resource for the remaining seven

ow to focus your work, but also how to keep the business side as a fundamental part of the equation without compromising your creative vision.”ning a retail shop. His first choice of name for the shop was Zorba – inspired by the film 'Zorba the Greek', but a local pub had prior call on the name so it became Zara and Ortega became one of the richest men in the world. In global terms, Inditex is huge. Yet it does not advertise, has no Prada beltcentral marketing department, does not indulge in flashy events or use high-profile designers. What Inditex does is to design and make the latest fashion in its own factories and sell them in its own stores. The clothes are trendy and well priced and its high street locations are attractive.

 The joke is that Gucci wants to be close to Prada and Prada to Gucci; Zara wants to be close to both, but it is not Prada Laptop Bags reciprocated. The company has plants in Spain, Portugal, Turkey and Morocco, producing 850 million fashion garments each year. Most of the higher value garments sold in the Zara chain and in the Massimo Dutti shops are mad Working with such established players can pay off big for finalists, many of whom lack the ous than at the October runway show for the competition, held at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles in front of an elite crowd that included included Victoria and David Beckham, Lena Dunham and Anna Wintour. For those designers who don't win the competition, a separate Business Advisory Committee was created in 2007

to serve as an ongoing resource for the remaining seven finalists. Perhaps what best illustrates the fund’s success is the attention it commands from major players in the industry. “We are seeing a lot of big companies looking at our fashion fund and investing in the talent,” says Wintour. Past winners and finalists include Proenza Schouler, Derek Lam, Marchesa resources available to larger brands. Von Furstenberg shared the talents of her executive team with 2008 finalist Alexander Wang. “Not only was I the discount Prada bagmentor, but I gave him access to people in my organization, too. He had access to my CFO and my operations person -- who actually eventually became his COO,” von Furstenberg told HuffPost. Wintour notes, “It’s also the access they have to the entire selection committee” that provides designers with critical feedback.