Sparklewren, established 2009, is an artistic, one-woman, online business through which I have had the good fortune to create innovative, bespoke corsetry for people around the world. My first two years of business were committed to building a stunning portfolio, passionate client base, and great reputation for quality and dedication. I am now ready to take a new step which I hope will go well and lead onto further developments...
Through the creation of a 6 month, pop-up boutique (launching mid-June, at the beautiful Victorian “Great Western Arcade” in Birmingham's city centre) I will present Sparklewren to a wider audience whilst also pushing my aesthetics and quality to new heights.
ABOUT THE BOUTIQUE:
- The space will function as a boutique showroom, in which I meet and fit clients, promote my work, and produce my corsetry.
- It will "introduce" Sparklewren to Birmingham, as I am very new to the city.
- A vast curved window will showcase my garments in an appropriate and artistic setting. Avant garde corsetry, lingerie inspired pieces and show stopping bridal will all play a part.
- Each month will feature events such as “living mannequins” in the window, an exclusive launch party in June (featuring a special celebrity guest) and potentially a private salon where VIP guests would be afforded first access to a specially created mini-collection of ready-to-wear samples.
- The space must be furnished, decorated and promoted from scratch. This is an ambitious and artistic project...
Along with the potential benefits to my business' visibility, I have to confess I am most excited by the prospect of a proper space dedicated to working with my clients... you just can't beat in-person daydreaming and fittings when creating beautiful corsetry.
ABOUT THE FUNDING:
If the boutique is to be created to the high standard I hope for, I need to boost cashflow to the value of £8950 total as quickly as possible.
I am aiming for £4600 through crowdfunding (for which each and every patron would receive a reward), with the remainder coming from the sale of limited edition and discounted items on etsy and income from my regular work.
I am also collaborating with talented friends and family on this project... my brother (a wonderful carpenter/builder) will be travelling hundreds of miles to help me with the shop fit; colleagues with experience of visual merchandising and graphic design will be getting pestered for guidance on a regular basis; and of course my friends (both "real-life" and through the internet as Sparklewren) will no doubt end up being subject to my giddy excitement and dramatic crises of confidence as this project progresses!
A PERSONAL NOTE:
To place oneself open to patronage is to make a large decision and leap of faith. I am under no illusions about this... I know that the potential for both support and criticism in a crowdfunding project could make this an emotional task. But as I plan this next step, it is becoming more and more clear that patronage of the arts is not a dying convention, but a living, breathing movement given new life by modern communications and global crowdfunding. As succinctly put in Justin Tagg's sponsume blogpost,
"crowdfunding is the principle of gaining a little bit of funding from a lot of people and is born out of the lack of normal funding for Arts projects."
I must confess a certain degree of, "who, me?" at the idea that I'm worthy of any support and so for anyone that has ever encouraged me to believe that there are people interested in what I do, thank you.
As mentioned above, each patron receives goods/gifts for their support (as outlined in the rewards list) and every pound matters. Delivery of the rewards aims to be within 3 months of the crowdfunding deadline, unless otherwise noted.
OTHER WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE:
For those who are interested in contributing in other ways, I may be seeking the following on a voluntary basis:
- opening night assistants
- pre-launch stitchers/apprentices
- sponsors (in particular of vinyl lettering, wall decoration/finishes, champagne, furnishings, lighting, printing and fabrics)
- photographers/videographers
- PR experts
- work experience assistants for once the space is open.
If you fit into one of these categories, please do get in touch directly and we will together discover how Sparklewren's future will unfold:
Sharing my project with your friends and family would also be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much for reading.
The owner of this project has not made any updates yet. FR
