You’ve put your heart and soul into your new collection, making sure every detail is exactly as you want it. You now have an exceptional line guaranteed to be a hit, not to mention the passion and drive to match… the only task now is getting people to see it!
A showroom is the ideal place to showcase a new designer’s collection. Whether it’s clothing, jewelry or handbags, it is important for up and coming designers to have a showroom. With proper resources you can sometimes showcase your brand in its own space, but a reputable showroom offers established contacts and relationships with buyers, editors and the media.
It is the responsibility of showroom employees to invite buyers to view collections. As a new designer, getting your brand out there is no easy feat. That’s why it’s important for emerging designers to get the attention of potential buyers. With a talented team of sales people behind your brand, you’ll be in stores in no time! Additionally media outlets are contacted to learn what types of photo shoots, for example, magazines are doing each month and how your pieces can fit into them. From here your samples are loaned out and put into the press! It’s a huge plus if your showroom has its own in-office public relations division.
New designers have many points to take into account when launching a brand, and showroom employees know the business! Not only will the collection samples be put on display for buyers and sent to editors for shoots, but they will be properly placed in the market. It’s important that your brand is pitched to a specific genre of stores… ones that favor the image created. A showroom pitches editors and stores that are in line with the product concept, as well as the target demographic and age group.
Sales plans and projections are an important part of launching a brand. A showroom will provide realistic numbers and goals to reach with product sales. This will give a new designer a better understanding of how much to produce.
New designers get the added benefit of sharing a space with other top brands. At first glance this may seem risky, but not if they’re complimentary brands! The right showroom allows designers to have their items placed with non-competitive brands that add to the appeal of your own collection. For example, if the showroom’s jewelry designer typically uses similar metals to the hardware used on a new designer’s handbag, than you’ve already caught the attention of the buyer as a complimenting brand. If they were looking at one line, they may now shop yours!
With an exceptional showroom lined up, a designer is well on the way to a successful season!