Seedlings

It's been quite a while since I've posted update of the progress I have made. I guess I have been in a whirlwind of fabric, sequins, buttons, thread, and joy! 

This past month I was asked to present my updated thesis work to not only my fellow classmates, but also many of my professors. On the surface I was calm and collected, but underneath I was a nervous wreak. Everything went extremely well, and after all was said and done, I felt even more empowered to further my progress and forge ahead!

Here is the proposal I presented:

For my senior thesis I intend to design, construct, and market a line of headband-making kits for young, tween girls (ages 8+) that are undergoing cancer treatment. These kits will encourage young girls to gain a sense of empowerment and pride from designing and constructing something they can wear. These young girls must endure intense rounds of chemotherapy, resulting in the loss of their hair; often making them feel less beautiful. It is in every girl’s nature to accessorize, so why not create a product that allows cancer patients the ability to adorn their heads with a cute and fashionable accessory they can make themselves, thus making them feel strong and beautiful again? Also, these patients spend a great deal of time in the hospital during their treatments and this kit would keep their mind away from the otherwise scary thought of chemotherapy. My intent is that these would be seen as “preparation kits” before these girls begin loosing their hair. Each headband base will be constructed of a durable cotton fabric which I will personally sew by hand. The headband base will include my branding in the form of either a small sewn-in tag or embroidered logo. Accompanying every headband will be a variety of different materials, including felt (to create either leaves, flowers, or feathers), templates for cutting out felt, rhinestones, sequins, thread, a needle, glue, buttons, instructions, and circular fabric cutouts for the back of their created additions. Using these materials, girls can create felt additions that can then be added to embellish and personalize the headband. Finally, I will design the accompanying informational print product and packaging that will go with the headbands. I plan on creating my own website to tell the story behind these kits and provide a means of selling my work. My hope is to be able to reach a broader market with the use of an online store. I would also like to somehow distribute these kits to young girls with cancer by informing doctors and nurses of a children’s hospital of my project and then they spread the word through word-of-mouth.

It's been quite a while since I've posted update of the progress I have made. I guess I have been in a whirlwind of fabric, sequins, buttons, thread, and joy! 

This past month I was asked to present my updated thesis work to not only my fellow classmates, but also many of my professors. On the surface I was calm and collected, but underneath I was a nervous wreak. Everything went extremely well, and after all was said and done, I felt even more empowered to further my progress and forge ahead!

Here is the proposal I presented:

For my senior thesis I intend to design, construct, and market a line of headband-making kits for young, tween girls (ages 8+) that are undergoing cancer treatment. These kits will encourage young girls to gain a sense of empowerment and pride from designing and constructing something they can wear. These young girls must endure intense rounds of chemotherapy, resulting in the loss of their hair; often making them feel less beautiful. It is in every girl’s nature to accessorize, so why not create a product that allows cancer patients the ability to adorn their heads with a cute and fashionable accessory they can make themselves, thus making them feel strong and beautiful again? Also, these patients spend a great deal of time in the hospital during their treatments and this kit would keep their mind away from the otherwise scary thought of chemotherapy. My intent is that these would be seen as “preparation kits” before these girls begin loosing their hair. Each headband base will be constructed of a durable cotton fabric which I will personally sew by hand. The headband base will include my branding in the form of either a small sewn-in tag or embroidered logo. Accompanying every headband will be a variety of different materials, including felt (to create either leaves, flowers, or feathers), templates for cutting out felt, rhinestones, sequins, thread, a needle, glue, buttons, instructions, and circular fabric cutouts for the back of their created additions. Using these materials, girls can create felt additions that can then be added to embellish and personalize the headband. Finally, I will design the accompanying informational print product and packaging that will go with the headbands. I plan on creating my own website to tell the story behind these kits and provide a means of selling my work. My hope is to be able to reach a broader market with the use of an online store. I would also like to somehow distribute these kits to young girls with cancer by informing doctors and nurses of a children’s hospital of my project and then they spread the word through word-of-mouth.

Last week, I contacted three of my family members via facebook; my cousin, a young mom of 2 boys (one around my target audience), who is versed in the interests and capabilities of young children, my cousin, a new mom as well as a nurse at a hospital in Indiana who knows first hand about cancer patients, and my aunt (their mom), a survivor of breast cancer.

After a detailed description of my project which included photos of my work thus far, I asked their opinions and thoughts. From our conversation, this is what was brought up for discussion:

-(coming from my Aunt) Maybe rather than distributing the headbands after treatment has started, what if you distributed them before as a "let's be prepared/pre-treatment material. From drawing on her own personal experiences of buying a wig, "I felt prepared when I shopped for my wig well before I lost my hair. I felt empowered to know I had some control of the situation. As a patient who has no choice but to go without hair (which most children do not have a choice since I don't know of any wigs for children) I think they can and will feel that people are not looking at them as a sick person, but as a proud survivor who has embraced the fact that "yes, I have cancer but I am a survivor who wears my bare head with pride and I'm going to dress it up, damn it!'."

-(coming from my cousin, the nurse) More medical evidence/ support as to why the headband kits should be given to the girls before their hairloss, "From a medical standpoint, I am wondering if it would be a good idea to give the children the kits while either recovering from surgery (a lot have surgery to remove the cancer before chemo starts), or if that can't be the case (for instance, if the child has leukemia or the child needs to receive chemo before surgery can be offered because the tumor is too big) then it would be a good idea to distribute the kits during the first round of chemo. The first round of chemo can be tough, including nausea and vomiting, but they would not yet have lost their hair. Usually takes a few weeks for them to lose their hair. That way, when they are feeling the sickest, it may brighten their day."

-(coming from my cousin, mom of two) Worry that sewing might a button may be difficult for a child that age and more information about the skill set of a child that age. Also that idea that in distributing these bands before the treatment will give them something to latch onto when they are going through a rough, difficult, and scary time, "Rainbow loom bracelets are all the rage right now so crafting and making things is very popular with girls, and boys for that matter. I know my son loves to sport his creations and feels good once he's completed one. The headbands would be the same way. But in this case, they would serve more of a purpose. I agree with mom that they could be used as a "lets be prepared/ per-treatment" activity. The girls would also almost look forward to wearing them in a way. Or they could wear them before treatment and they might become one of their favorite accessories to continue wearing during and after treatment. Kids get attached to things, especially flare/accessories betw the ages of 5-10 from what I've seen. The one red flag I first noticed was the cutting / scissor usage and the needle. As a mother, I would be a little hesitant but of course they could be advertised as a family activity so those that feel helpless can be involved too. I wonder if you could have different age ranges? Ie 3-7 would have precut fabric, and only use buttons and glue? And the 8+ could use scissors and so the cutting/ sewing on their own or with help? I think at 8, my son would be able to cut out fabric but it would be messy/jagged. And sewing with a needle? May take a little practice but he could probably learn."

So let's just say I got a LOT of much needed feedback. All things to think about but after speaking to my family members I now think that my goal is to distribute these headbands before treatment for cancer as we way to prepare. And although there was concern of sewing I think that with adult help and helpful instructions a young child could do it (it could be looked at like the most difficult part of the project). Also I just loved my aunt's quotes and think she is one of the strongest women I know for going through cancer.

This past Saturday (Feb 8, 2014) I was able to meet up with Sydney, a young, 6-year-old girl who I have babysat for since she was 4 months old. Sydney is quite well-spoken for her age, loves to take part in arts and crafts projects and lent me some valuable insight into what a young girl her age is interested in and capable of doing.

In just 30 minutes of meeting with Sydney I learned a lot. Here are some points that were made during our meeting:

-the thought that these headbands lent themselves to the idea of  reversibility (maybe there could be two button holes for attachable items on one side and then the reverse only has one?)

-the idea that it would be nice to have lots of options in the way of 2 different flower styles to make for the flower headband and maybe a leaf and a flower to make for the leaf headband, and maybe two different feathers

-the idea that what if a young girl really enjoyed one fabric pattern (for instance the purple pattern) but instead of making the feather that comes along with it, she really wanted to make the flower pattern addition...what would happen then. (And to be honest I'm not quite sure what would happen in that instance. Something to think about I suppose)

-she really liked the idea of learning how to sew on a button but she agreed that she may need adult help in doing so (which was my intent). To counteract this problem I am planning on creating easily readable picture instructions similar to an orchid packing project I have created in the past.

-Her mother said she was a little intimated by all of the sewing that was involved in the project. She admitted that she was not the craftiest of people, but that maybe finding a strong craft glue for certain parts of the project would be helpful.

As a result of our meeting, I feel as though I have gotten some really valuable one-on-one contact with a young girl who is around my target audience. Although Sydney is a year or two younger than my intended audience, I was able to have her try on my headband (IT FITS!), as well as see if she could manage putting the button backing of the attachable felt addition into the button hole on the headband (she had a slightly difficult time). She was really excited about the product though and really loved all of the fabrics I chose to make them out of. She also really liked the different flowers that could be made and attached and the idea that one could cut the patterns out and make them from scratch with the help of instructions.

So to backtrack just a little, on January 24, I had the opportunity to meet with my instructor to discuss my progress and improvements on my project. During the meeting we discussed such topics as:

-how to come up with my company name, some possible charts and diagrams that sometimes help organize thoughts and words

-the importance of keeping on track

-doing some usability testing (and on that note I have contacted a mother of the young girl I babysit for and I have a meeting set up this weekend to discuss several topics with her and her daughter. I also intend to have her daughter test out the kit first hand)

Welcome to my sketchbook and the naming process of my business! It's been a whirlwind of words these past two weeks for me in search for a name that feels just right. I wanted something that tied together the idea that these headbands are for sweet, young girls who want to feel beautiful and take their minds off of the scary parts of chemo. I also wanted something feminine and soft. 

So with that being said here are the names that I have come up with that I now have to narrow down:

Seedlings

Healing Her (headbands)

Flowerettes

Nurturely

Finch & Fern

So to recap since my last big post, I have officially decided to stick with designing a "care kit," if you will, for young girls (ages 6-8) who are battling cancer. In addition to facing the fears that accompany cancer, these young girls also have to deal with the devastating event of losing their hair (which can result in them feeling less beautiful, scared, and uncomfortable). With these kits I hope to give them back their beauty and help them grow and bloom into beautiful women who have been made stronger by surviving cancer. These kits will not only provide these girls with simple sewing activities to make them feel empowered and strong, but the results of making each kit will be a one-of-a-kind, self-expressive, beautiful headband to adore their heads. 

Each kit would come with its own pre-made, double-sided cotton fabric headband (has elastic to accommodate different sizes), two rectangles of coordinating felt fabric to cut out either flowers, leaves, or feathers to attach to the 3 button holes on each headband, buttons, paper templates for the felt additions, glue, thread, a needle, sequins or beads, and instructions giving the girls inspiration for what to do with the materials in the kit.

Each headband theme or title is as following (these follow the order of the pics above):

Grow.

Bloom.

Bob and Kris are the cofounders of Neve and Hawk children's clothing company. Within the last year they have moved to San Francisco to help expand their business. Bob is also the creative director at Zen Desk. I learned a lot in the way of inspiration, process work of creating patterns, and advice from my emails with Bob and Kris. In designing their clothing patterns they said they gain a lot of inspiration from those designers around them as well as from children themselves. One of my favorite things Bob said was, “We also find inspiration to design garments from the kids that wear our garments. We are dealing with children’s clothing, and there aren’t many characters more specific about what they don’t want to wear than children. We love to observe children and see what they like and what works for them. This often means finding balances between intricate garments and simple cottons.”  Bob also warned that in looking to other designers and trends within the market place for inspiration, be mindful to stay unique and maintain my own brand that I establish.

Bob went on to discuss a bit of their process in designing their own fabrics. For them it is a team effort and collaboration to come up with their fabric designs. Kris often comes to Bob with some ideas of what she is envisioning, Bob comes up with several sketches, they discuss them and then Bob moves forward into creating repeatable digital renderings in Adobe Illustrator (a program he says he feels extremely comfortable in). This information was exciting to me because I know my strengths lie within Adobe Illustrator and to hear that Bob and I shared the same initial process was very exciting for me.

And here comes the flip, the transition, a new way of thinking, a new perspective...

I have officially reconstructed my thesis project after meeting last week with Ellen Ward, a Visual Communication/Graphic Design professor at Winthrop University.

Ellen has worked within the fashion industry for years, creating products that are still sold today in Hobby Lobby, Walmart, and Michaels. As I did in all of my other meetings with professionals, I began by pitching my idea to Ellen, starting with my prototype, my demographic and concept. I will have to admit, throughout these early stages of this project I was a little lost on how I could connect a headband with the abstract thought of women empowerment...it sounded a little far fetched even in my mind. Ellen could tell that I was a little unsure of my demographic and almost immediately suggested that I change it to tweens (girls ages 10-14). She bought up a good point with this demographic; unlike women in their late 20s and 30s, young girls have the ability to be influenced. Young girls are looking for someone to look up to and model their lives after whereas, older women just want to be independent. So from there Ellen and I began brainstorming other directions these headbands could take. What would empower a little girl? What is popular right now in the young girl community? How could we tie headbands into the mix? That's when Ellen suggested a creative kit for young girls to put together and decorate their own headbands.  To take this even further, and I had thought of this in the past, what if the headband kits were for young girls going through cancer treatment. When young girls go through chemo one of the most traumatic side affects is loosing their hair. These headbands would allow them to feel beautiful and strong. Plus chemo treatments can get boring. They can take hours and without anything to occupy their time children can get bored...perfect time for decorating a headband! I must say that this direction does lend a more cohesive concept. It successfully works bring a solution to a problem. And who wouldn't feel empowered after creating their own headband that they can wear around?

Last week I met with Stephanie Lawson, a marketing Professor at Winthrop University who has received multiple degrees from Florida State University. After I was given Stephanie's name from a fellow student, I immediately contacted her in hopes that she would be able to lend me good insight in the marketing and advertising of my headbands.

Considering the fact that this was our first time meeting each other the meeting went unexpectedly well! I went into the meeting thinking I would go through my project and she would give me small pointers but our conversation ended up ranging from marketing my products on Etsy to discussing a potential brand name: Banded Together. One of the main points Stephanie brought up in our meeting was the idea that instead of approaching the project with the idea of finding a powerful woman first and modeling the fabric design after them, I should look at popular clothing trends today and then find a woman from the past that suits that fabric pattern trend. For instance, let's say that arrows were popular right now, if that was the case, perhaps I could create a fabric pattern with arrows and then say it was the Sacagawea headband. Stephanie saw a lot of potential in my project. She even commented that she would buy a headband based on the sheer fact that it supported women. Together we looked into pricing the headbands at $15, which would include shipping and packaging. As far a packaging goes, she suggested that I stick with simple inexpensive ways to promote my brand that would cut down on costs. Finally, our last talking point included the idea that this brand had the potential to expand and grow. Stephanie suggested that I do series of headbands. For instance, headbands modeled after famous women athletes. She even suggested that I look into other fabrics that suited certain lifestyles (outdoor adventure seekers, athletes, etc.)