HONG KONG-Day I: JUNE 9th

Sorry for the delay on updating the rest of the images from my Asia trip! I’m finally feeling somewhat back to normal. Jet lag hit hard this time around.

So here it goes!
After my 24hrs in Tokyo, we jetted off to HONG KONG.
Here is the HK portion of my 2weeks in Asia!

JULY 9th-DAY#1: Hong Kong to me is the an Asian version of New York. Everything is fast paced here,hustle and bustle & so modern.

HK is crowded and a busy city just like NYC!

As soon as we landed, it was all about work. I had one full day to spend at the HK Fashion sourcing show. No time to play…all work & lots of back to back meetings with my vendors!

I attend this show to source new factories and find new developments in manufacturing. I found a cool company that does digital printing on silk. I can now print images on silk…pretty cool!

I’m fascinated with this concept, just trying to figure out if the price is within my budget!

There are tons of trim vendors-buttons,tags,labels, lace, etc..

Isi working with a new vendor!

I LOVE that they have forecasts and trend books here at a huge discounted price!In the States they’re super expensive!!!

Discussing my ideas for Yumi Kim’s store shopping bags and gift boxes.

I’m really mad at myself for not buying this Pantone tool!This gadget can read color on anything and give the exact Pantone code for it.I can take this code and have my factory match the same color on silk for me!In my business,it’s all about finding the exact color you want.This tool would make my life so much easier!It’s pretty expensive-$375! Yikes!

It’s seriously all about pricing.We’re constantly negotiating all day trying to find right vendor w/the right prices!It can be draining!

BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK: Always shop around and negotiate prices!!! There are so many trim vendors and factories out there. Make sure you shop around a few places before you settle on one!

After a long full day of sourcing, we met up with my factory for dinner. Boy, it was an interesting one!

I’ve never been taught chopstick etiquette at nice Chinese restaurants!I sat down and saw 2 sets of chopsticks! I learned that the black set is for picking up food & putting it on your plate, the white is the one you actually eat with. In other words, no double dipping!I was so tired,I kept mixing the 2 up…LOL. I couldn’t enjoy my meal because I was worried about mixing the 2, which I think I did anways…ha!I hope I didn’t insult anyone at the table!

The big honchos! They’re suuuuper sweet!

Michelle, Sadie & Angela! These ladies run my production in Asia. I work with these ladies every night after midnight due to the time difference…even when I’m out, I’m on my BlackBerry discussing production! I LOVE these girls!THEY ROCK!

My first full day in HK was so hectic! I was so exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel at 11pm. This is what you call a 15hr workday! The work never ends!

Afternoon in the Garment District!

I met up with my designer friend, Calvin Tran in the garment district on Friday to source new fabrics and to make some cute new pieces to put in the Yumi Kim shop. The best part about having a store is that I get to experiment and make limited pieces to test out before I put it in the line.

Check out my creative afternoon with Calvin Tran …
I always have a blast hanging with Calvin because he’s so creative!
Sometimes a little too creative for me…ha:).

Business Tip of The Week:
Sometimes it’s good to do a small test run of a new style/product to get feedback. If it registers well with your customers, then put it in your collection. If it doesn’t, you know it’s time to give it the boot and move onto the next design!

Calvin, THANKS SO MUCH for all your help! As always, such a blast to hang with you!

www.calvintran.com

Putting LIFE back into my Fall ‘09 line!

One of the hardest things about being a designer is coming up with a collection that you’re happy with. These days, SATISFIED doesn’t cut it, nor does it pays the bills.

For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to revamp my Fall ‘09 collection…or shall I say, “Put some life in it!” We showed it at Coterie (one of the biggest women’s apparel trade shows in NYC) a few months ago and had mixed reviews (mixed is being kind…ha). I could easily say I don’t care and move on, but reality is, I do care and I do want to make a product that I am very proud of.

I spent the past few weeks tweaking the collection by adding new styles, and more color!!! Yumi Kim is known for bold, bright colors and beautiful prints. For some odd reason, when I designed my Fall ‘09 collection 6 months ago, I was probably going through a weird phase, because most of the colors I picked were so dull and boring….SO NOT ME! Instead of scrapping the line all together, I ended up adding some bold bright colors to put life back into my Fall/Holiday ‘09 collection.

This is what I did today….reviewing colors…colors…and colors to add on to my fall collection!

BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK:
It’s very important to make a product that you’re proud of, especially when it has your name on it! We all go through phases as a designer and make products where we look back and wonder, “What was I thinking?!” It’s never too late to tweak a line and revamp it after you previewed it at a trade show! Remember, you can’t take it back once you ship it out!

Thank goodness I decided to revamp and revise the whole Fall ‘09 collection. If I didn’t, I’m sure I would be getting lots of emails asking me if I was depressed when I designed it…LOL.