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Thread: Should I be looking at trends?

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Kay View Post
    I totally disagree, following a trend need not mean copying others, nor equate to cheap. Nor do you need to aim for bulk, low-priced items as the OPs 'friend' suggests.

    You can follow a trend and still retain your own style and design ethics in your own interpretation of a trend and sell at a price that reflects the time and material costs and profit margin desired.

    e.g. the annual Pantone colour of the year trends for a while, and if popular remains on trend throughout the year. Rose Gold is currently a massive trend but interpreted in their own style by many different designers. Likewise the current trend for 'dainty' pendants both singularly and 'layered' is huge. If your own style could accommodate all three examples, then well-marketed you'd have a chance at a hit product. Of course, if you end up designing on on-trend item that everyone wants to buy, then it's time to bulk up your production, but for that get a production assistant onboard and you, yourself, should carry on with your designing.

    A good way to stay up to speed with trends is the weekly Trend section of BenchPeg; https://benchpeg.com/trends

    Now, I'll admit, you may find some of the trends they report on a bit weird, I do, but it's a good place to start.
    I maybe worded myself wrongly but for me to follow a trend would be following others ideas not necessarily the work. No matter how much of yourself you’re putting into the design it would still be on trend and then it wouldn’t be a one off piece.
    I don’t know anyone who buys my work because it’s on trend but because it’s individual. I suppose it depends on what market you want to sell to.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sheen View Post
    Caroline i'll have to track you down on insta. Personally i love it as so many local makers and shops are on there and i like the ease of istas picture filters/editing and simple accompanying caption.
    It’s the same page name as my FB Page Sheena. I only started it because my photos are already edited for fb and ready to go but I can’t be bothered with all the # stuff. I don’t think it has brought anyone else to my fb Page and I’ve some very random likes:/ Having said that I did get Jeff Banks like a necklace a few weeks ago and I had to check and see if he was real or tbh alive

  3. #13
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    Thank you all for your replies! Some great advice and you've all lifted my spirits
    .
    Enigma, making such a low price item would literally mean just covering cost and you're right- there is absolutely no point in that. Soul destroying and as Dennis mentioned- the park bench would be calling my name!

    CJ57, hope your venture onto Instagram turns out well... I've had my page on there for a while now and goodness me if it isn't slow... But that's where my customs have come from!

    Sheen, some great ideas there and I'm feeling much more hopeful! I definitely need to get myself to some fairs and the idea of following IG pages that complement my jewellery is a really good one. I need to unscramble my brain and really think about my target audience. Some spider diagrams may be going down this evening... nowt like a good spider diagram

    Paul, thanks so much for the link and the general trends chat- I'll be taking a look and feeling it out and maybe start a new trend myself haha.

    Again, thank you all! I'm off to Instagram to find you

    Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

  4. #14
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    Paul... You weren't half joking about some of the trends being weird

    Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by CJ57 View Post
    It’s the same page name as my FB Page Sheena. I only started it because my photos are already edited for fb and ready to go but I can’t be bothered with all the # stuff. I don’t think it has brought anyone else to my fb Page and I’ve some very random likes:/ Having said that I did get Jeff Banks like a necklace a few weeks ago and I had to check and see if he was real or tbh alive
    Found you and now following, i'm shinygleamy on there, i have a private account as that's all i can manage for now but i've still had some sales through it. Dead impressed if the actual Jeff Banks hearted you that'll be you on to fame and fortune now ha, ha.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by nina_5682 View Post
    Paul... You weren't half joking about some of the trends being weird

    Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
    A mini beard with a beard, a bit icky,

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sheen View Post
    Found you and now following, i'm shinygleamy on there, i have a private account as that's all i can manage for now but i've still had some sales through it. Dead impressed if the actual Jeff Banks hearted you that'll be you on to fame and fortune now ha, ha.
    Now if he’d started following me but you wouldn’t believe how much more interesting the piece was on my fb Page after I reposted it with that headline. It’s completely honkers and means so little in the scheme of things

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sheen View Post
    A mini beard with a beard, a bit icky,
    Well that annoys me as much as hipster beards. Who are hipsters, what era was that beard or what they represent ever hip!

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by CJ57 View Post
    I don’t know anyone who buys my work because it’s on trend but because it’s individual. I suppose it depends on what market you want to sell to.
    Sorry Caroline, I forgot that you concentrated on individually designed pieces, and so your comment would come from that viewpoint. Whereas my mind is currently firmly set in the 'similar but not the same' small production run vein, because that's where my background lies.

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sheen View Post
    A mini beard with a beard, a bit icky,
    I didn't even bother reading that one! Saw that picture and that was enough.

    Mind you, I'm thinking of hanging my shaving brush around my neck when I go to work tomorrow.

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