My Custom Fabric!

My custom fabric arrived! Look how fabulous it is! And trust me, it looks EVEN BETTER in real life (if that's possible!)

As soon as the fabric arrived Clint moved quickly to start putting the garments together. Here is the black robe at the moment - Short sleeved robe with front pockets and waist tie in absorbent & washable fabric (so you can throw it on after the shower). The new fabric looks amazing as a trim on the pockets and tie, and in the hood. Of course my logo is embroidered on the front. Love it!

We also played around with creating hangers to display the range when it's completed. It's all about ATTENTION TO DETAIL! We've made a few so far but aim for 50 or so. I'm also thinking of getting a gorgeous Swarovski crystal star to hang from it too. What do you think?

The range is slowly but surely coming together. Clint has to make up a sample of each garment to send to the manufacturer. He has a great industry contact who is local to elaundry. We made the decision to have our production line in Australia, rather than outsourcing. I want to support my community! Because Clint knows the manufacturer, we have a 3 week turnaround on production. So I will have my range in my hot little hands faster than I imagined!

The QLD Dancesport Championships are at Jupiter's Casino on the Gold Coast on the 23rd & 24th of April this year, so we're aiming to have the range completed by then.

Until next time, 

CC xo

Ordering, ordering, ordering

Ok, apart from being Valentine's Day today (Happy V day to all you lovebirds!), it's CRUNCH TIME! My fabric is days away from arriving, Clint has created patterns for my garments, so now it's time to order swing tags, care labels and trims.

I found out about VistaPrint through a friend, so decided to order my swing tag through them. I've ordered a postcard sized swing tag with the Camelia Carlton FAMOUS logo on one side and Toni-Maree's elaundry business on the other (because it's a joint venture and all!)

And while I was on VistaPrint I couldn't help but order a few things for work - like keyrings, notepads, mousepads, post it notes and mug - just to brighten up my office! I will give them out to my friends and such, I hope they love my camelia logo as much as I do! I also had to order a few more t-shirts with the giant pink camelia flower, just because I haven't got any of them yet. I got one slim fit t-shirt with a small flower, and one oversized fit t-shirt with a large flower.

Now that I've ordered my swing tags and got that expense out of the way, I thought about what trims and embellishments I needed to order.

First up, my Swarovski crystals! I ordered both "FAMOUS" and "Camelia Carlton", one in different sized large crystals, and one in same size small crystals. I hope they look fab! I'm thinking of sticking them on top of the camelia flower.. We'll see how it looks though!

I've also ordered elastic for the waistbands of my garments. I didn't want to go with basic black or white, so found a manufacturer and have ordered custom elastic with FAMOUS written on it. I am BEYOND excited to see what this looks like IRL! I could start designing underwear.. The opportunities are endless!

And in BIG, BIG NEWS... I've ordered the minimum required order (MOQ in industry terms) of my FINISHED & FABULOUS BOOT BAG! They will take a few weeks to arrive, but I can't wait to start selling them. I've told anyone and everyone who will listen (even strangers at the supermarket struggling by with their groceries) about the boot bag!

Until next time,
CC xo

Dancesport Design - BE FAMOUS

After a few months of uninterrupted planning, I've finally got my head around my dancesport range.

Although I love my Ralph Lauren & Chanel, sometimes branded items can be a bit tacky. I want my customers to know that Camelia Carlton is the label of the clothes, but that doesn't mean that I need my name written all over the garments. 

I thought about what I wanted from the range. I want it to be fabulous and feminine. I want to use only the most expensive and most luxurious fabrications and embellishments, because I truly believe in quality and care. I want my customers to feel amazing when they put my clothes and accessories on. I want them to feel empowered, to feel like they can conquer the world one sequin at a time. I want them to look, feel and be FAMOUS. 

FAMOUS - this is the Camelia Carlton catchy cry that represents my brand, my audience, and most importantly, me. I want FAMOUS emblazoned on my clothes, like a boxer's robe has their name in big lettering across the back. The FAMOUS logo has to be BIG, BOLD and BLINGY. I've started designing a robe just like a boxer's one (but a feminine one), with my custom fabric lined on the inside. Do you know how hard it is to find a black silky robe? I do!

Toni-Maree and I have looked into Swarovski crystals and are totally impressed. We can get the FAMOUS logo in different sizes and fonts, even have graduating crystal sizes. Amazing! I've also found decal paper that you can buy online to do mockups. You print your design on it and stick it on to your shirt, pants or bag (whatever you want to test the design out on). Then you can wear it around and see if you like the design/size/colour. I've done this for all of my FAMOUS catch cry sizing and placements on my clothes so they are tried and tested when they reach you.

So this is the catch cry that represented my brand, audience and more importantly, represents me - FAMOUS. 

Hopes & Dreams for 2011

While I'm in the blogging groove, I thought I'd share my goals for 2011!

Keep Designing

Transform my Camelia Carlton for Dancesport activewear range in to the NEXT BIG THING. I'm thinking department stores, international orders, the whole lot. If you can't dream big, why dream at all?

Keep Trying

To do everything I attempt to the best of my ability, from helping Mr. X at work to my own personal goals for my Camelia Carlton range. Last year I let too many excuses get in my way, but this year will be different - I can feel it!

Keep Up My Fitness

This is a bit of a cliche, but I really want to absorb myself in sport and healthy eating. All this talk of Dancesport has me craving a bit of dance!

Until next time,

CC xo

Where Have I Been?

Firstly, happy birthday to me! I celebrated my birthday on the 1st January (yes, a New Years baby - that must be why I'm so fascinated with glitzy/shiny things) and had an amazing break with my boyfriend and family in Noosa.

In other news, how wild is this weather!? The recent floods in Brisbane have put a serious dampener (excuse the pun!) on my Dancesport range. elaundry HQ in Stone's Corner was closed to flooding, so the range has been put on hold for a few weeks.

I'm still sketching, brainstorming and researching. I've come up with some totally amazing ideas while away and can't wait to share them with you! In the meantime, Toni-Maree's PA Brigita has been out and about in my screenprinted t-shirts getting my name out there. Thank you Brigita!

Until next time,

CC xo