Hey members! We know that one of the biggest struggles you have as businesses owners is finding reliable service providers. So we put together this list. While we can’t personally vouch for each of them (because we can’t work with them all!), this is a list of providers we know to be in existence. With that said, these service providers have not paid us to be on this list. While we feel good about telling you about them, we still urge you to do your homework: - Ask for references - Google their businesses - Post questions about them in the “Member Recommendations” thread in the Forum (not visible to outside of the Community) We’ll continue to update this list as we learn about service providers who work with emerging and independent designers. If you have a provider you’d like us to add to the list, email me, we’d love to let the Community know! Service Providers List Branding & Public Relations spOt the shop is a marketplace connecting fashion brands and designers with fashion publishers. The members-only site allows fashion editors, stylists, journalists and bloggers to browse and filter through seasonal collections, download hi-res images and marketing assets, and request sample products for their online, print & broadcast outlets or celebrity events. Membership eligibility: spOt the shop is a curated platform, and designer/brand membership is by approval. All designers/brands applying by signing up on the site, need to have recent collection hi-res images, and their products need to retail in at least one location and/or online. Please see spottheshop.com/pr-101 for more information on the expected quality for images and press tools. Member Location: Global Contact: Special StartUp FASHION membership price: $350/month Follow this link to be eligible for the special price. Link: http://spottheshop.com/startupfashion Based on our successful experience for delivering projects in fashion and design, the vision we came to share was to provide global clients with a company of experts who are actively working in successful fashion, design and luxury experience companies. Our experts share the secrets of a profitable business and assist you with innovative strategies Services: Brand Management, Strategic Decisions, Communications Strategies, Marketing, Digital and Social Media Strategies, Industry Analysis, Trend Forecasting, Business Planning Client Location: Global Contact: www.amerai.com Tel: +39 3334485550 Skype: amerai.consulting Email: [email protected] Address: Via Garibaldi 39, Rome Italy 00153 Manufacturing & Production We are passionate about seeing designers succeed by providing the tools to help promote growth regardless of company size. We’ve helped new brands flush out their design ideas as well as fill- in design positions at large corporations. Whether you are trained in design or completely new to the apparel industry, starting a new brand is a daunting task. We're here to help you take those first steps, but also to help navigate the wild west of the apparel industry. Through our own experiences starting-up and working with dozens of other growing companies, we see a lot of common issues and concerns. From initial design to your technical package, we work with you and help to guide you through the entire development process. Client Location: Global Services: - Apparel Design, Textile Design, Technical Design, Patternmaking, Packaging Design Contact: Website: http://www.jld-studios.com Email: [email protected] | [email protected] (503) 224-9217 | Portland OR United States V. Mora is a fashion business and production consulting company that works one on one with independent designers. They offer hands-on help with everything from in-house pattern and sample making to sourcing to production management and marketing. V. Mora is a one-stop-shop for success for designers. V.Mora began in Chicago with a small pattern and sample house. They have since expanded to San Francisco and New York and have consultants in Italy as well as a client base all over the world. Client location: Physical offices in New York, Chicago and Oakland, CA. Work with clients worldwide via Skype and phone. Services offered: - Full Package consulting (Design development through production) - A-la-carte services like pattern and sample making, fabric sourcing, production management or one-time consultations - Designer Mentorship - Designer Launch Intensive (12-week course) Contact: Website: www.vmora.com Email: [email protected] Phone: 773-540-4097 At Good Clothing Company we believe in ethical working conditions, sustainable production practices and have made a commitment to actively work to re-shore US based apparel industry jobs. Whether you're an emerging designer, ecofashion pioneer or you simply need sustainable and attainable goods, Good Clothing Company is here to fill that need. Small batch production runs not only prevent wasted materials, but also provide emerging designers and opportunity to grow and thrive. At GCC we emphasize the importance of using recycled materials to all of our clients and practice careful cutting and recycling of our own material waste. Client location: Global Services: We offer a range of production services including CMT, pattern drafting, grading and sample development. Contact: Website: http://www.goodclothingcompany.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone: (508) 419-6152 Address: 681 Falmouth Road, Suite C-22, Mashpee, MA 02649 Legal ND&S Law is the firm that StartUp FASHION uses and we love them. They’ve helped us through trademark infringement, business planning, and protection through contract creation. They speak normal people language (as much as possible), are upfront about their costs, and truly care about small businesses. We are not an affiliate of theirs or anything, we just believe in what they do so we wanted to share them with our New York and New Jersey based members. Contact Info: Website: http://www.ndslaw.com/ We work with Jessica Wilde: http://www.ndslaw.com/profile/jessica-m-wilde New Jersey Office 95 Route 17 South Suite 316 Paramus, NJ 07652 (201) 712-1616 New York Office 450 Seventh Avenue Suite 2205 New York, NY 10123 (212) 972-0786 Business Planning & Retail Strategy Scaling Retail is a retail strategy consulting firm that specializes in small to medium sized businesses. We work with ideas and those who are ready to scale up. Leveraging expertise from years at Barneys New York, Gucci and working with dozens of small businesses we implement both best practices and innovative growth formulas to create customize solutions and strategies. Client Location: Global, holding in person office hours in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco. Services: Sales Planning/Strategy, Wholesale Buyer Prep (Line Lists/ LookBooks/ Negotiations), Ecommerce Strategy, Marketing (Digital & Direct) Contact: Special Offer for StartUp FASHION Members: Intro offer of $500 for 5 hours consulting www.ScalingRetail.com Email: [email protected] We strive to craft innovative business, financial and operational solutions for early to mid-stage fashion companies. With expertise in areas from operational efficiency to business plans - we support your financial success by minimizing the time and money spent on the stuff you hate so you can focus on the fashion. All our services come with a down to earth, fresh and human approach with an appreciation of the challenges faced by designers and founders of fashion companies. Founder & Partner: Kajal Sanghrajka: www.linkedin.com/in/ksanghrajka Services: - + Business Plans - + Financial Planning and Management - + Infrastructure & Technology - + Investment Pitches - + Contract negotiation support - + US market entry strategy for European businesses Contact: Website: www.fashioncoefficient.com Email: http://www.fashioncoefficient.com/contact-us.html Our Articles & Advice: http://startupfashion.com/?s=kajal+sanghrajka Nishika de Rosairo has almost a decade of experience in growing and transforming Fortune 500 and Silicon Valley companies such as Deloitte Consulting, Apple, Levi, Salesforce, Cisco, and others. As a Strategic Advisor to some of the largest companies in the world, she spent many years formulating successful business strategies and coaching executives. Now as the CEO and Creative Director of the womenswear clothing brand dEROSAIRO, Nishika has augmented her past experience to create and grow a successful fashion brand in the affordable luxury segment of the market. She attributes much of her success in the fashion industry to being able to create the right business plan, identify the right target customer, create the right branding strategy, and find the right vendors to partner with. Whether you’re in the fashion business or some other industry, Nishika can help coach you to launch your dream, grow your company, and think like a CEO. The traits relevant to successful leaders, entrepreneurs, and CEO’s are the same, regardless of the type of industry. Services: Idea generation to implementation Creating a viable business plan Creating a realistic budget Identifying your target market Creating a lasting branding experience Creating a strong elevator pitch Finding the right vendors to partner with Creating a sales strategy that works for your business Creating a social media experience Contact: Website: http://drbusinessadvisory.com/ Email: http://drbusinessadvisory.com/contact-us/ .