Jewelry Trunkshow Trials & Tribulations...

WHAT ARE THE REAL PROS & CONS TO TRUNKSHOWS? FOR DESIGNERS AND SHOPPERS?

Let's start with what a trunkshow really is. It used to be a term for when designers would bring their excess stock (literally in a trunk) to sell it off at one of their loyal stores. This way, you could meet one of your favorite designers and see styles that weren't currently offered in the boutique. Over time, that has unfortunately changed.

Trunkshows are often a way for stores to preview emerging designers without a commitment or investing in merchandise. Lots of good and bad to this... On the other hand, many established designers are still offering trunkshows to their quality boutiques so in some ways, you could consider it the best of both worlds mixing the old with the new...

Pros & Cons for the Shopper:

Pros:
- How much fun it is to meet a designer of products you enjoy, hear their inspirations, or even just meet one of their reps who can tell you so much more about a line?
- You can buy a myriad of styles that you've never seen in your favorite store before.
- Sometimes, discounts and incentives are offered at trunkshows as a way to help move stock when it's an overstock event.
- Or, you might be introduced to a new line you've never heard of!

Cons:
- If it's a one-time show, you'll never see that new merchandise again - good luck getting the matching style later
- If you want to return something, many stores will honor it, but others will consider it a final sale
- Many boutiques won't allow designer advertising (as not to compete with them) so if you happen to forget the designer's name, that might be the last time you ever see them.

Pros & Cons for the Designer:

Okay, I know you shoppers probably don't want to read this part, so feel free to skip it, but for you emerging designers, I'm going to give you the real scoop:

Pros:
- What a way to start introducing yourself to the market: You could potentially pick up new retail customers and even a store account if the show goes really well
- Word-of-Mouth Marketing - if you haven't read about it - START! It may all seem like commonsense, but the right word of mouth could open doors you couldn't dream of. A referral of a product from a friend is far more powerful than any ad you could ever run.

Cons:
- The unfortunate reality is most boutiques use this as a form of memo so you probably won't sign a new account from a trunkshow. They may offer you the option to keep returning for more shows though, or consignment options (something I don't recommend... I'll write more on this another day). With this in mind, if you keep agreeing to coming back without them purchasing any of your merchandise, where's their incentive to ever buy?
- Are you familiar with their terms? If not, find out quickly because you might assume that since you provided all the goods, did the work, and they collected the money that day, there would be no reason for you not to get paid at the end of the show. WRONG - especially with well-known stores - you will probably be paid in net 30 or even 60 days depending on how they normally pay their bills.

* Just a tip to remember when deciding whether to do a trunkshow: You need to account for your time as well as your material costs. Will your labor in combination your cost of goods be outweighed by your potential monetary return and word-of-mouth marketing? If so, go for it. If not, don't keep agreeing to be used and abused with trunkshows that don't pay off. It won't help you and it only promotes a faulty new evolution in trunkshows. It's the old school guys who knew what a trunkshow really should be.

Bruno's Back on Fashion...

This is Bruno (one of Sasha Baron Cohen's characters from the "Ali G" Show) reminding us to always depend on our hairdresser, never worry about consistency, and most importantly, that fashion saves lives (just remember to ship the fashion deviants away on a train)...

Lesson of the day: remember to eat and laugh!!

Ignite Change for the Good of Others & Your Wardrobe...

IGNITE CHANGE!!

It's time to help those around you... and your wardrobe while you're at it!

This collection has been a special project for me for quite a while, and I'm so excited to announce I've finally launched our Ignite Charity Collection!! It's food for your soul and wardrobe...

Our campaign, "Ignite Change" for Charity, is all about helping organizations raise both funds and awareness for their individual cause. We're dedicated 15% of all proceeds to go directly to three main foundations. Hopefully, in time, we'll even add more!!

When purchasing an item with a gemstone, your choice of color determines which organization will receive your generous donation:

Blue Topaz: Parkinson's Disease Foundation

Rhodolite: Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

Peridot: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

If the item doesn't have a gemstone, like our "Blaze" Earrings and "Blaze" Pendant, we split the proceeds equally amongst the three foundations (5% to each).

Now you're probably wondering how we chose our first three foundations? Well, that's an easy question. All of them have a personal place in my heart. The Parkinson's Disease Foundation is a phenomenal resource for information on the disease. I have personally been very involved in this cause for many years as my father has been living with it for over 20 years. I also have two other amazing success stories with both of my grandmothers who have fought and won the breast cancer battle. And lastly, my world revolves around my "fur-kids." My husband (a veterinarian) and I make a special point to adopt animals from shelters, and we both feel very strongly about taking care of animals and preventing animal abuse across the U.S. so hopefully, this campaign will continue to help create awareness.

So now, it's time you kiss buyer's remorse good-bye knowing you've helped others with your purchase (and have a fabulous new piece for your jewelry collection)! Go "Ignite Change" without a worry... prices range from only $30-$140!

SHOP IGNITE COLLECTION

PS - I personally layer the fire drop necklace with a longer surge necklace (and why not mix colors if you want)!

The Grammys on Two Wheels...

So unless you're living under a rock, you probably know the Grammy Awards took place Sunday night. This year was filled with the usual amazing red carpet entries, designer stylings, and celebrities galore, but in case you missed it, I saw the red carpet on two wheels...and in some cases three.

That's because I'm here to share a little industrial and motorcycle design with you. My brother-in-law and AMAZING bike builder, Austin Weiss, was at the Grammys with a special preview of his fabulous designs. With recent customers including Lil John and Will.i.am (who couldn't resist bringing Austin to the awards with him), Austin has received more support and fanfare than most receive in a twenty year career. And did I forget to mention he's only 24? Austin is not just loved by the celebrities, but he's also recognized in the industry by magazines and awards for his designs including being selected as one of the 'Easy Riders Magazine's Master Builders' of the year on tour in 2007.

Being someone who designs on a reduced scale, there's nothing more exciting than to see full-scale creations come to life. Austin's work since starting Streamline Designs, Inc has been nothing shy of unbelievable and getting better each year. If you just want to share your love (or purchase the best ride of your life), Austin's definitely your man...

To Swag or Not to Swag...

ARE SWAG BAGS A GOOD DESIGNER INVESTMENT? WHEN TRYING TO GET CELEBRITY EXPOSURE, ARE SWAG BAGS A WORTHWHILE WAY TO SPEND MY SMALL BUDGET?

"Swag" bags are WIDELY debated in the industry. For jewelry, I have to say my opinion is normally to pass. If you are new to the industry, and wondering what "swag" bags are, then let me clear that up first. Swag bags are the give-away bags for celebrities at major events.

If you're anything like me, we all sit around plotting and thinking "If only SO & SO wore my jewelry!" Then, everyone would see it, and I would be golden! The longer I'm in the industry though, the reality strikes that this usually isn't true. You might be a fad with a celebrity sighting, but what they really do is legitimize your brand. Something which is very important to letting your customers know you are strong designer with quality products. Although some designers even think you can trick people into buying your poorly constructed products if you have a celebrity backing. That may be true for a day, but NO ONE continues to buy bad products. They just don't. There are too many quality designers out there today to keep going back to a fad that falls apart.

That being said, I have been asked to participate in more "swag" bags than I can even begin to count in the past few years. I have participated in some small things for charity, but those have always been for the donation aspect. Recently, I just participated in our first celebrity "swag", but we let celebrities choose the pieces they wanted, and I felt it was a great success. We had photos, and we knew what each celebrity had for future endorsement.

You must know that most swag opportunities don't present, nevermind guarantee, the option for a photo to support your claim of celebrity endorsement. Thus, be very careful. Many swag bags come with a premium you must pay to have the priviledge of giving away your products. Then, as mentioned, what are the chances you'll have a photo? If you don't have a guaranteed potential for a photo op, I always say pass. What good is it to make the claim someone wears your jewelry if you can't prove it? Besides, you want them to pick what they like. On the other hand, those that get lucky enough to have Oprah get their product, love it, then wear it on her show will usually argue the other view...

I personally feel the best celebrity support always comes from those who truly enjoy your product. I will always be greatful to Rachael Ray, Patricia Wettig, and Jennifer Beals as being some of the first major celebrities to wear and support our jewelry. It's the relationships you build that will really work for you, not usually a one time give-away where you aren't even sure they will like what you picked for them. How often do you love the gifts strangers pick out for you? Thus, to swag or not to swag?

I like it shiny...just hold the green, please!

Like it shiny? or like it matte? or just don't want your fingers to turn green again? yikes, that's no good! Silver, Gold, Brass, Copper, and more - they are blended, plated, and polished in jewelry, so how can you know what you're buying? or what you should buy? or are you a designer picking which metals to work in?

Here is a quick lesson in metal 'terminology' for jewelry shopping...

STERLING SILVER:
Wondering what .925 means? Sterling Silver is a term for 92.5% fine silver. Pure silver is considered too malleable for making jewelry so we add other metals such as copper to strengthen the alloy (metal mixture). Sterling Silver is considered a quality metal that won't cause basic allergy reactions or heavily deteriorate with time (although it will tarnish if not properly cared for).

SILVER-PLATED vs. SILVER-TONED (costume jewelry):
These are pretty self-descriptive. Silver plated references a base metal (i.e. brass, bronze, copper, tin alloys) with a thin layer of silver on the outside. With regular wear, the plating will deteriorate, and you may not be protected against allergies. The silver plating may also tarnish with time. Heavy polishing will ruin the plating though so it is important to care for it properly.

Silver-toned refers to any metal alloy that has been mixed to create a silver-toned color on the outside. This type of jewelry is typically prone to potential allergies, and cleaning is dependent on the type of base metal.

RHODIUM-PLATED SILVER:
Rhodium is part of the platinum family which makes it resistant to tarnish. Since many people don't like to polish their sterling silver, some manufacturers will plate sterling with rhodium. Pros: silver won't tarnish and you can replate in the future
Cons: rhodium is a slightly different color than silver and will eventually wear off letting the silver tarnish

For more detailed information on sterling silver at WendyCulpepper.com, go to Silver Information here
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GOLD-PLATED vs. GOLD-TONED (costume jewelry):
This is the same premise as the silver plated and silver-toned. Gold-plated is a thin layer of gold (any karat), and gold-toned is a metal alloy mixed to have a gold coloring. Both of these are typically an allergy issue due to the base metals in them.

GOLD-FILLED (costume jewelry):
Gold-filled is always confusing because while it is regulated to have 5% gold in it, it is actually an alloy (mostly brass and silver) where the gold is concentrated as a plating. It gives it a gold color, and the brass and metals in it, allow gold-filled to be polished. Gold-fill can not be cast, thus you typically you only find gold-filled as connecters, clasps, or jewelry made of thick wire.

GOLD VERMEIL (pronouned ver-may):
Vermeil is defined as gold plated over sterling silver. It was developed as an alternative to costume jewelry and the sky-rocketing prices of gold. It has allowed the fashion industry to embrace quality materials at affordable prices since things like Gold-fill can not be cast into larger metal jewelry pieces.
Pros: Vermeil should not carry any allergic reactions with it based on its lack of base metals, you have a quality sterling piece under your gold, and you purchase vermeil at a price point fairly similar to silver in a market where gold is constantly soaring to more than 50 times the price of silver.
Cons: As with any plating, the gold will eventually wear off leaving spots where the silver can tarnish under the surface layer, vermeil is not well-regulated in the US for proper gold thickness, and it can not be well-polished without harming the plate.

KARAT GOLD:

The Karat definition of gold is a ratio of its purity. Like fine silver, pure gold is also too soft and and malleable for jewelry. Thus, we mix the gold with other metals such as silver and copper to strengthen it. Pure gold is based on a 24 part system. Your karat is the quantity of gold per 24 total parts. For example, 18K gold is 18 of 24 parts gold (or 75% pure gold).

For more detailed information on gold terminology at WendyCulpepper.com, go to Gold Information here

Designers 4 Africa

Designers4Africa Mission: "The mission of designers4africa is to make a positive impact by helping non profits involved in Africa get more items for their charity auctions."


As the brainchild of April Star Davis, Designers 4 Africa (d4a) is one of the best charitable ideas I've seen in the fashion industry. When she first approached me, April had been working on the idea for almost a year, and its amazing what she has done in such a short time. It's so nice to see wonderful designers working to break the "Ugly Betty" stereotypes and show people how many good things are really happening out there!

With good old foot work at the tradeshows, e-mail recruiting, and phone calls, April has managed to recruit a large number of both established and young designers to come together for the good of multiple causes in Africa. Her passion has turned into an amazing organization that brings designer donations to the events of charity foundations such as "Drop In the Bucket" that builds clean water wells throughout Africa.

In Fall, Designers 4 Africa was able to contribute enough items to Drop In The Bucket's auction that a turnabout well was installed serving over 1,200 kids in Uganda now!! It was a very exciting accomplishment for all the designers, and April, always the modest one, I hope is exploding with happiness and pride that we could all do so much good as a group under her guidance and leadership!

For more information on how to get involved or support Designers 4 Africa, visit Designers4Africa.org. They are currently seeking more donations for their upcoming March Event - calling all designers, please help a great cause!

Sundance Celebrity Sightings!

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL (A.K.A every star's favorite shopping event!) lived up to its reputation this year with beautiful celebrities wearing fabulous swag! In case you missed it, let me show you a few of the stylish mavens who wore Wendy Culpepper Jewelry this year!! The Style Lounge was a huge success, and I am so excited they were enjoying the designs. I know you'll enjoy them too!

FELICITY HUFFMAN (Desperate Housewives, Transamerica) - 18K Aquamarine & Diamond Leaf Earrings

JESSICA ALBA (Fantastic Four, Good Luck Chuck, The Eye) - 18K Medium Fiore Necklace with Diamonds (also offered in silver or vermeil)

OLIVIA THIRLBY (of Juno) - 14K Gold Vermeil Large Fiore Earrings

RACHEL HUNTER (former supermodel) - 14K Gold Vermeil Nala Earrings

RACHEL TAYLOR (Transformers) - The 14K Gold Vermeil stackable Osiris Ring and Abydos Citrine Ring

and many more (Paris Hilton, May Wang, Gable Carr, Jamie Luner, The Donnas, Jessica Collins, and James Eckhouse just to name a few)!

Even the men were smitten with the jewelry knowing it would be perfect for their favorite gals!

JOHN LEGEND (Musician)
KEVIN SORBO (Hercules)
BARON DAVIS (Golden State Warriors, NBA)

We'll be posting them all online shortly under our "Press and Celebrity Jewelry" section so keep your eyes peeled for a full write-up!

Wish for your favorites at Wists.com!

my wists | clone this

Recently, I found this new website called wists.com. It's a little hard to pronounce since they got cutesy and decided to meld "web" or "wish" and "list" into a new word - wists. Although this drawback makes for confusing word-of-mouth marketing, I will say this is the best online idea I have seen a long time!! It's fabulous! So now I'm going to do my best to spread the word without having to say the name aloud...

Up above, you can see a preview of some of the things I have on my list: jewelry, shoes, websites with free "click" donations, pet toys, and more.

Let me give you the "quick guide" to what the website really does. First, you download their new toolbar that shows up on your browser. Now, when you finally make up for all the money you spent on Christmas and have a penny left for yourself, wist will organize it all for you! Instead of trying to remember every website you have a wishlist saved with, you can just click the new button on your browser to "add something to your wist list," and you won't have to worry. Whenever you go to Wists.com, it will have thumbnail pictures of everything you've clicked, and you'll have all your own favorites saved - Organized with pretty pictures, links to buy, and all! It's your own personal journal of favorites, and it gives you access to everyone else's list as well. Check out all the great things everyone else already found for you. Heck, why surf anymore when you can just let everyone else do the mouse clicking for you? Let your fingers and mind relax when you join wists.com...

Let me know if you go check it out and love it as much as I do!

Exclusive Valentine's Day Sale for 20% off at Wendy Culpeper Designer Jewelry!!

Love is in the air...

No need to sit and sulk watching the Notebook on repeat with your cats on February 14th (What day is that again!?) just because you don't have a Valentine. Wendy Culpepper has a special promotion so you have an excuse to treat yourself! And for those of you lucky enough to have that special someone, she has the perfect gifts for the occasion. Just enter "VALENTINE" at checkout to receive 20% off your entire order!



Wendy's Sterling Silver and Gold jewelry can be seen worn by celebrities such as Felicity Huffman, Jessica Alba, Juliet Huddy, Jennifer Beals, and Rachael Ray (who is currently wearing a necklace on the cover of her magazine)! Wendy is quoted as saying "For me, jewelry is my art, my outlet, and my passion to share with others." Well, her passion is truly showing through with these gorgeous styles that might just ignite a little Valentine passion for you! Who can resist with 20% off?

Check out WendyCulpepper.com for Wendy's new Gift Guide making it even easier to find the perfect style for your budget (and if you're lucky, you might find a gift set with a special on it too!)...
Happy Valentine's Day Shopping!

Women's Jewelry Association

Are you in the jewelry industry looking for help, resources, and friends in the field? Well, I wanted to introduce this great organization to you. It's not just for jewelry designers as many believe; it's open to sales, PR, production, students, and more! The Womens Jewelry Association is a national organization with 12 chapters across the US. I recently transfered my membership to the "Metro" chapter based in New York City.

I am currently starting off 2008 as the Membership Director (and trying to catch up on my huge learning curve). The women I am working with all seem to be incredibly friendly with a wealth of ideas and knowledge. WJA also creates a wonderful social group where I can see many women have made amazing friends throughout the years.

Here is a short list of the great things WJA offers:

1. Events such as their well-known "Women In the Know Conference"

2. Scholarships and Grants for students and continuing education

3. Group Forum to ask your Industry Questions

4. Design Competitions and more...


Learn more about The Womens Jewelry Association (WJA) at www.womensjewelry.org. On the website, you can easily become a member or learn about attending their events and competitions that are open to non-members.

Show Me My Money!

DESIGNERS DEALING WITH RETAILERS WHO DEFAULT ON PAYMENT, DECLARE BANKRUPTCY, AND MUCH MORE...

This past week, many of us have been dealing with a major retailer who declared bankruptcy without much warning. While we had all been doing the standard dance waiting the exhorbitant and very unecessary 60 days (that we all know often turns into 90) for our money, many small designers were blindsided and feeling completely lost when this new development occured. After hearing from a few others asking me what to do, I decided now was the perfect time to discuss:

IS IT JUST ME OR IS EVERYONE GOING THROUGH THIS? AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESN'T GET PAID BY MY CUSTOMERS?? WHAT SHOULD I DO TO COLLECT?

Well, if you're a new designer, feel comfort that you aren't alone. We all go throw it. Unfortunately, as retail is suffering more and more, it is only getting worse. Many small designers land their first order with a chain or major, and its immediatley exciting...I've made it! Everything will be smooth sailing from here! Unfortunately, you may not know about their payment terms and return policies. Working with chains and major retailers can be a fabulous opportunity for your company, but it is very important to evaluate your capital before getting involved.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CHAIN AND MAJOR PURCHASE ORDERS:

1. Most majors pay on 60-120 day terms (and often don't stick to their approved terms)

2. Trunkshows and special sales can also be subject to these terms.

3. Their return policies all vary, but they usually reserve the right to return their product for full return value months after the products have been purchased. You may even have those returns applied before you are ever paid, thus never collecting more than a portion of your original invoice.

4. Now: Are you in a position to deal with capitalizing the investment from production until partial payment? It is absolutely crucial to read all the fine print with their purchase orders and return policies to determine if you will be able to handle this. You will only disappoint your loyal customers and retailers if you are out of business and can't fill any orders based on a financial cash flow crunch.

If you're dealing with a boutique or major, you should also know what to do it if you payment doesn't occur. Many of us are not good at asking to get paid. We are designers, not collection agencies, thus making many of us prone to intimidation when they tell us to wait, and we shouldn't be so demanding. We aren't being demanding. We made the product, paid for it, sold it, waited for our payment, and didn't receive it. With the price of metals always soaring, it becomes more difficult by the day to stay alive in their industry.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU FEEL ITS TIME TO ASK FOR COLLECTIONS ASSISTANCE?

Well, you really only have a few options if you feel there is just no chance you'll be paid for your goods:

1. Continue with sending statements and doing regular proper follow-up

2. With proof of proper follow-up and invoicing, you can submit your claim to small claims court in the location of the retail outlet (note the amount must be within the limitations of small claims court).

3. You can hire a collection agency to do the collection process for you, but they will charge you a rather large fee. A feel which is normally a hefty percentage of what they collect.

4. Walk away and don't do business there anymore. Just toss away the business card, and don't be fooled again. Write it off to bad debt and try not to make any enemies with the store. No matter what the store name is, if you aren't getting paid, you won't stay in business long which won't make you any more well-known. Don't be fooled again.

And finally, as I was discussing earlier:

WHAT HAPPENS TO ME IF A STORE DECLARES BANKRUPTCY?

Unfortunately, I don't have good advice or news here. I'll share my own learning experience of the week and just say you don't have many choices. Once bankruptcy is declared, contact a lawyer, and get in line. With the protection of bankruptcy, they will now have a long, very tough process to go through and evaluate who will get paid, how much they will get paid, and when... Thus, get in line and be prepared to wait a while for a partial collection.

Do you have a story or suggestion for other designers on how to handle these complicated and often uncomfortable situations? Please share - we can all use the help sometimes!

Project Runway Identity Irony: I'm not Wendy Pepper!!

Looking at the ticket in my hand to the Project Runway finale show this week, all I could think about was the irony of it all. After four years of working hard to establish my own name in the jewelry design field, I'm constantly written up as Wendy Culpepper, the dark and infamous fashion contestant from Project Runway. The woman no one wants to cross...and is probably pretty nice, just a victim of TV editing.

Well, it's time to put that confusion to rest! I'm about as scary as they come - 5'3" with the face of an 18 year old college freshman... Oh, and my name isn't "Wendy Pepper."

Wendy Pepper was the Season 1 contestant who apparently made enemies with many of the project runway viewers out there. Ironically, it was just after I started the company that I saw the show, and all I thought was "wow, our names are so similar." How naive am I? When you're starting out, you can't imagine people will ever even notice you as a speck on the fashion radar so how can you imagine them confusing you with someone they write about as a "fashion villian?" Well, now I can, and they do. I keep finding the more well-known I become, the more the confusion is perpetuated - go figure. And one of the most exciting moments in my career was watching my first jewelry appearance on TV. Tara Connor was a guest on Project Runway, and she was wearing my earrings!! It was so exciting, and the first thing I did was tell everyone I know!! So yes, I made my bed, and now I have to lay it in for being too naive to see the confusion that would come with it.

Well, now I'm going to do my part to continue being the positive person I am and remind people out there we aren't all "Ugly Betty" clones. there are nice, friendly, non-catty women in the fashion field. Some of us just love to draw and give people a good shopping high! Hopefully, I can accomplish this lofty goal little by little, and I'll appreciate any help you guys can give me for how to conquer the name battle... send me your ideas! And if any of you know Wendy Pepper, please let her know I'm sorry if she's getting the other end of the confusion!

Thanks! Wendy CULPEPPER