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Is it REALLY About the Fabric or What You Can Do WITH the Fabric?!

Is it REALLY About the Fabric or What You Can Do WITH the Fabric?!

by | Feb 25, 2013 | Fashion Beyond Stitches

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150689471697416&set=a.150659597415.113284.83754002415&type=1&theater
 
ABSOLUTELY stunning work right?!  Yes I thought so too.  
 
I was browsing the Fedisa Facebook page (yes that’s the design school I graduated from) sometime last year when I stumbled upon this absolutely fabulous draping exercise created by a 1st year student, entirely out of calico!  For those who have no idea what calico is, it’s commonly called Teru in the local market.  YES!  This dress was draped from mere “teru”… what many of my students think is crap material which they can never wear.  I told them it was because they hadn’t seen good work done in calico.  
 
So this post really is for my students, past and present.  I am hoping they read this article, which will hopefully change their mindsets and also prove what I say…. that “it’s never about the fabric but what you can do with the fabric”!
 

I have spoken to many designers who tell me that they get their inspiration from fabrics.  Now I do not doubt that this is true.  But my question is, for how long can you continue to rely on the fabric as a source of inspiration for your designs…even if there are so many fabrics out there to work with.  Or perhaps maybe I have this mindset because I was trained to first develop my concept and then find suitable fabrics to bring the designs to life.  I even recall on one or two occasions, “creating” my own fabric when I couldn’t find fabrics suitable for the concept I had in mind.  I even used spider webbing once to glue chiffon to a stiffer fabric to get the weight I wanted.  

 

I also recall a project in my first year where we had to develop our own 3-meter long 3D fabric.  Took me forever to sew the manually pleated ribbons in 2 colours onto the taffeta, and this was after I had sewn on the lace fabric.  It was part of what made learning more challenging and interesting…. and part of what never bothered me if I went to the fabric store and could not find what I wanted to use.  I’d simply create mine.   

 
But now I find that it appears some of us rely too much on the ankara fabric with its fabulous print to speak for our work rather than the other way round.  And this is said with NO PREJUDICE WHATSOEVER to any designer in particular.  For me, what is more difficult is trying to convert the plainest least desirable fabric into a well sought after product!
 
NOW do not get me wrong, I am not condemning ankara or any of our local fabrics.  Yes I may not do much work with ankara now because the busy prints completely confuse me… after all I went to a school where it was more about manipulating fabrics or its refabrication; clearly evident from the picture above.  But this does not mean I will never work with the fabric.  My point is why do people choose to stick with just ankara when there are so many other fabrics to work with.  
 
I remember a seminar I attended recently.  The Director of the Bank complained that her problem with designers here is that yes they do great work, but they all work with the same materials.  She mentioned that she went for a design exhibition and there were fab accessories on display but none really stood out from the lot long enough to leave a lasting impression on her.  Why?!  They were all done with ankara.  Simply put in my own words, “you seen one, you’ve seen them all”.  
 
I even saw a picture of an ankara tie back at a wedding and I was like “oh come on!”  Like seriously?!  Surely we can work with other fabrics?!  I know for a fact that a designer like Ituen Basi, well known for her use of Ankara has also worked with aso-oke and lace and they have all been a hit!  We have the George fabric which I used to make a corset once and so many others so really why restrict yourself to one type of fabric.
 
Personally, I believe a designer’s work should begin from the development of the concept and not from the fabric.  The sketches and designs should determine the fabrics you use and not the other way round.  Even textile companies like Da Viva and Vlisco work with collections much less we designers that use their fabrics for our work.  Yes you may get inspired by fabrics from time to time and create something great, which is fabulous, but truth is sometimes, the fabrics may restrict you to certain designs especially if you work with prints.  After all, you do not want to give someone a headache with a very busy design on a very busy print fabric.  
 
Ok just picture this dress made with ankara.  Would you have noticed a lot of the detail like the pleated bodice and the gathered asymmetrical lowered waistline?!  First, I think the pleats would be lost in the busy print, you probably would not have seen the gathers in the skirt and the attachments on the shoulder and the hip areas would have been an overkill – too much going on.  For me, sometimes the “bare chest – less legs” principle holds when working with certain types of fabrics.  Simply put, what would you like to draw attention to?  The design detail or the fabric?  Too much of both would simply be too much!    
 
So people, please take note.  Calico is not as bad as you think.  Besides, believe it or not, it actually is more expensive than some of the fabrics in the market.  
And to everyone out there, have a fabulous week!  Say a prayer for me for tomorrow and wish me a happy birthday in advance! ;-D
 
MWAH!
ARGH! The Dangers of that THING called Procrastination!

ARGH! The Dangers of that THING called Procrastination!

by | Jan 15, 2013 | Fashion Beyond Stitches

 

http://www-static.weddingbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/13/procras.jpg
 

The first half of the first month of the New Year is already gone and it has only just dawned on me that no matter how long I put something off for or make excuses for my inability to do it, a task will neither go away nor will time wait for me to sort myself out!   

 
I logged on to update my blog when I got completely lost in thought.  I needed to understand how exactly 14 days went past without me updating my blog nor ticking off my to-do list.  Goodness I haven’t even sent the mails I planned to send out though I have drafted it a million times in my head.  Even as I write this, I wonder why I am writing on procrastination when my major intention was to talk about my Training Calendar for the year!  And worse!  I decided to conduct research on the topic when I stumbled on this cartoon and realized just how spot on it was!
 
http://davewalkercartoons.com/procrastination/

 

 
I know many of us suffer from this but cannot seem to do anything about it.  I guess a lot of it has to do with being in denial or worse, trying to justify why exactly we haven’t met our deadlines or reached our goals!   I know for a fact that one of the reasons I procrastinate is because when I start to do things early enough, I end up wasting 80% of the time going around in circles till I have no time left.  I realized that I did my best work when I was under pressure and felt justified leaving things till the last minute… and then it became my valid excuse for not doing things at the right time.  For me, as long as I delivered, that’s all that mattered!  But surely that cannot be healthy or sustainable in the long run!
 
In fact, taking it a bit further, I always wondered why we were always in a hurry in Lagos.  People drive like maniacs, bikemen are daredevils, even pedestrians are something else.    How else can we explain why people cannot take turns when navigating a narrow lane and end up wasting 30 minutes of their time when they could have saved 29.5 – a major reason for the bad traffic situation in Lagos!   Simply because the average individual around here is constantly running late for one appointment or the other so rather than allow the next man in, 2 seemingly “smart people” cross each other off or hit themselves and end up wasting the whole day and getting everyone else late for work! Why?  Because they left home too late!  Why?  This same procrastination!  Of course because everyone else is late for work, each of them refuses to give way and the never-ending cycle just continues…. till of course, someone begging on the streets sees an opportunity to make money or be in control and comes in to intervene and direct traffic!  Like seriously!    
 
So my question is… if we know we procrastinate and we know it is counter-productive, then why do we do it?!  Or better still, why can we not do anything about it?  Could it be because we take things for granted?!  I know someone who confessed to me that he lost a multi-million naira contract simply because he could not drag himself to send an e-mail.  He sat for hours on his couch staring at the laptop screen but could not bring himself to send that e-mail.  He concluded that he had a bad case of ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (which by the way I thought was bull!  Clearly he has not really seen someone with ADHD and neither have I to be honest.  But from my research, he may exhibit some traits  – we all do – but I don’t think his case is as severe as that.  
 
I also recall last year a designer on my contact list who was completely hysterical when she felt everything was falling apart, she was forgetting things a lot, getting everywhere late, couldn’t get things done on time and wanted to seek medical attention.  She only seemed to calm down when I told her she was not the only one it was happening to and she should read up on an article I stumbled upon a while back.  Truth is… I was worried she would contact a doctor who was not versed enough in this area and didn’t want her causing herself more harm than good till she could make sense of it all.
 
Now many of us may not admit it but chronic procrastination is actually a psychological problem.  Now we’re not saying you’re going crazy or something.   But from the following extracts on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrastination, surely you are better off admitting you have a problem so you can find workable solutions to it:
 
“While it is regarded as normal for people to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning. Chronic procrastination may be a sign of an underlying psychological disorder…  For some people, procrastination can be persistent and tremendously disruptive to everyday life. For these individuals, procrastination may be symptomatic of a psychological disorder such as depression or ADHD.”
“Many individuals who consider themselves “chronic procrastinators” are actually suffering from an underlying mental health problem such as depression or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). These individuals often do not understand why they cannot “get it together”, and can become resigned to a life of struggle, frustration, and underachievement. There is, unfortunately, widespread ignorance about this constituent to procrastination, even amongst mental health professionals, some of whom see procrastination as simply a “bad habit”. 

Another interesting point on Wikipedia was how people responded or coped with procrastination:

“Individual coping responses to procrastination are often emotional or avoidant oriented rather than task or problem-solving oriented. Emotion oriented coping is designed to reduce stress (andcognitive dissonance) associated with putting off intended and important personal goals, an option that provides immediate pleasure and is consequently very attractive to impulsive procrastinators.[16][17] There are hundreds of identified emotion oriented strategies, similar to Freudian defense mechanisms, coping styles and self-handicapping. These procrastinators include using the following:
  • Avoidance: Where we avoid the locale or situation where the task takes place (e.g., a graduate student avoiding going to University).
  • Distraction: Where we engage or immerse ourselves in other behaviors or actions to prevent awareness of the task (e.g., intensive videogame playing or Internet surfing)
  • Trivialization: We reframe the intended but procrastinated task as being not that important (e.g., “I’m putting off going to the dentist, but you know what? Teeth aren’t that important.”).
  • Downward counterfactuals: We compare our situation with those even worse (e.g., “Yes, I procrastinated and got a B- in the course, but I didn’t fail like one other student did.”). Upward counterfactual is considering what would have happened if we didn’t procrastinate.
  • Humour: Making a joke of one’s procrastination, that the slapstick or slipshod quality of one’s aspirational goal striving is funny.
  • External attributions: That the cause of procrastination is due to external forces beyond our control (e.g., “I’m procrastinating because the assignment isn’t fair”).
  • Reframing: Pretending that getting an early start on a project is harmful to one’s performance and leaving the work to the last moment will produce better results (e.g., “I’m most creative at 4:00 AM in the morning without sleep.”).
  • Denial: Pretending that procrastinatory behaviour is not actually procrastinating, but a task which is more important than the avoided one.
 
Task or problem-solving oriented coping is rarer for the procrastinator because it is more effective in reducing procrastination. If pursued, it is less likely the procrastinator would remain a procrastinator. It requires actively changing one’s behavior or situation to prevent a reoccurrence of procrastination.”

 

So the outstanding issue is where does one go from here?  Are there competent doctors or counsellors out there who can actually assist with this concern?!  For me, people need to recognize that those who procrastinate a lot need to be helped.  Contrary to what people think, many are not just being lazy!  Ok… maybe some are but not everyone! I know I’m not a lazy person but I seem to get distracted a lot!  Perhaps because I over-multi-task which is obviously more detrimental to achieving each individual goal.

I won’t pretend I know what the answers are but I guess identifying the problem is the first step.  I only got better at my deliverables when I realized it was a serious problem and I made a conscious effort throughout last year, thankfully so… until of course… I went into that “holiday” mode which I am finding myself hard to drag myself out of now… 

I also found the following articles… perhaps they can help solve this problem.  I’m sure there are loads more out there.

–  http://www.smarttutorreferrals.com/articles/being-great-student/procrastination
–  http://lesswrong.com/lw/9wr/my_algorithm_for_beating_procrastination/
 
Here’s hoping this article spurs me into action and complete all the tasks on my to-do list.  Actually, now I’m quite encouraged to work towards all my deadlines… oh… and start my exercise and healthy eating regime!  Guess it’s never to late to turn over a new leaf and get your act together!

Here’s wishing me and everyone out there a lot of luck!  

Cheers!
Martwayne Media Mentions…

Martwayne Media Mentions…

by | Dec 28, 2012 | T.Williams

2 Feet Africa Magazine – January 2013 edition
www.2feetafrica.com
Now someone please tell me if there is a better way to end 2012 and kick off 2013!!! 😀 😀 😀   This year sure has been a great one for me!  First there was the ThisDay Style article about Designers Connect, then the BusinessDay article and then THIS ONE!!!! This DEFINITELY has got to be one of the highlights in 2012.  For me, getting on the cover not just for being a designer but for being an entrepreneur is the real ISH!
And like that was not enough, my article “Dressing with a Conscience” came out on Pages 44 – 47 in Today’s Lifeline magazine.  And I didn’t get one teeny weeny corner.  I got 3 full pages!  Like wow!  I am grinning so hard now my jaws actually ache!
 Pages 1 & 3 of my Article…

Cover Page of Vol. 4 No. 3 of Today’s Lifeline Magazine

After years of asking for various magazines to give me a platform to air my views on fashion, dressing or entrepreneurship, I finally got this opportunity handed to me on a platter of gold… after I had pretty much given up!  The magazine needed someone to write on fashion in a newly established column and I came “highly recommended”.  Thank you so much Dr Gb for the recommendation.  

Though it took forever to write the first article for various reasons, the most important being the conflict between being a designer and talking about “decent dressing”, yet again, I looked to God for inspiration and BAM… once I put pen to paper, I could hardly get myself to stop!  
And there it is!  I am soooo proud of myself that yet again, I aced it!  I think the Editor was very pleased with my work judging from his feedback:  
“I must confess that it was very brilliant and interesting. I kept following your arguments and before I could say Jack Robinson, I was through reading it.”
After conducting detailed research on the subject of decent dressing, including dictionary and Biblical definitions, I had a different take on the subject.  In my opinion, “The subject of dressing has less to do with the person wearing the garment but more about the person observing the garment”.  

In fact, it has little or nothing to do with the garment itself.  Check out Page 2 of the article below citing the example of 2 women carrying babies, one in a wrapper and the other in a dress with straps.

I also cited several other examples and gave all readers a task.  You really should get a copy of it.
So of course… seeing I am on a major HIGH, I decided to google all media mentions / articles about me or my work and put them all here.  I also know there have been some articles in the papers, some which I only heard about but never read but well… here goes… in reverse chronological order.  Some of you may have seen some of this on my Facebook Page but hey… why not on my blog as well… afterall, this is my site as well.  For those who think I am bragging… well… I am allowed aren’t I?  After all, it shows that the sleepless nights and hard work paid off. 😀

So sit back, relax and enjoy them.  Note that I didn’t include any of my marketing material or advertising on any of my courses.
1)  “Tope Williams – A Reference for Excellence” – 2 Feet Africa; January 2013 Edition

Will get details on where you can get the magazine from and upload here.  But you can also visit www.2feetafrica.com to know more about what the site and magazine stand for.
2)  “Dressing with a Conscience” – my article in Today’s Lifeline.

You can get a copy from vendors listed online at:

http://www.todayslifeline.com/distribute.php or subscribe online at :

www.todayslifeline.com.

And this will be a regular column so please watch out for it.

3)  “Temitope Williams – Blazing a Trail in Fashion” BusinessDay Article by Nonso Ndumanya

‘‘If truth be told, I was tired of my local tailor wrecking my clothes so I decided to learn the skill so I could teach her how to sew my clothes properly. That was how it all began. But the interesting thing became that while I told acquaintances what I was set out to do, they began to uncover other lucrative areas within the fashion industry,’’ said Temitope Williams, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Martwayne in an interview with BusinessDay, who prior to founding the fashion outfit worked as an analyst in the tax, regulatory and people services unit of KPMG Professional Services.

You can read the rest of the article here:
http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/inspiring-woman/44799–temitope-williams-blazing-a-trail-in-fashion

4) “Your Dressing Can Make or Break Your Job Interview – Tope Williams, CEO, Martwayne”  – www.jobfinder.com by Onnaedo Okafor


“Tope Williams is the amiable and industrious lady behind Martwayne; a fashion, retail, consulting and training brand which is essentially about empowering people through fashion. Williams who has a background in consultancy from her days in KPMG bared her mind in a chat with Jobfinder.com.ng on a range of issues from the fashion industry to the importance of dressing in a job interview. Excerpts:” 
Read the rest of the article here:

http://jobfinder.com.ng/blog/2012/04/02/your-dressing-can-make-or-break-your-job-interview-tope-williams-ceo-martwayne/

5)  “Scene & Be Seen” – Pictures of Designers Connect in This Day Style by Konye Chelsea Nwabogor
“The City of Lagos recently witnessed a one-of-a-kind event, which featured a large gathering of fashion designers and fashion entrepreneurs.  The purpose was to discuss and find solutions to the many challenges faced by fashion businesses in Nigeria.  The event was powered by Martwayne, fashion retail, consulting and training outift owned by Temitope Williams”.

This feature came out in This Day Style, Vol. 17, No. 6187 of Sunday 1 April,  2012.  

6)  “Designers Connect Organised by Temitope Williams @ Lekki Phase 1, Lagos” 

– The Debut Edition of First Lady Magazine, April 2012 (I think…)

7)  “What Happened at Designers Connect” – by Adaohakay of www.jaguda.com

“On Sunday, 19 February 2012, the city of Lagos witnessed a one-of-a-kind event, a large gathering of fashion designers and fashion entrepreneurs.  Their purpose?  To meet, discuss, collaborate and find solutions to the current challenges faced by many fashion businesses in Nigeria and in the process move the industry forward.
Powered by Martwayne, a fashion retail, consulting and training outfit, Designers Connect was attended by over 150 guests in a very sophisticated and up-market boutique hotel in Lekki Phase 1, Trends the Kitchen.  The networking session was attended by various players in the fashion industries and featured speeches by Temitope Williams, CEO of Martwayne and convener of the meeting, as well as other notable designers such as Prince Oyefusi, owner of Nobel Afrique and President of FADAN and Ohimai Atafo, renowned designer and creative director of Mai Atafo Inspired (MAI).”

Read more at http://www.jaguda.com/2012/02/28/what-happened-at-designers-connect/

Well I think that’s about all I could find for this year… apart from other mentions at events I attended as a guest speaker such as Headroom, The 1st Lagos Accessories Fair, the Creative and Business Expo 2012, etc.  

Now I dug deeper into my archives and found these… 😀

8)  “My Fashion Client is my Muse” – Posted by Bimbo of Indepth Nigeria

“Temitope Williams is one of the most talented designers in the country. She runs Martwayne Dynamiques, a fashion retail and consulting outfit split into a retail arm/clothing line, Martwayne’ and a consulting arm ‘Fashion Advisory and Support Services’ (FASS). Armed with degrees in Economics, Fashion Design and Management from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Future Excellence Design Institute of South Africa and Australian Business and Retail Academy, she is extremely creative. Looking at her works, one would realise how serious she takes the fashion business. She recently sat with OLAMIDE ONI and shared her experiences. Excerpts.”

Read the rest of the article here: 

http://www.indepthnigeria.com/entertainment/%E2%80%98my-fashion-client-is-my-muse%E2%80%99/

9)  “Designer Resume of Temitope Williams” 
 Page 10, Exquisite Magazine, Issue 14, Feb 2011 

Of course you may have known that Exquisite also awarded me the 2010 Exquisite Lady of the Year Award for Best Designer (Newcomer).  😀  I wonder why I never included that anywhere on this blog.  But yes!  Do visit them and subscribe to Exquisite Magazine by visiting www.exquisitemag.com .


10)  “MARTWAYNE (Get Familiar)” – Posted by Terence Sambo on www.onenigerianboy.com

“Temitope Williams the designer behind new label MARTWAYNE got her first degree in Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and later added a diploma in Management and Image consulting in Australia and the UK respectively. She got her BA in fashion design from Future Excellence Design Institute of South Africa (FEDISA) earlier this year and has since then returned to Nigeria to set up her consulting and design studio. She also showed at the Lagos Fashion Week that was part of the Black Heritage Showcase.”

You can read the rest of the article on :

http://onenigerianboy.blogspot.com/2010/09/martwayne-get-familiar.html

11) And the very FIRST MEDIA SPOTLIGHT I ever got…. Many many MANY thanks to  Oyindamola Lawal of Guardian Life:

“The ‘Structured’ Cuts of Martwayne” by Oyindamola Lawal, Guardian Life – Fashion – SUnday JUne 13 – 19, 2012

  
…which she followed up with a post on her blog:

12)  “Martwayne Breaks into the Fashion Industry with Breath-Taking Designs” – by Oyindamola Lawal on www.dammydiary.blogspot.com

“For those who were able and not able to get The Guardian Life Magazine (A Pull Out in The Guardian Newspapers) yesterday, 13th June, 2010, this is a full version of the designer article.  This pretty damsel is a bunch of talents, though her designs look very western but you will agree with me that they are trendy.  I decided to feature her on my blog because your her unique, creativity and artistic expression.  Read on and Enjoy.”

The rest of the article is available on http://dammydiary.blogspot.com/2010/06/martwayne-breaks-into-fashion-industry.html

Interestingly enough, Oyinda eventually became a student of mine on Level 1a of the Foundation Course, though I have no clue where she absconded to… but this article of her gave me such wings I felt I really could fly!  She got the ball rolling and I will forever be grateful for this article.  You always remember the first they say…  God bless her loads!

Phew!  Other samples of my work were showcased in the following:
 
 
“Ankara Rebels” – Complete Fashion Extra; Volume 3/ No. 3 2010 & FAB Magazine (the Scousers only) 

Ok!  Phew!  I think I’ll stop here now.  Can’t find any more plus I am beat!  Thank you all for the time you invested writing the articles and giving a young entrepreneur like me the opportunity at no cost whatsoever!  GOD BLESS YOU LOADS and may your businesses continue to excel beyond your wildest dreams!  Thank you so very much!  Oh… I also have to thank Beulah Marsh for that interview on Galaxy TV.  God bless you loads!

For me, I feel really humbled by all this.  I know it was not my doing, it was all God’s.  I am just extremely thankful that all the hard work did not go unnoticed.  But this is just my way of encouraging those working hard to keep at it.  Soon enough, your hard work will pay off and someone will notice.  And don’t be fazed by how far you may think I have gone.  I am just a young entrepreneur like you just starting off so hang in there and set your goals for 2013.  Trust me, planning makes ALL the difference in the world!

And if you need a word of encouragement, do send me a BB message or an e-mail.  I will get to it…eventually… [covering-my-face…:-( :-D]

God bless you loads!  MWAH!

Much Ado About “Dressing”…

by | Aug 29, 2012 | Fashion Beyond Stitches

Help Take this Quick Survey…
Yes… a part of fashion I’m not sure I have spoken about since I started this blog.  This part is the “consulting” part in the Martwayne logo.  Not sure if many of you know but part of what we do at Martwayne is teach people how to use fashion as a tool for personal and business success.  Business Image Consulting to be precise.  😉

Of course many of us know that first impressions count.  It can make or mar our careers, businesses or even dates.  So what we do is teach people how to get where they want to get to simply by using their dressing and creating that excellent first impression.  Yup!  Fashion does go a lot further than just sewing.
I have always wondered why people dress the way they do.  Obviously personal preferences have a lot to do with our choices but has anyone wondered what exactly affects our choices?  Whilst many blame the media, others blame low funds.  But I have always been a believer in not spending so much money to look good.  You can look smashing at a fraction of the budget.  
 
One thing I do know is that many of us do not know our dress or underwear sizes (and I’m referring to the ladies here…).  The standard lady in this environment is a “34B” – perhaps because that’s what’s available in the market.  Others who know live in self denial.  They would rather squeeze into clothes 2 sizes down than admit to themselves that they have gained weight.  Now losing weight really is the way forward seeing it is cheaper than changing your whole wardrobe.  BUT in the event whereby you are unable to lose weight for various reasons, you can choose your wardrobe carefully to help accentuate your best features and hide your errr…. “areas of concern”.
 
SO anywayz… why am I saying all this?!  
 
We need you to please help out with a few minutes of your time by completing the short questions asked asked in a survey conducted by my friends at Jobberman.com.
Simply click on the link below and you are good to go.
http://blog.jobberman.com/jobs-in-nigeria/2012/08/how-well-dressed-are-you/

or… to go straight to the survey, click on this link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFVua2EtN3cya3NGSGthaHhUdUZRZFE6MQ
 
As always, the information collated is for professional use and will be treated as strictly confidential.
 
Many thanks for your time. 
Cheers and have an excellent day!

“How to Make Sure Your Ideas Make Sense” – by Scott Anthony

by | Aug 28, 2012 | Fashion Beyond Stitches

“Irrationality presents challenges too. It can blind innovators to real problems and to important signals telling them to do something different. Yes, perseverance may be an underappreciated skill, but when paired with passion, it often leads to fanaticism.” 
– Scott Anthony 
(http://blogs.hbr.org/anthony/2012/05/in_praise_of_irrational_innova.htm
______________
I got the following BB broadcast this morning and thought it would be great to share.  The extracts were taken from an article written by Scott Anthony:
HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR IDEAS MAKE SENSE
 
Many a great decision has resulted from people taking risks that didn’t make logical sense at the time.  Here are three ways to seek the right amount of reason:
 
1. Find a devil’s advocate:
 
 Look for someone who can poke holes in your thinking and point out when you’re being dangerously irrational.
 
2. Test your hypotheses:  
 
Turn your proclamations into experiments. Use them to check your logic.
 
3. Make resources scarce:
 
An abundance of time, money, or people should accelerate innovation, but it often does the opposite. Set early deadlines, consciously constrain funding, and keep teams lean to pressure – test your idea before you get too far down the road.”
 
__________________________________
 
My take on the extract?!  SPOT ON!  
When I read the article, I wished I had written it myself.  These were things I realized later on and decided to apply before, thankfully, things stated making sense… and not a moment too soon either…
 

Every creative person needs an “advocate” rather than someone who will massage their egos and keep telling them what they want to hear or how fabulous their designs or business ideas are.  Someone who will highlight errors and give honest constructive criticism.  NOTE the word “constructive”… not just people who slam your work without giving ideas on the way forward.  Those in my opinion are just a waste of time. 

 
It really takes a strong mature heart for a creative person to receive criticism in good faith.  Why?!  We simply are too passionate about our work.  And there is nothing wrong with that.  But we must always remember that we are designing for a market not ourselves.  I know I would rather surround myself with people who will look critically at my work and give an honest critique now than the all-too-annoying words or “I told you so look” after I have bungled.  
 
On “testing your hypotheses”, I’m sure we all know this already. We spoke about this at FEC 4.  Conduct your research and test the market before delving straight into the deep blue sea.
 
And I LOVE the third one, “make resources scarce”.  Cha-ching!!!  In my case, this wasn’t a planned or conscious effort.  It happened when I had exhausted my funds on things that didn’t matter.  I only started moving forward when I had little funds and staff to work with.  One of the major mistakes I made was operating a business under the misguided impression that the measure of a good company was determined by the size of its workforce!  So I went ahead and just kept employing people  HA!  I only saw the light when the hard times hit.  And you know what?  It was a blessing in disguise.  I got a lot more done when I had little funds and only 2 staff than when I had 12.  Needless to say all my funds went towards salaries for zilch work done.  Lesson learnt!
 
SO…
 
If you’re facing a rough patch in your fashion business, look at it as a blessing in disguise and restructure, incorporating these 3 points somehow into your business model.  You can start by having a board of advisors or a focus group and take it from there.  Also ask people questions like “what don’t you like about this garment or design?” rather than “do you like this item?”.  You will be amazed at the answers you’ll get.  And don’t forget to ask them for suggestions on how to improve your work.  
 
Great!  That’s my take on the extracts.  Amazing what you learn from “sensible” BB broadcasts right?  The power of social media!  Don’t worry I’ll post more sensible ones when I receive them.  
 
Enjoy your week!
 
Cheers!