9:29am:
So it took all of 3 minutes & I've got a trunkshow! Whoooohooooo! I'm coming back for accessories circuit & we are doing it Thursday, Friday, Saturday of that week. (My feet will hate me!) 'm so thrilled that I came up & took the chance! Xx, jb
Hey. Got really busy chatting with my line mates. The gals on my right are purse designers. Awesome- one of a kind hand-painted box purses. Breathtaking. They've been here twice before in this line so they were letting us know the scoop about what to expect once we got in there.
"You get about a minute & sometimes less." great, we first-timers think!
The gals to my left are first-timers like me. They are New Yorkers who have been making jewelry for about 2 years. They use beautiful vintage filigree findings made or brass & copper with semi-precious stones. They are mainly hobbyists but definitely have potential. The line is now around the block from 56th where it begins to all the way around the block down 55th. There are people with dress racks- hatboxes- shoeboxes - everything you can think of. People passing by on the street have repeatedly come up asking us what we are doing. People have been pulling out their stuff & showing it to one another. We have been helping eachother with our presentations.
The glamorous life of a designer! By the way, that HW they're sitting in front of is the storefront for HARRY WINSTON! Ironic, huh?
Email #3:
Ok. It's a little after 5am & I'm here. It's cold but I'm sitting on a ledge & in front of a grate so it's ok! I've also come prepared with a good wool coat, gloves & earmuffs. Some people have been smart enough to bring chairs. If someone was selling chairs- I'd buy! Oh, the Glamorous life of a designer! I just noticed a huge pile of throw up right in front of me - streetside. It has just garnered a lot of attention from the line dwellers. Some good guy just went across the street for a trashbag to put on top of it. More later from the line.
xx,
jb
Here's Judith sitting -- guess she made friends with someone who had brought a chair!
Suday's email from Judith Bright, 36 hours after deciding to fly up to NYC for the Bendel's Open Call:
I'm about to get on the plane.
i'll keep you updated by email on my phone tomorrow morning. I'm going to try to get there at 5am so I can be done as early as possible! then I'll go cruise some jewelry stores to see what they are carrying.i've worked my bootie off in the last 24 hours and i'm definitely as ready as I can be for them.wish me luck!!!
Last Friday I sent an email to our Inner Circle reminding them that Monday is the Henri Bendel Designer Open Call -- the day when their buyers will see ANYONE that comes by and check out their line. Many new designers have been discovered over the years with this event.
One of our Inner Circle members, Judith Bright, emailed me and said, "I'm flying up to NY tomorrow to get in line for the open call. What the heck- right?!!" I was impressed she'd use her frequent flyer miles for this! On such short notice. So we decided to blog her adventure for you all. You can read more about this wild event at http://www.henribendel.com/happenings/open_see.
globalDESIGN, our international showcase of exceptional jewelers, returns to the Pennsylvania Convention Center this week, Friday February 15th through Sunday February 17th from 9am to 7pm.
We're just steps away from Buyer's Market of American Craft in room 202 of the Convention Center. And have been for two years. Before then we were in the attached Marriott hotel. Our bigger room in the Convention Center is much better -- more room for schmoozing and socializing and sitting down to view the collections.
Our show is very unique; it looks more like a trunk show than a trade show. We offer the fine jewelry buyers an intimate setting to peruse the collections of 20 exceptional jewelry artisans. We serve breakfast and snacks and wine in the evenings. It's a very civilized way to work!
Joining us this year are:
Aaron Henry ~ Alex Sepkus ~ Alishan ~ Daphna Simon ~ Deborrah Daher ~ Didi Suydam ~ Emily Armenta ~ Gellner ~ Gurhan ~ Jane Bohan ~ Janis Kerman ~ Jerry Spaulding ~ Mauri Pioppo ~ Monica Rich Kosann ~ Pamela Froman ~ Sevan Bicakci ~ Stephanie Albertson ~ Sugarman ~ Frantz ~ Vicente Agor ~ ViewPoint
All fine jewelry retailers are invited to attend -- and press is more than welcome, too! Designers are welcome to stop by, too, just to say hello and to meet our team. We might even blog onsite -- you never know who'll you meet there!
I've launched a free e-course (that's a class that comes via email!) to help you start the year off on the right foot.
Visit our website at www.jewelersresource.com and you should see a floating box where you can sign up to receive our free lessons.
If you don't see it just send a blank email to: jrbtipscourse@aweber.com. That will hook you up, too.
You'll get all 10 lessons in your inbox -- one every other day.
Topics include:
Lesson 1 -- Marketing is a never-ending process
Lesson 2 -- Actions in line with goals
Lesson 3 -- Tell them what to think
Lesson 4 -- There's no such thing as buzz kill
Lesson 5 -- Don't make it hard to find you
Lesson 6 -- Sales trumps design every time
Lesson 7 -- Follow instructions
Lesson 8 -- Manners Matter
Lesson 9 -- Experimentation is good and staying true to your brand is better
Lesson 10 -- Prince Charming doesn't exist - and lastly, it's not personal
I've worked with hundreds of designers in my career and I've seen them come and unfortunately, I've seen them go. What helped make the difference? Sign up for my free e-course and find out.
Traffic at the Handmade section of the NY Gift Show was slower than last year, said many, but the popular designer lines still had a good show.
And we had fun visiting with so many great friends.
Trends spotted at the show:
GREEN Jewelry is gaining a real toehold in our industry (see early post on Fair Jewelry Summit) and the latest to take the concept and run with it was Cynthia Gale of GeoArt. Her new Go Green campaign was attracting a lot of attention.
That's Cynthia on the right.
Another great green initiative is Julie Bergstein's (on the left) new locket collection for her eponymous line Just Jules. She combines vintage lockets, watch fobs and other trinkets with pearls and beads and chain to create contemporary keepsakes. She told us that she sold out by the second day -- she's on the hunt for more vintage lockets so if you see any/have any to sell -- email her from her website at www.justjules.com.
Stephen Estelle saw a great interest in his vermeil collection. His rationale? "They're simultaneously selling down with the economy (from the karat gold line) while feeling like you're keeping up because it's gold and not silver," said Stephen. Great understanding of the marketplace.
here's Suzanne Vaughan of Ann Sportun looking as cool and graceful as the jewels!
Can you see the size of those baroque pearls in front of her! To die for!
Over at Somer's Jewelry
owner at Hilary Randolph told us that her gold WAS selling better than
expected -- considering she's predominently a silver line this was
surprising news indeed.
While at the Ann Sportun/Experimetal booth they were getting some traction for their diamond designs. These reports gave us hope that the year won't be as bad as we keep fearing it could be!
De Beers is cutting its U.S. marketing budget. Sally Morrison of the Diamond Information Center (De Beer's US marketing arm) confirmed to National Jeweler that the cutbacks are related to the perception that the United States is headed into a recession, and that 2008 is expected to be a tough year for everyone.
The news is the latest in a string of bad news for the jewelry industry as a whole, as De Beers always has been known for its robust advertising campaigns. The DIC intends to offset the reduced advertising with more PR -- TIP: that could be good news for you if you've got innovative diamond designs that they can promote in publicity campaigns.
Frank and I were just marveling at how easy it is for history to morph into urban legend.
We just completed work on our first coffee table book, due out this summer, and the galleys are being proofed. Frank did much of the early research interviewing members of the American Jewelry Design Council on the origins of the group. He found several different printed references for how many were at the first meeting, who was there, who organized it, etc.
It seems everyone's recollection is different. We laugh about it because it took him over a dozen interviews, some reinterviews, to nail down what we think (hope) are the facts. Slippery memories are to blame as is the fact that at the time they didn't know what a momentous thing they were creating and it must not have seemed too important to document it.
This reminds me of another organization I work with which also needed continual clarification of it's founding days. Not everyone got the right credit in each version of the story. I know it wasn't malice that left some people or places out of the story --- but rather the fact that everyone has a different vantage point and a sloppy memory.
Let's say a magazine writer interviews the current president (or marketing director or oldest member, I'm not picking on anybody here!) who retells the story as they recollect it. OR how they understood it to be since they weren't even there. And one miswritten story gets passed down to someone else who retells it in an article in a slightly different way. OR shortens it to make it snappier or whatever. You get my point.
And why did all this revisionist history take place? Because in both instances there wasn't good documentation to begin with. So things get mixed in the retelling.
And WHY bring this up in our blog?????
Because it screamed out at me as a big DO THIS for every designer business.
I could also cite instances of:
All of these examples underscore one of my Top Ten Tips to Success (of which there are 16!) :
YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM WHAT TO THINK
If you want your work described in a specific way, your technique explained accurately, your business philosophy conveyed to all ... then make sure it is written down and shared every way it can be. Most importantly on your website but in every press release (end each release with the same corporate statement of the business), on your brochures, press kits, etc.
Writers won't get it wrong if they have accurate source material. Customers are more likely to describe your work in the same way you do when you've given them the words often enough. And everyone will retell your story well if you give them one good one to start with. And never waiver.
Want to test the theory of propagating your own words? Google --- "Classically Distinctive" jewelry --- and see what designer has gotten it right.
