Britney Devaris

Mission

• Britney Devaris seeks to provide not only quality but modern transitional pieces to keep up with

the style conscious clients. Britney Devaris creates an inspiring experience for those

wearing and those admiring.

Biography I have been designing for the past eight years of my life. My passion for fashion design started at a young age as I had always been interested and influenced by fashion and fashion icons. I knew this is what I wanted to do the first time I made my own pattern from scratch. It was the moment where my design which had started as a sketch, became a garment…only because I had brought it to life through the patterns and the construction. Once I realized I could turn any of my designs into a wearable piece, I only advanced in my garment construction. I knew that I wanted to turn my talent into a business when I kept getting back such positive feedback from my collections as well as an even flow of custom orders. My first encounter with pattern work and my sewing machine was during my senior year of high school when I challenged myself to design and create my prom dress for that year. The success of my first project lead me to the opportunity to study fashion design and merchandising at Dominican University. I have been able to take what I’ve learned through skill development and experience during my time in school to create my own design style and technique which has allowed me to create everlasting collections I currently work out of my studio which is located in the Historic Flat Iron Building. Aside from my work area the space also allows for a showroom where I host trunk shows and sales. Last year I had the opportunity of being accepted into the Associate Designer program for CFI. During that time I expanded my business horizons as I fine-tuned my design aesthetic, customer profile, and business strategy. After advancing in my work I was able to better present my line to the CFI board for a second time, where they then felt confident enough to choose me as one of six designers to accept into the Designer in Resident program for 2012 – 2013. My collection is innovative, trendy and eye-catching. My inspiration has allowed me to manipulate fabric, setting my work aside from others. My collection is cohesive; the colors coordinate well with the fabric and the fabric coordinates with the drape. Seam lines and silhouette shaping allows for very formfitting and flattering pieces. My collection is very technical on the inside but still very functional on the outside. There is a big focus on separates and creating a variety of pieces that can be interchangeable between past, present, and future collections. The colors I tend to work with are warm and flattering on most skin tones as the beading detail allows for some shimmer effect. My collection is not flat, but full of dimension, which I achieve through sculpting fabric in an origami type matter. The pieces in my collection are meant to be worn by the woman who likes her presence known, a very confident and style wise woman.

Demographic Segmentation:Age: 27Gender: FemaleHousehold Size: SingleIncome: $60,000Occupation: Public Relations Education: Bachelor’s Degree

Sociocultural Segmentation:Culture: AmericanReligion: Not PracticingNational Origin: Italian/GermanRace: CaucasianSocial Class: Middle ClassMarital Status: In a Committed Relationship

Effective and Cognitive Segmentation:Degree of Knowledge: ProfessionalBenefits Sought: PrestigeAttitude: Positive

Behavioral Segmentation:Brand Loyalty: DividedStore Loyalty: DividedUser Rate: MediumUser Status: Current UserPayment Method: Credit CardMedia Users: iPadUsage Situation: Daily

Customer ProfileName: Ellie MurphyRegion: Midwest (Chicago)City Size: 300,000

About the Girl  Britney Devaris’ target customer is 27-year-old female, Ellie Murphy. Ellie is a publicist at a boutique

Public Relations Firm in Chicago. She lives in a two-bedroom Graystone apartment building in the

trendy neighborhood of Old Town in Chicago. Her apartment is decorated with a mix of

vintage, traditional and modern pieces. Ellie has two great men in her life, her longtime boyfriend,

Cameron and her French bulldog, Toby.

She is petite, a lover of passion fruit iced-tea outgoing female. She spends her weekdays working at her office in

the Gold Coast and her weekends attending events with her girlfriends and enjoying cocktails with her co-workers.

When Ellie isn’t attending events for work, her favorite spots in the city are Paris Club, Cedar Hotel and dive bars

around Old Town. She doesn’t have much free time to watch her reality TV shows during the week so she takes full

advantage of Tivo to catch up on the weekends. Ellie’s favorite vacation spot is St. John, US Virgin Islands and her

parents’ lake house in Northern Michigan. She enjoys shopping at Nordstrom and J. Crew, as well as online shopping

on Shopbop, Net-A-Porter and Piperlime.

She enjoys listening to all kinds of music such as Florence And The Machine, Avicii, Deadmau5 and John Mayer

on her train commute to work everyday. Her daily regime includes a strict skincare and sunscreen routine. She wears

very little makeup but her favorite products include Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, Chanel Inimitable Intense

mascara, Tom Ford lipstick and NARS Laguna bronzer. Ellie’s splurges include a bi-weekly manicure and pedicure and a

haircut and color every eight weeks at Salon Buzz. Her everyday wardrobe includes versatile pieces that can take her

from work to play and casual to professional. Ellie’s staple pieces include a few pair of Rag & Bone skinny pants, sheer

blouses, classic blazers, riding boots and platform wedges. All in all, Ellie is a simple, trendy and outgoing female who

loves transitional separates that can transform her look from day to night.

SWOTStrengths

•Construction is done in Chicago so Britney can keep a close eye on the manufacturing of her product. •Sense of local support that brings strength to her brand. •She lives the life of who she designs for. Britney knows who her customer is and what she is looking for.

Weaknesses

•Construction is done is Chicago and so that makes cost higher.•Britney does everything herself, this may slow production. From design to actual garment.•Her client is young, so finding her target market with a $60,000+ income may be more of a challenge.

Opportunities

Internal: •Clients like to “shop local”•Looking to get into more local boutiques •She has had previous exposure in Chicago fashion magazines, making a second appearance of some kind could help her business.

External: •Chicago is a hot spot for fashion, fashion is on a fast incline.•Magazines and blogs are shining the spotlight on Chicago. •Economy is on the upturn, the current season is when retail picks up, and summer in Chicago is a lively time.

Threats

Internal: •Britney is the designer, contractor, marketer. •She is a small business, still developing relationships with suppliers. •She thrives on the success of her business, this is what encourages her to do more and keep creating.

External: •There is a large market of young local Chicago Designers.•Beginning any business is competitive, especially within retail•Her main competitors already have established businesses.

In conclusion, Britney Devaris designs will be in touch with a contractor as to outsource her labor. In doing so she is able to keep all manufacturing local, which has proved to be a selling point in her brand.

Recently, Britnery was given positive feed back by Macy’s buyers. They put an emphasis on her transitional pieces; loving how they relate to each other, her styling technique, an the WANT that it leaves her customer!

Objective: Increase brand awareness by 10% by September 2014

Strategy: Work closely with local Chicago and suburban magazine and newspaper publications

Tactics: •Advertise for trunk show at Kiz Boutique, May 2012•Set-up follow up interview for Suburban Life Newspaper, September 2012•Set up article/mention in Chicago Social, September 2012•Set up article/mention in Michigan Avenue Magazine, August 2013•Advertise for trunk show at Kiz Boutique in Wicker Park, August 2013•Work closely with customers during trunk show at Kiz Boutique•Obtain mentions in magazines throughout 2012-2014

Marketing Plan

Objective: Increase total sales by 5% by March 2014 Strategy: Find Chicago based contractor that best fits Britney Devaris

Tactics:•Trunk show at Kiz Boutique in Wicker Park, June 2012•Research Chicago based contractors, September 2012•Work closely with contractor to evaluate products for upcoming seasons•Add more colors and fabrics into designs, March 2013•Choose products to be shown at Kiz Boutique, June 2013•Evaluate products based on purchases and feedback from customers, August 2012

Marketing Plan

Objective: To maintain profit margins 15-20% through close attention to expanses and cost of goods

Strategy: Create separate web page from Facebook page for Britney Devaris with online purchasing available.

Tactics: •Create and buy a web page by September 1, 2014•Work with interns on estimated production costs•Find web designer to create layout of the web page, September 14, 2014•Create commerce portion of the web page, September 21, 2014•Decide what is being put on the homepage for the design, September 25, 2014•Choose what products will be sold•Find photographer to take photos of products, October 1, 2014•Decide on photos, October 6, 2014•Have web designer add photos to website and approve layout, October 6, 2014•Finalize layout with Britney Devaris, October 10, 2014•Launch website, November 3, 2014

Marketing Plan

Press Release

Kiz Boutique to Hold Trunk Show for Modern Women’s Clothing Designer

Chicago, IL- Britney Devaris is thrilled to show new women’s clothing at Kiz Boutique in Wicker Park.

Britney Devaris is a local women’s designer who constructs and manufactures all of her products in Chicago. Devaris’ mission states, “Britney Devaris seeks to provide not only quality but modern transitional pieces to keep up with the style conscious clients. Britney Devaris creates an inspiring experience for those wearing and those admiring.”

A one of a kind trunk show event will take place on June 9, 2012 in Wicker Park at trendy Kiz Boutique’s location at 2035 W. Division. Britney Devaris produces and distributes women’s modern transitional pieces for the woman who seeks effortless style and timeless wardrobe essentials.

You can visit Britney Devaris’ Facebook page for more details.

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