Workshop // Friday, 15.10.2010

Strategy Safari

Coach // Adalbert Kurkowski

This interactive workshop teaches the essentials of strategic company management as well as training communication and cooperation skills for dealing with financial service providers. Working in networks, entering new markets, understanding competition and integrating stages of net product are the main focuses. How to tackle borrowing requirements and possible effects of the economic crisis is discussed in the second part of the workshop. Participants are given concrete advice on how to acquire loans and equity capital for their business and shown practical guidelines for dealing with the financial side of a start-up.

Workshop // Saturday 16.10.2010

Strategic Label Positioning

Coach // Ulrike Döpp

The main topic of the workshop is the strategic brand positioning of an independent label focusing on the European and American markets. The course will deal with: sales basics, branding your collection, price calculation, order sheets, terms and conditions, and trade shows. Topics such as why do brands matter, elements of strong brands, what can be branded, and the effect of brands from a consumer perspective will all be pursued. The course will help you understand and analyse brand positioning and perceptual spaces, as well as the importance of updating positioning over time. You will evaluate the role of the Internet as an important distribution channel and how to best use it to maximise your success as a start-up business.

**Please note that courses have minimum attendance levels and may be cancelled if too few bookings are received. We reserve the right to substitute lecturers and tutors, amend or cancel courses, change course location. If we cancel a course we shall do our best to give you at least one week’s notice and you will have the option of transferring to another course or of having a full refund of the fees which we will return to you within three weeks. We will not be liable for any losses (including, but not limited to, travel and accommodation costs) arising as a consequence of any modification or cancellation of courses.

Workshop // Thursday, 14.10.2010

Marketing / Brand Marketing

Coach // Ulrike Möslinger

Fashion marketing is more essential than ever to business success in the constant- changing global and domestic marketplace. Understanding the product/market and consumer complexity, which now prevails, requires innovative strategies, business models and tactics. You will explore various strategic models and theories and examine these in the context of the fashion business. You wil investigate and examine individual examples of international fashion brand marketing and look at the significant modern growth of international fashion branding. You will create a brand marketing strategy in the context of the fashion industry and also look at economic justification.

Workshop // Wednesday, 13.10.2010

Business Management for Start-Ups

Coach // Alexander Bretz

The business management unit will integrate several core areas of the business fashion. The workshop will give you insight on valuable topics that deal company form, how to register a company, how to best protect your idea, name and the basic trademarks, patent and copyright law will be discussed. How to best protect your designs and what do you need to take into consideration when starting a business. Setting prices will also be a highlight of the course and how to determine the basic price of your product and how you can afford to sell it by interpreting various pricing strategies. You will also discuss what contracts involve and what to incorporate.

Workshop // Tuesday, 12.10.2010

Production Management

Coach // Agnietszka Rakowiec

Develop a strategy, network and take your fashion skills to the next level! If you are ready to start your own business and have gotten to the point where you need to expand your business this course will guide you through the current fashion business landscape. What are the domestic and off-shore apparel production processes? What should a diagram of a production department’s division of labor, stages of costing, and scheduling look like? The course takes a look at the complete management process, from the costing, and planning that takes place domestically, to the off-shore production processes that include sourcing, making your first sample, assembly and finishing, andpackaging and distribution.

Workshop // Monday, 11.10.2010

Portfolio / Lookbook Making

Coach // Jessica Bentele

When creating a fashion start-up, one of the first things that must be decided on is the conceptual layout. How do you create a powerful Look Book which encourages your own creativity, inspiration, and at the same time best describes you and your design to potential consumers. This workshop will guide you thorough the do’s and dont’s for both amateur and professional designers. You will discuss techniques that can be used to enhance your layout, as well as receive insights into the factors that make a Look Book successful. You will look at examples and discuss them while creating your personal professional Look Book.

Workshop // Saturday, 09.10.2010

Showcase your Brands

Coach // Katharina Kemmler and Ela Küster

Fashion shows, trade fairs and press and sales documents present designers with the task of conveying the style and message of their collection on new visual levels. In this workshop we will discuss conventional and innovative approaches, practise handling the tools of the trade, and analyse frequently arising difficulties.

Workshop // Friday, 08.10.2010

How to Prepare a Business Plan

Coach // Sylvia Hansen

The course will provide insight on writing a business plan. It will touch on different types of business plans, the most important components and why it is important. The intent of the course is to help you choose the format which best suits your concept and kick-start the creation of your own business plan.

Workshop // Thursday, 07.10.2010

Trend- and Market Research to Develop New Business Opportunities

Coach // Karin Leiberg

How are trends created? How can they be analysed and the findings put to use? What role do trends play for me as a designer and which of them should I work with? This workshop will look at the definition and development of trends and at the places where and tools with which they can be discovered. The workshop will deal with visualizing trends, e.g. by means of mood-boards, and using these insights to develop new design strategies.

Workshop // Wednesday, 06.10.2010

PR Basics for Startups

Coach // Kerstin Geffert

This workshop, will describe and interpret the experience of PR work for new designers. The course will deal with the PR basics which helps young labels breaking into and competing in the market. Besides looking at how to write solid marketing texts and how to use images to establish a label’s visual identity, the workshop will also involve some interview training.

Workshop // Tuesday, 05.10.2010

Sales and Distribution

Coach // Ilya Morgan

In a world where it is no longer enough to simply have the best product, designers have to focus on core competencies and closer partnerships over the whole supply chain. You will be faced with all the following issues: inquiry handling, price quotation preparation and processing, contracts and contact management, monitoring the sales transaction, calculating pricing and taxes, checking credit limits, invoicing/billing. How do you find your buyers and how do you best accommodate their needs?