Returning this week they progressed the workshop further to review business tools that are a must for any organisation irrespective of fashion; namely the 4 P's of Marketing and a SWOT analysis.

The four P's of marketing are

Product – areas include what is the fabric, silhouette, trims, make up and construction, target market,    

Place – typical areas for review include where is it sold (retail, high street, internet, party plan), when and how.

Promotion – how is the product promoted, what swing tickets will be used, back neck label, what advertising will take place

Price – what is the correct price for this product? What are the competitors charging?

A SWOT analysis includes reviewing the company and product by assessing

Strengths – what makes this product or company different from its competitors, what are the core strengths?

Weaknesses – what are the problem areas and areas that competitors could exploit?

Opportunities – what is happening in the market place that the company can create real business from potential opportunities?

Threats – what is out there in the market place that could create a threat to the companies' survival e.g. cost of oil rising to $135 per barrel increasing distribution costs?

There was great participation with the group on these subjects and almost everyone interacted with comments and view points. This then lead nicely on to the review of the mood boards which the "brand" presented to the rest of the group.

–          Discotech
–          Destiny
–          Playday
–          La Chevine and Le Chevine
–          Dots and Swirls

The group then worked on branding and logos for their forth coming performance at the Croydon Festival – the logo is for Groundwork. A brainstorming session first took place and then the group let their creative juices run wild! There were a total of 10 logos shortlisted which are being reviewed for printing on the hoodies and also for the t-shirts which are worn underneath.

‘This week we centred on more of the business enterprise of understanding the fashion industry and we reviewed the 4ps of marketing and SWOT analysis. The students really enjoyed putting business into practice and contributed well. WE also reviewed the moodboards from the groups and progressed further on the branding for GroundWork. I was really proud of the students they did some excellent work.'  Pippa Lucep. 

WE are now waiting for the final design to be shortlisted ready for the next workshop!