Pet Fashion week(end) was an interesting experience for Lacy and me. Held at the Metropolitan Pavilion on 18th Street in Chelsea, the first thing you see to the left of the entrance are manikins of 5 different breeds of dogs, groomed in wild "fur"styles, one dyed hot pink, others puffed out to there, for a grooming competition. No best in show award for the FIT designs chosen to be exhibited this year (last year a competition was held for FIT students, to create a garment utilizing Swarovski crystals) Across from that exhibit, was the display of the FIT student designs chosen to travel with PFW globally, Sorbet Valentine lead the way. It was placed on one of those black "pleather" dog manikins that was a bit small for the garment but showed it okay. Though my name and description of the sweater was displayed and a half inch black & white image of my logo, I was disappointed that my brand identity was excluded which would have been a big plus getting the name out there. Turns out the purpose of the display was to focus more on the FIT School for Professional Studies program. So Lacy walked around in a tee shirt I made for her with the Lollypups logo and a shot of the Sorbet Valentine display was used in a Daily News article on Monday.
There were lots of cute dogs, and TOO MANY strollers (but I've always objected to strollers in indoor public places whether they contain pups or babies -- that's just me) and Lacy and I were interviewed for a documentary (can't give you details because the director ran out of business cards) which will be about why people love their dogs.
I also spoke with a number of the vendors who proved to be very gracious and helpful in giving me advice on manufacturing and suppliers -- one being Carmina O'Connor of Oscar Newman, (a family run business in Peru) who's product I've always admired. Another really sweet and exuberant vendor was Tara Brown of Poochie Kingdom, a Canada based dog coat manufacturer. The coats were exquisite and lavish and Tara turned me onto the idea of maybe producing my sweaters in Canada. Don't know about that but it's certainly worth looking into. So I learned a lot, which was one of the prime reasons I wanted to attend PFW. SuperZoo in Las Vegas is next, and there will be seminars to attend as well as more vendors to speak with. I'll also be meeting with a rep in LA who works with China, to discuss manufacturing possibilities. Today is designated 'DESIGN ONLY' day. Word of mouth is spreading and I need more product so I'm shutting down my computer and phone to avoid being sucked into the information vortex, and won't show my face until I have at least 5 new sketches (and the one garment I put aside, completed). Dinner, wine and jazz this evening will be most welcomed.
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