| The Diary of a Belt Designer | | | | on the photos (thank God for technology) BUT the |
| Discussions are underway to decide the look and feel | | | | samples will have to stay as they are. A couple of |
| of the luxury belt collection for Autumn/Winter 2010 | | | | belts have the wrong buckles on so I hot foot it down |
| and the inspiration behind. Finally it is decided - natural | | | | to our local cobbler moments before he is about to |
| forms it is. | | | | shut up shop for a 2 week golfing holiday in Florida. |
| The race is on to get the collection together - The belt | | | | Friendly Cobbler takes one look at my face and |
| buckles are designed and drawn to scale then sent to | | | | decides he better stay and change the buckles, happy |
| the belt buckle manufacturers in Spain and Italy. | | | | in the knowledge that he has got this damsel out of |
| The leathers are ordered from the best tanneries in | | | | distress. |
| Italy and France (used by the very best belt designers, | | | | 24 Hours to go: Computer is in melt down, and so am I, |
| from Hermes to Gucci) and sent to the belt | | | | trying to reduce image sizes and get them uploaded to |
| manufacturers in Italy and Spain. Prototypes are late | | | | various sites and ready to email to our Canadian |
| as the sample maker is rushed into hospital on Friday | | | | agents as well as to buyers around the world. |
| morning - the samples should be leaving by courier | | | | I still have to label and pack up the samples, make sure |
| Friday afternoon and are not ready. A new sample | | | | we have our publicity ready and our line sheets done |
| maker is brought in who doesn't know the brand, its | | | | detailing all the products and their prices in 3 currencies. |
| look and its feel and consequently makes a few | | | | I dash to pick up my daughter from school and plonk |
| mistakes. | | | | her in front of a computer at the studio. With the |
| Finally the samples arrive in the UK but have to go | | | | incessant droning of the ‘Dress up Barbie' website |
| straight to the photographer. The photographer calls to | | | | in the background and the overwhelming urge to |
| say there are double the belts we were expecting and | | | | throttle said Barbie, I try to concentrate on the job of |
| wants to know what he should shoot? Finally the | | | | being a ‘glamorous' luxury belt designer… Finally |
| samples are back at the studio and we notice that | | | | get to bed at 1am, head buzzing and exhausted |
| one of the tanneries has sent a wrong leather… The | | | | knowing I have to pack and be off first thing in the |
| photographer says he can digitally change the colour | | | | morning to catch the flight to Paris. |