The Assemblist Letter 50 - Reflecting On 2016
I AM VERY PROUD OF THE TEAM THAT WE BUILT THIS YEAR. WE ADDED 5 NEW EMPLOYEES AND HAVE SUCH A GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT BELIEVE IN THE BRAND ASSEMBLY MISSION AND SUPPORTING THESE EMERGING DESIGNERS!
I think the biggest surprise of the year is that we were able to open another Square in just over a year from opening our first one here in New York! It was a big feat and we are all super proud that we were able to execute it before the year’s end. With the studios almost sold out it proves that our community concept of the Square is relevant on both coasts, but could also be possible in other parts of the country.
I’ve learned so much over the past year - here are my top takeaways and advice to pass on to our community:
FOR OUR STAFF:
To learn from your mistakes. I spend a lot of time trying to prevent mistakes, but sometimes letting people make mistakes is the best learning experience they could have. Additionally… speak up! We love when our staff proposes new ideas or brings new designers to the table.
FOR OUR DESIGNER COMMUNITY:
Stay true to who you are! Especially when business is tough designers start to doubt themselves, but across many years I have seen the most successful brands be the ones that stayed true to their brand essence and never compromised their vision.
FOR MY FELLOW FASHION PEERS:
Be adventurous and take chances. There are so many more opportunities in this industry for freelancers and consultants. It is an opportunity to meet many people and build your own brand.
Next year I would like to focus on assembling the best mix of brands both at our tradeshow and in our Squares. We have been lucky enough to have such an amazing ensemble of brands participate the past few years… I would love to expand our network of designers across all categories of women’s contemporary fashion.
For Brand Assembly our 2017 focus will be on growing our community. It is important for us to continue to hold our #SQRIES events with relevant and engaging content and material, while connecting the emerging designer community with each other. Now that we have our Brand Assembly Square LA, we have the opportunity to expand our community from coast to coast. We also are focusing on building and connecting the regional markets. We are hoping that we will be able to enter a new market in 2017!
- HILLARY FRANCE, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF BRAND ASSEMBLY
PHOTOS VIA THE ASSEMBLIST
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