Fashion Law : Fashion Lawyer & Attorney : Fox Rothschild Law Firm : Licensing, Intellectual Property

Strong.  Bold.  Connected.

Those are three adjectives MTV's 2010 VMA nominee's have in common.

• Lady Gaga received 13 Nominations -- the most ever by a single artist in one year;
• Emimen received 8; and
• Ke$ha received 3.

Videos are ways for artist to express themselves visually and to connect with their fans.  Remember, videos changed the way we engaged with music.  Sorta like way social media has changed fashion -- the traditional gatekeepers are gone, brands can make a direct connection with their customers and style is being developed and purchased in real time.

If your fashion company was recording artist, would it be nominated for a VMA?

• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Sometimes bad stuff happens:  a customer cancels a big order, death in the family causes you to fall behind, a big supplier or client goes bankrupt, goods ship late or arrive damaged, or for some of you, someone cuts you off in traffic. 

Bottom line is, things happen that can really screw up your life that just aren't your fault.   And it sucks.

But then you have a choice.  While you can't change things that are out of your control, you can decide how you are going to react to them.

Are you going to give up?  Waste energy getting pissed off or feeling sorry for yourself?  Maybe for a day or two.  Then:

• pick yourself up;
• decided you don't want to live that way; and
• put your life life back together.

(yup more lessons from Eminem -- picked up on this week's theme?)

Yes, its hard.  But every single one of us has been there.  And you can recover.  Say it with me this time:

I'm not afraid to take a stand
Everybody come take my hand
We'll walk this road together, through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just let you know that, you're not alone
Holla if you feel that you've been down the same road.

You are in control of your response to adversity.  Take the bad and use it to fuel your passion.  I predict that you'll raise the bar and take your game to a whole new level.

• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

In case you missed the Seth Godin reference in Monday's post on Eminem, today we are going to talk about the lizard brain.  Both Seth and Eminem have overcome the lizard, or our internal resistance.  To succeed, so must your fashion company.

According to Seth, the lizard brain is the:

voice in the back of our head telling us to back off, be careful, go slow, compromise....the resistance which caused every project that ever shipped late because people couldn't stay on the same page long enough to get something out the door.

The resistance grows in strength as we get closer to shipping, as we get closer to an insight, as we get closer to the truth of what we really want. That's because the lizard hates change and achievement and risk.

In Linchpin, Seth shows us how to beat the Lizard, just like Eminem does with his music.  What steps have you and your company taken to quiet and ignore the lizard? 

Unless you stop rationalizing, become indispensable, forget about the jerks and just start shipping, you'll never make it in fashion.

Then the Lizard wins.

photo credit: Seth's Blog -- Quieting the Lizard Brain

• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Fashion is a hard business.  It takes grit, determination, and talent.  Many won't make it.  More won't even try because they are afraid to fail.

Sad but true.  Then, they will make up excuses, rationalize their failure and become a victim in their own minds because their wish did not fall into their lap.

So, are you ready to stop procrastinating and turn your dreams of creating a fashion brand into reality?  Want to know how?  Follow this lesson from Eminem's verse in Airplanes, Part II:

• Answer the why question ("he’s gon’ have a hard time explaining to Hailey and Laney these food stamps and this WIC ")
• Take risks no matter what what others say ("marshall you’re never gonna make it makes no sense to play the game there ain’t no way that you’ll win");
• be motivated and follow through ("pretend he procrastinated had no motivation; pretend he just made excuses that were so paper thin they could blow away with the wind"); and
• ignore the jerks that heckle you along the way ("quit daydreaming kid
  you need to get your cranium checked you thinking like an alien it just ain’t realistic"),

By now you know that wishing upon a shooting star may work in a Disney movie, but not in the fashion business.  Make a decision to answer the "Why Question," make a plan, and don't be afraid to fail.

If you want to make it in today’s fashion environment, you must want success so bad that it is the only thing on your mind.  Stand out from the crowd. Take risks.  Assembly a trust-worthy, like-minded team. 

Merely showing up, or working 9 to 5, is not going to cut it.  Will you capture this moment?

photo credit: Wunderground.com

p.s.  "you can do anything you set your mind to."  

• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Surely you have noticed that Eminem is everywhere these days? 

First, he has three hit songs that are in heavy rotation on the radio right now:

• "Love The Way You Lie” which features Rihanna (#1 on Billboard's Hot 100);
• "Airplanes, part II” which is a B.o.B song featuring Hayley Williams and Eminem (#3 on Billboard); and
• "Not Afraid," the first single released of off Recovery in April 2010 (which debuted at #1) is now #11 on Billboard.

On top of that, Recovery was the number one album for the fourth week in a row this week, Eminem made a guest appearance at the Rihanna concert last Wednesday at Staples Center and the video for "Love the Way You Lie," featuring Megan Fox, will come out this week.

The Eminem press "blitz" did not escape MTV, which said:

From a jokey viral campaign featuring the ShamWow guy, appearances on "The Soup," "The Late Show With David Letterman," the BET Awards and "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" and a one-page profile in the New York Times Sunday magazine, in which he came out in favor of gay marriage, Eminem has done more press and appearances in the past month for the new album than he did for almost the entire Relapse cycle.

Why the hardcore marketing?

Despite decent sales, Eminem's last album wasn't so hot.  He made some strange appearances, odd songs and lost part of his core audience.  And he knew it.

So, instead of letting the lizard win, Eminem came back: better, stronger and smarter.  The result? He won back his fan base, gained the support of a new generation, and appealed to a wider audience.

Now, why are you reading about Eminem on the Fashion Law Blog?

Because the fashion industry is a roller coaster ride.  Heidi Klum says, "One minute you are in, and the next you are out!" 

Don't let one bad season, style, or show cause you to surrender your dreams or passion.  You won't be the first not to succeed, to make a mistake or think you had the path mapped out, and were wrong.  You'll be tempted to quit, but I urge you not to.   Don't be "afraid to take a stand" and know "you're not alone."

Instead, get back up; rework it; and market the hell out of it. 

Just like Eminem. 
 

• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Today is the first day of the second quarter of 2010.  What have you accomplished so far? 

Did you set goals and meet them?  Set goals that were too high and failed to meet them, or not set any at all?

I set some pretty major goals and I am happy to report that I met all but one.  So, that goes on to my list for next quarter, along with the new tasks. 

Evaluating your goals and revising them is almost as important as writing your plan.

How about you?

What are you holding today -- Gold or Fool's Gold? 

photo credit: psychology today

• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link