It’s tough living in the present when ya always have to think about the future. As a fashion designer, it’s imperative to trend and look ahead to the upcoming seasons and it’s this part of my job that’s always been the most challenging.

When I started Majamas Earth, I designed four collections a year. That meant spotting trends, seeking the soon to be hottest colors and applying all this to a clothing line that would sell one year later. Sound glamorous? Well…it wasn’t! It was constantly stressful, very expensive and pretty demanding. The good news is this model has changed for us and I’m kinda happy about it.

 

 

With the onset of the internet, we’re finding fewer and fewer retailers are buying ahead. Producing a full collection for them to view 8 months in advance seems pointless. In the past, our retailers would work with us at “markets” or big trade shows across the country to view our latest and greatest additions. Today, most of these retailers are buying in the season. They aren’t able to look ahead because predicting sell thru in the garment business isn’t what it used to be.

Customers have changed their buying habits and few are loyal to one retailer anymore. Now, more than ever, retailers have to keep their customers interested by switching stock up more often so buying heavily in one particular style, even a great seller, could be risky. This makes being their supplier a tad more challenging.

As a supplier, we must make basic styles our retailers don’t need to pre-order because there’s  a good chance they’ll want them in season. This means we have to be sure we have stock to ship immediately and more importantly, we have to make sure the styles we make are classic but still on trend. This is a total crap shoot cause if something isn’t a hit and we produced a bunch of stock in hopes retailers would take it all just to have it sit in our warehouse will ultimately kill us.

No matter how you look at it, it’s risky business.

So what’s a clothing company to do? Don’t say quit because that’s always tempting but this year, I have decided to live in the present. We’re focusing on our best silhouettes like our soft, beautiful loungewear, our versatile activewear and our amazingly comfortable bras. For those who look for what’s new in our collection, we plan to keep you busy by introducing new pieces and colors of best sellers month to month.

 

 

Last month, we introduced our Swing Top in our MAJAMAS ESSENTIALS Collection. It’s selling thru fast and women are purchasing more than one knowing it’s a beautiful basic for any wardrobe. This month we’re introducing our Two-Way Tank that can be worn with the scoop in the front, ‘V’ in the back or vice versa (hence the name…).

We are introducing new pieces for everyone including those fashionable sports fans who hate how *unattractive* some sports clothing can be.

Our Picoli Shorts, popular with the college and high school crowds, show team spirit without screaming “ugly” so no one can call you that in the heat of the game. We’re continuously creating new styles and finding new prints that work for many teams so keep checking if you don’t see your colors on our site yet.

My dad used to say, “Once you stop moving, you’re dead.” As simple as that sounds, it’s true in so many ways. If we stop creating collections, our buyers will lose interest and look somewhere else. If we put all our money into one assortment, we risk losing it on inventory that never gets ordered.

We are going big and going season-less!

Season-less fashion? Yeah, I guess that’s where we’re headed here at Majamas Earth. Like everything else in my life, I’m taking a risk here. Yeah, I’ll still create collections for that work best for specific seasons but I’m making them smaller. Mainly, I’m going to focus on the present, creating whimsical, basic styles that no wardrobe is complete without.

And here’s a leap…

Majamas Earth for Men? You betcha! Men have been begging us to create USA made, quality boxer/briefs and soft cotton tees and lounge pants for them and this year, we plan on doing it! Our USA made baby line Shirley & Victor is getting a baby facelift too, with new printed styles that will make you ‘ooo’ and ‘awww’ even more when you look at them.

Could there be more? Yes, yes! Now even the puppy lovers of the world can keep Fido well dressed. Nixilu by MAJAMAS will have our whimsical prints in doggie bandanas and other accessories so a walk down the block is more like a walk down the runway. Hey, don’t knock me. I just got another puppy and I couldn’t resist…

The good news is just because we’re going season-less and creating more stuff doesn’t mean we’re going on the cheap. More than ever, we’re committed to making ALL our clothing 100% here in the USA because we have a better handle on where our waste goes and a firm grasp of who’s making our clothes. We’re focused on the environment, now more than ever so you can wear our beautiful clothing knowing it is made responsibly and it doesn’t hurt our beautiful planet. We are looking to the future but I still believe there’s no time like the present.

– Germaine Caprio, Company Owner & Designer

 

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