Fashion experts made recommendations to Colombian designers at the BFW

• The "BFW - Tejiendo Futuro" Conversations brought together the voices of specialists in consumer issues, sustainability, brand development and fashion collections; as well as groups of researchers, industry leaders, designers, journalists, consultants, teachers and entrepreneurs, who spoke about the tools necessary to understand the dynamics of the sector.
• 18 sessions were developed that activated the dialogue and knowledge about the fashion industry.

The third edition of Bogotá Fashion Week, the circulation platform, contact for business and business strengthening of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá, presented the knowledge strip "Conversations BFW - Tejiendo Futuro", in which national and international experts shared through 18 talks in three thematic aspects: experiences, knowledge and advice on the tools necessary to understand the dynamics of fashion as art, business and social tool, as well as its trends and good practices.

In the development of this strip of knowledge, the designer and businesswoman Silvia Tcherassi; the designer and entrepreneur of the Aquazzura brand, Edgardo Osorio; and the chief editor of Elle, Nina García, intervened in the main panel of the strip, exchanging experiences on "The creative business of fashion". These three Colombians, who have been impacting global fashion for several years, spoke about how respect for differentness and authenticity are combined in creativity, which emerges through the taste for the artistic as an uplifting of the everyday, key to transfer credibility to your work, and create bridges with the consumer.

Among the principal recommendations given by Silvia Tcherassi for designers to be competitive in the world of fashion, the Colombian spoke about the importance of creation, with all the effort involved, of his own style, which is formed in different stages: "All fields are hard and competitive. When I started to publicize my brand there were no social networks. The digital age today gives us the opportunity to innovate and to read clients easier. At the end of the day, fashion can not be commercial without having magic. "

Edgardo Osorio, entrepreneur of the Aquazzura brand, said that for him its a fact the power that fashion has. His experience has allowed him to see how a woman is empowered in front of the world according to, for example, the shoe she decides to wear. "When they go up in high heels they feel the power, they appropriate a style, they are more aware of how they walk and that makes them feel safe in the world". As well as Silvia Tcherassi,  he said that designers should not stop observing the customer: "Today is easier to do thanks to social networks. This is something that the industry should take advantage of".

The discussion of these great Colombian designers ended with several tips for new talent, in which Silvia stressed that the industry is not easy but not impossible either. "The most difficult challenge for a designer is to reinvent himself, to maintain himself. You can reach the peak of success, for a moment, but when you manage to maintain you have fulfilled in the sector", she concluded.

Look social

The designer Laura Laurens with her speech on "Fashion as a motor of social transformation", spoke about how through creativity and art she created processes and workshops with ex-formers of guerrilla fighters and with transgender indigenous people. For her, the greatest lesson that this project has left her has been "to think about fashion from the idea that it is not about others, but about us; start building instead of thinking about belonging to a system. "

One of the many projects that was present in this version of the BFW, and that seeks to reduce social gaps through design and creativity, was "The Bosa York Dream", in which understanding fashion from a social problematic was the reason by which it moved its creator.

Natalia Ochoa, director of the initiative, said that "design and creativity are a weapon of transformation and not an aesthetic or superficial weapon. On the contrary, the design must be inclusive despite being exclusive. In the fashion industry you can not leave out any talent, because design makes us face frustration, respect for diversity and differences, especially in a country that is under construction. "

Todas las sesiones que se desarrollaron en la jornada académica del Bogotá Fashion Week tuvieron como foco capacitar al mercado nacional en cómo asumir los desafíos en la industria de la moda; así como continuar fortaleciendo a Bogotá como capital internacional de negocios de moda y destino de inversión.

All the sessions that took place in the academic day of Bogotá Fashion Week were focused on training the national market on how to take on the challenges in the fashion industry; as well as continue strengthening Bogotá as international capital of fashion business and investment destination.

Fashion is a business of precision

Camilo Herrera, president of Raddar in his speech "The conscience of contemporary consumers", gave four specific recommendations for entrepreneurs who are looking that their brand grow and strengthen in the market. For a company to be successful it is important that the designer, if possible, do not be the manager: "Singers, for example, succeed when they work with a manager. It is not a matter of the artist's ability, what happens is that they are emotional, sensitive people. The same thing happens to designers. "

In second place, people should focus on a clear market target: "You can sell what others sell, if people do it it's because it's profitable. The important thing is to find a niche in the market that does not dedicate itself to doing everything". 

The third aspect to keep in mind is that it is important to make it grow the company, not the partners: "Leaving the capital in the company, allows it to grow. Cash problems are reduced, financial costs, among others. "

Finally, he recommended that the entrepreneur focus on what he knows how to do: "If you are good at gastronomy, dedicate yourself to cooking. Handling fabrics, shades, carvings is different from personal management. "

About the CCB

The Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá is a private entity that since 1878 supports the dreams of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of the City. By legal delegation administers public records. It works for legal security, for the strengthening of the environment and for the interests of businessmen. Accompanies the different life cycles of companies and promotes business in Bogotá and the Region.