- Julia Gash, CEO BIDBI
- 21st July 2014
In my last blog just over a month ago, I wrote about how I had been bringing together different designers to collaborate with us for our ethically focussed brand: Talented. I also design for Talented, which tends to happen every weekend and the odd evening. Time is just stolen away from me during the week by the day to day of running a business. But by hook or by crook I pull it together and for the past 4 weeks I've been in Greece, Paris and Ireland: showcasing Talented and meeting up with international buyers and our representatives from around the world.
My first port of call was Greece, where we met up with our distributors from Delta Trading at a local trade show. Here's me and Ms Androniki with our Talented Athens Cityscape.
I also found some amazing recycled card hangers, which we've since had made for us and which fit perfectly with the new Pop Up Display Stand that we've had built for Talented and which we launched in Athens.
A couple of weeks later, we were showcasing Talented at one of the top fashion trade fairs: Who's Next in Paris. We had a great response to our Spring and Summer 2015 Collection, which is full of Butterflies and Beetroot! Here's me with one of my favourite tote bags "BEETS" by designer Leslie Astor.
We met up with our French Agent, Alexandra from Alexandra Diffusion and our Japanese distributors, Tomoha and Kento from Look Inc. Here we are having a Fruit de Mer at the wonderful La Mascotte in Montmartre.
A few days later, I head off to Dublin for more meetings and to meet up with our new Irish agent: Laura from Peek A Boo Agencies. Dublin is beautiful. I love the Georgian architecture - lots of little windows, ornate wrought iron balustrades and steps leading up to brightly painted doors. I was fascinated by the many clocks that sit on the outside of their grand buildings and within days of getting back to England I got my teeth into a Dublin Cityscape. And here it is ...
I now have a breathing space between shows and today I've just completed the Talented Training Manual for our international partners and team in the UK, which has taken me about a month to do. I then head off next weekend for Pure London fashion show and another round of travelling totes takes off. This time I get to give at talk to other businesses at Pure on behalf of the UKTI, which is about taking the fear out of exporting. Given what I've been up to over the past four weeks, it's pretty much hot off the press!
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