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.

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

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:

Week Two

This week I have finally been forming a clear vision of how I want to go about my business. I have decided to drop the idea of food, to keep fashion as the main focus. Here are a few bullet points of some of the more specific ideas that I have for the business. 

• Time frame- Summer only; April through September to accomodate London's weather
• Specific chosen events throughout this time frame each paired with an allocated designer, complimenting the theme of the event
• Pop up style; each designer can use the truck as its own space to showcase their designs
• The designers can showcase a capsule collection, a multitude of pieces from the entire collection or a specific extension of the brand. I.e. denim, accessories, etc.
• Staffed by the designer, with extra staffing from the business available
• Customer profile based on each designer and event
• Social media will be a huge aspect of the business, informing people where and when each pop up will take place
• Possible special secret events throughout the time frame to add interest

Research Inspiration...

Week One

Over break, I tried to organise my thoughts and decide on a concept for my final major project. It was quite difficult for me, and it wasn't until the first week back in classes that I started forming a clear vision of my business idea. 

I had been wrestling with the combinations of ideas with fashion and food, healthy living, food trucks and mobile fashion. Coming from Los Angeles, I have seen the 'food truck' phenomenon gain massive popularity. The concept is simply food being sold from a caravan or mobile truck. There are gourmet food trucks, street food, odd and interesting concepts and even the simplest, yet most popular of concepts such as 'The Grilled Cheese Truck'. At events, opening, shows, gigs, etc., many food trucks will be parked at the venue to sell their creations.

I wanted to use this concept to create a new idea combining fashion, food in a healthy way and the London lifestyle. The lifestyle in Los Angeles celebrates the outdoors and ideal weather, so the concept would have to be adapted to fit the culture and lifestyle of London. 

My ideas are still forming and in need of major perfecting, but I'm happy to have more concrete ideas that I can work with. 

I will work on mood boards and name concepts in the next few days to help form a style and general image for the business, as well as perfecting the concept.

Inspiration