Small Fashion Business Concepts

Introduction

This portfolio is designated to show our small business idea and the way we start it, we develop it and we make it a successful one. As a definition of “small business” we could liken it with a large one, but with fewer employers and resources and better established social structures and relationships.

Business main information

Name: StudentFashion LTD

Occupation: producing and selling uniforms for students

Description

For the beginning, our idea is a fashion business for students uniform. We will operate firstly in Roehampton University QA higher education, with the head office agreement, after proving the main advantages of having a basic uniform for every student: better communications, stronger relationship between the students, less judgement and criticism and a better university looking at all.

Nowadays, the biggest amount of judgement is based on clothing: more expensive your clothes, more popular you are. This is the main reason why we want to open our small fashion business and to work hard in order to improve its performances into a larger, successful business. This company will begin running on universities by our agents. Moreover our website would be really useful for students who already know them measurements and don’t want to wait in the university queues.

Even if they will be basic uniforms for students, every person would be able to hall-mark by little accessories included like: the tie, ribbon, belt and the school bag.

Competitors

The main competitors we should go through and the well-known big brands. The first three threats are: Primark, Guess and Michael Kors

No	Brand	What (mainly)	Why	How (I intend to overcome it)
1	Primark	Low-cost clothes + shoes + accessories	Well-known shopping-store with low-cost products where everyone find its own style	Our products will be accessible for everyone, low-cost, good-quality and Sustainable fabrics(eco-fibres). We will produce and sell clothes, shoes, accessories, schoolbags with purse/wallet included.
2	Guess	Good-quality clothes + shoes	Well-known international brand with very good quality products, classical style and quite expensive prices
3	Michael Kors	Good-quality and good looking handbags + purse/wallet	Well-known international brand, especially being remarked for its handbags, purses and wallets. good-quality and expensive prices

Sustainable fabrics (eco-fibres)

The eco-fibres are non-chemical materials used in manufacturing textiles, without having a negative effect on the environment. They are sustainable and renewable resources. Examples of eco-fibres:

Organic Cotton – grown with no use of pesticides or chemicals. Unlikely the ordinary cotton, the organic cotton does not produce allergenic reactions on sensitive skin.

Bamboo – It is the world’s self-regenerating plant, fastest growing plant grown without pesticides or chemicals originated from China It is biodegradable on disposal, hypoallergenic, anti-bacterial making a very soft fabric that doesn’t wrinkle or fray.

Linen – A luxury fabric, it is made from the fibres of the flax plant and is durable and strong. It has high absorbent qualities.

Organic silk – is naturally sustainable and, unlikely the standard silk, the worms are not killed for producing it.

SeaCell – Being said that our body absorbs the nutrients , giving a sense of well-being , it is made from wood pulp fibre and seaweed

Soya – Usually is combined with organic cotton, being as soft as the cashmere .Is made from tofu manufacturing waste .

Eco-spun – Made from polyester fibre of high-quality made from plastic bottles.

Hemp -Made from a plant harvested annually, without chemicals or pesticides , because of its quick-grow qualities.

Objectives

1.To provide students low-cost high-quality clothes.

The main importance of the type of fabrics we use s that they are sustainable, friendly with the environment. In a world where the pollution increases day by day, every health idea is timely. Improving the sustainable fabrics, we improve our future to a green world. To conclude, the eco-fibres are the best choice for a better future and the students would be happy to wear sustainable uniforms of high-quality and low-cost.

2.To improve the relationships between students.

In our days, the most important quality that a popular person should have is wearing expensive, well-known brand clothes. Imposing the same clothes among the students, it will be seen like an equality. The clothing would not be any more a friendship criteria and it would be more peace and friendship.

3.To give the university a better look.

A place where everyone is equal, where everyone wear the same clothes and share the same ideas, looks like a big team. The look of a successful team is exactly what every university needs in order to be seen as something special , where people should aim to be part of .This would make people realize that you have to work hard to get the best results for your team and to improve it to reach the best performances.

Ownership

Considering that our business is just starting , we would chose the partnership(a business with two or more people who are sharring the ownership)  way to operate , at home address : Flat 1 , Chiltern House , Aylesbury , HP19 8FQ .

StudentFashionLTD is a small business,a partnership between 2 people who are going to share the success(profit) but also the  losses in case if the business wont grow.For this business is more suitable partnership because each partner can bring his apport for good function of business including money,skills and ideas about fashion and design.They both can invest in business so it will be cheaper.

Many famous partnerships had success all over the time and are very known because of their success:

Google a company founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Proctor and Gamble founded in 1837, the company was named after William Proctor and James Gamble.( http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/83/The-Procter-Gamble-Company.html)

Task 2: Launch event

Defining the launch event

The launching event will take place on every beginning of the year and every after-Easter days, inside the University of Roehampton Qa London, and would look like a fashion presentation. We will convince some of our classmates to be our models, giving them a 50% reduction on the next order. The first event will take place on 01/05/2017 at 11:00 am and on 02/05/2017 at 07:00 pm.

The launch will not need a lot of money spent because we will not invite any celebrities or give any drink or food, but we will use our classmates as models, who will run through all the classes with the convenor’s agreement and will show the students how good our uniforms look like. Also, during the event, we would give everyone interested in ordering the uniforms that day a 5% off voucher, so the uniforms would be 5% cheaper for the ones who order the uniforms that day.

I think this type of launching would show students that this is something basically, would realize the normality of the uniforms and, being presented on usual people, not on people with perfect fit, the students could see how good the uniforms look in reality.

To clarify, the first step of the launching event would be to choose 3 girls and 3 boys from our class to be our models. They will beneficiate of a free meal of them choice and a free drink whenever before, after or in the middle of the event. The meals and drinks will be ordered from Pret a Manger and bring to the university by one of us. Also the models will have a 50% off the first uniform order they make.

The second step is to create 3 samples of different type of uniforms, but sharing the same basic idea, just the colours and some of the pattern would differ, so every class can choose the pattern they like. This way, every model will wear a type of uniform, and will present it, walking around each class. We won’t need any repetition before the presentation because the models would just have to walk and Elly and Andreea will talk about each one of the uniforms.

The next step is to make an order sheet, which will go around every class, so each one of the students can write his name and his measurements down. The students who do not know the measurements, are waited in the student break out area after the presentation, where we will take them measurements and will make the order for them.

The models transport would be supported by us , and would be made as they usually do to reach the university. The entire event would take around 3-4 hours.

Producing a budget

As Anthony says , “The process by which managers assure that resources are obtained and used effectively and efficiently in the accomplishment of the organization’s objectives.”  (Anthony, 1965)

Cost categories for the event

• Transport
• Meals + drinks
• Sample uniforms

The transport

We will allocate a budget of £30/person, considering that we asked every of our class mates, and everyone spends few than £30 per day for the way to and from university, which means, the transport budget will go £30×8= £240

The meals and the drinks

Considering the Pret a Mange basic costs, the budget for meals and drinks will be £10/person, which means £10×6 = £60 for models + £10×2= £20 the organizers => £80 in total

The sample uniforms

Machinery and equipments

Description	No.	Price( £)
Sewing machine – Singer 9100 Professional with extension table	2	1,000.00
Overlocker-Singer Cover Stitch 14T970C	2	1,000.00
Steam Press-Necchi Vapore Rosso Steam Press SP-52	2	600.00
Horn Hilo 3005 Adjustable Height Table	1	£1,179.00
Other miscellaneous assets (scissors, tapes, etc.)	500.00
Total		4,279.00

Machinery and equipments based on an average cost from Singer Sewing Machineries (http://www.singermachines.co.uk, https://www.singerdirect.co.uk)

Other Fixed Assets

Description	Price
Electricity bill, water, sanitation	£1,000
Total	£1,000

Raw Materials/1 uniform + schoolbag + headband + tie

Material	No.	Price/unit	Total Price
naturally Dyed Cotton Fabric	6 m	£21.00/m	£126.00
Sewing thread	3 unit	£4.00/unit	£12.00
Zips	3 unit	£1.00	£3.00
Buttons	15 unit	£0.50	£7.50
100% Organic Linen Fabric	3 m	£5.00	£15.00
Felt	2 unit	£5.00	£10.00
Bag strap	1 unit	£6.00	£6.00
Total			£179.50

Raw materials based on an average cost (https://www.etsy.com)

Total uniforms: 6

Total cost/6 uniforms : £1,077.00

Items /uniform

Women

• T-shirt
• skirt
• jacket
• tie
• socks
• Schoolbag
• Headband

Men

• T-shirt
• Trousers
• Jacket
• Tie
• Schoolbag

Total costs	£6,676
Total budget	£7,000