Emotional

I'm rather emotional this week! I think it's a mixture between me getting very stressed out with my final major project as well as next week being theist ever week at FRA! I'm going to miss it there so much.

This week I've got lots done! I'm just stuck with all the last minute and little hits I've left until the end.

All of my buying unit is now complete! As well as my sourcing and yes that includes my critical path (PHEW!) garment technology is almost there as well as the visual merchandising side to the project. As I'm not in on Friday I want to get everything printed off tomorrow... But just incase not everything is complete (let's just say it isn't) I'm going to go into college next Wednesday to complete all of my disk printing then going straight off to get it bound. I am then going to work on my final research folder! I will upload pictures of all my final work tomorrow! I hope you like!

Planning next week...

So I want to be fully printed by next Friday, as the following Monday and Tuesday is the Queens Jubilee and are bank holidays. The rest of that week I plan to work on my research file etc...

My final to do list:

Introduction
Mission Statment
About RiverIsland
About RiverIsland Plus
Executive summary
Customer Profile RI
Customer Profule RI+
Market map RI
Market map RI+
SWOT Analysis
Final logo
Comp shop results

MERCHANDISING
About eg stores, where etc
Sales and space mix
Floor plan of section
Option sheet
WSSI
Delivery Schedule

BUYING

Trend report summary
Moodboards x 4 trends
Trendboards x 4 trends
Trend overview x 4 trends
Range plans x 4 trends
Price triangles x 4 trends
Range plans x 4 trends
Unit plans x 4 trends

SOURCING
Strategy
Countries
China
China PESTEL
Turkey
Turkey PESTEL
Romania
Romania PESTEL
Bulgaria
Bulgaria PESTEL
Trend Overview
12 chosen trends
Critical path
Line detail
Open Costing sheet

GARMENT TECHNOLOGY
Trend overview
Specification sheet
Spec sheet with trims attatched
Strike off page
Testing
Other products to think about
Open costing sheet

VISUAL MERCHANDISING
Website design
Website layout
Carrier bags
Store cards
Window display
Hangers
Swing tickets
Marketing strategy

Sourcing...Complete

Sorry for my last post! At that point I was so stressed I had about a million to do lists and my mind just went blank! Ahhhh

But no worries. I am on track and with just two weeks left I hope to be printed by next week. I have completed my sourcing stratergy which I will show below. I havent included everything as it is so long and into detail, instead I am going to list the contents below!

1. Introduction
2. Chosen sourcing countries
3. Sourcing strategy
4. China - pro's and con's
5. China - PESTEL report
6. Turkey - pro's and con's
7. Turkey - PESTEL report
8. Romania - pro's and con's
9. Romania - PESTEL report
10. Bulgaria - pro's and con's
11. Bulgaria - PESTEL
12. Trend overview
13. Chosen 12 sourcing products
14. Minimal structure - 3 options
15. Tropicana - 3 options
16. Egyptian Chic - 3 options
17. Safari - 3 options
18. Dual sourcing
19. Critical path
20. Line detail
21. Open costing sheet
22. Summary

WOAH...... I didnt realise how much has gone into my sourcing strategy until now. My FMP is going to be so think and heavy! Oh no. Anyways, here is part of my final sourcing. I hope you like...

Two weeks to go...

I want to cry. I am so tired. I am so stressed! I have nothing more to say today...

Final mood, trend & range boards

Below are the FINAL moodboards, trendboards and ranges for my four trends; Minimal Structure, Tropicana, Egyptian Chic and Safari. HOWEVER some of the prints/images/colour blocks are incorrect - I am going to change these over the next few days, but these pictures give you the overall gist of my trends. I hope whoever is reading likes the collections!

minimal structure moodboard

minimal structure trend board

minimal structure tops and jackets

minimal structure dresses 1

minimal structure dresses 2

minimal structure bottoms

minimal structure swimwear

minimal structure overview

Tropicana moodboard

Tropicana trendboard

Tropicana tops and jackets

Tropicana dresses 1

Tropicana dresses 2

Tropicana bottoms

Tropicana swimwear

Tropicana overview

Egyptian Chic moodboard

Egyptian Chic trendboard

Egyptian Chic tops and jackets

Egyptian Chic dresses 1

Egyptian Chic dresses 2

Egyptian Chic bottoms

Egyptian Chic swimwear

Egyptian Chic overview

Safari moodboard

Safari trendboard

Safari tops and jackets

Safari dresses 1

Safari dresses 2

Safari bottoms

Safari swimwear

Safari overview

This week's TO DO list

This is more a reminder for me, than an interesting post!

The weeks are flying by and I only have a few left to complete the whole of my FMP. It's going too fast! To make sure I'm keeping up to date, I am going to jot down a quick 'Complete' and 'To do' list that im going to refer back to throughout this week.

Complete

• All introduction pages (except SWOT)
• Minimal structure, tropicana and egyptian chic mood and trend boards
• "       " range plans
• Sales and space plan
• Option Plan

To Do

• SWOT - Look on Verdict for information and figures
• Summary of comp shop
• Safari mood and trendboards
• Safari range plan
• More Merchandising spreadsheets
• Planograms for each range
• Floor plan for Oxford circus store
• Start sourcing stratergy

Research: Collate comp shop and trend research. Trend report summary page. Keep adding to bibliography!

First week of tutorials

This week has been CRAZY! I've started working on my buying ranges and merchandising. I've completed my sales and space mix as well as the option sheet, which helped me figure out how many options I am going to need for my four chosen ranges. I am stocking 'RiverIsland Plus' in 10 of their top stores and online, so technically 11 stores altogether. From completing these spreadsheets I now know I need to design 120 options overall - Yes 120. Yes I am very stressed.

So far I've completed my minamal and tropicana ranges, which leaves me my Egyptian Chic and Safari ranges left to complete - which I am to do by Wednesday next week. Once this is done I can crack on with all my other units. (Pictures of my ranges to come)

These are the notes I made from my tutorials this week:

Buying

• Add a shrug/cardi to the range - so it can run through all of the ranges in different colours or prints.
• Trend report - all to go into my research file, however create a page within my final FMP to summarize my findings and chosen trends
• Research - photos, street style, history, colour etc
• Remove shoes from the range - just use these designins within the visual planograms

Sourcing

• Extra fabric because its a plus size range? Yes, margins are going to be slightly lower by 2 or 3% as I will need to use more fabric than normal RiverIsland clothing - however can't charge more just because its plus size as its not fair on the customer.
• Reduce planned space from 20sq metres to 12sq metres as its a too bigger space for a new sub-brand
• Countries for my sourcing stratergy
• Turkey: denim, jersey
• China: swimwear, blouses, maxi dresses
• Romania: smart/tailored clothing, blouses
• Bulgaria: smart jersey
• I can then 'dual source' - source a product in china then for next drop repeat closer to home in Bulgaria

The chosen trends

Okay so this week and last i've researched trends for my ranges. Ive been looking at S/S13 using fashionsnoops, wgsn and other trend websites. As i'm creating an on trend plus size range, I want the trends to be strong, different and distinctive. My brand is River Island and I feel that their trends are always really strong and they are good at using eye-catching prints, so I want to translate this information in my chosen trends. So here it goes...

MY CHOSEN TRENDS

Transitional (hits stores Dec 12)
Minimal Structure

Main drop 1 (hits stores Feb 13)
Tropicana

Main drop 1 (hits stores Feb 13)
Egyptian Chic

Main drop 2 (hits stores May 13)
Safari

I've started to complete my mood boards and trend boards. Please dont judge! Theyre not finished yet...

Minimal Structure trend board (unfinished)

Tropicana mood board

Tropicana trend board

Egyptian chic mood board

Egyptian chic trend board

I have yet to finish my Minimal Structure mood and trend board, and need to start my Safari trend.

By the end of this week I hope to have these complete - and I am starting to choose the templates for my range and start drawing my ranges on illustrator. After filling out my spreadsheets for merchandising I now know I need to put together 199 options. GOD HELP ME! Wish me luck...