March 3 2017

The Dream of Launching a Fashion Brand

What a crazy and fun-filled three days. Sam and I went to downtown LA on Sunday night to attend three days of seminars at the LA Textile Show. I went into the conference thinking of making just one really kick-ass piece of clothing but came away from it with a whole new approach. At the end of the session Need for Speed – Keeping up with Production Cycles in an Evolving Retail Landscape, we met up with the speaker Syama Meagher at Scaling Retail. She told me something that just blew me away. She said, “Don’t just create one thing. Dream big! Create a brand.”

At first, I was taken aback but then I remembered how I studied Marketing when I was getting my MBA and how much I loved it. I thought about my experience in social media and blogging from the last seven years I ran My Modern Met. Could all of my past experiences lead me to this defining moment?

Yes!

Suddenly, I felt both extremely excited and unbelievably afraid. What? Me? Start a fashion company? Just two or three weeks ago I would only wear black leggings and a baggy sweater. Sure, I may have mad respect for designers like Alexander McQueen (may he rest in peace) and Karl Lagerfeld but how would that translate? But then, something clicked. I was in the session Women’s and Young Contemporary Trend Stories for Spring/Summer 18 and during that presentation they showed these really engaging videos. What inspires the designers to come up with their latest pieces? Art! Architecture! Design! Photography! Precisely what I had been curating and writing about for seven years. In fact, I had written over 6,000 posts on creativity or the art that surrounds us.

So now I’m on a new journey. For about a year and a half I thought I wanted to become a photographer but now my heart is set on creating a fashion brand. At first, I thought fashion was superficial but then I realized that it’s also a form of art. It’s a way to express yourself. My first line will be inspired by my favorite artist, Yayoi Kusama and her installation Infinity Room. Think lots of color. (Here’s the article where I wrote about Infinity Room on Gizmodo, over 51,000 people read it.) My brand name will be called Skylar Yoo. Skylar is the name I would have given to my daughter if I had had one. My slogan will be simple: Be Bold. Finally, my logo will be white angel wings, symbolizing freedom.

Though some of this may change, it’s my starting point. I’m diving head first into fashion.

One last thing I forgot to add: A part of all sales will go to organizations about Mindfulness and Mental Health. As you may or may not know, I’m bipolar so this cause is near and dear to my heart.

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