Disclosure: I received a complimentary ticket to FashionSpeak. All opinions expressed are my own.
I never felt more like a fashion blogger than when I was invited to attend the Detroit Garment Group Guild’s FashionSpeak conference as a blogger. Never mind that I’ve worked with retail clients for nearly a decade or that I’ve taught marketing to fashion students for nearly five years. Becoming a blogger has made me more conscious of my style and I’ve become thoroughly invested in the Detroit fashion scene.
FashionSpeak is a one-day conference for Michigan’s fashion entrepreneurs. The line up for this conference was awesome!
This was the second year for the conference, and the location downtown set the scene for a fun day of fashion.
First up on the conference agenda was Rachel Lutz. Rachel owns The Peacock Room, a darling boutique in Detroit. I was surprised to hear about her eclectic background. She once even worked for the White House! I’ve followed The Peacock Room on Facebook for a while and I love her funny dressing room quotes.
Next up was Jeanette Puig-Pey and Bridget Sullivan who work on industrial design at LEAR. I thought this was a great message for my students. Here you have someone like Bridget who was working in the fashion industry and then went to work designing at LEAR. I thought it was a great lesson showing the many different aspects of fashion and showing that there are many fashion career options right here in Michigan.
Now, I’ll be honest, I didn’t hear too much of Matthew Burnett’s speech. Mostly because he was conferenced in and I was sitting in the back. I was also ready for lunch which was hosted by Michigan’s own Buddy’s Pizza! It was so delicious!
Malina Joseph Gilchrist, T Magazine’s Senior Market Editor. She makes fashion decisions every day and had some great advice on how to get your product in front of editors.
Finally, the moment I had been waiting for! Tracy Reese was up next. I loved her passion and enthusiasm for fashion! She also focused on the business side of fashion. It’s not enough to be creative or an artist. If your business is going to grow you will eventually have to be a manager and succeed in the business world too.
There was a fun afterparty following Tracy’s presentation and I wish I could have attended. I had to run off to teach my class so I had to skip the afterparty. I was jealous seeing everyone’s pictures meeting Tracy Reese. Maybe next time I can stay for the whole thing.
I had a great time at FashionSpeak and was able to meet some new fashion blogger friends who I look forward to connecting with again in the future.
I can’t wait to see who presents next year! I hope it will be John Varvatos as he recently announced that he was opening a store here in Detroit!
Who would you want to see at the next FashionSpeak?
