Fashion Trust U.S. Grant Proposal (2023)
Bryan Jimenez’s mission is to revitalize classic utilitarianism through an innovative lens while consistently working to be on the cutting edge of contemporary design. Being the owner of a self-funded, independent brand, we have the freedom to explore this without the bounds of shareholders or other external voices. As much of a privilege as this may sound to many in this field, being completely free-standing means working on an order-to-order basis with minimal supply chain infrastructure. Financial consideration from Fashion Trust U.S. can support our transition away from the issues that plague a stand-alone brand by enabling us to establish a separation between production and design, adequately compensate a small, full-time team, and develop both a consistent presence in stores as well as straight to consumers.
Our first business priority is to mitigate the loss of time and creativity by allocating production to a local factory in Midtown NYC by early 2025. Outsourcing production to a local factory will give us the freedom and ability to use our studio for its true purpose: design and creativity. Since the inception of Bryan Jimenez, production has been done in-house because of the unique ability it provides to bypass additional labor and factory costs. When wholesale accounts refuse to pay deposits, we must pay the entire production process and compensate factories before we get paid for these orders. While this has worked up until now, our current model does not provide us with the longevity that we feel is necessary to realize our brand’s full potential.
Working off of these goals, a second ideality would be to cultivate and compensate a full-time team. Currently, we work with a sales representative, a part-time seamstress, and a stylist, in addition to a limited partnership with a local factory. We plan to expand our collaboration with the factory, promote our part-time seamstress to full-time, and hire an additional full-time seamstress, a pattern maker, and a production manager. Jumping in between positions within the brand has proven to be only a bandaid on a more significant issue. Stabilizing our production and a system that will remove Bryan from producing most of the product in-house may ultimately allow him the space to be an active and intentional Creative Director of the brand.
Our final focus would hone in on strategy to grow as a brand by employing wholesale as an advertisement drive, with a limited number of storefronts that function to grow our consumer base and establish the brand within our target regions. The bulk of the sales will be straight-to-consumer, driven by our website and in-person one-day stores, where we have a significantly higher rate of profit. Additionally, showrooms in NYC and Paris during each season will enable us to have in-person appointments with our stockists and private clients, allowing them to see the collections in person and make their orders for upcoming seasons. This step is crucial for orders of this nature because of the often high price point. We want our consumers to be able to interact with pieces before committing to them, especially in a wholesale context. Our first prospect of this plan will be the SS25 collection.
Curating one’s own brand, you have absolute power to pursue anything you can fathom. Yet, in my case, I continue to experience situations where I sacrifice my time and leadership towards all facets of production, which allows the brand to stay afloat, but does not grant the opportunity for growth and expansion. The heavy financial limits my team and I face constrict our ability to create to our fullest potential. I’m in awe of how efficiently I’ve managed Bryan Jimenèz since the beginning, with very little mentorship and financial backing. The passion and fortitude that my team has for the brand motivates me to be a better leader who prioritizes an intentional approach to success – where production is separated from our design studio, where staff are personal and professional long-term investments, and where the brand becomes skillfully self-sufficient and outwardly impressive, turning our self-funded aspect into a strength. The support of the Fashion Trust in this effort is vital to the continued creative and productive growth of Bryan Jimenèz.
Separate Production/Factory outsourcing
Our plan to fund production is to open a $25,000 credit line to be refilled by payouts from orders. Season to season, with this credit line, we can complete the steps of production and manufacture without depending on deposits from wholesale orders. These steps include submitting patterns for grading, which totals up to about $4,000, buying fabrics, sending fabrics out to get treatments, trimmings, buying care labels, size labels, and brand labels, equaling about $8,000, in addition to paying outside cutters, coming out to $2,000. The $11,000 leftover will be allocated towards paying the factory for their services.
Team Compensation
Our paid team currently consists of one sales representative, one part-time seamstress, and one stylist. By expanding our team to two full-time seamstresses, an in-house pattern maker, and a production manager, in addition to hiring freelance talent like a web developer and a public relations representative, we will be able to better redistribute specific skills within our team and hone in on creativity as a whole. Currently, the rates for a full-time team average out to about $10,000 for a production manager, $9,600 for a pattern maker, $3,500 for a stylist, and about $19,200 to employ two seamstresses on a seasonal basis of four months. Alongside my in-house team, compensation for a freelance team would come to about $2,000 for a web developer and $2,000 for public relations specialists, again on a seasonal basis. I additionally manage a team of unpaid interns who take on the roles of pattern makers and seamstresses, along with every other critical role requiring support. This help has been invaluable, and I would like to make our internship program payable for its members on a 15-dollar-an-hour basis, limiting turnover and motivating them to grow with the brand.
Expansion & Growth
To fully function as a business, it is imperative to present seasonal collections that follow a showroom for our wholesale and private clients to interact with the clothing and be able to place orders. These endeavors will cost us around $25,000 for the time being. Our seasonal collection costs will include research and development, photography, post-production, public relations, and stylists, in addition to renting out a space for two to three days to host a physical showroom. In the past, we have hosted showrooms in our studio, which has helped us save money prior to now. While we are aware that $25,000 is a small budget, we will build off of this capital and use the support of both our community and team to find creative ways to allocate the funds and realize the dreams of this brand to the best of our ability.
Given that I receive financial backing from Fashion Trust U.S., mentorship in business administration, production management, and social relations all fall on the priority list. With adequate guidance on both administrative and financial fronts, the complexities that come with running a fashion business can be dealt with more smoothly. Production management is an area I will continue to evolve in as time progresses, but having the insight of a professional in the business would do wonders for the plan we already have in place. Lastly, getting PR direction from someone in the industry will allow us to have a public-facing brand with footprints in the arts and entertainment business, eventually amounting to a multifaceted company with a meaningful connection to multiple mediums.
