Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with business and fashion

How do I negotiate licensing rights for printing copyrighted images on apparel?

seatofmypants — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:36:36 -0800

MY BUSINESS PLAN: Negotiate the rights to make apparel with images from a movie that is coming out in a couple of years. The movie distributor has the authority over these rights. EXAMPLE: So, say the movie was Spiderman, I would want to acquire the rights from Sony Pictures to make Spiderman t-shirts, jackets, caps, etc and then sell them to distributors, wholesalers and retailers. WHAT I NEED: Tips from insiders how to put my best foot forward in making this proposal to the movie distributor. What I have already done:

1. I have a deal with a friend of mine who is in printing and owns a t-shirt printing company.

2. I have contacted the movie distributor with my request and received a response requesting more information about my printing company. So the good news is: It seems that at this point the license is still available.

I am now at the point where I need to make a convincing case to the distributor so that they consider my company for rights (maybe exclusive?)

I would love to hear from someone who has been on the inside of either end of this type of deal or something similar so that I can get an idea of what they are looking for.

Thanks, friends!

Working with an Independent (Clothing) Sales Rep vs. Cold Calling shops

braveterry — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:41:12 -0800

My wife has designed and produced several items of clothing for girls which are available online. She's interested in getting her items placed and sold through specialty shops and boutiques. She is trying to determine the best way to go about this without breaking the bank. (For example, the expense of a booth at a trade show is outside of our budget). She's thinking about working with an independent sales representative and/or cold calling shops directly.

What are the pros and cons of using an independent sales rep vs. DIY? She's especially interested in any financial considerations of either approach.

Any advice on how to find an independent sales rep?

Any tips on cold calling on a shop owners?

Can you recommend any resources that may be helpful to her (for example, she's heard of a line sheet but needs to understand how to prepare one and how to use it effectively; is the line sheet for the sales rep to use or for the shop owner)?

Dressing for success

Bardolph — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:24:04 -0800

Help me learn to dress my husband! Tips/tricks/resources on developing a good eye for men's business attire? Over a few decades as a girl, I've acquired tons of specialized knowledge about how to dress women in general and myself in particular-- I know, for instance, that pencil skirts make me look thick-waisted, that certain prints look elegant while others scream "Wal-mart!", etc., etc. Having recently acquired a male second half (who's begged me to look after his wardrobe), I'm looking for ways to gather the same sort of information about men's clothing, and business attire in particular.

Areas of special concern are:

Body shape/tailoring. Suits all look the same to me-- kind of absurd and stubby-legged-- so I'd love to find out which lines/proportions will make suits look "right", and what specific adjustments to the garment can help make the most of my husband's adorable, but not 100% modelesque, body proportions. I'm looking to go beyond the basics here: something like this , with a discussion of specific waist/shoulder/arm/leg proportions, would be ideal, not just the standard "heavier gentlemen should wear double-breasted suits" or whatever. Hubby is 6'2, 200lbs, broad shoulders, short legs, small pot-belly, if that helps at all.

Colors. I have a decent eye for matching women's clothing, but men's shirt/tie/suit combos seem to follow subtly different norms. Exactly what shirt colors can one wear with navy, for instance? Is the shirt meant to be the accent color, or the tie? Are there any general rules to help one figure this out?

Ties. Once we move past the novelty-Simpsons-tie range, these all seem to be some variation of geometric print/stripe, more or less bright-colored, 100% silk. Whence, then, all the jokes about "that hideous tie"? What exactly distinguishes a cool, expensive-looking tie from a $10 Sears special?

None of the research avenues I've tried so far-- Google, salespeople, menswear catalogues, What Not To Wear, this, this-- has yielded much in the way of specific, comprehensive and ~scientific info on these issues. Would love any combination of direct advice/resource referrals to help me understand what looks good on real men!

Fashion resources for South Asians

divabat — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 08:22:21 -0800

What good fashion/style/beauty resources are out there for South Asian (Indian/Bangladeshi/Pakistani) women that aren't all about saris and lenghas? Thanks to the response to this question, I have been investigation fashion and style a lot more that usual, and am developing my personal tastes further. (I'm keeping a log of what I like; link's in profile.)

One thing that's struck me, though, is that none of the models are South Asian - none of them look like me. They're all mostly white and skinny (and often blonde). When they bring "people of colour" in there are no South Asians, and plus size is way too big for me (I'm a 12-14 with a typical South Asian belly). So it's hard for me to tell if anything I've seen would actually look good on me because there's no one to compare it to.

My tastes run towards the gothic (Velvet Garden is AWESOME), geeky (injoke tees), businessy (I LOVE suits), and ethnic (not just South Asian). I've been thinking of trying out mod, after seeing a photo of Edie Sedgwick, but she's the complete opposite of me bodywise and I have a feeling the typical mod dresses are going to make me look pregnant.

It's harder to find makeup because I have no idea what colours would suit me. I hardly wear makeup but when I do (for very special occasions) I like to be dramatic, particularly with my eyes. However, all the talk about warm/cool/yellow/blue skin tones confuse me. Some websites have pictures or notes of people whose skin I'm supposed to match, but none of them are ever South Asian! I can't even tell for myself because my skin tone can change - right now it's on the fair side because I'm hardly outdoors, but my face can get quite dark, especially when standing next to fairer people.

Searching for South Asian fashion resources is difficult, because I keep getting stuff about saris and lenghas and salwhar khameez. They're nice, but that's not all I want to wear!

Are there any sites or places that tackle South Asian people but have a more Western idea of style?

Suit me up

klangklangston — Thu, 31 May 2007 10:56:41 -0800

Los Angeles Interview Suit— I need to find something cheap for interviews after finding my last suit had irreperable moth holes in the pants (yeah, you can tell that my last couple of jobs haven't really required dap to the tap sartorial sense). Where in the LA area can I get a cheap (nice) suit fairly quickly? In addition— what should I be looking for as flattering on a slightly chubby, taller man? What will hold up well for years? What kind of stitching and tailoring should I be looking for? How much should I expect to spend? How long will it take? I guess more salient than "cheap" is "deal" or "bargain," if you catch my drift. Value is ultimately more important than price, but the price should be as minimal as possible.

Help me buy a basic business wardrobe.

tcskeptic — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 01:00:07 -0800

My role and environment at work has recently changed and I have forgotten how to dress. How can I quickly buy the right wardrobe? For several years now I have worked for a large company as a manager in a manufacturing plant. As such I have grown used to business casual at the most extreme end of casual. (My controller showed up to work the other day in jeans and a sweatshirt). I am now changing roles into one that will require ~70% travel and will take me out into many other locations in the same company including more "corporate" environs. It could be described as a business unit executive role instead of a location management role.

After my trip last week I realize that I am not comfortable at the level of dress I currently have (bills khakis and eddie bauer oxford type shirts). I need a total wardrobe revamping. My preference would be to go spend a bit of money (<2k) now to get to a baseline and add things as necessary over time. I would prefer to coordinate around around black shoes and belt simply as a matter of compactness and convenience.

Items of note:

The company culture at large seems not to wear suits and ties and doing so might be a little over the top.

I am a large individual 6'4" 260lbs

Simple is better for me, stuff should mix n' match.

So to make my question specific: What items do I need to buy in order to have 2 full weeks of clothing (one to pack and one being cleaned) appropriate to my new role? What kinds/colors of trousers? What kinds/colors of shirts? From where? What kind/color of jackety thing to travel with to smarten up these shirts and pants (though likely still without a tie)? The ideal answer would be one I would print out and take to a specified place and tell them "I need this in my size."

Ladies (and some gents): What do you wear under your skirt?

lychee — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 17:37:30 -0800

Ladies (and some gents): What do you wear under your skirt? While I'm normally found in jeans and a t-shirt, I do like wearing a skirt once in a while. Now, I don't know if this is only for plus-sized gals or if most women have this problem, but when I do, my thighs will rub together, sweat, and chafe. I usually sidestep this problem by wearing some shorts underneath the skirt, but this isn't an ideal solution--they get too bunchy and bulky. I don't wear pantyhose, spandex shorts just make me feel gross, men's boxer-briefs don't fit me well and typically are too short, and the only long-leg underwear I find online is either the tight body-shaping kind or granny panties.

Is there anyplace that sells nice cotton undies with a leg that comes to around mid-thigh? Barring that, heck, how feasible would it be to start my own small online business selling these suckers? There must be a market for them.

when your on your own...

grimley — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 12:22:50 -0800

My s.o. and I are at a crossroads. We are both architects and are hoping to start a fashion/design company that will be able to sustain our incomes (at least partially). We have product, we have a website, we have customers. What we are looking for are good books/websites/opinions on how to proceed out of our day-to-day jobs and into our own billing/taxes/sustainability models. We are open to "get a lawyer" responses, but are really looking to get our heads around some business concepts. Any sources that you have found helpful? design business models...

Pinstriped Suits with Colored Shirts?

asnowballschance — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 06:25:31 -0800

FashionFilter: Is there a "rule" about wearing a colored shirt with a black pin-striped suit? Are there other rules about female business attire that a soon-to-graduate-undergrad should be aware of? A roommate (female) had a job interview last week, and didn't have a white, button-down shirt to put under her black pin-striped suit. My suggestion of a light-blue shirt was met with horror by both her and another roomie. No colors! AHH! :) Additionally, a skirt was out of the question because the only hose my roomate had were black.

I'm not looking for "do your own thing" advice here, more "what are the rules so that if I want to, I can break them later on." Help!

Should we customize our clothes ourselves or outsource this?

Jairus — Fri, 16 Jul 2004 19:46:21 -0800

My fiancee is looking into the possibility of selling clothes with custom art/text/etc. She knows about CafePress and such, but is looking for a way to get text/images on black and dark clothes. Shirts, hoodies, pants, etc.

There's always the 'custom-shirts-for-10-dollars' places, but she doesn't want to sell anything that's going to fade in a month, or is otherwise of questionable quality. Have any of you had good experiences with online companies that provide custom printing services? Would it be a good idea to look into purchasing a silkscreen machine? For the record, I know nothing about silkscreening machines. I've seen used ones sold for a few hundred dollars, but Google also tells me that some of them cost up to ten thousand dollars. What kind of equipment do you need to reliably print onto clothing?