FGILA Red Carpet Fund Raiser: Meet the Designers

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:23:09 GMT

Last October, Fashion Group International of Los Angeles (FGILA) kicked off LA Fashion Week with a spectacular event called…MEET The Designer & The Muse THAT INSPIRES THEM…

It was historic … as it was the first time ever, to have so many fashion artists in the same room or in this case roof-top of the spectacular STANDARD, Downtown LA! The overwhelming positive media coverage and response from everyone involved and ultimately the success in raising integral funds for the Scholarship Program for the FGILA Foundation has prompted our organization to present this event bi-annually, to coincide with the launch of the LA Fashion Week Programs across our city.

And guess what? We are doing it again on MARCH 17, 2010. And you don't want to miss your chance to mix and mingle with LA's top designers!

Who: you. mixing and mingling with LA's top designers and the muse that inspires them
Where: The Standard, downtown LA
When: March 17, 2010
RSVP: here
Ticket prices are as follows:

It is shaping up to be a fabulous event and I hope to see you there!

BEYONCE'S HOUSE OF House of DEREON SUED UNDER RICO - JUST A MISUNDERSTANDING?

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:34:17 GMT

by Christa Chan-Pak, Esq., FGI Member and aspiring Fashion Lawyer

Beyonce's House of Deréon is being sued by Vier International Limited, a Hong Kong women's lingerie manufacturer, for RICO, breach of contract, fraud and conversion.

Vier claims that House of Dereon ordered over $500,000 worth of merchandise knowing it was never going to pay Vier the agreed upon price once it got to the United States, or any money at all. Ouch.

Vier, is clearly pissed-off, and not messing around, hence the RICO claim -- charges which are usually only brought against people engaged in a pattern of fraud and conspiracy, made famous by mafia families (like Tony Soprano.)

Both RICO and fraud are hard cases cases to prove against corporate entities, especially here when it seems the parties are merely in a dispute over commercial terms.

Nevertheless, if Vier's RICO claim is successful, Beyonce and company could be liable for three times Vier's damages and the cost of the suit, including reasonable attorney’s fees. House of Dereon would also be required to return the merchandise to Vier and any proceeds received from sales. There is even a possibility of jail time.

Beyonce will need to sing for more than her supper if this case does not settle.

photo credit: yazmar.com

Behind the Scenes Networking

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:41:42 GMT

Ever wonder about the Magic behind the movies? Well, tomorrow night, Fashion Group International, Los Angeles will give you a rare, first hand glimpse.

First, you will get a private tour of the FIDM costume gallery by guided by curator Kevin Jones himself! On this exclusive tour, you will get an up close look at over 100 costumes from over two dozen of last year's movies, such as Julie & Julia, Star Trek, An Education, and The Young Victoria.

It's a rare opportunity to freeze the action and marvel at the imagination, artistry and intricacy of the costume designs. Also on display will be the fashions from The Duchess, the 2009 Academy Award® winner for Best Costume Design.

Second, you will get to hear from, meet and mingle with a panel of pros that make the MAGIC of the Movies happen, including:

Ellen Mirojnick. Costume Designer for GI Joe, Wall Street, Chronicles of Riddick;
Monique Prudhomme. Costume Designer for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, (Nominated for an Oscar & CDG Awards 2010), Juno;
Ruth Carter. Costume Designer for Black Dynamite, Spread, Amistad, Rosewood; and
Moderated by costume designer Kristin Burke. Kristin has designed costumes for over 40 films featuring such stars as Nicholas Cage, William H. Macy, Alec Bladwin and Maria Bello. She has also designed costumes for music videos, commercials and two television series. She edits the well-respected costume design blog: Frocktalk.

To register, please visit www.fgila.org or click here.

I will be there, and not to sound like a broken record, but this will be a great in-person networking opportunity to mix and mingle with LA's top fashion industry professionals. Hope to see you soon!

Fashionable Friday: Reccomended Reading

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:06:12 GMT

Here's what I am reading this week:

Designers Show Their Collections Live On the Internet [The StyleList]

Social Media: The New Front Row of Fashion [WWD]

There's Always Your First Name [Property, Intangible]

Project LV | Aether Autumn/Winter 2010 [Selectism.com]

First Morning in NYC [Fashiontoast] Question: I enjoy this blog, but am still wondering, who takes the pciutres of Rumi?

If you think something important was missed (and I was in Veags, so it is very possible), feel free to send stories and tips!

Fashion War of 2010: Ke$ha vs. Lady Gaga

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:10:55 GMT

Remember in the eighties when Madonna and Cyndi Lauper seemed to compete for everything? Whether it was to be at the top of the charts or dress in the most outrageous fashions, they were both vying for that top spot.

Well, If Lady Gaga is today's Madonna, I think Ke$ha is her Cyndi Lauper.

For the second week in a row, Ke$ha had the number one song in the country, Tik Tok [Video], beating out Bad Romance [Video] by Lady Gaga, according to Ryan Seacrest's America's Top 40. (notice how both videos start out in bathtubs??)

And she is showing up at New York Fashion Week dressed to the nines (undressed would be more appropriate.)

What do you think?

Photo Credit: Maddona Revelations, MyItThings and The StyleList

Fashionable Friday: Recommended Reading

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:01:48 GMT

Here's what I am reading this week:

Fashion Diary: Alexander McQueen, an Appreciation [All the Rage]

Donna Karan on fashion and killing the industry [MyFashionLife]

Ninth Circuit Affirms Injunction Against Use of Designer's Name as Trademark [Seattle Trademark Lawyer]

Marc Jacobs Sues Christian Audigier and Here's a Baby Version of David Beckham's Armani Underwear Ads [The Cut]

The Devil Pisses Off The Italians [CocoPerez via Cocktail Chic]

Target adds L.A.-born maternity line Chairakruza to its Maternity Selection, Fashion Diary: QVC will be at the Oscars, CAA gets tangled up in blue, invests in J Brand Jeans, and New index ranks fashion brands by Facebook fans [All the Rage]

If you think something important was missed, feel free to send stories and tips!

"Puttin' On the Ritz"

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:54:03 GMT

You may recall the pop song Puttin' On the Ritz. What you may not know is that the phrase is also a slang expression meaning "to dress very fashionably" and was inspired by the Ritz Hotel in London, now part of the Ritz-Carlton family.

Why are you reading about the Ritz Carlton on the fashion law blog? Because they have such amazing customer service I just about cried. Here's what happened during my last stay:

As some of you know, I was in in Philadelphia last week. You also may know I have a thing for shoes, but what you may not know that I am slightly crazy about my hair. When I travel, I sleep on a special pillow so my hair stays nice longer, and too my dismay, I forgot it.

So, I decide to ask the nice gentleman who was helping me with my bags (and remembered my name from my last visit), if housekeeping happened to have one I could borrow. He said he would check and see.

About 10 minutes later, he called and said they didn't. BUT, he would be happy to go to Macy's and buy me one! Did I mention it was snowing?

I travel a great deal for work, and I shop often due to the nature of my job. I have never had such incredible service as I received last week. And guess what, I am not special (despite what my mom says).

Turns out that the Ritz-Carlton has "Gold Standards" that include empowering their employees to commit up to $2,000 of the hotel’s funds to bring instant resolution to a guest’s problem. WOW!

How would your business change if you did as Seth Godin writes, "the most you could do instead of the least?"

And quality customer service pays off. Every time the Ritz's customer engagement score rises four points in the Gallup study, the company sees a $40 million increase in revenue. Double WOW!

In sum, run your fashion company like the Ritz: radically over deliver extraordinary service and watch your profits skyrocket.

So, as the song goes, I would highly recommend:

If you're blue and you don't know
where to go to why don't you go
where fashion sits
Puttin' on the Ritz (Carlton)

They will make your day. Guaranteed.

photo credit: soundtrackcollector.com, art.com and impactiviti blog

The Secret To Launching A Successful Fashion Line: Recap

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:19:57 GMT

by ChristaChan-Pak, Esq., FGI Member and aspiring Fashion Lawyer

Last week emerging Los Angeles based designers gathered to gleam wisdom from established Fashion Business Consultant, Ralinda Harvey, during her presentation “Secrets to Launching a Successful Fashion Line” hosted by Macala Wright and FashionablyMarketing.Me.

Ralinda gave the attendees a step by step guide to launching their own successful fashion business that had three phases -- planning your business, creating a profitable collection and marketing and selling your line.

For those of you who could not be there, Ralinda outlined 16 steps to success as follows:

Start with a simple plan. Write down the following: a strategy for what you want to do, how to get it done, who will help you, how you will sell it and how much it will cost.
Work and learn at a small company. If possible, work at a small company. Ralinda started at Gap, Inc. but learned the most during her tenure at Michael Stars.
Start one business at a time. Wholesale, retail and e-commerce are all separate businesses. Ralinda recommends focusing on one at a time and expanding into others once the first is operational.
Cover your budget. This includes your startup budget, your operating budget to cover vendors, marketing and overhead, and your production finance budget to finance the period between when you receive orders and get paid.
Position yourself for investors. To strengthen your position when negotiating with investors get your line going and get sales.
Create a signature style. For example, when you think Calvin Klein, you think simplicity; when you think Missoni, you think of a harmony of colors
Focus your line. Think the Juicy Couture sweat suit, the Dianne von Furstenburg wrap dress. To build brand integrity, do one thing perfectly and build your collection using trimmings, colors, and details in fabric
Use keystone pricing. The wholesale price should equal cost multiplied by a factor of anywhere from 2.0 to 2.8. The retail price should equal the wholesale price multiplied by a factor of anywhere from 2.0 to 2.8.
Price at perceived value. If your product looks like $100 retail, divide that by 2.2, for example, to get the wholesale price of $45. When you divide the wholesale cost by actual cost, your result should be between 2.0 and 2.8. If it’s not, you need to tweak costs or adjust the product to stay at perceived value, i.e. the price of similar items.
Time your launch. Your launch should coincide with the trade shows, i.e. when buyers are buying. Check infomat.com for trade show dates. Don’t forget to make your launch an event.
Create a cost effective, goal oriented marketing plan. Think social media, a marketing kit, and/or a multi-purpose website. Social media is useful to get in contact with customers if you are doing retail. Your marketing kit includes flexible line sheets, press releases, order forms and your look book. Even if you’re not doing e-commerce, you should still have a website to showcase your current collection.
Know your sales options. While you could try to obtain a rep, Ralinda recommends selling yourself.
Selling yourself. Give your line momentum. Get your product in stores, especially brand building stores like Fred Segal, Kitson and Intermix. Work on getting press to position yourself for good representation.
Create a trade show marketing plan. Trade shows are great for exposure but are costly and unpredictable. If you are investing in going to a trade show, get the list of buyers who will be there and send them postcards and press kits via FedEx before the show. After the show, resend your materials to the buyers you connected with and provide them with order by and delivery cut off dates.
Deliver on time. Buyers can be unforgiving. Don’t take more orders than you can deliver
Make sure you get paid. Stick to cash on delivery or credit cards.

This sounds like a fantastic presentation and I would have been there, but was speaking in Philadelphia. Thank you Christa, for this fantastic summary. And in cased you missed these last two presentations, I am speaking at MAGIC on February 16, 2010 (blog post to come) so I can meet you there!

Question Mark Brands?

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:27:27 GMT

A couple of months ago I blogged about Branding Exclamations!

Before that I blogged about Increasingly Intense Ellipsis Branding . . . .

Now, it appears I must revisit the subject of punctuation mark branding given Cadbury Adams' new Mega Mystery Stride brand gum, prominently featuring a question mark logo on the packaging where the S logo normally appears.

The mystery apparently surrounds the presently undisclosed flavor of the gum. The unknown flavor appears to be part of Stride's claimed Ridiculously Long Lasting Gum, not to be confused, of course, with Wrigley's Curiously Strong mints and gum (Altoids).

Anyway, my daughter brought a pack of the ? gum home and said, "Daddy, you should blog about this," so now you know the inspiration for my curiously strong or ridiculously long attention to this subject.

I fully expected to find a pending trademark application filed by Cadbury Adams for the "?" symbol, given its ridiculously flavorful interest in single letter chewing gum brands. To my surprise, however, I found none, at least yet.

As you might have imagined, I did find some "?" trademarks of others, as shown below. Do you recognize any of them? Each "?" image is linked to the corresponding trademark record at the U.S. Trademark Office.

Turns out, there is a ? trademark battle heating up too. Not in the world of confections, but rather in the world of fashion. Just days ago, Guess IP Holder L.P., owner of the famous Guess brand, filed a Trademark Opposition against one of the above Question Mark logos, guess which one?

It asserted ownership of these federally-registered trademarks:

But not any of these, for some reason:

To find out, click here for a link to a copy of the Notice of Opposition.

Any more questions?

Unlocking the Secrets of Philadelphia Fashion in 2010

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:32:41 GMT

A quick reminder that on Wednesday, February 3, 2010, from 6 to 8 p.m. the Fashion Law Practice Group of Fox Rothschild (my firm and my practice group) and Fashion Group International, Philadelphia are hosting Unlocking the Secrets of Philadelphia Fashion in 2010. This event is for Philadelphia's designers, manufacturers and retailers, whether you are just starting out or a fashion industry veteran, who wants to make 2010 their most successful year yet. Moderated by Peter C. Buckley, the panel includes:

Sarah Van Aken, Owner of Sa Va;
Kristen Insalaco, Principal of Insalaco Public Relations and Director of Public Relations for Philadelphia Fashion Week 2009;
Karen Randal, City of Philadelphia, Director of Business Attraction;
Kristie Bergey, Owner of the KB Experience and Executive Director of Philadelphia Fashion Week; and
ME, Staci Riordan!

I am on the East Coast often and would love to meet you. Please RSVP and I look forward to seeing you soon at this great opportunity for networking the old fashion way.

Fashionable Friday: Recommended Reading

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:27:09 GMT

Here's what I am reading this week:

Create Your Own Career Insurance Policy via Your Personal Brand [The Personal Branding Blog]

Apple's MID Life Crisis [NPD Blog]

The Challenge to Thrust LA Fashion Week Onto the World Stage is ON! [LAFashionWeek.com] ps -- check out the picture of John Arguelles, President of Llyod Klein Couture

How to Look Thin in Skinny Jeans [The Stylist]

Studio D'Artisan 30th Anniversary Denim [Selectism.com]

Juicy Couture Founders Step Back With Its Cultural Moment Long Gone [Fashionista]

If you think something important was missed, feel free to send stories and tips!

Are Your Poor Listening Skills Hurting Your Career? [Keith Ferrazzi]

"I hope she sees her blog as the thing, rather than as a path to somewhere else."

annalthouse@gmail.com (Ann Althouse) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:57:11 GMT

I put that quote in the banner (for now) because I really, really believe in the sentiment, but the "she" referred to is not me. It's Tavi Gevinson — the "tiny 13-year-old dork that sits inside all day wearing awkward jackets and pretty hats" who is a big star in the fashion world. I'm a little suspicious of the quote, because I think someone who says that about a blogger may really be thinking: I hope she stays in her place and doesn't imagine she can enter the truly important world that is my domain. But for a blogger saying it about herself — I think it's exactly the best way to feel.

I'll leave it to you to extrapolate what that means in the lawprof blogger area of endeavor.

"Ugg"-ly?

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:14:56 GMT

I love shoes, and one day I will be able to afford to indulge in the ones I covet most. Classic Ugg Boats, however, are an exception. Like other fashion bloggers, I have never quite grasped mid-aged America's obsession with Ugg Boots. The Manolo puts it this way:

"The reason the Manolo singles out the Ugg boots usage among the older ladies is that such things send the wrong message (”Look at me! I’m trying desperately to be youthful!), and because it is the opportunity missed.

If you are the lady of the certain age, there are so many better things to put on your body. Indeed, it is more fun for the fully grown woman to get dressed up in something beautiful, surprising, flattering, and age-appropriate than it is to ape the childish and attention-getting fads of the teenagers."

What do you think? A do or don't?

photo credit: Fashionista

"You're looking like a fool" is not the same "message" as "What kind of message is that sending?"

annalthouse@gmail.com (Ann Althouse) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:50:55 GMT

Did Larry "Pants on the Ground" Platt rip off "Pockets on the Floor" by The Green Brothers? (Videos of the songs at the link.)

Certainly, the artists are working the same theme of the proximity of inappropriate pants to the plane upon which the pants-wearer is standing. But I find The Green Brothers' complaint — "The General's song have the same intent, idea and in part the same message" — unpersuasive, though I appreciate the subtlety of "in part."

Surely, the part of the message that is the simple disapproval of giant, saggy pants is the same, but other than that, Platt heads straight for mockery aimed at the pride of the individual. The Green Brothers are imploring young men to become upstanding members of the community, with pants-improvement being merely the beginning or the symbol of an extensive self-betterment project that ought to be undertaken not for the psychological boon to the individual but for the benefit of society.

Platt is an excitable old guy squealing with comic outrage: "You're looking like a fool with your pants on the ground." The Green Brothers, by contrast, sound more like community leaders the public school brought in to lecture to the kids in a musical style the authorities think might reach them about the importance of taking responsibility in all aspects of life to send a message to others about how to be a good role model in the community. The Green Brothers mean well and have come to help, while Larry Platt is mad and venting.

In short, Platt wins in the battle of the pants songs. (And I'm not talking about copyright law. You can't copyright ideas, and even if you could, how could anyone claim to have originated the idea of disapproving of oversized pants?) Platt is more entertaining because he's all about expressing himself, whereas The Green Brothers are earnestly trying to tell other people what to do. And Platt's concern is the dignity of the individual, whereas The Green Brothers want the individual to assume the proper role for the good of the whole.

If this were politics — and it kind of is — we'd characterize Platt as right-wing and The Green Brothers as left-wing. The Green Brothers are kind of Obama, while Platt is McCain.

Fashion Law 101: accountability

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:16:22 GMT

Accountability is often used synonymously with the word responsibility, but the words don't have the same meaning. Responsibility is the obligation to act. Accountability is the obligation to answer for an action to someone -- it could be a supervisor, a customer, a supplier or even yourself.

The business of fashion moves at a very rapid pace and we face numerous daily deadlines. There are a plethora of people counting on you all along the supply chain. Accountability will separate those of you who succeed and those of you who won't. Will your company keep its promises? Do your employees meet deadlines, provide superior service and products, admit mistakes and offer solutions when problems are identified?

In fashion, as in most businesses, "the dog ate my home work," excuse just doesn't work. At the end of the day, whether you run the company or just work there, you must take ownership of your actions. Do the job your are being asked to do, without complaining about it. Bosses don't want to hear why you can't do something. If they had time to do it themselves, you won't be tasked with the assignment. And remember, deliver the best possible work by pretending they'll never see it.

And, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but when you provide a litany of excuses why you can't do something, what steps you had to go through to complete the task or even what fun activities you missed in doing the task, you sound like a whining 4 year-old. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but the sooner you realize AND ACCEPT the boss doesn't care because they are trying to either satisfy the customer or satisfy their own boss, the happier you will be.

Bottom line: you should love what you do because being accountable isn't always easy. But if you are passionate about what you are being held accountable for, work will be fun. And, the biggest caveat of all is if you are holding up your end of the bargain, and you don't have the kind of boss or customer that thanks you for your hard work, then you need to find one who does (but that's another post for another time).

photo credit: edfast.ca

Calling All "Fashpreneurs" for East Coast Old-Fashion Networking

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:44:13 GMT

Two weeks ago, this blog discussed the importance of networking the old fashion way. While social networking is very important, you must also do in-person networking to build trust and lasting relationships. I then followed-up by sharing some opportunities for in-person networking in Los Angeles. So those of you on the East Coast are not left out, here are two networking events in your neighborhood you may be interested in:

First, on January 28, 2010 in NYC, FashInvest is having its first event this year in its Concept to Capital series, Making the Leap to Becoming Investor Ready Fashpreneur. The event will bring together entrepreneurs with investors, industry executives, and service providers within the online and offline Branded Goods, Retail and Fashion sectors to help them find funding and support for growing their businesses.

The panel is composed of Ed Goodman, of Milestone Venture Partners and the Bergdorf Goodman family; Mickey Klein of The Astor Group and Elie Tahari; Jack Drapacz of Holden Asset Management and Financo; George Nemphos of Duane Morris who also has deep personal operating experience in Branded Goods; John Ferretti of Foxfire who is a venture backed entrepreneur and an active angel investor in the branded goods space; and David Freschman who is the Chairman of FashInvest, a 15 year venture capitalist and an angel investor.

Click Here to Register.

As you may remember, I am a steering committee member for and speaker at their upcoming Summit in Spring 2010 in New York.

Second, on February 3, 2010, the Fashion Law Practice Group of Fox Rothschild (my firm and my practice group) and Fashion Group International, Philadelphia are hosting Unlocking the Secrets of Philadelphia Fashion in 2010. This event is for Philadelphia's designers, manufacturers and retailers, whether you are just starting out or a fashion industry veteran, who wants to make 2010 their most successful year yet. Moderated by Peter C. Buckley, the panel includes:

Sarah Van Aken, Owner of Sa Va;
Kristen Insalaco, Principal of Insalaco Public Relations and Director of Public Relations for Philadelphia Fashion Week 2009;
Karen Randal, City of Philadelphia, Director of Business Attraction;
Kristie Bergey, Owner of the KB Experience and Executive Director of Philadelphia Fashion Week; and
ME, Staci Riordan!

I am on the East Coast often and would love to meet you. Please RSVP and I look forward to seeing you soon!

"I look like a wicked dark goddess who had a fight with a shoelacer-maker who's also a GIANT."

annalthouse@gmail.com (Ann Althouse) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:58:19 GMT

"Do you believe in life after looooooooooove?"

Uniqlo: A Retailer to Watch

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:51:51 GMT

I have had my eye on Uniqlo and you should too. Here is why:

The Japanese fast fashion retailing chain is expanding, both inside and outside the United States; and
It is reporting record sales and double digit same store growth, in this economy.

When the economy recovers, it will be in an even better position. Tadashi Yanai, Chairman and President of Fast Retailing Co., the operator of the Uniqlo, recently stated:

"We want to make sales from overseas operations four times as large as those from domestic operations in 10 years."

Wow. Double Wow when you consider that the company is projecting a 130.5 billion yen profit for 2010 (or $1.4 Billion U.S. Dollars), 80% of which comes from Uniqlo.

Why is Uniqlo so successfully? As the Business of Fashion stated in its article "Uniqlo, A Feel Good Commodity:"

"The brand is making exactly what people want, at prices that make them feel good."

Uniqlo is an excellent example of successful niche marketing and being DIFFERENT than the competition.

Photo Credit: Uniqlo from The Business of Fashion

Get Your Hands off My Bag! Tells Bird to Juicy Couture

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:11:02 GMT

This past weekend, the Stylist reported that Bird Handbags has sued Juicy Couture, now owned by Liz Claiborne, for Copyright Infringement. Despite a thorough search, I haven't located the complaint. So, perhaps Bird Handbags is merely contemplating suit, as report by Fashion Week Daily.

Regardless, the report of an alleged copyright infringement action odd; as a fashion lawyer, I have not seen a handbag that is protectable by copyright law, but it could be possible to protect the fabric it is made out.

The Fashion Week Daily article seems to imply that Liz Carey, the owner of Bird Handbags, former model and ex-wife of Oasis drummer Alan White, is upset that Juicy is calling its handbag line, Bird by Juicy.

A company name can be protected under Trademark law. In September 2008, Juicy Couture, Inc., filed three intent to use applications for the mark "BIRD BY JUICY" for classes 25, 18 and 14 (these classes include clothing, handbags and jewelry among other things). In October 2009, Bird Handbags filed a trademark application for the mark "BIRD" for class 18 (bags), on a combination use and intent to use basis. Bird Handbags claimed a first use date of July 2007.

Usually, the first to file wins. But this is an interesting situation because Juicy has not yet filed a statement of use, Bird has the earlier use date and Bird will likely rely on a combination of common law and federal law trademark claims. So, for now, the answer is up in the air.

photo credit: TinyZippers.com

Opportunity for Good Old "Fashion" Networking with FGILA

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:34:08 GMT

Earlier this week, this blog discussed the importance of networking the old fashion way. While social networking is very important, you must also do in person networking to build trust and lasting relationships.

If you are a fashionista in the Los Angeles area, a perfect networking opportunity is right around the corner. Fashion Group International, Los Angeles (FGILA) is having its first event of the year, Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Networking, Monday Janaury 11, 2010 at 6 pm at the Stinking Rose on La Cienga. You will have an oppturnity to meet and mingle with like-minded fashion professionals and hear a top speaker, leaving with tips on how to network your way to success.

Here some even more good news about Monday nights event:

If you joined in 2009, you get in FREE;
If you join for 2010, you get in FREE; and
If you are a member and renew before or at the event, the event is FREE!!!

In case you haven't heard Fashion Group International, it is a global, non-profit, professional organization with more than 6000 members in the fashion and style industries including apparel, accessories, design, retail, merchandising, media, advertising, public relations, marketing, home, beauty, interiors, lifestyle and more. This year is the 75th aniversary of the Los Angeles Region and we have some BIG things planned

And lastly, I will be at this event and would love to get to know you better. (As I have previously disclosed, I am FGILA's Regional Director.)

Recent Articles tagged fashion from LexMonitor

FGILA Red Carpet Fund Raiser: Meet the Designers

BEYONCE'S HOUSE OF House of DEREON SUED UNDER RICO - JUST A MISUNDERSTANDING?

Behind the Scenes Networking

Fashionable Friday: Reccomended Reading

Fashion War of 2010: Ke$ha vs. Lady Gaga

Fashionable Friday: Recommended Reading

"Puttin' On the Ritz"

The Secret To Launching A Successful Fashion Line: Recap

Question Mark Brands?

Unlocking the Secrets of Philadelphia Fashion in 2010

Fashionable Friday: Recommended Reading

"I hope she sees her blog as the thing, rather than as a path to somewhere else."

"Ugg"-ly?

"You're looking like a fool" is not the same "message" as "What kind of message is that sending?"

Fashion Law 101: accountability

Calling All "Fashpreneurs" for East Coast Old-Fashion Networking

"I look like a wicked dark goddess who had a fight with a shoelacer-maker who's also a GIANT."

Uniqlo: A Retailer to Watch

Get Your Hands off My Bag! Tells Bird to Juicy Couture

Opportunity for Good Old "Fashion" Networking with FGILA