Zibba, 2010 Winner of the Best Handbag in Overall Style and Design
I am asked all the time by designers, I am worried to show my bag since someone is going to knock it off. I must send a wake-up call to everyone to main things: 1) no one is going to knock you off if your bag doesn’t have sales and traction behind it and 2) your bag has probably be done before and if it hasn’t – be forewarned – there must have been a reason why. Handbags are not art like a painting. You do not want your customer to buy them and hang them on the wall.
Today I was lucky enough to be featured on Forbes.com where I spoke about something of those key items. The fact is that you just have to put yourself out there or else no one will ever find you. If you want to be an artist that is one thing, but if you want to run a business then you have to prepare yourself for criticism and yes, other people seeing your product.
When I created HBD101, I was the only one writing and covering independent handbag designers. Today, there is definitely more than us out there but that is OK. Competition is good but you need to continue to focus on what you are doing and not be worried about what anyone else is – no matter how inspired they are by what you do. Check out the Winner of the 2010 Handbag Awards, Zibba. They are from Brazil and what a risk to come here but guess what – without the Handbag Awards and putting themselves out there, the chances of you finding their bag would be almost slim to none.
There is only 1 you so your goal is to make sure whatever you are doing, make sure you are the fastest, the first and more importantly, the best. And yes, you must show it to people or else – no one will ever find you or buy your product.
