Rock & Royalty™ Takes the Throne

I would like to announce that Modern Material will now be represented by a new brand name called Rock & Royalty™. Over the last 2 years the brand evolved into a clear direction inspired by rock & roll and European royalty. I felt that it was time to create a name that could gain more appeal and understanding for the brand image. Modern Material will still remain the business behind the scenes, but Rock & Royalty will take the throne on the consumer side. I am working on the process of trademarking the name, as there certainly is a market for apparel and accessories inspired by this theme.




New Name. New Domain. www.shoprockandroyalty.com. The former Modern Material website will also remain active as we have developed a strong customer base around the world in the last 2 years. Both domains route to the same site, which has been completely updated to reflect the new brand name. I decided not to start from scratch when creating the new brand image, so there could still be some recognition of the Modern Material brand. The colors and logo look very much the same, however I've added some ornate elements to the design. The brand will now focus on clothing and accessories, while beginning to remove the paper category. Customers can now shop by collections including women's and men's.


Tis the Season to Rock the Night Away. A Holiday giveaway is now underway with a gift set valued over $100. The link to the entry form is on the home page. The items are mostly from the women's collection, but could make a great gift. Please be sure to register and pass the link onto your friends. (Note: my family and personal friends are not eligible).

A Collaboration of Music & Style. The Indie Rock Collection has also been an amazing addition to the brand, which will also go nicely with the new name Rock & Royalty. I am so impressed by the amazing musicians who are featured in this collection. There is a great mix of music from beautiful songs by singer/songwriters to songs that make you want to rock. There are several songs that have been used on hit television shows, including: Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill and 90210. The goal of this promotion was to spread the word about these great artists, while offering customers an amazing value. I appreciate everyone who has contributed to this project. It took a lot of hard work to get things pieced together, but I think the concept is something that will continue to revolve around Rock & Royalty. The current collection will be available until June 15, 2010, or while supplies last.

Several new pieces will be added in time for the holidays! Of course the thing I love to do more than anything is design accessories and embellish apparel. I have several great new items that I have yet to put on the website, as well as some great new designs in mind! One of the most exciting additions I am working on is a collection of ties, for both men and women! They will certainly have the Rock & Royalty flair, consisting of embellishments that will set them aside from anything the rest of the pack. Think rock & roll not business attire. A few limited edition clutches and totes are also in the mix.







Rock & Royalty™ Couture. This will continue to be the line of embellished apparel and accessories that require more time and expense. I personally put a lot of time into these pieces to offer something unique. The Alison Wonderland and Mad Hatter Couture Tees drew a lot of attention this summer. This is a theme I hope to expand on in the future, especially with the Tim Burton remake starting Johnny Depp sure to become a smash hit at the box office.







Inspired by Rock & Royalty Romance. The entire brand is a mixture of hard edge rock and roll elements and elegant ornate details. I'm inspired by the 150 + concerts I've attended to the exquisite costumes from the modern day Marie Antoinette movie and Gwen Stefani's video for What You Waiting For. It feels like a fairy tale romance between the heir to the throne and a rock star from opposite sides of society, destined to be together. A short love story of what has created the style of Rocker Romantic can soon be found in the About section of the web store. Long Live the Rock & Roll Queen.

Creekside Festival & Music Promotion

The last several months have been a whirl wind for me as I set out to conquer several major projects for Modern Material. The first of which being a booth at the Gahanna Creekside Jazz & Blues Festival just outside Columbus, Ohio. The chance to spend 3 days displaying merchandise in front of thousands and thousands of people was sure to give a huge local boost in brand recognition. The second major task was creating an amazing music promotion to draw attention. Somehow I managed to pull everything together to launch the Free Music Download promotion at the festival.

After receiving news about being accepted into the 2009 Creekside Festival, it was time to start building inventory. I added several new apparel and accessory designs which will soon be available online. Much of the product production is still handled by myself, so I spent countless hours and days sewing embellishments and assembling jewelry. My husband, Steve, also contributed dozens of hours to building display walls and updating the website, while my best friend Tiffany found herself helping out with some challenging projects. Perhaps the most challenging of all was being able to locate just about everything I seemed to loose in all of the chaos.



3 DAY WEEKEND
Creekside turned out to be a very successful event. My close friend, Jamie Linscott, joined me to sell her fine silver jewelry and vintage creations. Overall the sales were great, and the responses to the line was amazing. It gives me a huge boost in confidence, and from a marketing standpoint, it was a great customer analysis by overhearing the conversations that people were having with each other as they looked around. The Alison Wonderland Couture Tee (originally designed as a gift for Gwen Stefani), was an instant attraction, followed by The Mad Hatter Couture Tee, which is now available. The Royal Highness necklace was the most popular Modern Material jewelry item, while the new Long Live The Rock & Roll Queen tanks also sold well. I also introduced a military style hat which was easily a best seller.



THE INDIE ROCK COLLECTION, V1
The music promotion was also very exciting to share with customers, although I don't believe it was really the right crowd who understands indie music. It did seem to open up some interesting opportunities that were presented to me, which I hope to be a part of. As you are now beginning to notice, Modern Material is becoming intertwined with indie rock & roll music. Music originally inspired the overall mood of the brand, and I am very honored to have found so many talented musicians wanting to support Modern Material and license a song for us to give away as collective gift with purchase. I intend to use this collaboration to not only generate more sales, but also shed light on dozens of lesser known indie musicians who deserve to find success in the music industry. I want to make the shopping experience with the brand a statement. I remember receiving music samplers at concerts or other events, which at first glace seemed like a waste of time because I had never heard of a single musician listed. However, I soon discovered some artists who would go on to be among my all time favorites musicians. A new tee shirt or piece of jewelry will probably stick around in your closet for a year or until the trend wears out. A great song will never go out of style....unless of course popular radio kills it for you...over...and over.

THANK YOU
I would like to give thanks and credit to the dozens of people who have contributed to this music promotion. First I owe the largest thanks to my husband Steve for his patience with me over the last few months. He has also made everything possible as I continue to want to add new features to the website almost every day, and we still have a major piece to tackle with the 30 artist profiles. I would next like to thank Vance McNabb from Charleston, SC, manager for Howie Day, Jay Clifford, Owen Beverly, Steven Fiore, and Nick Zuber for his support of Modern Material over the last year and for guiding me in the right direction as I set out to create this music compilation. Thanks to Jason Corron, Art Director of Promowest Productions in Columbus, OH, for opportunities that are hopefully yet to come. Thanks to The Thrifters (and basist Chris Henke) from Cleveland, Ohio, who found me online and expressed interest in collaboration and who took the promotion on tour around the US. I would especially like to thank those who I reached out to, simply because I heard a song that I really liked. Thanks to David Blutenthal of Brick Wall Management in New York City for his strong support, lending music from The Alternate Routes, K.S. Rhoads, The Spring Standards, The Clarks, Slow Runner, Ari Hest, and Sons of William. Thanks to Chris Hacker of Engine Room Recordings in New York City for sharing The Bloodsugars, Porterblock, Lowry, and Israel, Darling. Thanks to Andy Forts of Eenie Meanie Records in Hollywood, CA for the music of Great Northern, Scissors for Lefty, Blue Eyed Son, and Oranger. And more thanks to Fara D'Augiar with Derek James. Jody Gayle with Listen 2 Three. Cloud 13 Records for Soft Targets and The Ums in Tallahassee, FL. Brad Lyons of Oceanship in Ontario, Canada. Gandhar Savur with Miss TK & The Revenge in Ashbury, NJ. Andrew Lizon of Drew in Columbus, OH. Paul McGough and Hillary Abel with Vacuity in Kitchener, Ontario. Tiffany Schloesser and Stef Shapira of The Rebel Group in New York City for music from Wheat. Corinne, Cindel, Dustin, and One Union Project from Rock Factory Studios in Pickerington, OH. Music has been licensed for a period of 1 year, and over the next several months we will be working on building a marketing campaign to reach out to music and fashion media outlets, primarily in the U.S. The response to the Modern Material brand and music collection has been amazing, so we anticipate much more exposure once we have the chance to distribute press releases. Things are just getting started, so please check back for the latest and greatest.

MICHAEL JACKSON
On a final note, I would just like to pay tribute to the very first musician who truly inspired me when I was just 4 years old. I will never forget watching the videos for Thriller, Billie Jean, and Say Say Say over and over again on an old VHS tape. Michael's poster hung on my bedroom wall, perhaps my first crush or just someone I wanted to be. A piece of my childhood gone, just like everybody else's.

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

Moving Forward

It's been a few months since I launched my site and now I'm starting to reach the point where I need to determine where to take this brand. I've been doing everything possible to promote it online, with as little cost involved as possible. I want to keep my brand competitive with the current market, but I also have to remember that it isn't really possible to position myself in the big leagues. I am quickly realizing that I need to start small have my brand featured in as many specialty boutique stores as possible. I have been approached by several shop owners interested in carrying Modern Material in their stores. In order to do so, I have to sell my products to them at wholesale. After carefully analyzing the situation, I realized that I did not have my retail prices set accordingly for certain items, mostly apparel and accessories. The last thing I want to do is raise my prices, however, if I want to get my brand in stores, I have to raise them or else I will loose money and never be able to get this brand off the ground. Please keep in mind that I am the sole designer and owner of this brand. I'm not off in China developing products for pennies like the mass market brands you are able to buy in your local mall. And even some of those brands sell their products at ridiculous prices. Instead, I am only developing small quantities which cause production costs to be very high. I also do a lot of the assembly and production work on my own, so you can be sure that products are high quality and not manufactured in a sweat shop over seas.

My plan is to run as many sales and discounts as possible so I can allow lower prices for my products online. Hopefully this makes up for raising the retail prices. Please fill out the contact form if you would like to receive special discounts.

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