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Archive for the ‘In the Spotlight’ Category
Gen Carter Travels to China to Find Emerging Designers
Let’s be honest, it isn’t everyday a person hears about a college kid casually headed to China for the summer, let alone a twenty-year-old blonde. So naturally, It’s the first question I am always asked when I talk about my summer in Shanghai.
Answering the question Why China is easy. With so much media buzz about the “New Rise of China”, its 3,000 year old history, and reputation for good frozen yogurt, what’s not to love? As a college kid concerned about the U.S jobs market, China was also a huge point of curiosity. It started in November, when midterms began to bear down on my schedule and my mind began to wander back to summer. I told my mom that I wanted to go to China, and I was met with my first obstacle. “You can go to China when you figure out a way to finance it.”
At first I couldn’t imagine how I could possibly raise enough money, but after applying for a grant and landing a less than minimum wage internship, all that was left was a plane ticket. Six months later, I tried to contain my nerves as I flew across the ocean to China, completely alone.
I really had no idea what to expect in my internship. I was hired as the international intern for a design firm in Shanghai called China Bridge, and about as confused as the next person as to what on earth a history major could offer a design firm in China. That is, until the president of the company asked me to help develop a strategy for marketing their design awards on western social media. My first task was to create accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn as well as design a company blog. My second task was to generate new and different content to tweet and blog about each day. At first, I found myself completely out of my element. Not only was I a newbie to the China scene, but targeting the Shanghai creative community seemed an insurmountable task.
I began to email and contact designers who would be willing to talk about the design industry in Shanghai as well as their own design philosophy. Slowly but surely, a blank webpage and twitter feed burst into a lively platform of designer discussion and insight into the Shanghai creative scene.
I began to settle into my life in Shanghai. In the afternoons I rode my bike through the French concession visiting concept design stores and boutiques, always working to keep myself plugged into the community. I was more than happy to offer my insight to Noblivity®.
Together we worked to connect Noblivity with cutting edge emerging designers in Shanghai, a city rapidly becoming a hub for international fashion.
As a Downtown Chicago native, I never thought I would find myself running a social media campaign in China, in frequent contact with fashion designers, but I learned that life can take you to crazy places, and its up to you to find the opportunities in each experience.
Chicago’s Fashion’s Night Out Draws Crowds
Last night was the worldwide Fashion’s Night Out event in over 250 cities across the world. While there were several great retail outlets hosting events in Chicago, we attended the Fashion, Fame & Flavor event at the 900 N Michigan Ave shops where Brad Goreski from Bravo’s The Rachel Zoe Project emceed a flash fashion show.
We were treated to champagne and martinis, hors d’oeuvres and music while browsing the stores Fall/ Winter collections. J. Crew, Karen Millen and LK Bennet were just a few of our favorites!
We’d love to hear about your city’s Fashion’s Night Out!
Noblivity is Driving Customers to Specialty Retailers
Noblivity® is excited to announce the launch of the Noblivity Boutique Locator – a search tool designed to help our boutique owners gain more foot traffic.
The Noblivity Boutique Locator (NBL) is a robust digital map that will allow potential customers to easily plot out their shopping excursions and buy from boutiques.
Local shoppers and tourists who search online for boutiques will discover our “boutique-only guide” to the best shopping in their area and others.
In addition to all the other Noblivity® membership benefits including;
- access to unique products from all over the world
- better prices
- shorter lead times
- lower minimums
Boutique owners who take advantage of this FREE AD BOOST and sign up receive “starred” placement on the NBL.
We’re rolling it out in Illinois and will expand to your state real soon. Early registration will lock in your star!
SIGN-UP today to take advantage of yet another awesome benefit of being a part of a growing B2B Marketplace.
Brands to Boutiques Direct Sourcing Platform
Two ships passing in the night…no really. New brands and small manufacturers who create ’boutique-ready products’ are usually not the dominate face at trade shows. The cost is always a factor for a new label so they opt- out a lot of the time and chose alternate routes to get their products to market. There are millions of new high-quality products that don’t get noticed, placed or given the opportunity to ‘WOW’ us on the store shelves simply because retailers haven’t seen the product. Reaching and selling directly to the independent retailer can be a daunting task because they are highly fragmented.
Noblivity was launched to solve this problem creating an alternate direct sourcing channel for independent retailers. Read More
Read what Hype Park Angels have to say about Noblivity.
Noblivity goes to Australia in search of Brands and Boutiques
“… Toto I Have A Feeling We’re Not In Kansas Anymore …”
WHERE AM I? I have arrived in a world where markets and arcades are abundant. A place where fashion is foremost. Where city centers of adult education courses include Couture Techniques and Hand Sewn Shoe Making. Where boutiques showcase a tightly edited mix of independent fashion and jewelry designers from around the world. A land where master milliners provide women must-have accessories for the racing season – hats with all the trimmings. Noblivity has landed in Melbourne, Australia.
I have been here one week on a temporary assignment for business and pleasure. Trips to Tasmania, New Zealand, and throughout Australia are on the horizon. These weekend walkabouts (couldn’t resist) are expected when you travel this far, however, the outings I’m truly excited about are the ones I take without my mega city pram (a.k.a. stroller) and two and four year olds. I’m on a quest to discover the quirky, eclectic, and fashion forward exhibits, boutiques and markets that give this city its contemporary and individual vibe. I plan to shop till I drop, while spreading Noblivity goodwill to every laneway, market, arcade and shopping district in the city.
WHERE ARE WE? My sons asked often as my high-achieving self and mega pram attempted to visit every major landmark in the city this week. A visit to the century-old Queen Victoria Market (QVM), and Till You Drop Shopping – A Melbourne History exhibit at the State Library gave me reason to momentarily deflect their questions and reflect on today’s definition of marketplace and what it means to trade within. Some QVM stalls have been passed down through generations. With each generation, changes in industry and technology helped improve the family’s ability to stock goods and compete with other traders. Colorful banter and inventiveness also proved key to differentiating wares to combat increasing homogeneity. A visit to these stalls can be more entertaining than most reality shows. My trip to the Market, combined with the historical content of the exhibit, caused me to wonder: “has the romantic notion of a market being a place to gather, socialize and banter all but disappeared?” Has the movement to doing everything online dulled our senses and will soon be cause for clinical (retail) therapy?
Now, I’m a like to have my cake and eat it too kind of gal. I want to walk the lanes of a century-old market while using Google maps to guide me to the next great discovery. I believe meeting, connecting, and transacting online can be wildly romantic in a practical “get her done” kind of way. The shopkeepers and designers I’ve met here are beautifully creative and most have mastered their chosen art with a meaningful mix of tradition and technology. Fashion remains foremost and ‘time online’ is a bridge by which to build their business. This approach is strategic, purposeful and productive. And, not all together different from those stall owners that relied on inventiveness to differentiate and progress.
As the mega pram left the Central Business District, knocking over its share of black suits en route, my four year old burst my momentary bubble of (adult) reflection to ask, “What is gelato?” I have no idea if it’s actually ice cream or an imposter of creamy goodness. I’ll have to Google it on our way to my Hand Sewn Shoe Making class.
Newest Brand to Boutique Marketplace Member – Shannon Wagner
Hello fellow Noblivity fans!
I’m Shannon Wagner, the newest contributor to the Noblivity blog. I’m so excited to be guest writing where I will be sharing my personal views on the latest seasonal trends!
Ok. The military trend for fall has me totally fired up! I LOVE this look! Probably because I was born in Ft. Bragg, NC but that’s an issue for my therapist. Anyway, rugged military style jackets, cargo pants and boots are a necessity for the upcoming months. Epaulets and a belt make this style jacket look extremely feminine. The key is to mix one amazing military piece with girly components like open toed lace up booties.
Skinny cargo pants and heels with a flowytop also looks effortlessly chic. A sequined tank is also a great option to place under a military jacket. It’s kitschy while making a strong statement. It also catches the light while out at your favorite restaurant or club. Choose the piece that you think will work best for you and go for it! Just don’t go military from head to toe, or you’ll look like a drill sergeant.
Unless that’s what your going for……
Between Us,
Shannon
Independent Retailers Seeking the Right Vendor Partnerships?
MATCH! Whether it’s The Bachelor, The Bachelorette (seriously?), or match.com we all are suckers for a good love story.
The same is true for relationships developed between a specialty store and their search for the perfect designer and small brand. Retailers spend countless hours and expense seeking the right vendor partnerships – those able to differentiate their store, and make hearts race as the Brown Truck Guy pulls in front of the shop to deliver goods intended to make customers swoon. Sure, the Brown Truck Guy (Gal?) himself may have the same effect, but there is nothing better than opening the first Fall delivery shipped from a favorite emerging brand, and spending the rest of the day re-merchandising the floor with fabulous new finds.
In the spirit of facilitating a strong MATCH! we have begun development on a powerful feature to bring specialty retailers and small brands together faster and more efficiently than most buyers can do on their own. Our goal is to enable or enhance small brand discovery and facilitate exchanges between participants. Using profile data, we generate an extensive world-wide search for brands that match boutique preferences.
Think of preferences as a type of wish list: highly desired brand characteristics, practices and/or attributes that make for an ideal fit for a retailer. A match occurs when a brand meets some number of wish list items. A list of recommended brands, with links to catalogs, is posted to the store’s ‘super cool’ dashboard and emails are generated based on communication preferences. A match made in heaven? We hope so!
We will always strive to design and build features that make the process of finding new and exciting brands easier than ever before, leaving you time to design, create and provide an optimal product or shopping experience for your customers.
As a young girl working at a small speciality shop in Rochester, Michigan I witnessed first hand the power of strong boutique-to-brand relationships. Our customers couldn’t wait (or resist!) the day a particular favorite brand arrived in the store. The buzz thrilled as phones and registers sang throughout the day.
One of the store owners now lives happily ever after with an employee of this brand. MATCH! Red rose delivered.
About Us
Noblivity.com is an innovative marketplace connecting specialty stores with small brands enabling rapid discovery, direct access and seamless transactions.
