Finding A Purpose

I gave up on myself over these past 7 months, and I know it has a lot to do with losing my father. I’ve just had this blanket of overwhelming numbness –still waiting to see if it ever truly goes away. And I’ve realized how short life can be and whether or not the things I chase after are really worth it. I still don’t know if any of this will be worth it, or if I’ll even be successful at this, but I just know that I need to keep going. There’s still a spark of hope in me that says I can do this, and if I just stick it out long enough I’ll start to find myself again.

Along with finding myself, I wanted to find the focus point or central idea that really drives my fashion brand–I needed to reflect on everything I’ve done and get back to the foundation of my clothing line. I’ve been trying to figure out what type of brand AVCD really is and what voice I want it to have. 

Recently I’ve been reading and watching documentaries about fair trade, sustainable fashion and fast fashion.  I started AVCD by making designs out of recycled clothing, and that’s what I want to get back to. I want to center this fashion brand around the ideologies of sustainable/eco-friendly fashion. I want to build a brand that influences customers to support eco-friendly fabrics and gives them insight on the unethical conditions surrounding our clothing industry.

I want AVCD to be more than just designing clothes. Of course that’s the fun part of fashion design, but there’s so much more when you dig deeper.  I’m analytical in nature so the more I educated myself on the fashion industry the more motivation it gave me to design with a purpose and to support a cause.  I’m really going to do my best to stay true to that going forward.  

Rebranded

I’ve been doing some thinking about the name of my fashion brand, and although I love AV Clothing Designs, I think AVCD sounds better. I shortened the name to just the acronym, but I’ve also added fashion at the end so people will still know what I’m all about. So buh bye AV Clothing Designs….and hello to AVCD Fashion. Has a nice ring to it don’t ya think?!

So what else is new with AVCD…

Well, I’ve updated my website so it now features all of my latest designs including some clutches, purses, and tote bags! I’m also in the process of putting together style videos for each piece of clothing I sell. It’s gonna be lot of work, but I really want to add these style videos to my designs. I want to be able to visibly show my customers the different ways they can wear my clothing.

My next big dream to chase down is to buy a truck and flip it into a fashion mobile! No one else in the city is doing this, and I really think I can differentiate myself with this idea. I want to take it all over Iowa, the Midwest, and eventually on a cross country fashion road trip. Sounds so fun…I just have to do it! That too will be a ton of work, but I’m always up for a good challenge.

I’m also keeping myself busy with a few other side projects. I’m working on a short documentary that I’m filming and producing here in DSM. It’s another project I’m passionate about so I’m hoping it turns out well. I’m also teaming up with a few friends for a new podcast we’re working on, and I’ve also got one I produce with my sisters in our spare time. That one is called Comrade of Dames – you should definitely check that one out.

So that’s my life as of lately. Project after project, but it’s the love of my life.  Staying busy and staying creative!!

XOXO

AV 

Now What?

So what’s next? What do I do now? Two of the biggest questions I’m always asking myself when it comes to my fashion brand. As someone who is always trying to keep the momentum going, it can get frustrating when I don’t know how to answer those questions. And lately, I feel like it’s taking me longer to find the answers.

I think a lot of artists get into these ruts where they just don’t know which direction to take next. You start to feel lost in the one thing you’re always obsessing over – your art. It’s hard to explain, but if you’re an artist you’ll understand. The craft you attach your life’s dream to becomes this appendage and you really don’t know who you are without it. Who am I if I’m not designing clothes? I have no idea.  And when you no longer know what to do with that, life can get pretty dark.

I’ve taken a backseat to fashion shows this year because I really wanted to focus on my next plan of action. I really want to open a store, but I hate the idea of adding more debt to the debt I already own.  I’m trying to think of alternative ideas to this – one I’ve been thinking about a lot is a fashion truck. I would love to purchase a used bread truck or old UPS truck and revamp it into my own mobile fashion boutique. I already have the inventory, and if I owned the truck, the only other expenses would be insurance, city permits, gas, and the interior design. It would still be cheaper than renting a property in the city. I need to do something...I need something that pushes me and makes me want to achieve more. 

If I got my truck, I'd hit the road in the summer and plan a whole cross country adventure. I'd like to team up with boutiques along the way and make a whole promotional endeavor out of it. It would be my ultimate dream - Fashion +Travel.  Sounds like a lot of work, but that just may be what I need right now. A big project that makes me take a risk, but has great potential with big rewards.