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.