My New Year Goals

Read the rest of "My New Year Goals" blog at El Ilhaam Magazine Issue 6
http://www.elilhaam.com/en/magazine/
Page 21

For "Text Only" you can read it in El Ilhaam Blog
http://www.elilhaam.com/en/blog/2011/12/29/my-new-year-goals/49/?z_ct=9&z_cid=25&z_lb=0&cct=187&ccid=49

Social Media's Impact on the Fashion World

You can read the text here
http://tinyurl.com/cy3rtog
Review rest of the content here

http://www.elilhaam.com/en/magazine/

5 Roles for Managing Teams in the Creative Industries

1. Create the Ideal Destination “The Vision” & Launch Passionately

As a leader you should believe in your vision and demonstrate to your team how to achieve more than what they thought it’s possible. Your team will give you their best when they are emotionally charged and inspired.  You must have faith in yourself and the fact you are capable of fulfilling your dream that’s when your team will see the path to success.

2.  Start With “What If” & “Why”

To endorse Innovation & set it as part of the organization’s culture is tough but you can start by applying the language of “what if” scenarios.  Encourage your people to challenge theories and come up with solutions, exploring opportunities along the way.

3. Connect Your Team’s Personal Objective to Practical Business Achievements

A key indicator of your own success as a leader is the success of your people. Talented employees are central to the success of your organization, thus present guidance on how to align both company’s strategy to their personal growth as a leader. Empower, set goals and provide them resources to fulfill their mission.

4.  Promote Teamwork

Teamwork is vital for competing in today's competitive world. It all sums up in Michael Jordan's quote, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. “ Involve all members of the organization to participate and create an ideal platform to cross exchange ideas and support each other.  Encourage taking risks but also give them the sense of responsibility and to see failures as learning opportunities.

5. Bring Laughter, Fun & Energy to Your Business

Spending long hours of your day should never be dull & tedious on the contrary you need all the energy flowing if you want to end up working with an enthusiastic team.  Make your meetings and gatherings fun and loosen up.

 

Images are not to be downloaded, reproduced, or used/modified in any way without the express

written consent of Ilham Abbas / Ilhaam Group.  Articles, text, or design of this web site is not to be

reproduced in any form without the express written consent of Ilham Abbas / Ilhaam Group.

Copyright © 2010 Ilhaam Group. All rights reserved

Tourism - the Vibrant Sector of Dubai

After reading the Interview of Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman Jumeirah Group’s in Al Bayan Newspaper today, I decided to give out some "Valuable Statistics" for those working in the luxury and lifestyle sectors in Dubai.

Occupancy

·         Jumeirah Group Occupancy rate in Dubai reached 90% in 4^th Quarter of
           2010
·         Current Occupancy is 100% for beach hotels & 80% for Emirates Towers
           in Dubai
·         17% increase in 5 star rooms in Dubai

Visitor by Nationality

·         GCC is 20-25% of total Jumeirah Hotels visitors

·         European Markets are the main market

·         New visitors from Far East especially from China

Seasons

·         Winter is the main season because of the climate

·         Summer is improving due to strong government promotions, Airlines
        and events such as Dubai Summer Surprises

Future Trends

·         Increase in conferences and exhibitions led to increase in hall &
        smaller conference room bookings during such events & its on the rise

·         China Market Shows major growth forecasted to reach 100 million 
        tourist by 2020 by World Tourism Organization.

·         According to Gerald Lawless' personal opinion, the beach hotels will 
        be more in demand due to its leisure and business facilities, and
        affordable rates

·         Jumeirah Group to open six new hotels in 2011, one in
        Dubai and the rest in Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, Kuwait, & Azerbaijan 


 


In Arabic you can read the full Interview in Al Bayan Newspaper http://bit.ly/h9xMm1

Images are not to be downloaded, reproduced, or used/modified in any way without the express

written consent of Ilham Abbas / Ilhaam Group.  Articles, text, or design of this web site is not to be

reproduced in any form without the express written consent of Ilham Abbas / Ilhaam Group.

Copyright © 2010 Ilhaam Group. All rights reserved

Time To Evaluate Your Luxury Brand

Looking into in the luxury sector I couldn’t stop to notice how the whole cycle of brand management requires re-evaluation. I believe several factors today play a significant role in the global luxury goods segment. Such humongous ongoing process involves a whole cycle-study from brand equity to brand evaluation, consolidation, e-commerce, m-commerce, and Private equity financing. Also competition has increased due to the change in wealthy consumer base, buying traditions, and couture designers designing for mass fashion brands, mass brands being fast at delivering new trends etc. 

Additionally High quality Independent manufacturers and design studios are also providing the new entrants the same high quality finish similar to the more established brands thus lowering the comparison between the Luxury brands and new designers’ products. 

More so, consumers in certain parts of the world interpret luxury differently.  At present, Luxury is in its fully developed stage in the European Markets who approach and adapt fashion to their day to day lifestyle. Moving across to Japan as an emerging market, the grid gradually leans towards French brands mainly. The rest of Asia and Africa, the Luxury sector is still in its early introductory phase. Since the US market as well, is in the embryo stage, the consumers view luxury as a means to lifestyle.  Coming to the Middle Eastern market, the grid takes a dramatic twist with growth in Luxury & Lifestyle at its full-bloom, this is basically attributed to the influence of the Western fashion and status symbol of wealth.

The perception and psychology of the older notion of Fashion has drastically changed with the doorway to the internet. Today Websites & portals bolster sales as any other retail outlet. The Online customer Service is constantly pampering buyers, sellers, resellers etc., with various and easily accessible options online.

So how can you strengthen your brand, well I believe the whole wins over the sum and the luxury brand today has to focus on “TOTAL BRAND EXPERIENCE” to remain strong in the face of competition where the consumer receives the whole benefit of the purchase from being associated with the brand rather than only an image.

Images are not to be downloaded, reproduced, or used/modified in any way without the express

written consent of Ilham Abbas / Ilhaam Group.  Articles, text, or design of this web site is not to be

reproduced in any form without the express written consent of Ilham Abbas / Ilhaam Group.

Copyright © 2010 Ilhaam Group. All rights reserved

The World Of Trend Forecasting

There is no guessing that goes into the fashion world. It's not like the trends that you find in the stores today happened because someone just guessed what they would be. In fact, there is more research and hard work that goes into those trends then the average person could imagine. There are people in office buildings who are spending late nights trying to figure out the next thing, you, the consumer, is going to buy. While you may be shocked to learn that you follow a pattern when it comes to what kind of clothing you buy, well, if you really think about it it's absolutely true. Not only are you influenced by what kind of fashion you see in the media, you are also influenced by the fashion that you see on the street. That is what Trend Forecasting is all about.

Trend Forecasting is not a new thing, it's been around for as long as there has been fashion. While it's kind of a scientific, creativity & good observation process, it's also something that is best handled by an specialist. In a way, Trend Forecasting is all about looking one step ahead of the current fashion climate. Anyone can look on the street and notice the kind of fashion's that people are wearing. What a trend forecaster is in charge of doing is figuring out what people are going to be wearing next year or two. While that may sound risky, well, it is. That's why these people get paid a pretty penny for their insight; and why they can lose their jobs easily if they don't forecast correctly.

So how do you do the right kind of Trend Forecasting?

It's all about studying the pulse of the fashion world. Trend forecasting is for those who want to create original designs and not copies of the A list brand’s collection straight from the catwalk a season earlier. Those who want to study trends should start by communicating with textile designers since they create colors and yarns two year in advance and display them at exhibitions. You have to look at real world factors like how much consumers are willing to spend on an outfit. The country mood, what themes can be generated If the economy's down or the average person is spending less on clothing. Forecasters know the up's and down's of the fashion world better than anyone else, yet, as with any job in this realm, it is at the end of the day a well educated guess.

Images are not to be downloaded, reproduced, or used/modified in any way without the express written consent of Ilham Abbas / Ilhaam Group.  Articles, text, or design of this web site is not to be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of Ilham Abbas / Ilhaam Group.

Copyright © 2010 Ilhaam Group. All rights reserved

Fashion Has Always Been A Big Deal Throughout History!

Fashion plays an important role in the society that we live in today. Not only do we like the way certain fashion looks, but it also plays a key role in the age old idea of projecting which class we live in. Oh sure, we don't like to think about it that way, but when it comes down to it we traditionally wear clothing that shows off our class. Now, in today's society there are some exceptions (big exceptions in some cases), But as a rule of thumb status do exist.

While you ask yourself why are we influenced this way! Well, If you look back at major ancient societies throughout time like the Roman Empire and the Egyptians, you realize that those who were in the "upper echelon" of society would dress differently then the "commoners". The Egyptian clothing of the royal family and those who worked and lived  in the palace where much different those of the people who worked and toiled in the streets. Everything from the fine silks used for the royals robe, to the crowns that the pharaohs and other nobility wore, you knew who was a have, and who were the have nots in society. During the Roman era reddish-purple band on the lower edge of the toga (a one-piece garment that draped freely around the shoulders and down the body ) was worn by magistrates and high priests as an indication of their status. The white toga was worn by political candidates. The toga pulla was dark-colored and worn for mourning, while the purple toga was worn in times of triumph and by the Roman emperor.

The same went for the Fashion that we saw on the European continent. Whether it's the fine robes that the rich wore during the Roman empires, or the fine suits and dresses that were worn during the centuries of Royal rule in England, France and other kingdoms, you could see a definite class difference on how people dressed. For this reason, fashion has always been a big deal throughout history. Only now has the idea of "dressing down" become popular in the fashion world. One hundred years ago the idea of dressing the same that the "lower classes" did would be unthinkable. The fashion tradition remains customary today, although in a modern way under the name “Luxury”!

Three Useful Tips When Leading A Small Business

There is no manual out there for how to be a leader. It's not like you can sit down one day, read a 30 page book, and go to work the next day as a natural born leader. The thing is, though, as cheesy as it may sound, the ability to lead is in all of us. Sure, we all may not have the same types of leadership skills, but we have some leadership skills woven into our DNA. Maybe you are better at being the kind of leader that uses positive reinforcement to get the job done. Maybe you are the kind of leader that is stern yet fair, which gains their respect. Or maybe you like to combine different methods in order to get the job done. Whatever the way you do it, you can take the reign and lead your staff even if you open up your own small business.

So what is the best way to show leadership when you are in charge of a small business? The key is to just be yourself. The worst thing you can do when it comes to your employees is to try and be someone that you are not. Trust this, they will see through your facade quite quickly. Not only does doing that mean that people won't trust you, it also means that they won't follow anything that you say. Leadership, ultimately, comes from trust and respect. If you are one of those people who love to rule with an iron fist, be sure that you are at least honest with it at all times.

When you are running a small business, one of the most important things you can do is to show leadership by example. If your employees see you working hard they will follow your example. If the employees see that cost reduction is not a word in your dictionary then get ready for a high cost billings. If you are investing in a new division/business that gives you zero income at the end of the year yet you are bearing the cost then you’re not a wise but an emotional leader. With that said, you need to treat them well. Your employees are there to help your business, treat them professionally at all times and don't be afraid to reward them when they do something right and show the yellow card when not.

So there you go: be yourself, be professional, and, no matter how you do it, be realistic. When you run a small business you need to make sure that your leadership skills help the business, not hurt it.

The Cost of Protections in the Fashion Industry

The fashion industry continues to explode on a global basis. With markets opening up in every corner, those who design and produce the fashions that mark the very trends of history, are facing serious concern regarding theft of these designs. When designers were constricted to producing fashions in a single country, it was easy to abide by and enforce Intellectual property trademark fashion laws. Now that the world has opened its arms to international trade the idea of infringement has become a much more serious discussion, one that has moved to the forefront of industry professionals minds.

Small and medium sized enterprises (SME) are most affected by the discussion because the protection of intellectual property trademark fashion can become a very costly side of the business. Having to weigh the cost versus risk of having ones ideas and designs stolen and mass produced becomes a very easy decision once it happens. The first time a design is stolen and mass produced on the cheap, anyone would be on board with the idea of tougher and easier to implement protections regardless of the costs. While costs may be high, the protections are extremely important for the industry to survive.

Intellectual property trademark fashion protections come in the form of copyright, trademark, and trade secret patents and filings. The costs are, at times, considered prohibitive and may be designed for the larger industry players, thus making it more difficult for the smaller and medium sized textile and clothing enterprises to compete. Margins may have to be higher simply because volume just isn't there to cover the expense. Unfortunately, this may price out the smaller houses from competition in certain markets. Trends to move manufacturing overseas (regardless of the country of origin) is often a result of such cost structures.

When it comes down to it, intellectual property trademark fashion protections are absolutely needed regardless of the cost. Preventing theft in the fashion world will allow the creative process to flow unimpeded. It is important, though, to remember that the high costs of filing for these protections can be prohibitive. For the small and medium industry players, these costs can stifle creativity as much as theft.