Emerging brand challenges … Bobby Harris (President of Fashion Show VIP, a premier members-only online fashion retailer helping emerging brands develop visual looks, events and communication) sits with Pavan Bahl (OS Fashion) and Rob Sanchez (Manufacture New York /Ralph and Remington [Episode 22]) at the Open Source Fashion Freestyle Conversions Conference in Miami Florida. Harris talks about the recent International Swim Resort Fashion Week in Curacao and remarkable beach-located runway event, and touches on his company’s expected growth internationally. A discussion on leveraging technology day to day, using social media to grow brands organically, the best ecommerce sources , the importance of using funds on growing business instead of things which will shortly change, and the need for a comprehensive comparison of ecommerce sites. Visual identity, the order of operations for getting a product to market, whether images are critical at the outset, and how demographics, the right models and photographer matter, and how easy it is to look as good as the best out there. Harris reveals how to manage a successful photo shoot on a budget using a structured, scheduled time frame. The hosts’ story of their experience modeling for publicity photos leads to a conversation about getting images you need vs. want. Plus, cutting edge 360-degree photography chambers, streamlining social media efficiency with one-shot posting, choosing the voice for each platform, and an easy way to assure a high level of impressions. Next, the hosts talk with Sherille Samson (CEO of Shaun Samson, a high end “street-wear” clothing label created by her brother) at the Fashinvest Fashion Tech Investment Conference about the hurdles and successes from explosive growth, including going backwards and dealing with production problems which result from being at a high level of demand. Samson discusses the critical importance of partnering with people who have different professional capital, allowing creatives to be creative, and the mistake of dictating brand’s fashion from purely a business perspective. Samson related the focus on technology to make processes and systems more efficient, the impedances to desirable production pricing for a brand with fast-growing production but short track record, and gets advice from Rob for having a growth tier agreement with a factory and the value of developing strong relationships and communication with those companies. Also, the impact of considering sourcing or producing overseas vs. local when dealing with lower quantities, and the options in the absence of factoring in the UK and the growing traction to dictate ones own terms. Shopify Squarespace Wix factoring British Fashion Council