The Knowledge!

So..after many moons a new blog post! Well since the last post there have been lots of new and exciting clients and a house move so lots of fun! Lam of London is now settled by the seaside in the lovely town of Broadstairs and is enjoying the fact that clients are happy that I've made the move and are even venturing down this way for a weekend by the sea. What better way to do a Friday business meeting than over a 99 and a sea view!

Well I digress, this post is a quick update and also news of a new venture, which I am very excited about. I've always enjoyed helping junior designers or interns get to know their way around

click link below to access the work shop pages

designing, whether it's an insight into the supply chain or some lessons in Illustrator. This has prompted me to offer some workshops to students thinking of following a career path into fashion and more specifically footwear. It's great to learn and train at college but you can't beat learning how things work in the day to day life of an actual fashion or footwear role. This is the kind of information that I'm hoping to impart.

The workshops are short and punchy and (fingers crossed) exciting. All those that know me or have worked with me will know I'm passionate about design, not precious, but passionate. Always willing to learn and grow and this is a key skill if you want to succeed.

So feel free to take a gander at the new website with the additional pages about the workshops (notice all those locals in the Kent Area that there is the option of a free half hour taster workshop- available to schools and colleges).

http://www.lamoflondon.co.uk/Lam_of_London_A_Freelance_Footwear_Design_and_Consultancy_Service/FASHION_AND_FOOTWEAR_WORKSHOPS.html



Also in case you haven't seen the facebook page, Jemima Vine is going from strength to strength thanks
to the slipper I designed for the brand. Pippa's sporting a pair as seen in the Daily Mail.

See link below.

https://www.facebook.com/Lamoflondon

Take care all

Lisa
xx

Tis the season!

Ok, so I feel properly ashamed that the last blog post was 6 months ago..On the plus side this means business is good so less time to pen an essay for the blog. A lot has happened over the last 6 months, the new British start ups I've been working with have started up! Some such as Jemima Vine have had fabulous success and due to the great reaction of the PR company (and those influentials that saw it a few months ago) it launched for AW 2012- a surprise to us as we were planning on a SS13 launch!

In style coverage of Jemima Vine (centre shot)

The great thing about it is as it's produced in Spain, we can react quickly to trends and the successes that Jemima Vine has already had. The SS 2013 styles are looking equally fab and our small beginnings on AW 2013 even more so!!

SO what else has been happening, we had another season for a popular sports lifestyle brand, creating their SS14 creative direction document for both mens and womens footwear, another season for a British heritage denim brand, creative direction document through to concept sketches and CAD designs (a lovely project). Also we've been working for a famous British brand beginning with B designing the womens footwear range for Summer and AW 2013 with Johnnie et al. We've been really fortunate to have been working for some fantastic British brands and continuing to develop product out of Europe.

Well it's now the season to be jolly, I've been to see M's nativity play, I've done most of my Christmas shopping and  I've managed to blow a set of fairy lights (not sure how?!), so what will you all be hoping for for Christmas? (apart from a pair of Edie slippers from Jemima Vine) World Peace? a furby?  James Arthur's single (tongue in cheek)? I myself will be hoping that M continues to believe in Sid Nicholas (after a long discussion/argument with her I'm assured that this is his correct name?!) and that I can avoid the Eastenders Christmas special.

So whatever your plans are I hope that they run smoothly that you get all the gifts your heart desires. Try to stay sane in the count-down to Chrimbo here's hoping they'll be snow ?!

x

ESPAAAAAAAANAAAAAAA!

Never guess where I was yesterday! Yep a 3am start and a 12.30 finish am pooped today but buoyed by the great trip that we had yesterday. I went with Jennifer (pictured..an air of mystery with the back shot!) one of my new British Brand clients.



She's really investing the time working with the factories and learning/ understanding how her footwear is being made, invaluable if you want to build a good relationship with them.  We were finalising the salesmen samples and they are looking gorgeous. The trade press will start in the next couple of weeks and alongside this it's all full steam ahead, photo shoots, PR and look books. I can't wait for a pair of each style myself!

The factories were fantastic and it's amazing to see how adaptable some of them are being, to be competitive with the cheaper non Euro producers. Laser cutting machinery for smaller pairages and having two tracks which can produce both the volume and smaller order quantities. You obviously pay for the premium of these Spanish crafts folk but what they deliver as an end product is definitely worth it.







The weather was amazing yesterday and although we were working most of the day we had the obligatory long lunch and took in the gorgeous scenery. I travelled back late last night and left Jennifer and JJ to enjoy the football! Luckily some of the gorgeous weather seems to have followed me home so going to crack on with work for the British brand 'B' and consume lots of caffeine to keep me awake!!


Enjoy the sun!
x

I have half an hour

Right I have half an hour to update my blog, what to write..I have to confess that since I discovered the world of twitter my blog spot has been a little neglected. Right what can I fill you in on since the last post. Umm.. well the British heritage denim brand 's AW2013 creative direction document was completed and handed over to the lovely lady with whom I liaise and she was pleased so all is good with the world.

The lovely new British brand start ups that Lam of London are working with have all but put the finishing touches to their salesmen samples for SS2013 and they are looking absolutely gorgeous, there is a fab new mens footwear brand with a great mix of quality, fashion and comfort (I know the word comfort can send shivers down the spine of a fashionista but this product is gorgeous..a must for the modern day man!) and the womens footwear brand well again obviously quality and Spanish made and has a great USP which I shan't spoil before it officially launches. The lovely Clarence Clifford is launching his British handmade mens footwear very soon and this is too beautiful for words, its like art for feet..I can say no more.

http://clarenceclifford.com

So currently I'm also freelancing on a contract until January for a British brand which begins with a B, lots of potential for greatness and a mantra for quality which is fantastic, a great brand to be involved with. Also there are another two new exciting opportunities which we are waiting to finalise, either of which will be a really exciting time for us...Next week I am off to Spain again for a long day trip to help one of the lovely ladies I design and consult for finalise her SS2013 salesmen samples and then it's full steam ahead with AW2013 for other clients. I'm still maintaing the live/ work balance (almost) and even managed to squeeze in a weekend of looking after my Mum who has had her hip replaced (shout out to Sylvie! x)


M is doing well and is 5 going on 15 and loving everything that life throws at her, apart from dancing as she is adamant she can't dance (so dissapointed..sniff!) she is adamant that she is going to be a shoe designer also, failing that a vet (the two are very similar?!).


I hope everything is going well with everyone and a I can't wait to experience the British Summer, does anyone know when it's coming??


Much love

Lisa
x

The Art of Saying 'No!'

This sounds like quite a negative post but really it is a positive one. So often when you have your own business, especially so if you work on a freelance basis it's always easy to get that panicked feeling that if you don't take a job another one may not come your way. It's only taken me a few years but nowadays I definitely have the confidence and courage to say no. So.. how do you get to this point? Well by acknowledging what makes you happy and knowing which jobs make you feel inspired and stretched.

Having your own business it's always flattering when the larger jobs come along and the money aspect is always very appealing however it's important to remind yourself, firstly why you decided to go freelance and secondly what drives you in your job. When M starts saying things like "Mummy, I don't want you to design shoes anymore you are always working" it starts to make you re-look at the work-life balance.

Laura and Gina joined me last year to make a freelance collective and since then the work-life balance is definitely more consistent. We are only working on projects that excite us and that we believe have longevity and can succeed in a competitive footwear market . Working closely with clients across all aspects of their brand from Strategic/ Creative Direction to Concept sketches, CAD work, Factory specifications, Prototypes and Production. We still firmly believe in supporting European production and believe that this is the correct route for all new brands that wish to succeed in a highly competitive market.

As mentioned in previous posts having a good brand idea/ footwear concept is only a small part of the process and the translation of this idea can make or break even the most exciting brand concept. It's important therefore to build a strong relationship with your chosen designer/ consultant and shoe factory to succeed in these competitive times. European factories can offer shorter lead times and smaller production quantities making you more reactive in a fast paced fashion world.

As the U-turn to European production accelerates factories are experiencing busier times and as a consequence are also now saying 'No' to new unknown brands more often than not and so it is even more important to have a strong and well designed footwear brand concept. We are lucky to have great  contacts in Europe who trust our judgement and we will only pass to them those brands which we feel have the potential to be great.

Lisa


PS.
As an aside I have no ability to say 'No' to the following: new shoes, clothes, hand-bags, biscuits, kettle chips, Staropramen (other beers are available) and hugging babies!

A Graphics Talent!

I thought I would dedicate this post to Gina, who works with me as part of the Lam of London freelance collective. She has been working with me since the end of August this year but has been working in the graphics industry for over a decade. Having her on board is fantastic, it means I am able to offer clients (in particular new brand start ups) a logo and branding service which is closely linked to the footwear development process. Having this 'in-house' offering ensures a concise yet comprehensive brand profile can be built for these new brands.

Album cover designs

Her past clients have been broad from record labels to sports brands and fashion labels. Her designs are always true to the brands ethos but she always takes the brief to it's broadest point.

Cycling brands logo and branded apparel

The graphics arm of Lam of London works in the same way as the footwear division, a flexible service that the client can pick and choose from. Most clients do choose however to take the whole package ( market research/ creative direction through to logo/ brand concepts and then packaging development and design.) Having this close contact with Gina means that the logo and branding is integral to the clients footwear product ensuring a solid branded message without it detracting away from the shoe's design.

An example of a client brand book-
Creative Direction/ Market Research

She has already provided great work for several of my footwear clients and I feel lucky to have her as part of my collective.


x

Footwear Design and Consulting

Hola, (right that's the shameful full extent of my Spanish)

It's been a while I know, things have been very busy. The Lee Cooper project was finalised and then it was full throttle into my other new start up brand clients. Then last week it was a trip to the lovely Alicante to visit the Spanish Agent that I work with...happy days.

 The flight over with my usual citrus colour airline was great ( I know, I was shocked too!) it was all made good by Captain Phil , see  link below, not mine I found it on You Tube it's from a previous person's experience (I wasn't awake enough to video it at 7 in the morning) he was cheerful, polite, humorous and made the 3.30 am start a bit easier to suffer.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f19kP9LRnvY&feature=related

So after leaving a very grey and rainy Gatwick I ended up in a lovely warm and friendly Alicante.

The sun was great at recharging the flagging batteries and after a short car journey we were in the first factory. This trip was busy with one of my clients, two lovely ladies who have a great new start up brand. They have really spotted a gap in the market and it will be exciting when they launch the brand to the buyers in March next year. The factory had done a great job on the samples, their footwear heritage really shows in the shoes that they make. We chose some gorgeous leathers for the samples and I'm sure they will look fabulous.

Every time I show photos of the factories in UK and Europe to people they are always so amazed at how much of the footwear process is done by hand. The footwear factories commit a great deal of time and money to training their workers and being the best that they can be. I'm really lucky to have great contacts with factories who will consider working with new brands.

Working with new brands means that these factories will often work to a loss, a new brand sometimes struggles to fill the factory's track with their initial orders. However by spending time with the factories and building a relationship they will normally endeavour to meet all your requirements if you are doing all you can to work on the marketing/pr and sales channels. This is why I will always check that the brands I work with have the required finances and long term commitment.



Footwear can seem like an enigma to a lot of people, it's made up of so many different components that all need to be taken into consideration when both designing and developing. Starting a footwear brand may seem relatively easy from a styling point of view but it's a long term commitment in terms of a project. Most parts of the shoe will involve a design element which will involve additional costs which will involve minimums and then there's the branding, the packaging the shipping the distribution and then the marketing and pr.
Saying all of this though, if you've got a USP, spotted a gap in the market or just have the passion and financial backing go for it, it's one of the best businesses to be in...who doesn't like shoes?

Lisa
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