5/28/13

Final Reflective Statement

This final major project has been the perfect ending to my time at London College of Fashion. There were a few projects along the way that I did not necessarily enjoy, but this task was my favourite by far. It took quite a while for my idea to develop, which proved to be frustrating at the time for me. After receiving very valuable feedback from both my course director and my family, I finally decided and properly developed my idea. As I became inspired, more creative ideas came to mind to help shape the overall concept of my business. I decided to create a fully merchandised mobile truck, selling high-end fashion, bearing well-known and respected designer names, to the women of Los Angeles.

My brother has been a huge asset for me throughout this process. He has created a business on his own, which has now turned into a multi-million dollar venture. He has brought on two of his closest friends and together they have created a service, desirable to the masses. He gave me valuable information that helped him along the way. He also showed me business models, financial plans and PowerPoint’s that he created for his company. This helped me focus on what was important and what needed to be properly researched for the final business plan.

I started researching and creating tables and charts of information in Excel. When I was stuck on a certain concept, I would simply move on and go back to that concept when I had more information. This proved to be very helpful for the duration of my project, helping immensely with time management. As I researched more, I really understood a demand in the market for a business like this. There are, however, a few mobile fashion trucks in Los Angeles currently, but none bearing an individual concept with a high-end selection of clothing coming from unique designers. This gave me further inspiration to think about the idea of actually starting this business myself.

As time went on and creativity was of abundance, I was getting massive amounts of work done in a short period of time. I woke up early every morning and finished at least 1-2 hours of work every single day. Some days I would work all day until I had to leave for work at 4pm. I enjoyed every minute of the process. I finished the research, including SWOT, PESTEL, 4 P’s, SOSTAC, Porter’s 5 Forces, and many more. I then started the writing process. I wrote until I needed to develop a financial plan. I then took about a week researching and developing a financial plan and sales forecast that was fully rationalised and justified. Once that was completed, I finished the 3500-word report.

The promotional video was one of the most eye opening experiences throughout this project. I was very intimidated to film and edit a video. I reached out to a few people to help with the procedure, but none were completely right for the job. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and create the entire video on my own. I used a few of my girl friends as actors, along with myself and we ended up filming it at a juice, coffee and food truck along the river, to incorporate the mobile truck idea. I set up a meeting and discussed filming at the truck with the owner to make sure I wouldn’t have any issues on the day. It worked out beautifully, and the owner even wanted a copy for himself. My brother then encouraged me to watch some tutorials online about iMovie. He assured me that the program was very easy and that I could teach myself along the way. After watching the tutorials and playing around with the program, I began the editing process, which took about 2 days. I absolutely loved it! I am so inspired to take more videos in my everyday life and create more interesting films.

The final accumulation of all of my work has been the most surprisingly tedious effort so far. It has taken me 3-4 full days to develop the perfect format, finish proper referencing and a bibliography, get the report proofread, and tie up any loose ends throughout. With great time management through the entire seven weeks that I was given, I exceeded my expectations greatly. I had no stresses in regards to time and I was able to research properly at a slow pace, to create the best work that I could produce. I have honestly never been so pleased with any project that I’ve done in my entire academic career thus far.

This project has ultimately been inspiration and motivation for me to decide what my next step in life will be. I have decided to turn this idea into a reality and start Mode of Movement upon my return to Los Angeles. My previous plan was to move to New York and get a job at a fashion company in the marketing and promotion fields. I had a few interviews already lined up and was moving forward with accommodation details. My brother has told me that he would possibly like to invest and help me start the company for a three-month duration to see how it will work. With his help, along with a few other ideas that I have to raise capital, I have decided to take the huge risk of moving back to Los Angeles to start Mode of Movement. I am so grateful for the opportunity that this project has provided for me, and I hope that the work that I have produced will reflect.

Promotional Video

Mode of Movement promotional video...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxkLifk1Q6g

Extended version...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeJ94BIHxgE

Promotional Video Story Board


I created the final story board by taking screen shots of different scenes and printing them out. I then used tracing paper to roughly trace over the shot. I included the action happening and angle of each scene below the picture, as well as the music, actors and editor involved. 

Product Style Mood Board


I finally created a mood board to show the style of product that would be stocked. I wanted to emphasise relaxation, casual glamour, light and bright tones, which a beach orientated nature. I used Photoshop to create this final board. 

Customer Profile Mood Board


I constructed this mood board to depict the specific lifestyle and daily interests of my targeted consumer. This board was created using Photoshop.

Events & Location Mood Board


I created a mood board to accumulate my ideas for different event and locations that Mode of Movement will situate itself at to sell. I used Photoshop to create this final board. 

5/27/13

Week Six

This week I completed all of the writing and have been working on proof reading, layout and finalisation of the entire report. I filmed the promotional video over the weekend and it went better than I had even planned! I was very intimidated with the editing aspect of the video, but I was encouraged to watch some tutorials about iMovie online and I then decided to edit it myself. The entire editing process took about one and a half days and I actually loved it! I ended up creating the intended 30 second video, along with a longer version to submit. I am now inspired to create more films in my own time. 

I created a storyboard on an A3 sheet. It took quite a while, as I am not a good artist and I wanted it to look professional. To help the process, I took screen shots of the scenes that I was illustrating and used tracing paper to aid in the drawing of each segment. I am very pleased with the outcome and I plan on getting it laminated along with the mood boards that I created on Photoshop. 

I am so surprised at how long it is taking to finalise the format and tie up any loose ends that need to be sorted out. My mom, however, has sent back a list of grammatical errors that need correction and opinions on the report as a whole. This has proven to be very beneficial in the finishing of my project. 

I will get everything printed, laminated and bound at JPS tomorrow. I will allow a few hours to do so, as there are always issues that arise when printing out the final copies. I hope to turn the project in a day or two early, as I am doing great on time. 

Here I have included a picture of the story board that I created for my 30 second promotional video...


5/17/13

Week Five

This week I have continued to get a large amount of work done. As of today, I have finished 2500 words of the report, 3 mood boards and finalised most of the graphs and charts that will be included. 

Tomorrow I am going to shoot the promotional video. I am using 3 of my girlfriends to help me with it. We are going to a juice stand on the river across from Big Ben. I have talked to the owner to make sure that it will be OK for us to film in and around the stand. It will be a very simple idea of the four of us girls getting a few bags and boxes of clothes from inside the stand and playing around with each other and the clothes near the stand. I want it to have a very casual, girly, California vibe. I'm going include props such as bubbles, lipstick, a disposable camera and a box with a colourful bow to hold clothing. 

By the end of the weekend, I plan to have finished my report so that I can focus on editing the video all of next week. Next weekend, I hope to print out all my finished work so that I can relax and not worry for the last few days leading up to the hand in. 

I have worked every single day for at least 2 hours, and it is definitely paying off. I am doing very well with time management and am very proud of the work that I have produced so far.

Here is  one of the mood boards that I have created and will include in my final work.


5/12/13

Week Four

This week I have progressed mostly with the research and tables including sales forecast, budget, critical path, Porter's 5 forces, objectives and promotion. 

It has been difficult for me to move forward with the report aspect of the project. I have been stuck on coming up with the right wording for the 'Business Concept'.

I'm very proud, however, of the work that I've done regarding the sales forecast and budget. 

I plan on finishing the report this week so I can then focus on the promotional video and story board, separate promotional campaign including a press release and the mood board. I feel as though my time management has been very good as I have been working every single day. 

I look forward to accomplishing the 3500 word report this week, so that I can focus on the creative side to the project. 


Here is a screen shot of my sales forecast for 4 months




5/4/13

Week Three

This week has been extremely crucial. I've actually decided to put my plans of moving to New York on hold to start this business for 3 months. 

My brother has started a business of his own in the past year, which is now worth about 3 million dollars. He has built the company completely on his own and has made huge progress. He has been helping me with developing my idea as well as letting me use some of his resources and models in the planning of my business. Once I've finished the project, he is interested in investing in the company so that I can start the business and see how it works for three months. I've become so passionate about this idea and feel like it could really change and have a huge impact on the fashion industry in LA.

I'm also in the works of recruiting a girl to help me with this endevour in LA. She is extremely motivated and outgoing. She would be great with pitching the idea as well as the selling aspect of the business. We've emailed a few times and I will schedule a Skype session soon.

I've decided to stick with name 'Mode of Movement' for the time being. Mode means fashion in French and Movement has a distinct association with the mobility of the truck as the venue. 

This week I came up with a sample product range, a list of competitors, PESTEL, perfected the SWOT and am now working on the 4P's as well as planning strategies within the SOSTAC model. 

With the beach and outdoor lifestyle of LA paired with a completely unique idea, showcasing great designers and selling at high traffic, on brand events, I really do believe that this business could have great success. I've been working so hard this past week and am excited to see how I get on over the next week. 

Samples from my ideal product range: