Our photoshoot is scheduled for this Saturday! We’ve compiled makeup, hair, and layout ideas for our shoot. Wish us luck!
Twiggy Eye Makeup
Bouffant Hairdo
Baby Lips
Shot on a white background
Quirky Poses We’ll Incorporate
Look Book Layout Concept
Our Model in “Undergarments”
xoxo –
jn2
Rena is done prepping all the burlap fabric and has moved onto spraying all seven pieces of our collection. Below, Rena takes us through the painting steps with a top from our collection.
Below are the additional pieces. You can also get a feel for our final color palette.
xoxo –
jn2
Color palette & sketches
The childish spirit we’re trying to capture from the French novel, “The Little Prince”
xoxo –
jn2
Rena has been working diligently on the collection but not everything has been going as planned. Below is a failed garment painted earlier this week but Rena wanted to include this picture because our concept holds a challenge of making something that doesn’t look childish while still having that spirit. Stay tuned…
xoxo –
jn2
This is a skirt primed and ready to be painted with latex white paint with built in primer and lined in wire for shaping. Rena is still in the process of painting more of the pieces white due to shortages of paint and burlap resulting in trips to downtown and Home Depot. She does however have other pieces traced and ready to cut. The process will be faster after that.
xoxo –
jn2
Happy Cino de Mayo from jn2!
Slowly but surely we’re generating more elements for our branding. This weekend Semper worked exclusively on business cards, hang tags, labels, and letterhead. Everything is a work in progress…
Reworked Hang Tags
xoxo –
jn2
A logo is a really important aspect of a company. It’s one of the first identifiers a customer looks at especially if they’re brand conscious. This week Semper has been working on jn2′s branding and came up with these four different logo designs. We’re going with logo #2.
Logo #1
Logo #2
Logo #3
Logo #4
xoxo –
jn2
Since burlap is such an unforgiving fabric to work with the fabric needs to get prepped before it gets cut. Rena takes us through her process (see below).
Assorted burlaps for our 5 different looks
And we’re rollin’
Tools of the trade
Freshly layered
Ready to be cut
xoxo –
jn2
We’re in the first steps of construction. Below are some pictures of the process thus far.
Materials have been purchased
Outline has been traced (yarrr!)
Pattern tracing has started
xoxo –
jn2
Interview with Belinda Kazanci, owner Of BEL KAZAN a Los Angeles based women’s clothing company.
Belinda Kazanci, owner of BEL KAZAN
I met Belinda in the Fall of 2012, shortly after I started my first quarter at CSULA. I was a brand new Angelino and wanted to get as much experience as I could so I quick to respond to her “intern wanted” ad. Through her company, I got a feel for the industry and I’ve also been fortunate enough to have other opportunities arise because of her. More recently, I was given the assignment of interviewing a designer as part of my senior project so I immediately thought of her. I hadn’t seen her in over a year so it was also an excuse to catch up. We met on a warm Tuesday afternoon over iced mochas in Echo park…
Q: What got you interested in becoming a fashion designer?
A: “I grew up in Istanbul and have been around textiles my whole life. Plus with Echocell, I had a lot of costumes on stage so I created a brand after my friends kept saying how good my styling was.”
Q: Where did you go to school and what did you major in? Are you currently using that major now?
A: “Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, class of 2000. I majored in City Regional Planning with a minor in music. I learned how to design, and sketch but one of the most important skills I learned was technical writing. You know, like how to write a formal e-mail or proposal to someone.”
Q: What essential things did you learn outside of school?
A: “I took fashion seminar courses at FBI, Fashion Business Inc. It’s a non-profit seminar in Los Angeles and they help you with things like how to find sales rep, and how to get ready for market. They teach you about the fashion business and provide you with a lot of helpful resources. I’m a current member of the organization and also its really good for networking.”
Q: What is your greatest challenge as a designer? When you first started, and now?
A: “It’s hard to juggle everything, time management can be challenging. That and production flow.”
Q: What advice would you give yourself when you first started?
A: “Take time and formulate a business plan and what your brand is going to be about. It’s really necessary to do market research. My brand has evolved over the past ten years. In all that time I could’ve done the business planning in two years instead of ten, ok maybe not two but definitely in less time. Stuff happens also along the way and it’s damage control. How well you can handle the situation, especially when things are out of your control.”
Q: What is your proudest moment as a fashion designer?
A: “When I shipped 5,000 units to Nordstrom’s and they reordered. They didn’t reorder that much again but they’re still one of my customers. Also when Jessica Alba was seen wearing one of my dresses.”
Jessica Alba in BEL KAZAN
Q: Do you design for yourself or for your customer?
A: “Definitely for the customer but I also incorporate my own sense of style. My customer is in their late twenties to early sixties. Right now I carry leggings, tunics, shirts, pants, tops, dresses, and accessories. My price ranges from about $52 to $185 retail.”
Q: How much time do you dedicate to designing? What else do you find yourself doing a lot of as a fashion designer?
A: “About 20%-30%, the rest is managing.”
Q: How did you create buzz/following/interest in your designs?
A: “Grassroots, trade shows, PR companies, and social media. I also have a lot of sales reps across the country; they’re in Chicago, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. Also create a good product and you’ll have a following. That and good customer service, like if a shipment is delayed I’ll offer my customer a discount or cover their shipping because its always better to take a small loss than have a cancelled order.”
Q: How many people are part of your team and what are their responsibilities to your designs/brand?
A: 35 in total: 7 in the United States and that includes my assistant and sales reps. The rest are in Bali and that includes my production manager, sample manager, pattern maker, quality controllers, cutters, fabric controller, runner, accountant, and temporary sewers for embellishments. I also have other people who are involved like my book keeper, vendor, accountant, customs broker, sample maker, and business consultant.”
Q: How did you go about finding sources for manufacturing, pattern making, etc?
A: “In Bali at first it was a friend who recommended me to someone but after that I just asked around and built connections. In the U.S. it was through FBI where I found a lot of vendors and also through friends I networked.”
Q: Is your company profitable or do you find the need to do supplemental work to support yourself?
A: “Yes I’m profitable and I can make a living off it. I also want to slowly build my company. When you have investors you have less say in your company.”
Q: How do you set your brand apart from your competitors?
A: “We have original prints and fabric. Our clothing is also made in Bali and we give back to the community. I’d say some of our competitors are Ella Moss, Rachel Roy, Splendid, Tart and Indah.”
Q: What advice would you give someone thinking about becoming a fashion designer? Skills, education, etc.
A: “Intern and volunteer! Understand your customer base, their likes, activities and lifestyle. Take small logical steps in building a company, track your spending, and give people a reason to buy your product, so be unique.”
BEL KAZAN Fall/WInter 2013
jn2 | losangeles 