September 2008 Hall of Fame
EVE'S RIB.com :: WEAR YOUR CAUSE (fashion with a conscience)
Eve’s Rib Clothing raises money and awareness by producing cause-related apparel that connects people with their passions. We place the power of change in the hands of the consumer, as a portion of the proceeds from every purchase go directly to the corresponding cause. Fashion never felt so good.
Simply put, tags are keywords used to identify an idea. Just click on one of the tags below to find like-minded ideas.
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Q1: Please lend us any suggestions you may have to contribute to the betterment of our brand?
(2 pieces of advice)
by koguma09.05.08 | 07:26 PMI spent as much time as a regular customer would on your brand. I looked at your abstract and popped by your website. Firstly, the link didn't work, and I actually went further than your average consumer and googled your company name to find your actual website. Secondly, I still have no idea what you're selling. The introduction is too broad. I bounced from your site after a few seconds of rapid eye movement.
You need to condense what it is you do and be able to present it in under 5 seconds. A "mantra" would help. Like a one sentence mission statement. Have an example that explains what you do. Otherwise, you'll have more uninterested people like me.
I do admire what you are doing, and I think the way you contacted me was smart. Don't stop until you get what you want.Are you sure you want to report as abuse?
by LegacyMan09.05.08 | 07:04 PMOne word: synergy.
I detail it in my answer to Q3, but ultimately if you can build mutually beneficial relationships with the organizations you want to represent, it can help both their cause and yours.
This isn't about taking advantage of a situation, it is about presenting your proposal as a win/win solution.
Branding is about growing the perception of your company. It is much more effective if someone else can validate the image you present of yourself.
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Q2: We are seeking a new name for our new broader line, have a suggestion?
(2 pieces of advice)
by IIACI09.07.08 | 09:52 AM
Why? Your branding has a foundation of recognition already ... and it's a great name!
JD
IIACIAre you sure you want to report as abuse?
by Zen_Jen09.07.08 | 03:58 AMIn order to 'advise' on this, it would be helpful to know - What is your new broader line going to be?
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Q3: How can I better promote this idea?
(4 pieces of advice)
by chucklasker09.07.08 | 10:12 AM
This is the type of business that would benefit from celebrity endorsements. There are quite a few celebrities that work on the issues you're focusing on. Check out sites like contactanycelebrity.com.
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by MWDabbs09.07.08 | 07:27 AMCafepress.com may or may not be considered for expanding product lines. They have the whole logistics and customer service thing down pat. This would allow for easy expansion of product lines without significantly distracting you from your specialty. Have to consider expansion, revenue and logistics carefully though.
If successful on one major subject, it may be a better effort to build on that success further. Expanding > Generalizing follows an inauspicious route of going from one thing you do really, really well to trying to service a whole bunch of things not so well.
My recommendation would be to stick with your base, and expand it through multi-lingual/cultural products (Spanish, French, etc.) by working with women's organizations in other countries.Are you sure you want to report as abuse?
by ddupree09.05.08 | 08:08 PMI am so happy for your success. You might want to contact the National Eating Disorder foundation. If you are not a spokesperson try to be involved in their venues. Seek out organizations at the YWCA. Contact Human Services in your area and ask about speaking venues. Cry loud and spare not. You have a voice that needs to be heard about this issue.
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by LegacyMan09.05.08 | 07:00 PMDo you already have relationships with various non profit organizations. If you could work out a partnership arrangement where you would provide their apparel needs and they would receive a cut of all apparel sold, it could be a win win for both your organization and theirs.
Pluses for your partners: Obviously they could extend their cause's branding without diluting the focus on their primary mission. Also, it would be more cost effective for them than to handle the operations in-house.
At the same token, you could benefit from the exposure to their audience without having to invest significant capital into the marketing aspect. This provides significant cost savings for your organization.
If you are not able to connect with national organizations, it may be worthwhile to reach out to local organizations which usually have fewer resources to increase their reach. To reach out to them, become involved in their cause. It can put you in touch with the decision makers, and they will be more likely to support your endeavors if they see you su…morepporting theirs.
Ultimately, it is a strategy that could pay dividends for both you and your partners.Are you sure you want to report as abuse?
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Q4: What are some of the biggest obstacles that people in the retail industry have run into and how did you solve them?
(3 pieces of advice)
by Vernon09.07.08 | 03:40 PM
It's a challenge to price competitively without exploiting workers. You may have a key to overcoming this obstacle in promoting a cause with clothes. Everybody needs clothes and many of us prefer durable utilitarian clothing, especially when made by a company with sustainable practices. Encourage each consumer to shop minimally and spread the word.
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by esblair09.06.08 | 10:34 PMI also wonder if you need to expand to different causes. Why not keep focusing on body issues? You have a good personal story that goes along with that issue and there's no reason why you should help a lot of issues shallowly when you can help one issue deeply. I'd find other ways to expand the line to help body issues.
Are you sure you want to report as abuse?
by LegacyMan09.05.08 | 07:09 PMEntry. Attempting to break into the retail industry is an increasingly more difficult proposition as big name retailers continue to replace more traditional small time operations.
To get in the door, you have to present numbers and profit. Your idea is an amazing vision, but many corporate buyers may not see or share your passion.
Start with a grass roots approach to your operation. If you are able to grow the enterprise organically, the big retailers will find you. Tell your story every opportunity you get, and make sure it is consistent. Get other organizations to tell your story for you. Advocates are important.
And never ever discount the power of the media. Any opportunity you can get to take advantage of free publicity (the good kind) should be taken.Are you sure you want to report as abuse?
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What advice do you have to help me grow my idea?
(4 pieces of advice)by rickyg09.09.08 | 02:58 PMdo not give up! what ever you do do not let the dream die
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by IIACI09.07.08 | 09:59 AMExpand your creativity with the apparel you have ... be more adventurous to distinguish EVE from other similar stores by designing the whole of the piece. Your website design indicates the potential for more creativity than you seem to
be giving yourself permission to have. Design the shirt itself as a first leap and if you can't do that to your own satisfaction, enlist some young fashion design students to do that for you ...
JDill
http://thecreativityseminar.com
PS If you activate the latter idea, I want a footnote credit when it succeeds! :-)Are you sure you want to report as abuse?
by Zen_Jen09.07.08 | 03:59 AMThere are several clothing stores that sell apparel like you have - j.jill, gaiam, title 9 - have you approached their buyers to pitch your clothes?
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by mfheadcase09.06.08 | 04:30 AMHmm... for promotion, i might suggest advertising with Project Wonderful. Prices are not based on a per click or per view basis, but on amount of time up, based on an auction system, and you can set a maximum amount to spend. You can also choose which sites you are bidding on individually, based on whether you think the sites overall message in in sync with yours.
A major way to improve your brand might be to run, at full speed, away from cafe press. I personally know several people who have purchased through them... and will never do so again. Unless things there have improved mightily over the years, their minimum prices are too high to charge a fair price for the quality, and still make any money for yourself.
Truthfully this is likely a matter of personal taste, but the only shirt you offer i would like to see on someone is the Marylin spunky/chunky one... the rest seem to focus on the message in exclusion of just being a cool shirt. focus on design, and let the message flow from there, not trying to design around the message... this should get easier wi…moreth the expanded line you mention that you are trying for.
Don't abandon the message, but be subtle about it.Are you sure you want to report as abuse?
Idea Description
Each year, billions of dollars are spent on apparel. Eve's Rib Clothing was created to divert a small portion of those profits to worthy cause through sales of fashionable thought-provoking clothing. Since 2004, Eve's Rib Clothing has been promoting positive body image and self-esteem in women and girls while raising money for the National Eating Disorders Association. Now, Eve's Rib seeks to broaden it's impact by creating new socially-relevant garments for additional non-profits that address pressing global needs.
visit www.evesrib.com
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
We have begun our pursuit of expanding our brand to address many of today's global issues, specifically the environment, AIDS, education, endangered species, natural disaster relief and global hunger. However, funding is needed in order to help with the design, production, distribution and marketing of our new line of cause-specific apparel. We are currently in the process of defining our relationships with some of the world's leading non-profits and are working to be in Nordstrom Department Stores by Spring 2009.
Help us to make fashion pay.
visit www.evesrib.com
keep going, nice job :)
I support cause-related apparel, but I see three things to think about that will be important for you in the future. First, you need to figure out a way to differentiate your cause from all of the "noise" in the marketplace in order to sustain your idea. It seems like everything and everyone has a cause to champion, so worthy causes, like yours, only gets "15 minutes of fame" until the newest cause comes out. Second, you mentioned that you’re looking to broaden your brand. What does this mean exactly? One thing to think about is how your brand name may limit your target audience. Third, you seem to carry an extensive amount of inventory of goods. While that’s great for the customer and helps with their shopping experience, it is not always the best idea for a sm…moreall business if there is low inventory turnover and high inventory costs. So, you may want to focus on the core pieces of inventory that sell best and pare down the rest (like the men’s wear). Additionally, you need to keep your inventory “fresh” so having limited pieces to start with and adding new pieces to fuel demand may not be a bad idea.
What an incredible message you are sending. Everyone can benefit from your idea!!! Emily G
This is a great idea! Keep up the great work and hold tight to your dreams....you'll accomplish this!
do not give up! what ever you do do not let the dream die. I know I have said this 2 times but it so very importaint
Stacy I think you are doing a great job! I miss you and keep up the work! -A.Rod
I'm thinking different kinds of questions should have been asked. Not, "how to improve my brand" but whether you should brand this in the first place or even do this at all. And not, "what are the biggest problems in retail" but instead, "what barriers is my product line likely to have and what to do about it". I know it seems everyone else here has been really positive and upbeat but I think there are significant downsides that should have been addressed before getting to this point. I should mention I'm not a big fan of cause related apparel lines mostly because I think a line should stand *on it's own*. Iow, would you have a valid product if said condition didn't exist? Those tend to have a lot more legs. Some people -those who have these targeted condi…moretions- have described "cause marketing" to be parasitic. It's been a frequent discussion on my forum. But that's neither here nor there because your current focus is low self esteem presumed to affect obese young ladies. As someone who used to be morbidly obese and had self esteem issues over it, I'm of two minds about that. 1. Eating disorders aren't the larger problem (no pun intended); it's obesity. 2. If people have low self esteem, they should work on solving the problem which buying a tee shirt won't fix. As someone told me yesterday, if money can solve the problem, it isn't a problem. And that really is true if you think about it. Just as money (buying something) won't solve obesity, the cause of diminished self esteem, it won't solve the self esteem problem either. I mean, if plunking down $20 for a shirt would solve self esteem, reduce eating disorders or even curing obesity, we wouldn't have these problems at all. We'd all have the shirt and be cured. I know that sounds negative but I can help but be reminded by someone who once remarked that if you're depressed, the issue isn't so much that you feel badly but that your life is in the pisser. The better long term solution is to pull yourself out of the straits you find yourself in. I've been there enough times too. Anyway, I'm sorry to be the only person here expressing the downsides, my original comment was to remark on the framing of how you interpret your barriers. It's all in the kinds of questions you ask and how you ask them. I don't think the issues here are marketing, branding, your website or getting a share of the market as much as it is whether you should be doing this particular product line at all. Sorry!
You have your artsy website as primary and your functional website(joomla) as secondary. Flip it around.
Keep going...good job.
Thanks for your vote, I'm going to check out your site right now. Eve's Rib
I'm giving you an up vote because 1)I like the idea and 2)I think your company would be a perfect partner match for my idea Berryit.com. Let's change the world together. Jay
I love your idea!