Rome was not built over night, and neither will the future be. The process of building a brand from scratch is an arduous road that has tested my patience day in and day out. Looking back down the road and seeing how far IFG has come is one of the driving forces that propels me to continue going forward.

   This week I will recap last week's events with what tasks we have completed, where IFG is headed, and we will take a look at some new releases relevant to digital pop culture. It has been a busy week as usual as we push closer to the release of our new F/W (Fall/Winter) line while keeping up with current digital events. Let me begin with where we are production wise with our new items.

A few of our new samples from our F/W line.

 

    Here at IFG we are producing our largest run of items we have ever produced. We will be releasing six new long line shirt styles in three different colors, our hero product Infinite Hoodie has been updated and improved with premium details and two new color options, and we have new hook and loop compatible patches to be released to power up your Infinite Future Gear. Producing these new pieces in quantities that will suffice for the masses has not been easy. As we are moving from bespoke one of a kind pieces to larger production, the difficulty is maintaining the same high quality hand made product and maintaining a fair price. As all of our apparel is hand made right here in Los Angeles and Orange County the manufacturing costs are steep compared to over seas manufacturing. Quantity pricing is also a challenge for us, as we are not producing thousands of pieces that most factories require as a minimum order quantity, yet we still need to produce enough to accommodate orders of all sizes. These challenges have presented us with opportunities to collaborate with local sewing contractors in producing quality items in just the right quantity for our first larger scale production run. Now how exactly do we cover these production costs?

   Capital is always a challenge as a startup and as I have funded this project out of my own pocket thus far, producing a large run does take more capital to complete. This challenge has forced me to present business plans including sales forecasts for the next few years to family and friends in seeking funding to cover production costs. After running spreadsheets for days and specifying every penny of cash flow being put in to this project I am to proud to see our projected profits. Laying down the road map for our cash flow has allowed me to make budgeting decisions in every aspect of my business and for as much disdain as I have for numbers; the numbers really are the lifeblood of any business. I now look forward to continue my mastery of business finance as my company continues to grow. As I gather capital to cover production costs, each step of production moves step by step.

   All of our hand made apparel starts from a roll of fabric that I personally pick up from a textile mill in Los Angeles, CA. Once I have the fabric and trims I transport the materials to our sample and pattern maker contractor. I present my garment designs to the sample pattern maker and we tailor the garment designs to our measured specifications. Our sample sewer produces the samples in which we then test for durability in color dyeing, washing, and daily use. Once I have approved the pattern and samples I will then take the garments for printing, embroidery and finishing. Upon final completion of the samples we can then order all of the materials in a larger quantity to produce on a larger scale. This process is not easy, yet it is cost efficient for now and ensures the quality of our products. We are currently in the mid stages of production, as we wait for our final dyed hoodie samples to be completed. I estimate our new line to be shipping out by the end of the month! Make sure to follow our IG account @ifgclothing for the latest updates. We were able to get a lot done production wise this week as all of our materials have been gathered, shirt production is underway, and our new eco friendly packing will be shipping to your doors once our inventory is ready to ship! That is where IFG is with our own production. Now let's look back at some new inspirations from the digital world!

   This past week there were some big releases in the box office. The sequel to the 1982 sci-fi movie Blade Runner was released as Blade Runner 2049. The sequel captures the same over electronically stimulated Los Angeles from the original film and refines and updates the visuals to create one of the most visually intriguing and detailed films of 2017.

 

   The reason I love sci-fi movies is because of the worlds that these films take us to. Blade Runner 2049 takes us to a dystopian Los Angeles that emphasizes the automation of nearly all things, from transportation, to even going as far as the automation of personal relationships. Seeing this robotically driven digital world instilled a sense of fear and wonder. As our brand is inspired by what we interpret the future to look like this movie serves as another source of inspiration. The costumes found in this movie are equally intriguing as its surrounding world. The main character “K” dons a long olive drab coat. Tailored with shoulder details that reinforce the shape and durability of the coat and lined with fur for added warmth and style that piece displays the strong details and functionality that we strive to capture in our street wear. Long draping silhouettes with finely patterned fabric could be found on other garments throughout the film. Main villain “Luv” wears a white prism patterned jacket with a black lining, representative of her cosmetically pure outer appearance but her darker inner state of being held within. I am a big fan of the color duality and look forward to capturing the two-tone duality once again on future pieces. Overall I enjoyed the film very much and highly recommend seeing it!

   As another week has gone by I hope this blogs gives insight to some of the inner workings of IFG. Entrepreneurship is a long road and it is never easy, but this journey has taught me more than any education or job ever has and as I look back at everything we have done I am very proud to keep going. I hope everyone has great weekend and I will be updating this blog again next week. Thank you to those who read through this and continue to support IFG!

 

Seize the future,

Dayne Nastri.