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Good things go on in the Dobizo Forums and even I learn a lot from members. Case in point these shipping and payment terms below posted by fashion network member Schoopshoppe who is a buyer for a retail store and wanted some clarification on some industry terms that many of you may not be familiar with.

I will let the forum do the talking:

“Fall Transition 6/30 7/30x”
or
” Fall 2008 8/30x”

I am pretty sure they just mean delivery dates, but what the Sam Hell does “X” mean?

Also on a line sheet for example I’ll get

” “7/30-8/15 x-factory”

Cheers!”

Apparently ‘x’ is a placeholder indication that clothing is shipped on the same day every year. See forum post to get the full definition.

X-factory means from forum:

“JC Sprowls:

The monster that is the MAGIC trade show is adding yet another section to the already massive show by the name of S.L.A.T.E which stands for “Select, Lifestyle, Apparel, Trends, Emergence”. 40,000 square feet of floorspace featuring up and coming and established street/skate clothing brands. For the debut of S.L.A.T.E at the MAGIC show in August 25-27 expect to see booth space by The Hundreds, UNDFTD, Stussy, King Stampede, GRN Apple, Hot Air, Rockwell and many more emerging street style brands.

Finally street wear will get the respect it deserves and MAGIC is starting to realize the dollars street/skate brands are generating and wants a larger piece of the action.

Chris DeMoulin President of MAGIC Marketplace said the following about the street wear movement:

“The future of progressive streetwear is being dictated by consumers with the confidence to mix and match their styles,”

Popularity: 5% [?]

I’ve been brainstorming and thinking about what type of clothing company I want to start and for a second I was going to do something way out of my field and create a upscale womens wear line, but I wouldn’t enjoy the process or the market.

So I’m going to stick with where my heart is and that is menswear, but I want to create more of a premium/contemporary lifestyle line along the lines of Monarchy, Affliction, Kid Robot but with the crossover appeal of LRG/Ed Hardy…I have many ideas, but I will boil it down to make it a fulfilling clothing line.

I decided to stay with in my lane, because it is a market that I know well and most likely appeal to the bulk of our audience here on Dobizo Network. I actually have the name for the clothing company already, but thought it would be good to see what many of you thought about some of the other fashion names I came up with. (Just some of many)

I’ve been thinking of the best way to help users start their own clothing line and the best idea thus far has been to start my own clothing line from scratch and document every step along the way on the Dobizo blog!

I mean from the first thought to naming the company to registering the business name, developing a business plan, researching my target market, creating first designs to clearing samples and placing the first production order.

The following articles are in no way going to be staged or planned. I’m going to document (In writing and a little audio…maybe video!) every step of me starting a clothing line and at the end I will either give the clothing idea away or make a partnership with some readers and actually develop the clothing line into actual existence. (It all depends on how this pans out)

The updating will be sporadic, but at least one time per week and sometimes more depending on time restraints.

This is an entry from a question posted on the Dobizo Answers page. If you would like a question answered post it on the Dobizo Answers page and we will answer as soon as possible. (The log is kind of backed up on Dobizo Answers )

Anonymous asked the following question:

“I am starting a new line of women’s formal dresses and have been trying to line up a pattern maker. I have been talking with a handful of pattern makers and am a bit perplexed at the disparity in services. I am sensitive to the old addage of “you get what you pay for”, especially when it comes to the blueprints of the clothing line. Some pattern makers are requesting about $300/pattern while others are giving me estimates of $1000-$3000. I don’t want to be cheap and end up with a crappy pattern, so I can bite the bullet and pay top dollar if necessary, but I wasn’t thinking patterns were going to be in the thousands.

The post that I originally started almost a year ago has now received its 203rd comment and is officially Top 200 Mistakes Clothing Lines Make. Considering comments are going to be turned off on ALL articles by the end of the week we will be moving popular post to the forum for further discussion.

Check out Top 100 Mistakes Clothing Lines Make by clicking here.

Thanks for making this all possible.

Popularity: 7% [?]

It has come to my attention that I could be spreading our traffic too thin by having comments on the blog, blogs for Dobizo Network members, and a forum.

I think I’m giving too many ways to communicate on the site and hindering either outlet from reaching its full potential. I also have looked at other popular business network sites with the same sort of layout and most articles on the home page don’t have comments enabled.

I am going to turn comments off and leave all communication for the Dobizo Network blogs, and Industry Forum, because that is where it belongs and it is better collected there and easier for new users to access.

Let me know your thoughts on this move for Dobizo Fashion Network by email or comment. Yes you can or no I shouldn’t.

FRED

Popularity: 4% [?]

This is a Guest Post by Andrea Mérida. She works with independent fashion designers and small boutique owners who are desperately trying to promote their brand but who don’t have the money to hire a full-service marketing agency. Working via her alter ego, The Email Diva, Andrea brings her years of experience working with entrepreneurs to help fashion businesses super-charge their cash flow by finding the right customers for her clients. Committed to educating all fashion businesses on their marketing options, no matter how tight the budget, Andrea offers a free, no-obligation newsletter to the fashion community. Subscribe to her FREE Newsletter Today by Clicking Here Contact her at info@emaildiva.net

The first day of the trade show was a little akward, because they wanted all types of private information to get into the America’s Mart show if you weren’t an ‘active’ exhibitor…basically somebody shelling out $100’s for a booth. I called ahead and was told all I needed was a business card and photo identification since I was a previous exhibitor. Once I arrived and attempted to sign-in I was greeted by somebody who wanted to know every aspect of my operation known as Dobizo and the clerk I spoke to earlier denied ever speaking to me basically calling me a liar in the nicest way possible. Eventually I was let in ‘this time’, but next time I would need to bring more information ( A list of credentials they want about your business) I think it helps with them marketing the show in some form or fashion.

With all the copyright and trademark business talk going around on the network I thought it would be interesting to get some of the users thoughts on this issue.

Parish Nation Clothing (Mostly known as Parish NYC clothing or simply Parish Clothing) is a clothing line headed by ENYCE and Mecca founder Tony Shellman and has been gaining traction in the apparel industry as of lately with its colorful/quality approach to the men’s street wear scene. To get a good idea on the clothing line visit their site here. Basically what I’m getting to is that they are well-established and there is no doubt in my mind that they have a copyright for the name and logos trademarked just because of their track record in the clothing industry.

On the other hand while looking through Dobizo search logs a user found us while searching for parish clothing and when I clicked the link to Google search and saw this listing. The fifth link down is to a clothing line by the name of Parish Clothing…not the same owner, but a premium men and women’s lifestyle brand based out of Australia by the name of Parish Clothing.

I guess the following is good news for retailers in the bridal and formal wear market. WWD reports that retailers including Nicole Miller are seeing weekly sales more than quadruple since the ruling for same-sex marriages were in the favor of gay couples ready to jump the broom.

Yes times are good for retailers Chief Executive Officer Bud Konheim of Nicole Miller said the following:

“”Both brides are going in to buy wedding dresses,”

How do you think this will affect other businesses and retailers bottom lines, if any?

Popularity: 5% [?]

There has been many questions and concerns about copyright on this blog and throughout the Dobizo Network. I thought it would be good for us to address this once and for all.

I’m going to note some answers and replies found throughout the site about copyright.

Many are wondering how to go about making sure they’re protected and if they happen to be a victim of copyright infringement what will hold up in court and is trademark or copyright the best answer amongst many other questions.

The best answers to date can be found in the forum. A new member JCSprowls seems to be very knowledgeable on the subject of the ‘fashion industry’ amongst many other things and has been helping out around the forum with great answers to many members questions(Oh yeah and Thom is still up to his antics ).

Here are some of the key post I want to highlight:

• Copyright Issues
• Just great info about manufacturing rates and working overseas. Read here
• Money for Designs

Modern Amusement Clothing is looking for a graphic designer to join its young-hip clothing line. This is a full-time internship position and is non-paid, but you will be learning different aspects of the marketing graphics and t-shirt design.

Requirements:

• A degree in Graphic or Fashion Design or working toward a degree in graphic or fashion design
• Proficient using Adobe Illustrator CS3
• Use and Own MacBook or MacBook Pro and Adobe Illustrator CS3
• Available portfolio online

Kind of sounds like job requirements. Let’s just hope that these internship positions can turn into full-time paid positions.

You will be working as a graphics Intern and will be involved in Summer and Fall graphic design in accessories, apparel graphics, marketing graphics, and t-shirt graphics. At the end of your internship you may be eligible for further freelance opportunities. This internship is approximately 8 weeks spanning June 16-August 22nd. All interns will receive a weekly stipend.

To apply as a graphic design intern, email current resume & online portfolio to intern@mdrna.com. Reference “Graphic Design” in the subject line