First media review of Liz Jacob Designs (www.lizjacob.com)

Courtesy: Mariam Noronha
Business Blog: www.theoneofakindpreneur.com
Interview link: http://theoneofakindpreneur.com/2013/07/01/liz-jacob-designs-designer-handpainted-apparel-for-kids.html

Liz Jacob Designs-Designer Handpainted Apparel for Kids

 July 1st, 2013 |  Author: Mariam

The Entrepreneur Spotlight for July 2013 is on Liz Jacob Designs, a unique venture that brings the magic of storytelling to exquisite hand painted garments for kids.  Ms. Elizabeth Jacob, 35 is the creative dynamo and the artist behind Liz Jacob Designs.  Elizabeth or Priya as she is known has a Masters Degree in Mass Communication and a professional experience of 11 years.  Here is a look at her entrepreneurial journey…

Liz Jacob Designs was launched in September 2012 is based out of Bangalore and currently retails online through Facebook.

Elizabeth Jacob (Priya)Bangalore and currently retails online at Facebook.

IDENTIFICATION OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY How did you get the idea to begin this venture (detailed description of idea generation & implementation of idea)? By nature, I am drawn to anything and everything creative, aesthetic and eclectic. I can spend hours in a home deco store or on a design website and I find myself happiest while doing so. I used to draw and paint a lot as a child and my Mom believed I would excel in fine arts. However, in those days fine arts was not perceived as a serious career and I ended up making a career in advertising and marketing for good 11 years of my life. In advertising, I regularly mingled with creative people and that helped me stay connected with my creative side.

Liz Jacob Designs is a dream-come-true for me in many ways. It marries my passion for design with my love for young children. I have a young son and every time I shopped for him, I felt there was so much opportunity for a clothing line to come in and present designs that are neat, classy, elegant and comfortable. Most of the infant and baby wear currently in the market was homogenous and mass produced. Designs seemed restricted to ones that could be sold in volumes.

I wanted to bring the same adventure and colour found in children’s storybooks into their clothes and also provide a personal yet unique appeal to the clothes that would set them apart. I was able to achieve that through my hand painted designs. Liz Jacob will have a mix of hand painted, applique and embellished clothes and nursery décor for kids up to 6 years.

Farm Theme Crib Sheet and Pillow Set

What were the supporting/motivating factors in setting up this business?

Taking a break when my son was born worked out as a blessing in disguise. I was forced to quit my marketing communications job in an MNC in order to make time for my child. This free time also gave me the opportunity to conceptualize Liz Jacob Designs and launch the brand. I wasn’t sure if my designs would cut through the clutter and so I did a pilot test on Facebook.  I was pleasantly surprised by the encouraging feedback that I received from friends and family.  More importantly, I was encouraged by feedback I received from strangers on Facebook to my designs. Many of them said the designs were unique and elegant.

What is your USP (unique selling proposition)?

Some of the feedback I’ve heard from my customers is that my designs are uniquely different because they are simple, cute and elegant which is hard to find in regular retail stores. The designs reflect the playfulness and sweet innocence of young children that I find extremely appealing. Children love color, adventure and story telling and most of my clothes look like a page out of a storybook. It integrates well with childhood and is made out of comfortable cottons that are easily wearable at any time of the day.

A Romper That Tells Its own story

What is your vision for the venture?

It’s a small business at the moment and I would like to retain the essence of personalization even as we grow the business. So I don’t think I will look at a mass-produced Liz Jacob clothing line. However, it’s a design-based business and that’s the strength of the brand today. In the future I’d like to retain this aspect and build a clothing line that revolves around artists and designers so that I retain that USP. And, I like to scale the business by growing the design team and catering to a larger hand designed market both in India and abroad.

What sort of growth strategy did you follow? (mention landmark events alongwith year or exact date if possible)             

I have just started selling on Facebook in September 2012 and mostly through word of mouth. Facebook helped build initial awareness for the brand and I did some targeted Facebook ads and postings on Facebook forums to reach out to my target audience and increase my customer base.

I also plan to be an active participant at the popular flea market exhibitions that are happening regularly in Bangalore. I’m also looking for custom tailors and small-scale manufacturing units who can help produce a very limited quantity of merchandise. This will help me cater to larger volumes without sacrificing the personal touch and effort in the execution of the design and paintings.

Pretty Summer Dress

Any steps that you are taking to help society in general & people in particular?

It’s very early days for my business, but I do want to eventually provide job opportunities to the under privileged in whatever capacity I can. I do believe there is real talent in those communities where they work ­so effortlessly with their fingers. Look at any part of India and the best crafts come from these rural communities who have mastered art over generations. They will be a great addition to my business and hopefully my business can provide some of them a steady livelihood in the future.

What are the problems that you are facing?

I have worked in large multinational advertising and IT companies and I am familiar with the marketing principles of how to promote a brand. However, when you are on your own the challenges are very different – you have to generate your own promotional budgets, you have to hire your own manpower, you have to generate constant business, you need to do quality control, manage customer relationships, meet deadlines, pay bills, source material and so on.

At the moment I’m trying to scale up my supply chain by creating a pool of tailors and small-scale manufacturers who are willing to custom make children’s apparel in smaller quantities. This is a challenge since most manufacturers cater to large volumes in the thousands and smaller tailors are not used to the level of consistency and detailing an automated manufacturing line provides.

where do you see yourself?

a) FIVE YEARS FROM NOW

Five years from now, I’d like to be a well-known label of designer children’s clothing and accessories and selling my merchandise both in India and abroad.

b) TEN YEARS FROM NOW

Ten years from now, I’d like to grow the label to a point where I can start to look at a few wholly owned Liz Jacob boutique stores in India.

c) TWENTY YEARS FROM NOW

Too far to say….let’s complete the first ten years and I’ll be very happy!!

Born to Dazzle Baby Clothes

Any plans of expanding the business? If yes, how?

Initially I prefer the online model and I believe that is the way forward for most lifestyle brands in the country. I will invest in a customer-friendly website with an e-commerce engine to take the business to the next level. Over time, I’d definitely like to have a few exclusive Liz Jacob boutique stores.

How much use of technology is used to promote business?

I have been active on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Blogspot to promote my business. As a matter of discipline, I make sure all these channels are regularly updated with the latest postings of my collections.

Any advice for future entrepreneurs?

People think entrepreneurship is very exciting. But, you have to be very clear why you want to become an entrepreneur. You may escape the daily rat race but there are tons of hurdles you need to cross to make a profitable business. The cash needs to flow in. Customers need to be kept happy. The business needs to be sustainable. It will take you time to make the money you were making in the corporate world.  Some advice I believe is critical:

• Choose a business you are passionate about.
• Choose a business that complements your own skills.
• Stand out. Study your competition and give customers a compelling reason to choose you over a competitor.
• Take customer feedback regularly. They are the wind for your sails.

What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?

STRENGTHS: Design uniqueness, my hand painting skills and marketing background

WEAKNESSES: No background in business, therefore a bit risk-averse while investing.

OPPORTUNITIES: Market is extremely conducive for hand crafted, unique products even if they cost more

THREATS: Anyone can replicate my business model, but I am hoping the first mover advantage and the uniqueness and style of my designs will help overcome this threat.

Going Bananas New Born Clothes

What innovative ways of doing business are you using?

The key is to constantly engage with your customers. Parenting communities are extremely active on the Internet and Moms are constantly networking, exchanging parenting ideas and searching for cute things for their children. I keep track of the pulse of this community and stay abreast of their preferences. I post my designs regularly in popular parenting forums mostly to get feedback on the collection. I get to know what designs, fabrics and patterns they prefer and why, and what they would really like included in my collection.

Birthday parties are also a good way of reaching out to moms and kids. I am currently exploring ways of becoming a part of this fun filled affair by introducing a collection of hand painted and personalized birthday return gifts.

What are your views on customer relationship management?  How do you approach it?

I started my career in client servicing and the fundamentals of keeping a client happy is deeply ingrained in me. I believe happy customers do wonders for your business and they are your brand ambassadors. I have built my business thus far on happy customers and I will continue to do so. I undertake orders on 100% advance and commit a date of delivery to my customers. I go to great lengths to ensure that commitment is met.

I also encourage feedback from them. I want to know how practical my clothes are in terms of comfort, durability, maintenance etc. and these are valuable insights only a customer can provide. I painstakingly pre-wash all my fabrics before stitching them to ensure there is no color bleeding, so that the final piece retains its look even after several washes at the customer’s end.

What makes you different from your competitors?

I think it is purely the design and overall aesthetics that is setting me apart.

I also want to create products that you don’t really find in the marketplace. For instance, crib sheets, diaper stackers, crib organizers, wall art, curtains for the nursery décor and so on. These are perfect when you want to gift a newborn something unique and lovely.

You can connect with Liz Jacob Designs on Facebook:www.facebook.com/LizJacobDesigns

Blogspot: http://lizjacobdesigns.blogspot.in and

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lizjacobdesigns/boards/

I can wear lavender all day! (www.lizjacob.com)

Most of the toddler dresses I have created so far have been in pastel shades. This time around I wanted to try something more colorful. I chose a deeper shade of material from the lavender color family (one of my favorite color tones) and decided to contrast it with a white panel painted with just wild flowers. Fabric paints look most vibrant on white, so I can't resist adding whites to my designs :-)

After looking at the tailored piece, I felt the need for something bold and striking on the top portion of the dress. I went through my kitty and found lovely laces in multiple lavender shades and voila, there came the idea of creating a detachable lace flower for the dress. In my opinion, it worked well... adding a bit of sophistication to the dress.

Now, can't wait to see the dress on a pretty princess :-)

Farm crib sheet - completed! Yay! (www.lizjacob.com)

This is the sequel to the earlier post where I shared some of my farm illustrations which I planned to use for a crib sheet. Here are the pictures of the painted sheet. Let me know what you think.

Coming up with an illustration concept (www.lizjacob.com)

I have been asked by customers many times about where I pick up my illustration images from. The answer is that I develop them all from scratch. My attempt is to make my collection look like colorful pages right out of exciting storybooks. I want my paintings to trigger off a kid's imagination and excite them enough to build their own stories around it.

I spend maximum time in developing concepts. Concepts are developed based on the painting space available, the overall tailoring design, and the gender of the child wearing it. Crib sheets which have a larger painting surface have more elaborate patterns while rompers and dresses require more compact designs. Collection for girls lean more towards beautiful gardens, fairies, mermaids and for boys I think up of action oriented stuff like robots, dinosaurs, pirates, sailors. I am not stereotyping here. I believe there can be as much adventure in a beautiful fairy garden as in a dinosaur park. It's just about representing an environment that is visually appealing to a girl and a boy.

Once the concept is decided (example below: a farm), then I get started on the individual elements, their dimensions, overall proportions, colors etc. I refer to plenty of kiddy books and internet images to get facial features and body proportions right for various creatures and characters that I illustrate.

The key thing while illustrating to have the right balance of elements, sizes and colors. It should not be too over crowded or too plain.

Here is my conceptualization process of the next crib sheet that I am working on. I have already created two crib sheet designs in the past. One was based on alphabets and the other had a theme on caterpillars. The third one is inspired by life in a green, pristine farm. The images that spring into my mind when I think of a farm are those of a windmill, meadows, flowers, vegetable patches, cows, hens, ducks,  tractors, farmers... Once I shortlist the elements, I think of what combinations work better - Cows and haystack OR Cows grazing next to a water body of ducks. Well, the latter will look more colorful, so let's just go with it. So color representation is a huge deciding factor in creating my illustrations.

Here are my final four images that will appear on my farm crib sheet. In my next post you will see the final, painted version of it. Let me know what you think.

The making of a crib sheet… (www.lizjacob.com)

So, I have my son's summer vacation going on and he is too small to be sent to a summer camp. A typical day starts for me at 7am and so does it for my son. Keeping him occupied from then on is a full time job and in the middle of all this I need to find the time to complete two crib sheet orders that I received. Crib sheet projects are elaborate and time consuming, but fun too if you love painting. I have 10 days from now and I need to create two perfectly painted, spotless crib sheets of size 57" x 33". Join me in the process.

Today I washed the rich, pure white cotton fabric that I sourced for the sheets. Washing is a pre-requisite in fabric painting as it washes away all the starch on fabric which could prevent the paint from bonding with the fabric. The other plus point of pre-washing fabrics before selling is that it will take care of issues such as shrinkage, color run etc, giving you a better peace of mind when you sell your products.

Now, the designs have to be transferred to the large fabric. Design transfers can be done in multiple ways. I use Mona Lisa charcoal paper which I source from the US. They transfer the designs with a very non-intrusive light blue color onto the fabric and also ensure there are no smudge marks while tracing. Normal carbon marks that appear on fabric while tracing are too dark and often hard to remove, but charcoal paper marks can be easily washed off with water helping you achieve a neat finish. I also use a Martha Stewart Stylus, which is a rounded knib that allows you to draw over your original drawings again and again for tracing, without tearing it.

Then once the design is transferred, I first paint all the design outlines. Then start painting in all colors one by one... starting with the earth colors first - greens and the browns, then the warm colours - yellows, reds etc and then the cold colors. If an area looks too dark and muddy, then I use streaks of white to brighten it up a bit.

If you want to experiment a bit with various colors, you can refer to some popular color charts in https://kuler.adobe.com/

After the painting is done, I let it dry for 24 hours and then iron on the reverse side for a few minutes with medium heat setting to fix the paints.

Liz Jacob - Unique, handcrafted designs for young kids (www.lizjacob.com)

Welcome to Liz Jacob Designs, a unique collection of hand painted merchandise for new borns, toddlers and their nurseries, adding more color to childhood. Hours of painting bring alive a vibrant world of animals, birds and cute characters which will ensure there is no dull moment in your child's life. Liz Jacob makes a perfect gift, when you are looking for something off-beat and handmade.

Each item from the Liz Jacob collection is made from good quality fabrics and have been painstakingly pre-washed so that they don't run color, fade out or get damaged on use. Fabric paints used are non-toxic and safe for children.

Here's a sneak preview of my work. Look forward to your involvement in my creative journey.

Please visit www.lizjacob.com