$$$$$ Money $$$$$

I recently got back from San Diego. I don't know anyone in the Bay Area who enjoys the drive on the I-5 south to LA or San Diego. I certainly don't. But sometimes a long time in a car by yourself is like a good meditation session. You sit quietly and you see what comes to the surface. For me, it was a chance for to sit with all these financial questions that had been wandering about in my mind.

Jinah, a very enthusiastic marketing/branding mind is working with me to find out how VAGADU is going to make money. Making money is obviously of utmost importance in any business, but for me it is something I want to go about very carefully.

One of the questions I need to answer in the development of the plan is; who is my target customer? How much money do they make? What are their professions, interests? I have been reading a terrific book called The Fashion Designer's Survival Guide and it says most designers want to make clothing for a high-end clientele. This is very appealing because you can go crazy on beautiful fabrics, spend time on wild designs, and still make some money. In my first business MAZURA we were lured too quickly towards that type of customer.

I think another reason designers gravitate to the high end is that you have to be a lot more calculated and clever to explore other markets. When I started thinking about my ideal customer, I decided the answer is, well, someone like me. I am designing clothing that I like, and therefore my customer should be somewhat similar. And if this customer is like me, they are creative, have interesting jobs, appreciate art and don't make much money. Yes, despite the snazzy website, VAGADU is not a goldmine, ...yet. That said, I need to make clothes that someone like me could afford.

In the car to SD it hit me, I will not make items that I myself or my collaborators couldn't afford. As a community project is important to create by the community for the community. The economic elite have enough boutiques catering to their fashion interests. Almost as a political gesture I want to provide choices for women with a taste for unique clothing, but at a price that your last name doesn't have to be Getty to afford.

But again, how am I going to make money doing that? For VAGADU to thrive and continue uniting artists, musicians, dancers, chefs, we need to be financially viable too. As for the fashion, the other side of the spectrum is the mass-market clothing model. In other words disposable clothing. It's cheap, cute, lasts a year, and then you toss it. I call this the H&M model. I don't believe in this either. VAGADU's designs are going to cost more. They are hand made, limited edition, essentially pieces of art. They are made to last if you care for them. So paying a little more is a good investment. Yes, they will be more than a $100 jacket. But when you buy that ultra cheap top that you will throw out in a year or it will simply fall apart, you are supporting some sweatshop in China that abuses their workers. VAGADU is about reshaping typical shopping mentality, that your clothes represent you expressively and politically. When you buy VAGADU you are acquiring so much more than just another attractive item in your closet. You bought something that was made with inspiration and love for humanity. I think I would compare my model to the slow food movement. Perhaps this is the slow clothing movement. It's an investment, its good for you and the planet.

Even with all these considerations, if VAGADU sold to local boutiques or even Bloomingdales the revenue would be pretty small. That's because designers have to sell wholesale to stores so the stores can make their profit. That equals pretty expensive clothing for my customer, and I still go to bed hungry. The only win-win situation is selling at my events. That means, I need to market VAGADU as a traveling showroom. A wandering peddler who has a national reputation that people save up just to get the latest from us as we travel from city to city. This is a different business model, and Jinah is going nuts trying to analyze my competition, which isn't many if at all. VAGADU may be more of a movement than a business. For you, this means make sure to come to my show, because that dress probably just won't be available at a boutique near you.