Playing the Game

My old school friends and I had a little reunion last week during our friend’s wedding. While talking about our careers and things we need to do to get to where we want, the topic of marketing ourselves came up. We talked about how difficult it is to indulge in “self-promotion”, as it is sometimes negatively referred to, but also acknowledged how important it can be.

I remember during one of my first few interviews for Brass Tacks I eagerly explained how I wanted to work with Indian textiles, re-packaging them in a language that young, urban women will find appealing, and how although I loved New York I really hated my job there. The article that was written afterwards painted a picture of a girl who gave up the good life in New York to come home and work for Indian craftsmen. Not entirely untrue, but not quite what I had said either.

I guess that journalist had a much better understanding of what sells and knew how to spin the story in a way that would get more readers excited. I’ll be the first one to say that press articles are the best kind of publicity anyone can hope to get- it gets noticed much more than an advertisement, and it costs relatively nothing. So over the years I’ve become a little savvier when it comes to marketing Brass Tacks and myself. I get asked about fashion trends, and where my answer used to be “Oh I don’t know, I don’t really follow fashion trends”, I now try to do a little homework and give an answer, because that might make me seem like a designer who has a pulse on fashion.

Dangerous things to admit, right?

It’s an interesting situation really. Readers look to fashion magazines and designers for advice and suggestions, and here I am trying to give answers that I think people want to hear. Or rather, I’m giving answers that I think will make readers respect my design sense.

The marketing game gets tougher as you are scrutinized. Clients ask for detailed advice on what shoes to match with a dress, and what hair style will go with an outfit- and it’s not that I don’t have the answers, but it does make me wonder if I’ll get into trouble one day for literally walking out of the shower with my hair in a knot and leaving it like that for the rest of the day. But here I am; part of an industry that is all about “the entire ensemble” with the matching outfit, accessories, make-up and hair-do (and even attitude). Most typical fashion blogs celebrate (indirectly, of course) the woman who wakes up an hour earlier than she needs to just to put her whole outfit together.

In the end it always comes down to business and what sells. Brass Tacks was created to re-articulate hand-woven textiles in the form of cosmopolitan silhouettes. If my market reads fashion magazines, spends time in large malls, and looks up to brands that are featured in glossy magazines, then I need to compete at the same level. I can’t afford to sit in my corner and say, “No, I am different, I don’t need to take the same mainstream route”. Wrong. I need to do just that, and although each step I take may not be completely representative of who I am, it may be good for the brand.

And you know I’ll do anything for Brass Tacks.