Business, Design & Style
Developing Your Product - Part 2
Lesson time 09:25 min
Learn how to position your product and brand within the market. Learn why your product needs to “stand” for something, and why your own perspective as a consumer is critical.
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Topics include: Having Your Product Stand for Something • Understanding Yourself as a Consumer
Teaches Building a Fashion Brand
In 17 video lessons, Diane von Furstenberg will teach you how to build and market your fashion brand.
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It is very important if you want to design, if you want to be a designer, that your product has an identity, a reason to be. And therefore, it has to offer something different, it has to offer a personality, or it has to have a marketing catch that is very unique and very special. The last thing you want to do is something that is totally generic, especially today, where you can find anything at any price. And therefore, that is a huge competition that is absurd to get into. So you have to find a niche. You Have to find something, a niche that is special that hasn't been done. It has to be a single-- it has to stand for something. So it either has to be a single product or a type of fabric or a type of something, but it is very important that you have one product. And when you start, you could actually imagine and design a collection. And then all of a sudden, you'll understand that, oh, there's one common thing. Maybe it's bows or maybe you work with zippers and you use zippers as ornament or whatever it is. You have to stand for something. What does it mean to have the product stand for something? That means that it's just like a person. It has to have a personality. It has to have a reason to be. It has to be something that you remember. We said that to have a product, or a single product, or single idea, it's very important to build around it. So how do you have that idea? I think, again, it's a question of it's an idea that makes sense, that [? doesn't ?] exist, and that I would like to wear or that my friend would want to wear. That's how you go about it. When you design something, you have to make sure that there is a market for it. And the market means desire. So you have to make it, go around, and see the reaction of people. See people react to it or don't get it at all. It's the demand that tells you that. You create-- there's the offer and the demand, and that is the basic principle of commerce. It's always good if you remember that you are a consumer. And so if you do a woman's product, I mean, that is something that you want to wear. It's something that you need. It's something that you don't find anywhere. If you are a man designer, it's important that your best friend wears it or needs it or likes it. You need to have that traction in order to know that it makes sense. All right, so the portfolio I have now in front of me is Inle by [? Suzanna ?] .. And it has a beautiful inspirational image of Myanmar, and it's very peaceful and the colors are very beautiful. I see a very interesting unique technique of a cover machine makes a little technique, and so I think that's very nice. And then I see kind of sweater dresses where that technique is used. Because truly, Suzanna, if you are interested in the things that you say, if you are interested in the workmanship of th...
About the Instructor
In her 20s, Diane Von Furstenberg convinced a textile factory owner in Italy to let her produce her first designs. With those samples, she flew to New York City to build one of the world’s most iconic and enduring fashion brands. In her first online fashion design class, Diane teaches you how to build a brand. You’ll learn how to create a visual identity, build loyalty, stay true to your vision, and launch your product.
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Diane von Furstenberg
In 17 video lessons, Diane von Furstenberg will teach you how to build and market your fashion brand.
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