| I'm often asked how I got into the handbag design | | | | little did I know that this particular market was |
| business. Did I study design in school? How did I have | | | | hungry for hip diaper bags. |
| the courage to start the business? Is it as glamorous | | | | There were only a couple in the market at the time |
| as it seems? The answers to all of these questions | | | | and I soon found that instead of having to call |
| are yes, just did it and sometimes. As glamorous as | | | | buyers repeatedly and ask them to buy my bags, I |
| the fashion industry can be, the bottom line is that | | | | literally had buyers calling me - asking if they could |
| it's a business just like any other and the "bottom | | | | place an order. Most of them only took a look at the |
| line" is what will undoubtedly make or break you. | | | | digital pics and placed the orders - this was getting |
| I ran a pretty successful handbag and baby bag | | | | too easy, and it truly was that easy - all because |
| design business for almost 8 years. I sold my bags to | | | | there was a DEMAND for the product. Not brain |
| stores such as Barney's New York, Bloomingdale's | | | | surgery I know but something many small designers |
| and many other stores and boutiques in the U.S. and | | | | and business owners don't realize when they start |
| overseas. It takes time to gain customers such as | | | | their businesses. They start because they have a |
| these but the key to it all is having a product that | | | | passion for what they are creating and, while I'm all |
| the buyers and customers want and need. I spent | | | | for passion, passion without demand for your |
| many years banging my head against the wall trying | | | | product will keep you chasing your tail for months or |
| to get into the "prestigious" stores and then | | | | even years - not to mention costing you a ton of |
| something miraculous happened. My son was born | | | | money |
| and I realized I didn't have a cool diaper/baby bag to | | | | So for all of you eager, passionate fashionistas out |
| carry and I wasn't about to carry a plastic-coated | | | | there ready to take the plunge and start your own |
| Winne the Pooh bag (no offense to Winnie the Pooh | | | | handbag or fashion business - take heed. Make sure |
| - he's one of my favorites!). I designed my dream | | | | the market isn't over-saturated and thoroughly |
| diaper bag in my head while rocking my son to sleep | | | | analyze the marketplace and subsequent demand for |
| one night. I had a sample made, took some digital | | | | a product like yours and who knows, you could be |
| pictures of it and my sales reps and I were off to | | | | the next big thing while saving yourself lots of |
| sell it - mostly via the internet and via those digital | | | | frustration & lots of money! |
| pics. The eye-opening part of this process was that | | | | |