Instagram For Your Fashion Label PART 2: Setting up your profile for success

December 8, 2019
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In the first of our Instagram for Fashion Labels series we discussed defining your brand, your visuals/interests, pinpointing what value can you give your followers, how to curate your feed and what to look for in your competitors.

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Instagram For Your Fashion Label PART 1: Do this before you open your account!

November 19, 2019
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Social media is a large part of many new fashion labels marketing strategy. A lot of people will refer to social media as a free tool, as yes, you can open an instagram account for free. But I think this is the wrong way to look at it, as it isn’t really free, it takes TIME which is either yours (which has value!) or you are paying someone to spend the time on it for you. Either way to have any success it takes commitment and investment.

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Everything you need to know about fabric shrinkage

October 18, 2019
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During our Fashion Label Launch Pad Program our mentees gather for monthly group calls to discuss any niggling questions that have been presented to them on their new fashion journeys. This month’s hot topic in discussion was how to manage and prepare for fabric shrinkage.

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Planning the first photoshoot for your new label? Here are our do’s and don’ts to ensure every shoot is a success!

September 9, 2019
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You’ve spent months upon months pouring blood, sweat and tears into creating the perfect garment for your collection, and soon it will be time to release your product to market! Even though your garment might look a million bucks to hold in your hands, it is imperative that the rest of the world fully understands the look and feel of your brand. Investing in a professional, sleek and captivating photoshoot is just one of the ways to get you there. Read below for our list of helpful pointers when sourcing talent, photographers and locations to ensure that every shoot is a success.

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What does it mean to be an ethically accredited label?

August 5, 2019
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When creating your new label from the ground up, there are many aspects to take into consideration in order to shape your label into a business that represents who and what you stand for. From sustainability, to the locality of the materials sourced, you, the designer, have the artistic freedom to structure a label how they choose according to their values.

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Mentee’s Launch: The Feather Bird

July 5, 2019
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After finding a gap in them market, our past mentee Felicity Barras designed a range of gorgeous gender neautral children’s wear. Here is more about Felicity’s new label ‘The Feather Bird’ and time spent as part of Sample Room’s Fashion Label Launch Pad Program.

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As of today, we are changing the fashion industry forever…

June 6, 2019
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It has been five long years.

PATTERNROOM.COM has been a dream of mine for a long time now. And there is a good reason why nobody has ever launched anything like Pattern Room before. Simply – it was hard.

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Sample Room + Fashion Revolution: Introducing Mai

April 30, 2019
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In honour of Fashion Revolution Week we would like to introduce Mai, one of our valued sample machinists.

Originally from Vietnam, Mai has lived in Australia since 1995 after closing a tailoring shop she ran for 15 years.

Mai was recommended from a family member to take the big leap and move to Australia with the promise of good working conditions and pay.

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Sample Room + Fashion Revolution: Introducing Sharon

April 30, 2019
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Here at Sample Room we are proudly ethically accredited and value the importance of a safe and fair workplace. We have staff from all over the world including people local to Melbourne, creating a diverse and experienced team. Julia’s (founder of Sample Room) ethical practices are founded by the passion to respect the knowledge and skills people have. Coming from years of experience on the factory floor herself, she really understands the depth of knowledge and expertise the Sample Room team possess.

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9 Steps To Be Manufacturer Ready

April 24, 2019
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Here at Sample Room, we have a number of meticulous steps in place to ensure the highest quality patterns and samples, ultimately providing you with the best chance to create the perfect garment with your manufacturer.

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Sourcing Ethical Materials: Understanding the origin of your fabric

March 8, 2019
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Choosing eco-friendly fabrics can be an imperative factor in determining whether your label can withstand the constant evolution towards a greener industry. But even when making conscious decisions about your material choices, it’s hard to know what the most sustainable choice can be.

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Mentee’s Launch: Love Linen

February 4, 2019
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Recent graduate of Sample Room’s Fashion Label Launch Pad Program, Helen Atcheson has launched an ethically accredited and sustainable womenswear label, Love Linen!

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Sustainable Fashion in The Circular Economy

December 10, 2018
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In the production of clothing, there is a multitude of stages that can prove highly damaging to our natural resources. Stages of manufacturing that the everyday consumer might be oblivious to. But, the plain and simple red blouse you see sitting on a rack in a store tells a detailed story between its fibres; from its repetitive washing and rinsing to the treatment of harsh chemicals and blending of plastics.

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Honing Inspiration & Defining Your Customer; what does it mean and where do we start?!

November 5, 2018
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Sample Room

From paper to production, there are SO many factors to consider in bringing a design to life. But after meticulously stewing over fabrics and hemlines for months on end, who is going to be wearing your garments?! And what needs do they have?
As part of our Fashion Label Launch Pad program, our group of mentees hold a monthly phone call to discuss queries and roadblocks as they work towards launching their first fashion labels.

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FABRIC AGENTS – how, who, where, what!?

October 2, 2018
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As part of our Fashion Label Launchpad program we have a group call with our Mentees to discuss challenges and questions they may have. It is also a great opportunity to chat with industry, and like minded people who are in the same position as you. Who knows what next great idea or inspiration will come out of the conversation!

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Mentee Launch: Joseph Carl

September 10, 2018
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Mentee Launch

We love seeing our mentees journey throughout the Launch Pad program. A lot of hard work goes into every stage of design, construction and production and it is wonderful to see their collections in their final form. Below we have a Q & A from our past mentee, Joseph Carl, we discuss the challenges, successes and the big question – Would he do it all over again??? Visit Joseph Carl.

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Mentee’s Launch: Akilah Active Wear

August 11, 2018
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Sample Room

At Sample Room, we love seeing our mentees journey throughout the Launch Pad program. A lot of hard work goes into every stage of design, construction and production and it is wonderful to see their collections in their final form. Past mentee, Georgit Maarrawi discusses the concept and processes behind her new activewear range, Akilah.

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Mentee’s Launch: Sleep With Me

April 16, 2018
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Mentee Launch

Today, we would love to introduce you to our latest mentee to launch, Sammie Russell from Sleep With Me.

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Mentee’s Launch: Frankie + Roy

February 1, 2018
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Mentee launch

Jessica Haley, the Founder of Frankie + Roy, came to us in August 2016 with an idea to create a range of slim-fitting childrenswear. Jess became increasingly aware of how hard it was to find clothing that would fit her two boys, and as a result, took matters into her own hands and began working on Frankie + Roy.

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What We Can Learn From A Negative Review

January 27, 2018
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Sample Room

It is an unfortunate side of the business in this day and age that reviews can be written about a business by anyone and can cause a new enquiry like yourself concern about a business. We don’t get many of these reviews and it has taken me a long time to find the most positive way to reply to these comments. I have decided to use each experience as an example of the many ways development and production can go wrong in this deceptively difficult industry. I hope that you learn something from this review reply to help in your own journey. If you have any further questions about this example then I am more than happy to discuss with you. Just give me a call.

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