The Future of BC - Re-Startup
My business started as commission-based, then became a brand that made custom-sized items I designed for people into the subculture style called Lolita (http://lolitafashion.org/). In the evolution of my brand I've started making more ready to wear clothing that involve my decadent aesthetic and my goal in making everyone feel like the most beautiful or handsome person in the room without the subculture box. In the next year I'm going to work towards going into production. Initially I will be presenting my fall collection at shows in Atlanta, then in Madison and Minneapolis. The first goal is transporting my work space outside of my home, the second is creating my fall collection.As a small business owner I have to rely on the resources I have. Currently I work from home with a few interns. As money comes in it goes right back into the projects. This project would be the way for me to get ahead of the project and keep a continuous flow of work going instead of stopping when the hard spots come.Immediate Goal (~5000):Getting a small studio or a medium sized one and a suitemateGet a new transmission for the van or get a new used carRaise materials cost for F/W 2011Secondary Goals (~2500):Get an industrial sewing machineGet new plus sized mannequin and professional fit size mannequinBuild larger cutting table and shelves.
As a reward for believing in my fancy vision, I will give goodies to backers.Rewards:$5 - Thank you Tweet$15 - Look Book$50 - Look Book, Thank you in the Look Book and on the website, BC Button pack$75 - Look Book, Thank you in the Look Book and on the website, handmade kanzashi brooch made from the fabric from the collection, BC Button pack$100 - Look Book, Thank you in the Look Book and on the website, handmade kanzashi brooch made from the fabric from the collection, BC Button packfree admission to the Full Fashion Panic Show$200 - Look Book, Thank you in the Look Book and on the website, handmade kanzashi brooch made from the fabric from the collection, garment from this collection named after you (gender specific, so if you are male, your choice of lady's name), BC Button pack, free admission to the Full Fashion Panic Show$500 - Handwritten thank you card, Thank you in the Look Book and on the website, handmade kanzashi brooch and Alice band made from the fabric from the collection, garment from this collection named after you (gender specific, so if you are male, your choice of lady's name), BC Button pack, free admission to the Full Fashion Panic Show, framed print of your favorite garment from the collection signed by the designer and my eternal gratitude!
Designer Bio:Samantha Rei pulls inspirations stemming from historical fashion, fairytales and Japanese youth fashion. Debuting her line Blasphemina’s Closet in 2000, she makes one-of-a-kind pieces, custom projects, wedding gowns and high-end items. Currently she is working on a ready-to-wear line that encourages elegance, innocence and comfort and has started a fashion style called “Luxette” with fellow designer Megan Maude.Samantha draws her inspiration from such illustrators and Chris Riddell, Brom, Tony DiTerlizzi, Brett Helquist and Mihara Mitsukazu as well as stories like Alice in Wonderland and Snow White. Her hero Alexander McQueen as well as designers Vivienne Westwood, H. Naoto, John Galliano, Colleen Atwood, and Victorian Maiden have influenced her style.To date Samantha has been part of several runway shows both solo and with other artists, has run the Schoolgirls and Mobilesuits (“SGMS”) fashion show since 2006. She has also been featured or shown in magazines such as Shojo Beat, Minnesota Women’s Press, Five For Magazine, Pacific Rim Magazine, Runway, RX magazine, Vita.mn, City Pages, Ouch Magazine, Minnesota Public Radio, Gothic Beauty, Showcase Minnesota, and the American Gothic and Lolita Bible.In 1998, Samm began attending the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, Minnesota, choosing to focus on her skills as an illustrator and painter. After graduating in 1999, she spent a year at the College of Visual Arts (CoVA) in Saint Paul to major in illustration then continued her education at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College for Apparel Technologies.“I want people to feel what I feel when the girls wear these clothes. I want them to see how they own the look and become the person the dress was made for. I want the men to feel powerful and handsome,” she said.