A Day at the Contractor

When I first started with Brynn, I had only worked with contractors within the company.  We work with an independent contractor; so working with them has been a whole new experience.  It has been very exciting setting up meetings with them, planning our production runs, making sure we have the materials inventory updated and ready for production, and then checking in on how the run is going.  When Brynn and I went to check up on the Fall 2012 line, they were in the process of working on sewing the Lauren Bags and cutting out the Sophie.  

To the left are the pre cut piles of Sophie bags ready to be sewn.  You can see some of the new fall colors, shown are Spill the Wine (oxblood), Imagine (blue/grey), Mary Jane (olive green), and Foxy Moma (burnt orange).  

We also went to make some changes to our overall order and some adjustments on a few bags. For example, we added a back pocket to the Sophie and changed the strap attachment on the Mini-Lauren.  Last minute changes are possible partly because we produce in Chicago!

To the right is the pile of half sewn Mini- Lauren’s waiting to be finished!  This photo shows the Spill the Wine, Mary Jane, Imagine, and To the Max (black).  There are also a few other leather and fabric colors not featured in these photos.  The contractor is hurrying to get everything done for our Liberation Collection debut next week!  Also, soon to come, sneak peek on Holiday 2012 colors!!

Love,

Your design intern Rebecca  :)

Meet Nicole!

Hi, my name is Nicole, and I am honored to be taking on both the PR and marketing positions here at Brynn Capella. I recently inherited the duties from the late great PR assistant Allison Mack, and I am super excited to be part of the team! Allison did a wonderful job, and I hope to continue her efforts and carry out a successful semester while I'm here.

Me with my fav bag, the Heather

I have learned a ton in the short time I've been here so far, and all of it has been truly valuable experience and education. I have to say that had my confidence shaken in the beginning, as I wasn't sure what to expect and had to get my handle on things, but Brynn has been awesome. She has shown me the ropes so to speak, and has also given me a lot of explanation and insight into her marketing and business expertise. To put it shortly, she has not just given me the 'what', but also the 'why' and 'how'.

Since then I have been working a great deal on press outreach, publicity efforts, press releases and other PR strategies. My favorite so far has to be the newsletters. Cutting my teeth with Photoshop (which I hated, but now love), and getting to design layouts as well as pitching their subject content.

I have always loved creativity and design since a very young age, and have owned a sewing machine for as long as I can remember. I used to make my own clothing and accessories in middle and high school. I was a creative little thing with a passion for design and expression, but little concern for technical aspects. Unfortunately that fact never changed, and while in school at Columbia College Chicago, I decided to switch my major from Fashion Design to Fashion Business with a concentration in Advertising Design and Marketing.

Being at Brynn Capella gives me the best of both of these worlds, as I can see the creative and design processes, how they carry into the business side as well. I am lucky to have been given a great reign of responsibilities that allow me to implement my creative thinking and passion for design with my marketing and business skills. I still have a great deal to learn, and am looking forward to the next few months!

Till we meet again...
Nicole

 

FashionChicago!

Seated left to right (me, Katie Sink and Allison Mack)

I was so excited that FashionChicago finally came! During the week, we separated and organized all the bags, so when Friday rolled around, we were all ready for it! It took a little over an hour to set up and put all the bags into place. Then within the first hour, we sold a Wyoming Yellow Edie and a Winchester Lauren with continued success throughout the whole night! While we interacted with the customers, we enjoyed h'orderves and Luna Bars, with a sneak peek at the runway show. 

Mercedes and me

There was a lot of good energy and excitement amongst the people and the vendors. On the second floor was the DJ, styles of Angie, she played awesome hip music as people were mingling and shopping around. On the third level was the fashion show that ran about an hour long. It highlighted some great Chicago Designers, such as Nora del Busto and from FashionStar, Barbara Bates! 

All the interns, Katie, Allison Mercedes and I, went and had a great time! Getting a chance to be part of that experience was really awesome and we're all glad we got to be a part of it. 

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! 

Fall Fashion Week: Part II

Fall Fashion Week is such a fun time, but exhausting too! Now that I survived it...I wanted to share with you some "Behind the Scenes" moments.

Studio-808 is the brainchild of Erin Creaney, a PR executive with a near-athletic enthusiasm for emerging designers.

This year, she created the first ever Accessory Style Lounge to showcase Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 accessory lines. The shopping suite was filled with fashion, fun and was the perfect place to pick up pieces to complement any wardrobe.

From 3pm - 6pm, the music was pumping, people were shopping, drinking Vitamin Water (wink wink) and having fun.

Susan Eichstaedt, of Susan Elizabeth Designs, was there with her mixed metal artistry. From rings to cuffs, earrings to necklaces, everything is handcrafted by her.

I actually have several of her pieces myself and get tons of compliments wherever I go!

Check her out online at: susanelizabethdesigns.com

Squasht by Les is another great line out of Chicago. Besides her wonderful vintage petal headbands and signature reversible hats, she has a full clothing line as well. Lesley also recently opened up her own store on the edge of Ukranian Village. Her flagship store is located at 2556 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago.

Another great thing about events like these is that most Fall Fashion Week events are centered around clothing designers and runway shows, which are a ton of fun. But this was "the accessory designers" chance to shine!

Here's our friends Agnes of Love, LuLu Mae and Jules! Both of them with their unique, handcrafted lines and the inspiration behind them.

If you are looking for "...a piece of vintage glamour in (your) modern life", Love Lulu Mae is perfect with her beautiful collection handcrafted from antique jewels, vintage fabrics and exotic feathers.

Jules is inspired by nature. This artisan jewelry line has deep color variations of gemstones, rich textures of raw minerals and blemishes on hand-hammered metals.

We are excited to share our "Behind the Scenes" look into Fashion Focus Chicago! Stop by on Friday for a look at the Finale Runway Show presented by Style Chicago and a look at the Fashion Chicago retail event...

ps: I tried to upload video, but it's not working! I will keep trying so stay tuned...maybe Natahsa will have to help me with that on Thursday!

Fashion Focus Chicago is Here!

The week so far has been loaded with great charity events, runway shows, and shopping experiences. So far it has been tons of fun to take part of the festivities Chicago's fashion week has to offer. Another great event took place last night at Millennium Park. I was fortunate enough to see the set-up for the 3rd annual Mario Tricoci’s, Make a Model and Wave of Fashion sponsored by Smartwater & Chicago Magazine. Mario Tricoci is known for his innovative hair trends and luxury salon and spa services. This event was the last of a series of challenges for the five remaining constants hoping to springboard their modeling careers. The final five model hopefuls were required to walk the runway with professional models in fashions from Chicago designers. For the grand finale Mario introduced the winner of the challenge.

Below are a few photos of the venue & set-up...

More Fashion Focus Chicago to come in this week's blog!

Up next... Accessories event, Runway show and so much more!