Spring Rejuvenation

Spring is here and it feels like summer in Ohio. Only 3 months until ComFest! Time to start kicking it back in gear.

I took a bit of a hiatus with developing and promoting the brand over the past few months. In the fall I took another full time design job back at Bath & Body Works, where I first started my career. With the stress and transition period I needed a break. It's still going to be a challenge to find time, but I'm determined not to give up on Rock & Royalty. Over the past few weeks we've been working on the web store and I've been working on marketing ideas. My number one goal is to build up my online presence again. Something I haven't done in years.

I'm starting to use my Pinterest account to market the brand and run weekly promotions. It's an amazing thing if you haven't discovered it. It's inspiring while at the same time promoting the brand. I intend to run weekly coupons and special product promotions so don't miss out! They will not be available directly from the web store. I may repin a lot of my own brand images so I can keep them above the surface for other people to discover but if you follow me, you will see a bunch of other things that inspire the line.

You will notice a lot of costume ideas on my pinboards. I am starting to work on a collection called Costume Couture which I will hopefully have ready for ComFest and other summer and fall festivals before Halloween. Some of my current pieces are more costume and couture than ready to wear pieces and I would love to expand into a full collection.

I also will be launching a rewards incentive program very soon. Help promote Rock & Royalty and earn points and free stuff! Basically if you get anyone to shop with us, you will get credit for their purchase. More details to come soon.

So with all of these ideas generating I'm feeling rejuvenated and dedicated once again. Any ideas you have please feel free to send my way!

Lastest Press

I just wanted to share a few recent features for Modern Material. I was interviewed a few weeks ago for a fashion article in the Columbus Alive newspaper. It was a fun experience but I'm not used to having the attention on me. Any free press for Modern Material is wonderful, so I guess I'll just have to get over the embarrassment! Sorry if the links are not showing up.



www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2009/02/12/ca_s_rack.html

Another great blog called Cuteable featured a Modern Material bracelet last week. They have added so many more cute things since, so you will have to scroll down for awhile to find it!




cuteable.com

I also continue to see dozens of new item uses on Polyvore.com. Usually my notebooks and buttons are frequently used but there is one set created by a user I would like to share.


The city is at war. - by J e s s;] on Polyvore.com

Keep rockin.

- a n n i e -

New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year! January is the time of year where we all begin to start over with the things we never did last year. Suddenly the gym is packed, our meals are healthier, we've reconnected with old friends, and we've begun to tackle the cluttered areas of our home. A few weeks go by and we start to slack off again.

Last January my resolution was to launch my website and work really hard to help it succeed. I was stuck in a marketing job that wasn't well suited for my design aspirations, however it gave me the drive to push Modern Material further. I received dozens of requests to feature Modern Material on blogs, fashion shows, in boutiques, in a magazine, celebrity gift baskets, style giveaways, and charity events. I felt I needed to be very selective in donating items for exposure, and had to turn away many requests. With very little budget to start my line, I haven't been able to spend any money on advertising, therefore relying heavily on social network sites, indie designer directories, and word of mouth. Sales started coming in from customers around the world who happened to find my site somehow online. Florida, California, Wisconsin, Ohio, Washington, Texas, Georgia, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, Canada, Scotland, England, and France. Although I don't get orders frequently, each order reminds me that it is possible to take this further. So Resolution No. 1 is to get back online and post my site on as many websites as possible and make as many friends on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and the designer networks I am a part of.

I haven't dedicated much time to promotion or development since last spring if you haven't noticed. I started a new job in the summer as a product designer with a vendor who manufactures for dozens of major fashion retail brands. I design and embellish bags, slippers, flip flops, compact mirrors, hair accessories, sleep masks, pillows, plush, prints, graphic tees, and packaging. It is very inspiring to be back in the fashion accessory scene full time. I was afraid it might burn me out, preventing me from working on my own line. Instead it has taught me more and keeps me in the loop of what trends are hitting the market. As a result I'm happier and more focused.

I have designed several new pieces of jewelry over the past year, mainly because it is fun and doesn't require the up front expense of printing graphic tees. The Couture Tee was an idea I developed for Gwen Stefani's gift basket, and it seems to be receiving the most attention on my website. Resolution No. 2 is to expand on this category. I have been getting very frustrated because every time I start to develop a design using a tee from American Apparel, I find out it will be discontinued. It would be hard to full fill larger orders to boutiques or popular demand of a specific item when I can't reorder materials. However, with the Couture Tee collection, the idea is that it is a unique item with very limited quantities.

Resolution No. 3 is to figure out a way to be able to afford to sell wholesale to more boutique stores. I had several lined up last year, but decided not to pursue many of them. There are 2 boutiques in Albuequerque, NM that have a large assortment of Modern Material products in their shops. I soon realized I could never sell my products to boutiques with the retail rates I set. I started off thinking I needed to compete with this major retail brands like Old Navy and Forever 21 that offered trendy apparel and accessories yet at much lower prices. I didn't want to be pricey like other major retailers like Abercrombie, Express, Banana Republic, etc. But I have to be. It's just me. I don't develop anything in China for next to nothing like the big guys. I have a much longer blog about this, so I might as well not repeat myself. Shop Indie. Support Designers.


Resolution No. 4 is to expand on my blog. The more content I put here, the better search results I should get. I would like to be able to blog about whatever is on my mind. I'm sure it will get boring for you if everything here is about Modern Material. There is a lot more too me than my brand, although not that much =). I mentioned in my last blog that I would like to focus more on music. Well that hasn't happened...yet. There are also a lot of great TV shows I'm addicted to, which I'm sure many of you are too. For example, who is a fan of LOST? If you are we probably have a lot to talk about. Season 5 starts in less than 2 weeks and I would like to leave my weekly thoughts and theories here. I watch a lot of TV. Many shows are great for trends in fashion and music. Gossip Girl, The Hills, The City, What Not To Wear, and Grey's Anatomy (which I'm pretty much over).

Well I suppose I better finish up my rambling. Please be sure to subscribe/follow my blog and see if I follow through with my resolutions.

annie

Modern Day Inspiration

It's been a few months since I've really spent much time continuing to develop Modern Material. I've been extremely busy adjusting to a new full time job in which I am designing fashion accessories and graphics for numerous retail brands. I am really enjoying the exciting projects and creative atmosphere during my 8 to 5. At first I thought I might loose some of the creative motivation I had over the last year, but instead I'm finding it more inspiring as I am constantly surrounded by creativity and style. Time, is still however the hardest part to find.

I found this site while looking over my website analytics and thought you might enjoy it. It all started by someone adding some Modern Material products to their profile, and from there, many other users have branched on. The site is called Polyvore, and it's a fun place for inspiring fashion and style. I've spent the day building my own profile, and hopefully adding more items from Modern Material for other people to use in their style sets. Remember how as a teenager you would cut out your favorite things from your magazines and create a bulletin board on your wall? Well this is basically an online edition where you search the internet for anything cool and trendy, and create your own collage. So far I've seen dozens of users add Modern Material items to their collages. It's cool to see the inspired trends by potential customers.

Here are a few sets I pulled. If you ever have any free time, start your own profile and see what inspires you.


Click to view image.

Well my long weekend is nearing the end. I still have some freelance work to finish and it's finally time to watch the premiere of Gossip Girl! It's a great new show for inspiring trends in fashion, design, style, and music. It's the new O.C. replacement for today's fashionistas.

xoxo

annie

SCM Gwen Stefani Gift Basket Press Release

Hello-
I just wanted to share the official press release for the SMC Gwen Stefani Gift Basket. I will soon post photos of the entire gift basket, and detailed shots of what was featured from Modern Material.

thx-
annie

------



For Immediate Release

Oviedo, FL (May 22, 2008)

Contact: Kimberly Morales & Becky Ocasio / 407-687-1543 / info@stylecafemoms.com

Style Cafe Moms, an online “resource cafe for the trendy mom”, strives to be the top online support system for business owners and those who have developed their own product and need affordable advertising and exposure. In addition to advertising, Style Café Moms offers boutique and product reviews as well as a shopping guide, recipes, celebrity dish and of course,the Style CaféMoms Celebrity Basket.

Style Cafe Moms, offering an array of services for a businesses advertising and promotional needs, however they still looked for more unique opportunities to promote the businesses that they represent,and with that the Style Café Moms Celebrity Basket was born – a venue allowing several businesses to receive extraordinary distribution and publicity. Style Cafe Mom's celebrity baskets are the ideal setting
to launch a new product or create awareness of an existing product, by delving into the celebrity realm and offering businesses the opportunity to introduce their product(s) to some of the biggest celebrities.

The recipient for Style Café Moms most recent was Gwen Stefani. This basket included items not only for their new little rock star, but also for Gwen, Gavin and Kingston as well. The Gwen basket was a huge success for

Western Chief – Westernchief.com
Chooka – Chookaboot.com
Goosie Cards - Goosiecards.com
Baby Planet - Baby-planet.com
The Children’s Nest Boutique - Childrensnestboutique.com
Rockin Baby Sling - Rockinbabysling.com
Bella Materna - Bellamaterna.com
My Brest Friend - Mybrestfriend.com
Table Topper - Tabletopper.com
Tres Couture – Trescouture.com
Modern Material - Modern-material.com

Modern Material was chosen to be featured in a celebrity gift basket for style icon and musician, Gwen Stefani. Gwen is due to have her second child with rocker husband, Gavin Rossdale, former lead for the 90's grunge band Bush. Gavin's solo album, Wanderlust, hit the charts this month.

Style Cafe Moms, is a group of women business owners focused on promoting up and coming brands and designers. They specialize in celebrity baby baskets for A-List celebrities and media outlets. Several celebrity moms are selected each month to receive the lavish gifts. The most recent celebrity to receive the gift basket was Jessica Alba. She was very happy with her gifts and even sent a thank you letter to the group. Jessica was spotted wearing one of the necklaces from one of the designers.
Other celebrities chosen for the gift basket include Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Victoria Beckham, Kelly Rippa, Julia Roberts, and Reese Witherspoon just to name a few.

I chose to feature some of the core products from the Royalty Collection. I also designed a few new pieces for Gwen, Gavin, and Kingston. The Alison Wonderland Couture Tee, inspired by Gwen's Harajuku Lover's Tour, is now featured on my site as a limited edition piece. I also designed a few custom pieces including a hoodie track suit for Kingston and onesies for the new baby.

Here is a photo of the entire gift basket, along with a few detail shots of Kingston's gift.











Be bold. Be different. Be daring.

- a n n i e -

Introducing Couture Tees...Pre-Order NOW

This idea came to mind late one night while I was watching Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers tour on HDnet. I had just received my spot in Gwen's celebrity baby gift basket and I wanted to be inspired to design some new products to send her. I started thinking about how much I enjoyed creating my Gwen Halloween costume a few years ago. It was a costume but I loved it so much it was hard to shove it in a box, never to be worn again. So I started thinking....how could I translate this costume into daily wear? The answer...Couture Tees.



I started designing a shirt based on an aqua American Apparel tee I had in my closet and some left over lace and ribbon from my costume. After a few days I felt I had runway material. The next step was order the materials. I ran into many roadblocks along the way. American Apparel had discontinued every style and color tee I felt could work for this design. There were limited sizes and quantities available, so I knew I would never be able to make this a permanent addition to the Modern Material line. But then I realized that would make this tee special. Once they are gone, they're gone.

As soon as I got my materials, I sat down at my sewing machine and let my imagination run. I have to admit, I was quite impressed when I was all finished. The next step was to see what everyone thought. I slipped on a black pencil skirt, black heels and accessorized the shirt with a wide black patent belt and chunky chain link necklace. I decided not to mention that it was one of my designs. I figured people would think it was either some weird crazy trend I was sporting that hasn't caught on yet...or they would love it. I was hoping it was the later. That day, I seriously received more complements in one day than I thought was possible. People I didn't even know very well were saying how much they loved my outfit. One of my friends realized I designed it, and couldn't shut up about it. I wore it out on the town that night, and my husband said he noticed a bunch of girls checking me out. I'm pretty modest, so it was hard for me to accept so much attention, but I knew I was on to something that could set me apart from the millions of other tee shirt designers.

So if you are looking for something amazing to add to your wardrobe or want a special gift for a friend, you'll know where to find it.

I am accepting pre-orders now, before this design is introduced to my web store. Keep in mind that sizes and quantities are extremely limited, so if you want one, please let me know. For more information, including price, please send an email to annie@modern-material.com.

Be Bold. Be Daring . Be Different.

- a n n i e -

http://www.modern-material.com

Blog Feature

Just wanted to share this with you. It's really cool when you discover someone out there has discovered you and decides to feature your site on their blog.

I found this blog after viewing my website visits this week.

http://aridesigns.blogspot.com

Keep Rockin.
- a n n i e -

Featured on Style Cafe Moms March 21.2008

Modern Material™ launches a web based independent designer boutique featuring the latest trends in paper, apparel, and accessories. Discover rock & roll inspired apparel and bold accessories which will command attention from the rock gods. Why not save the snail mail and jazz up your sister’s refrigerator rather than her yahoo inbox? Colorful and decorative note cards are sure to leave a lasting impression.

Founder & designer, Annie Weihrauch, 28, launched Modern Material™ as an outlet to express her creativity and style. After graduating with honors from Columbus College of Art & Design in 2003 with a degree in Advertising & Graphic Design, Annie spent four years as a packaging and accessory designer for Bath & Body Works. Now she is beginning to establish herself as an up and coming designer, located in Columbus, Ohio. Ms. Weihrauch states, “The vision for this brand is to remain open to emerging ideas instead of focusing on a brand right approach. Trends are constantly evolving, as are my creative aspirations.”
Several collections are designed to represent an individual’s personal style. The Royalty Collection is inspired by the mixture of modern world rock & roll and medieval European royalty. This edgy rocker style is represented by iconic guitars and royal coat of arms, including the crowned eagle and rampant lion, decorated by banners and flourish details. The Vintage Collection brings forward the retro chic illustrations of travel posters and advertising
campaigns from the early part of the twentieth century. Unique distressing of designs lend to a weathered billboard look, revealing years of built up layers. Rich pigments and bold typography create a charming display of retro style.

The Monthly Limited Edition features a new design each month which will be packaged as a set of 10 postcards and included as a free gift with any purchase over $10.
Modern Material™ is beginning to be featured in specialty boutique stores in the U.S. and is also listed on several amazing online resources including Marmalade Pink, Indie Collective, Bust, Scoutie Girl, Indie Designer Labels, Indie Parade and Ultra Hip Boutiques.
Why only shop among the powerhouse retail stores like everyone else? Be bold. Be different. Be daring. So if you are looking for a memorable gift or a treat for yourself, visit online today to uncover something new.
If you would like more information about Modern Material™, or to schedule an interview with Annie Weihrauch, please call Annie at 614.583.9153 or email her at annie@modern-material.com.

Contact: Annie Weihrauch
Ph: 614.583.9153
www.myspace.com/modernmaterial

annie@modern-material.com