing for other clients?
They can as long as you remember that creativity is the core of our business, but making sales IS our business.

How do I look?

2008-01-15T14:46:00.001-08:00

Question: Why fashion has to mean following the crowed? What happened with embracing your individuality, highlighting your personality and creating your own fashion statement? Has it ever happened to you that you are walking in a crowded street, street mall, mall or any other place you can imagine and you se a group of girls, or boys wearing exactly the same? Using the same shoes, haircut and even the way they walk is the same? And there comes another group and it’s the same thing and after a wile you start to feel, “hey haven’t I seen these group of people before?
Well I think it is time to embrace our individuality, our personality, and learn that fashion is not only what’s on the racks right now, it’s what looks good on my body, what I stand for and what image I will what people to capture when they see me thru my clouding.
So many times I have been asked by friends, clients, or just random people that find out what I do for a living, “How do I look?” and in more than one ocationes I have had to really keep myself from giving my opinion… I don’t think you are ready or prepped or actually want to REALLY hear my professional opinion, because not always it’s what you are expecting. Must of the time, sadly, people do need an intervention from a fashion professional to embrace there wardrobe, body, one that goes with there personality and lifestyle.
Fashion doesn’t necessarily means that “if it is in the store you have to have it”, today retailers tray to give us a verity of shapes and styles, and if one specific retailer doesn’t “work” your body type or lifestyle no matter how in fashion he is at this moment as a person that consults and dose fashion for a living my suggestion will always be: “find a retailer, even if it’s less popular, that attains all your needs” I assure you as soon as you do you will stop looking like those grope of girls and boys that look exactly the same and start crating you own fashion personality.

T-Shirts

2007-12-15T07:53:00.001-08:00

The concept of urban fashion is now part of our lives, it wasn’t like that at first, Urban Fashion and lifestyle was tagged as a look for African Americans, Rappers, and ‘street’ culture… today as cultures come closer and closer, mix together, were we can here a Rap artist colaborating with an Oprah singer and that’s OK, we are also learning to mix the way we dress, and use elements of any kind of trend or fashion guideline into our day to day look making it our OWN… mixing basics with gothic with hip hop with some preppy all in one just to make a unique statement of individuality.
As a designer I fined this more challenging, I have to either design a hole collection that will offer all this combined – or – I can step outside of what I am used to, designing a complete look, or, design elements… complementary elements that will help create this own unique look everyone is after.
These Blog… and many to come will be dedicated to the famous lovable T-Shirt an element I consider is a key to create that unique look and we all own by the dozen, plain, printed, embellished, colorful, white, and the ones that we get for free with advertisement logos or slogans…. The T-shirt over decades has been the perfect blank canvas for all that and much more. T-shirts today have a variety of ways for us designers to get inspired and give our costumers their perfect pick.

As a Fashion designer...

2007-12-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

As a fashion designer living and learning from a variety of societies in the past ten yeas, I have seen so much fashion… but it was only when I got into the business of designing my own clouding line I realized how much of what you learn an how much of what you dream your business should look like… is approachable, commercial and the most important, because we must never forget this is a business, is profitable.
So as part of my experience and as part of my evolution in the industry I am here, writing this fashion blog that will discuss mainly my personal evolution as a fashion creator and a trend spotter, as well as showing how I am applying all this knowledge to make my business successful on every level possible.
As a Colombian I am influenced by many Latin elements that surround my environment: music, culture, Indian culture, handmade craftsmanship and so on. But growing up in a country highly influenced by Europe I have that European design aesthetics in me, I follow mostly European music trends, and my favorite artist and designers were always European, so I do see and apply whatever element I can combine from bout aesthetics, I hope thru this blog, and thru my new line this can come across clearly and people will learn to appreciate my art.
My new line that is available now in Colombia, will have this combination of elements as well as the most important one in fashion today: the unique factor, you are buying an original hand made piece, a one of a kind, a product that you will feel the hand work that took to make it, with the concept of not being just a product but buying a concept of living.

So I hope you enjoy this blog that is made to inform and to entertain, and hopefully to encourage people to come to a store were they could enjoy the experience of buying a Colors by M.Bursztyn original.