Creating an Industry in AZ, Fashion with Arizona Apparel Foundation

Happy to share this announcement for the Arizona Apparel Foundation now located in Tempe, AZ - Press Release Below

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Shannon Sowby, 602.615.6235, shannonsowbypr@gmail.com 

City of Tempe Contact: Kris Baxter-Ging 480.250.5198 kris_baxter@tempe.gov

ARIZONA’S FASHION INDUSTRY TAKES ROOT IN TEMPE
Three fashion entities collaborate to create one-of-a-kind fashion resource center

in the heart of the Valley

TEMPE, Ariz. (Sept. 9, 2016) – LabelHorde, Arizona Fashion Source and Arizona Apparel Foundation (LH/AFS/AAF) have joined forces with the City of Tempe to create a one-of-a-kind fashion hub in Tempe. This business incubator, production facility and educational resource will position Tempe as the upcoming U.S. fashion city.

Housed in the Tempe Performing Arts Center, LH/AFS/AAF will combine their unique expertise to support local visionaries and entrepreneurs by taking fashion from beginning to end, including everything from business consulting to design services and apparel manufacturing.

“Tempe is known as a creative, innovative city. It is the dream of many people to start their business and work for themselves. Thanks to LabelHorde, Arizona Fashion Source and Arizona Apparel Foundation, the world’s next Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren or Vera Wang could come from Tempe and this fashion incubator,” Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell said. 

LH/AFS/AAF is Arizona’s first and most comprehensive resource for independent fashion companies that puts everything under one roof, including all of the fashion-related services that they need to operate and grow their businesses. It will mean that local brands will no longer have to source their manufacturing outside of the state, while also attracting out-of-state brands looking for resource alternatives. Producing apparel locally keeps money in the state while creating jobs and nurturing the growth of a creative, sustainable and in-demand industry.

“The Valley is home to incredible designers and fashion-centric businesses,” said Angela Johnson, Founder of LabelHorde. “We want to create a fashion industry environment to make it easier for Arizona students, brands and fashion lovers to learn, source, create, network and ultimately stay in Arizona.”

Beyond the creation aspects, the new venture will create opportunities for networking and business growth through events, a co-working space, a showroom and educational services, all in one convenient location.

Today, many Arizona schools are training students to work in fashion, but there remains a lack of hands-on training opportunities and even fewer employment opportunities after graduation. This new fashion center is estimated to create eight jobs immediately, with countless more as the industry takes root locally. More than a dozen independent designer brands will work out of the space, as will several photographers, videographers and fabric printers. Six companies will receive scholarships to work in this fashion hub each year. Approximately 50 people will fill this space immediately.

“In the U.S., there are only about a dozen similar manufacturing facilities, but none are quite like what’s happening in Tempe,” said Sherri Barry, Founder of Arizona Fashion Source. “The distinctive combination of services will create unprecedented opportunities for both new and existing Arizona-based companies that are looking for ways to keep their business local, sustainable and socially responsible.”

Expected to open at the end of this month, the center will create scholarship opportunities to assist budding design entrepreneurs in scaffolding their businesses, along with no-cost classes that will be open to the public. Classes will include everything from sewing to sketching and marketing.

Beyond the creative designs and new businesses this fashion incubator will bring, the city will become just a bit more colorful. People can expect to see fashion shows on Mill Avenue and inside the new facility. The Arizona Apparel Foundation has partnered with the 2016 Tempe Fall Festival of the Arts to bring local designer clothing and fashion shows to the event.

Tempe recently announced the opening of a coworking and entrepreneurial space inside the Tempe Public Library. The Business Resource and Innovation Center (BRiC) is designed to help entrepreneurs network, attend workshops and get the skills they need to launch businesses. Those working at the fashion incubator may also benefit from the opportunities at BRiC. 

“Many cities have business incubators and art galleries. Tempe leads the way with this innovative concept that not only helps people follow their creative path but also gives them tools to open successful businesses,” Mitchell said.    
    

LABELHORDE is a category-driven directory of fashion businesses enabling users to easily locate local emerging and established designers, boutiques, manufacturers, photographers, models, stylists, industry supplies, fashion schools and all things fashion related in Arizona. LabelHorde.com also features a Fashion Classifieds page for local fashion jobs, a Fashion Calendar that lists all local and important national fashion events, lessons/classes, tech pack services, consulting and design studio resources that designers need to start and run their businesses.

ARIZONA FASHION SOURCE is an apparel manufacturer that uses sustainable and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes to create samples and production runs with no minimums. AFS manufactures heavy- and light-weight knits and wovens on industrial sewing equipment and the latest CAD programs.

ARIZONA APPAREL FOUNDATION is an Arizona non-profit corporation applying for 501(c)(3) status. The Foundation’s mission is to provide the knowledge and resources needed to foster Arizona’s fashion industry. Its vision is to support cutting edge research and innovation in wearable tech and to build a sustainable and exciting new industry in Arizona.

CITY OF TEMPE, ARIZONA Located in the heart of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area, Tempe, Arizona offers an innovative, urban environment, a central location and border to border light rail. Home to the nation’s largest university and named the nation’s best college town, Tempe is one of the state’s most educated communities. Arizona State University, downtown Mill Avenue and Tempe Town Lake give people opportunities to create a perfect work/play balance. www.tempe.gov

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CARIBBEAN BRAND ISY B . UNVEILS HI-TECH DRESSES

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CARIBBEAN BRAND ISY B . UNVEILS HI-TECH DRESSES THAT BEAT THE HEAT AT SHOP GARMENT DISTRICT PHOENIX

GEORGE TOWN, CAYMAN ISLANDS (25 July 2016) - Caribbean fashion brand Isy B., plans to bring its jet-set island cool to the Phoenix heat when it unveils a sneak peek at its new hi-tech fashion collection at Shop Garment District in Phoenix on August 5^th.

Introducing a new way of dressing for the Arizona heat, Isy B. is sure to bring relief to fashionistas who no longer want to compromise between looking beautiful and feeling comfortable. The luxury brand’s chic dresses offer SPF 30 sun protection, moisture wicking, breathability, and a protective freshness shield, all of which are designed to keep you looking and feeling flawless on the hottest of days. The brand will infuse the Shop Garment District runway with its signature tropical style as the Phoenix Fashion Week Top 40 models take the dresses for a test run on the catwalk. Attendees will get a sneak peek of what to expect on the runway at the Phoenix Fashion Week grand finale event at Talking Stick Resort in October 2016.

Launched in 2015, the brand’s goal is to elevate fashionable womenswear to a new level of comfort using the latest developments in technical fabrics. The idea for the brand was born when founder and jet-setter Isy Obi struggled with pulling together a stylish wardrobe that could keep her cool and comfortable at home in the sun drenched Cayman Islands, and also travel with her around the world.

“For many women, summer-time dressing is a comprise between comfort and style, but with the fabric technology we have available today, we can change that.” Said Obi, “Menswear companies have been ahead of the game in incorporating environmental technology into their collections. I looked around the fashion industry for similar fashion for women and when I was unable to find what was needed, I created it. Launching at the Shop Garment District event is a great opportunity to introduce Isy B. directly to Phoenix’s discerning fashionistas.”

"I look forward to experiencing Isy B’s unique capsule collection during our annual Shop Garment District event as this will be major step towards the brand’s success," said Brian Hill, Executive Director of Phoenix Fashion Week

Isy B. will be joined on the runway at Shop Garment District by 14 other Phoenix Fashion Week Emerging Designers from the USA and around the world.

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About Isy B.

Isy B. is the premier luxury fashion brand from the Cayman Islands, bringing comfort and functionality by fusing innovative fabric technology with a high fashion aesthetic in its modern dress collections. Isy B.’s philosophy is “Feel Good Luxury”, aka clothing that looks luxurious, but is still comfortable and versatile. Its mission is to design beautiful dresses for women who want to feel as good as they look.  Inspired by travel, the Isy B. collection is global style that’s re-imagined for the wardrobe of the modern jet setter. The Isy B. woman can effortlessly travel anywhere with signature levels of luxury and comfort that blur the line between high fashion and technology.

About Phoenix Fashion Week

Phoenix Fashion Week is the leading fashion industry event in the Southwest.  Our core purpose is to build sustainable brands from the ground up while pushing the Arizona fashion industry forward. The organization’s mission is 'Bridging Designers & Buyers' through three pillars of fashion, education, and community. Through educational fashion seminars, year-round fashion events and charitable partnerships, Phoenix Fashion Week continues to gain rapid acclaim for its community service efforts and for infusing world-class innovation into the Southwest. 

Press Contacts:

Isy Obi           

Director & Designer                                                               

Isy B.                                                                         

isy@isybdesign.com  

+1 345 326 4002

Health and Wellness Transformations - Part One - Livin' Lighter

Health and wellness transformations may appear to be a trend; however, your health and wellness should never just be a trend.  It’s easy to take for granted all the things you and other family members can do, until one day, you’re in a car accident, you experience a stroke, a loved one has a heart attack, someone gets diagnosed with diabetes or cancer, you can’t walk due to an injury, you can’t eat normal because you experience digestive or other processing issues.  This is the not so pleasant reality that each of us faces.  No one really wants to discuss the “what if” scenarios, but when you are affected by any one of these health challenges or others, you shouldn't avoid them.

Several areas of health and wellness are often seen as and considered frivolous, narcissistic and cosmetic.  So you’re asking yourself about now, what does this have to do with health and wellness?  It’s about choices and how you are affected by them.  Once you experience an injury or have been diagnosed with certain ailments or diseases or experience things due to heredity, there are choices that must be made to determine how you address, treat, manage, and become healthy again or survive what you are experiencing.

Society will often judge individuals for making choices about their health related to their looks or what is perceived to be superficial or based on other perceptions.  And then there is the factor of the cost related to health and wellness, whether its nutrition related, spa treatments, reductions of all sorts, enlargements of other sorts, workouts, gyms, memberships, MLM (multilevel marketing products/services), therapies, and on and on.  

I've had the opportunity to meet with a company that has a strong philosophy related to helping others.  They believe that if that you can educate individuals on the benefits and the impacts of certain health treatments and then generate progress reports that reflect the changes and provide relevant information over a period of treatments and time, that individuals can experience improvements.  With information, the individuals can then empower themselves to manage their health based on facts - facts that are generated through innovative integrated technologies part of the treatment process.

Livin’ Lighter, located at 14891 N Northsight, Suite #121, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, owned and operated by Karl Bode and Nancy Fromm, is focusing on providing non-invasive fat reduction through the use of latest LED Light technology, LIVIN’ LIGHTER^TM.  Their magical buzz words are “No Pain – No Surgery – No Downtime”.  It would be easy to copy and paste and take the touted research that is published and use that to explain what’s happening with the technology and why Livin’ Lighter is focusing on this line of treatments and why they are viewed as being part of an economic development boom for health and wellness services.  In my short but in-depth discussion with one of the co-owners, Karl Bode, I discovered much more to the why behind their choices of how they want to serve their clients.

Suffice it to say, my coverage is being separated into a three-part series covering, the business, the customer experience, and the technology innovation for Livin’ Lighter. 

The Business of Med Spas – Livin’ Lighter – Part One

The business of Med Spas is big (expected to reach over $3B in 2016 for the US) especially in what are designated as travel destination cities where individuals travel to the city for the experience.  I’m no stranger to Med Spas and have had the opportunity to experience not only locally, but also nationwide some very specific destination locations that cater to spa experiences.  From Orlando to Miami and Tampa, to Houston, out west to La Jolla and West Hollywood, to local spots in Chandler, Phoenix, and Scottsdale, I’ve had the chance to experience just what the Med Spa experience is about.  Coming from a background that included customer service, spas are perceived that they should have an impeccable level of treatment of the customer.  This treatment or session includes from the moment an individual should walk in the doors, to the greeting, welcome and sign-in, the services explanation for the treatment, the set-up and readiness, to the wait time for treatment, and then to the actual treatment, the environment and office aesthetics, the after-care, review of treatment outcomes, and then follow-up.

Unlike other spas, Livin’ Lighter has a primary focus from a business perspective on body contouring.  They define this to be loss of inches (fat loss) on the waist, hips, thighs, arms, and anywhere the LED Light technology can be applied.   

 The impact is also focused on fat reduction in such a way that a client would not experience downtime.  They offer their clients treatment packages from Bronze to Gold levels that vary based on the number of sessions and the number of weeks the sessions will be distributed over.

Livin’ Lighter is working to crush the perception that these services are only available to the celebrity lifestyle or exclusive limited clientele.  Through their branding and their own personal experience with the technology and services, they have established a business model that while new, they are definitely looking to over time evolve and to grow.  The demand for services is there and Livin’ Lighter knows they have what the populous is looking for.

While the perception that this business is about luxury nice to have’s, fat reduction is extremely important in an overall persons health management.  Anyone that is fighting diabetes or even back injury, weight plays a huge impact to the recovery and management of.  Fat is something that in small quantities is helpful for some brain function, however as part of the American diet, it could definitely use some trimming.  Body Fat Percentage measurements are used by most physical trainers and doctors who are helping clients with weight-loss.  The business of Livin’ Lighter is working to help fight and reduce fat.  What more could you ask for?

In Part II of the article series, we will talk about the full customer service and client experience for Med Spas including personal experience with Livin’ Lighter.  To learn more about Livin’ Lighter, visit their website:  https://www.livinlighter.com or call for your own appointment to find out and experience yourself – phone: (480) 757-2639.

Fashionista Dreams in Style, Designer Article Series, Part 7

“Life stands before me like an eternal spring with new and brilliant clothes.” – This quote by Carl Friedrich Gauss expresses what most Fashionistas think when a new line is ready to be released.  It’s like being a kid in a candy store you can hardly wait to hear more.  This article series is being written to allow you a sneak peek into the lives of some of designers that are part of the Phoenix Fashion Week 2012.  The interviews comprise of candid discussions and questions asked of the designers and my interpretation of their answers.   The write-up will be a summary of the conversation.

 

Burlap Dress

Burlap Dress, photo shoot was in Arizona at Greasewood Flat in North Scottsdale

Burlap Dress photo shoot was in Arizona at Greasewood Flat in North Scottsdale

JHaus brings something unique to the style they’ve introduced at Phoenix Fashion Week.  JLynn Hausmann founder and creator of JHaus always wanted a clothing line since elementary school and has ventured strongly in a direction that many would not go. Denim is a tough style for most; however for JLynn she has embraced her design foundation and opted to create using denim with all ideas originating from her home state of Nebraska, kindly referred to as the Corn Palace.   JHaus’s tagline of “premium denim line inspired by American roots” speaks strongly to the traditions they have infused their clothing line with.  Besides the incorporation of the country into their apparel, each core style is named after a family member.

Dolly Jean (style boot cut, named after my mother)  Medium Wash

Coming from the Midwest, JHaus’s denim creations reflect significant influences that have encouraged natural looks and comfort due to washings as well coloring focused on earthy and muted tones.  JHaus has been noticed and is creating waves beyond just the denim.  They have introduced a glamorous burlap dress design and accents of chicken wire into another one of kind couture creation and now have become known as innovative and stylish with every piece.  Their inspirations appear to be limitless and know no bounds.  Additional creations in the future clothing lines will be skirts, more couture and even a dress made out of corn. 

At a red carpet event in LA, with Jody Carlson who is wearing the denim chicken wire dress

JLynn with her 3 nieces, Ava, Emmie, & Livie  (Ava: Flare jean, Emmie:  Skinny Jean, Livie:  Straight Jean)

Becca Jean (color: husker red) (named after sister-in-law)  with JHaus jacket

JLynn on the runway with my 3 nieces

JHaus has plans to produce and distribute to where the customers are and that appears to be worldwide.  In addition, they are adding new and exciting pieces to their ever growing collection.  With her love of fashion and her passion to share their difference, JLynn hopes that their customers through their designs see their message of the importance of having strong roots no matter where you come from and embracing them and just being yourself.  JHaus will be bringing it home as they walk down the runway at Phoenix Fashion Week 2012 to celebrate traditions and innovation like no other.