The Transition

It all comes to an end, and we are never prepared for it.  I am rounding out my last week at Brynn Capella Inc. along with apartment hunting and getting ready for a summer history course – can you say YUCK???

Taking my place is the beautiful Sasha, but when I first met her, I of course had to be protective of Brynn.  I mean, this is MY territory, right?  Wrong.  Sasha was amazing right when I met her.  She’s smart, hardworking, fast learning, and is going to make a great impact at the company after I’m gone.  I have no worries about leaving her to take over.

Allison (PR) and myself (Merch) enjoying pizza during set-up

 The things I am going to miss are the random conversations Brynn and I have in her car and our multiple stops to Taco Bell when we need our fake Mexican cuisine cravings satisfied. Why do they never get my order right by the way?  When I say I want a chicken Gordita Crunch, that doesn’t mean BEEF people! 

All jokes aside though, the most I am going to miss are the people that I have met during this internship.  I had great discussions with the ladies from Veronica Riley Martens, Juliet Jewelry, Red Belly, Squasht by Les, Stylish Girl, and Evon Cassier bags.  I hope to keep building relationships with them in the future.

Mercedes, me, Allison and Brynn (Blue in the front)

My number 1 group of girls, however, has to be the fine young ladies that I spend time with in the office.  We have had to get up close and personal in Brynn’s slightly tiny office, and I have become good friends with all of them.  We are definitely a dominating group of girls.  Look out future - here we come! 

Anna Hovet - Chicago Designer

I wanted to introduce you to another Chicago designer that is making a splash into the Chicago fashion scene, Anna Hovet. 

She has a very contemporary edge and her style includes abstract designs and patterns, she's very urban and innovative, not to mention highly creative. I met Anna at the Florodora Boutique last week, when both her and Brynn were having trunk shows.  I had the pleasure with talking with her, about her travels over Europe and a little bit about her line. Anna is super adventurous and a risk taker! She is a witty, small blonde and was wearing one of her very own designs! It was a cute red flowy shirt that within a split second she snapped in the back and made it a tight fit. Anna Hovet's styles are very unique and the most original designs I've ever seen. You can wear her clothes many different ways, upside down, inside out, the creativeness goes on and on! I've never met a designer like Anna Hovet, so be sure to check her out!

Plan.Shop.Post.Click!

Our Marketing lady, Blue, may have gone into some details on our fabulous photo shoot from Sunday, but I am going to reveal the truth.  The dirty details. What really goes on in planning a photo shoot before we hit the set.

I’ve done a couple photo shoots in the past for creative assignments, but I have never been a part of a Brynn Capella shoot…it was definitely an entertaining but crazy ride.

First, I collaborated with the amazing Allison (our PR intern) to research trends of the 70’s as well as determining what approach we should take to suggest that era without duplicating it in a cheesy way.  After we formed our concept board, we set off to the best part- SHOPPING. 

Brynn put a lovely dent in her credit card limit at Nordstrom and Anthropologie, but we got some great pieces for our models including high-waisted pants, loose tops, and other menswear-inspired outfits.  Paired with the array of Brynn’s fall bags, and we were looking forward to some “shagalicious” photos.

Oh, but the ride was not over for me yet.  Because Brynn and I are type-A people on caffeine, we decided to make sheets of all of the outfits, with all of the bags, with all of the pose suggestions in neat little packets…and yes, that did take me FOREVER to complete because my boss always likes to make last minute adjustments to ensure perfection.  Love you Brynn ; )

On the day of the shoot, all of this hard work definitely paid off.  It was definitely the smoothest running shoot for Brynn so far, and I couldn’t help but smile at the final product that I helped create.

Fall 2012 Photo Shoot

Last Sunday was our photo shoot for our Fall 2012 Liberation Collection!  


So much planning goes into a photo shoot, that I didn't realize, from rounding up the perfect outfits to coordinating everyone's schedule.  With Chicago's finicky weather, we had to reschedule the shoot, originally planned for Saturday, due to the rain. Of course, with 0% mentioned, it still drizzled a little.  Ugh!  


But we were ecstatic to have our photo shoot nonetheless.  

 

Carla and Kelly were troopers changing on the streets of downtown and Nicole made their hair look beautiful!  The day started off at the Board of Trade and ended up all the way to the South Loop.

Brynn had a goal to have every bag in the collection shot with our two models Carla and Kelly.  So we had to be on it, getting the next outfit ready, so no time was wasted.

Aside from the cold weather, us girls were ready to face through it, strutting all around the loop in style! This four hour shoot was very fun and flirty! The energy that day was groovy and the bags never looked better!  It that was a great success! 

A Moral Tirade: Problems in Bangladesh

The aftermath of the December 14, 2010 factory fire. Photo courtesy of AP.

Hello World!

So as some of you may know, while I spend my days as an intern for Brynn Capella, my nights are filled with homework and graduate school.  One of my most recent assignments sparked some office conversation, because I had to write a piece on garment factory labor over in Bangladesh.

You might remember the factory fire from about a year and a half ago--it was one of the worst factory fires in years, and it resulted in the deaths of 29 workers.  The fire stemmed from an electrical shortage, but it just brought to light the even bigger problem of poor working conditions and low wages.  Brands like Tommy Hilfiger, H&M, Gap, and Kohl's all produced items there, and yet none of these companies did much to help remedy the problem.

That all changed after ABC News did an expose on the 2010 Bangladesh fire, and as a result most of these companies have now pledged to try and make a difference.  Our question to you though, is why were they even producing there in the first place?  They obviously didn't care about labor conditions, because even after the fire catastrophe, none of these brands did anything significant to try and change the situation.  They boast these ethical labor practices on their websites, and yet there's no evidence to support their high-minded claims.

That is just another reason why we feel so passionate about our "Made in the US" label.  Brynn goes to visit her contractors in person, and while their cost of production may be higher, at least their workers are treated fairly.  These Bangladesh workers are gated in to make sure they don't leave their machines, and their monthly wage is a measly $45--the same amount US workers were getting paid in the EARLY 1900's.

Bangladesh may be one of the cheapest places to produce garments, but it is only because sad and tragic conditions have allowed for these price points.  So to end my tirade, I would beg you to re-consider purchasing from those overseas producers; you don't always know what you're paying for, and it's just not worth the moral dilemma.

Much love,

Allison

Wildflower Power

Us girls are super pleased to welcome the Wildflower Collection! After countless hours and weeks with Brynn, we all have a chance to relax now. Brynn launched her latest addition to her hard working collection. As weeks went by, us interns have been working extra hard on making the Wildflowers shine! I had fun making sure the bags arrive to perfection. As a Social Media intern, it was my job to creatively give these beautiful bags an identity for themselves. From actually helping pick out name ideas, assisted at photo shoots to picking out each individual straps and putting them in plastic bags for protection. My hard work has paid off. Proud of what we all set out to accomplish, the new line looks great and aesthetically beautiful! My favorite color/bag has to be the Calypso Orchid Lauren, a super great chic bag that fits my style and is perfect for my liking. Be sure to find your perfect bag and see the fruits of our labor, Wildflower Power!

Florodora Trunk Show

As all of our handwork pays off, we are holding our annual trunk show at Florodora today and so far having great success! In the previous preparations we made flyers and are getting the people to come check out the jazz at Florodora!The day stared off with Brynn, Katie, and I setting up the table and had a few buys where currently there now so come check what all the fuss is about!