I Moved My Blog!!

I officially moved my blog!!! Check out all things Parkr here: http://parkrblog.wordpress.com/

It's Finally Here!!!

I finally have something I can call my own. Something I simply dreamt about, put into action, and made happen. I finally have my first handbag sample. After all the blood sweat and tears, and yes there were tears, I can finally say I designed and brought to life my first bag. Well, Mano is the one who brought it to life, but you get the point. And its gorgeous!!!! It exceeded my expectations. The feel, the look, and the element of surprise. Yes, there is a little something something extra on the inside, but I can't share all that yet, for legal reasons. So yes, it is here people.  Now the real work begin!

In earlier posts, I mentioned a trade show, the DG Expo that I've been wanting to attend. I am excited to say that I will be attending this year!!! As a quick refresher, the DG Expo features a two-day expo of Trimmings and Textiles for small businesses and up and coming designers. They specialize in offering low to no minimums for there product. Im going to be put my big girl panties on and go it alone, something I'm always nervous about doing. But I started this whole thing on my own so I have to keep the momentum going.

That's it for now. Be on the look out for pics from the expo.  And yay for my first bag!!!!

A.

Crazy Comforts

I have good news! My beloved first sample is complete! Mano, my sample maker in New Jersey, sent me pictures last night and I couldn't stop staring at them. I'm not going to include photos just yet, since I haven't seen the bag in person. I need it to feel real and I need to actually feel the bag; meaning I need to physically hold it! Until then, the anticipation will have to build up.

I know I have soooo much more to do, business wise. There's the marketing plan, figuring out my budget, what sample to do next, and the list goes on. But, honestly, I just need to sit back and pat myself on the back. I took an idea and made it real and I cannot be more proud of myself for it. Even if this one sample is as far as it goes, I can say I did this. (Takes a minute to pat back)

Now its time to step it up. I met with a SCORE consultant today. SCORE is a community of consultants geared to offering free counseling sessions for small businesses. I cannot stress the word FREE enough. There are so many programs and sessions for small and start up businesses that go overlooked and SCORE is one of those resources. Anyways, my counselor and I got down to the nitty gritty about planning out my next steps. Of course my two favorite things came up; social media and my business plan. Sigh. I really hate thinking about both those things. He advised that I start really drilling down on my plan, more specifically the marketing portion and creating buzz about my product. I started getting dizzy. Which brings me to the purpose of this post.

GETTING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE. If I ever really want this to work, I can't be afraid anymore. I know this is going to sound like the craziest thing ever, but I am afraid of social media! I'm afraid of putting myself out there and being vulnerable. To let everyone know what I'm working on is truly scary. Yes, it sounds crazy. Not to mention, I have no clue how to get followers or how to even "tweet" (don't laugh). But, in order for me to succeed, I have break out of this and start thinking like a business owner and true hustlers.

It's time for me to find my seat on top of the world.


Long Live Parkr!

A

SNEAK PEAK:

Ok I had to give you guys a little taste.

Back view of my first clutch!!! :) 

No More Long Breaks!! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I promise, this is THE last time I will take such a long hiatus from updating this blog. Honestly I am not a social media fanatic. I attended a free consulting session at the University of Arts and was basically told, social media or DIE. Well that's not what he said per say, but the consultant told me that I need to dive deep into social media if I ever want to gain a presence in anything. I must admit, he's right.

So in an attempt to not overload this post, I'll speed things right along and let you know what's been going on with me and the status of the bags.

1. My pattern is complete!!! Mano also did a prototype for the bag, which was soooo exciting. The prototype gave me a basic idea of what the bag would look like without the actual fabric. This was extremely helpful for construction and size and working out any kinks before we moved on to the final stage.

Mano cutting my pattern and lining 

2. The lining of my bag is really special and what really sets my bags apart. And of course there was tones of drama that went along with that. Who would have known figuring out screen printing was so intense, or that if you want to use a font that doesn't belong to you, you have to buy the commercial license for it. Nonetheless, as always, I figured it out and I got my lining made.

3. I went to New York to gather all the materials for my first bag. I knoooo, I didn't take any pictures. Next time, I promise.

4. After collecting alllll my materials I finally sent off EVERYTHING to Mano today!! Just as a reminder Mano is the gentleman I hired to create my samples.

So that is the quick and dirty version, just to get you up to speed. As things progress it is my News Years resolution to keep this updated.

Until then...

Long Live Parkr!

Its Been A While

So it's early on a Saturday morning and the snow hasn't started yet; my mind is racing. I try not to do too many of these kind of rambling posts, but its been a while. I haven't written anything in weeks and that is due to the fact that I've been plagued with self doubt again.

Here's the updates with my bags. Mano, a handbag sample and pattern maker in Jersey, has begun to make my patterns as well as a prototypes for me. The prototype is almost a mock of what my actual bag will look like. The only difference is that it's not made out of my leather. Mano follows the pattern he created and uses man made materials, just so I can see what the bag will potentially look like. This helps me, so I can make any needed adjustments before using my materials. Once I approve the prototype, then we move forward with creating the actual samples.

I guess I should be excited now, right? I feel more worried then ever. I received the final version of my logo, the one that I picked and now I'm not sure that I picked right one. Again, the mind plaguing thing. I'm not sure that it really represents what I want this line to be.

Its weird when you initially have a dream and you're so excited to see that dream come to fruition, then watch it slowly slipping, because of no ones fault but your owns. I really want this to work and I really want everything to be perfect.

My roommate and I walked the aisles of Marshall's yesterday, and there hundreds of handbags to choose from. Some cute, some not so cute. And I kept thinking to myself, can I see my Parkr bags amongst these top brands. I don't know. We discussed what we liked and didn't like about each, all the while I was really surveying my roommate. I really value her opinion and her style guidance.

Yes people, I am having my own little pity party, when there is so much for me to do. But, I'll be honest sometimes you need them  to make yourself realize that sometimes everything isn't going to be easy. Sometimes you really have to work!

I haven't gotten into my real challenges in this post, and I don't really want to. Hopefully, I'll receive my pattern and prototype this weekend and that will cheer me up.

Stay with me people, it's not over yet!

Deadlines

Just a quick check-in. I went to my MADE class this past Monday to go over what I've been working on. My teacher, Rachel, announced that MADE would be having a fashion show to highlight student work. Annnd (drum roll please) she would like me to have samples ready to present for the show in April! So the pressure is on people! I really gotta get my act together. My biggest roadblock at the moment is sourcing. I know I need to get to NY to gather a lot of my fabrics, the big holdup is that many of the stores in the Garment District are only open Monday thru Friday and closed on the weekend. Which sucks for a 9-5er like myself. Im going to have to figure something out and soon. Manuel, the pattern maker I found is leaving the country in December for the Christmas holiday and I really want to get him my stuff before he peaces out. I want to, at least, get the first sample rolling.

On the bright side, I am happy that I now have a date to look forward to. April 1st!!! Mark your calendars!

Long Live Parkr!! ;)

A

Beautiful Nightmares

There was no chance of me getting any sleep last night. My mind was moving a million miles a minute, minus the fact that my roommate and I had spent the evening at her job working on separate projects.  It almost felt like our college days when when would pull all nigthters. She was doing actual work pertaining to her job and me, well, I just needed a place that wasn’t home so I could wprk on Parkr.

Yes, before I forget! I decided to name the handbag line Parkr!!! If you haven’t notice, the name of the blog did change. For those just tuning in, I originally named the blog “My Damn Handbag Line” because I was in between names. I actually was going to name it Walker, but with a dot in front of it like “.walker”.  I filed the name with the PA State Department and it got rejected. So, I decided to go with “wlkr” like an abbreviated version. Nope!  I found out it was the name of a radio station. *Sigh*. All the while I was having my graphic designer work on my logo, which also had to be revised. Long story short I decided on Parkr. It was originally supposed to be “Parker”, but that was taken as well so I dropped the “e” and let it ride. I called the PA State Department just to verify the name availability and sure enough it was free to use.  So that’s the whole name fiasco. I will say this; the name thing to me FOREVER to figure out. I’ve always liked the name Parker and it honestly it just felt right. I wanted something that was a little androgynous.

Anyways back to this nightmare which really weren’t nightmares. Last night, my mind kept floating in and out of what the future looks like. I was never so motivated to do something before in my life like am now. I truly believe in these bags. I dreamt about celebrities wearing them, fashionable women wearing them, them being featured in magazines and requests for them for photo shoots. I dreamt that it was more than just a handbag line; it was an empire that gave back to women. I know that this all sounds so far fetch. I mean really who do I think I am? No one knows my name,I have no fashion design experience, and who knows if anyone will even like them. *Sighs*