Navigating the Fashion-Tech Landscape: A Founder's Journey from San Francisco to Miami Swim Week
Embracing the Trough of Sorrow: Insights from a Fashion-Tech Founder's Summer Adventures
It's starting to feel somewhat repetitive in the blockchain space, with not much novelty, but it appears that there's considerable activity among the few creators who remain. Throughout this entire summer, I've striven to maintain consistency with Violet Verse. Since my last post, my visit to San Francisco has been an absolute delight. I had the chance to immerse myself in the tech ecosystem and, as a result, secured my first enterprise client for Miami Swim Week. The entire summer was devoted to the development of a community and content app for designers, buyers, and models. Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly. I launched the fashion app during Swim Week and celebrated the occasion with influencers and designers. I even hosted a dinner at Stiltsville Restaurant on South Beach and brought Barry's Bootcamp on board as a community partner, offering complimentary workouts in exchange for downloading the app and creating a profile!
The app featured:
- Custom profiles
- Custom user roles
- Community page
- Photo collection uploads for designers
It was highly tailored, yet the collaboration with the team proved quite challenging in terms of gaining approvals and going live. While I was commissioned to create this new app for Miami Swim Week, it also turned out to be a valuable lesson in project management and aligning everyone's goals. One crucial lesson I learned is that software is ever-evolving, and setting something live doesn't guarantee a smooth ride. There will always be a need for edits along the way, some of which might be strictly in the codebase. For example, I discovered that the VV software folder structure in JavaScript had been incorrectly forked on GitHub. We didn't need to create a complex editing dashboard; simple "page edits" could be accomplished through a straightforward refactor.
I also had the opportunity to participate in my first pitch competition, hosted by the Miami-Dade County Tourism Board. Winning some funds and receiving feedback from peers was a motivating experience. These moments, like the Y Combinator YouTube videos about a founder's journey, motivate me to persist, even when things get tough. It appears I might be traversing the "Trough of Sorrow" because this summer has been marked by numerous ups and downs, particularly in the quest to find product-market fit.
Violet Verse has certainly found its niche in software for the fashion media community, with a special focus on developing tools for fashion week events. Miami Swim Week emerged as my MVP, and conversations with industry leaders affirmed that conference software is a promising investment and revenue source. I've also decided to step away from engaging with venture capitalists. Pursuing VC funding seemed unproductive, as I needed concrete revenue to sustain myself. Numerous VC meetings without significant traction didn't align with my current goals. Once I shifted my focus to revenue generation, things began to improve.
In between developing fashion software, I've started writing an e-commerce lifestyle column called Lovers and Outlaws for Future Commerce. This helped me offset some of the costs of software development and keep the lights on. It's remarkable how blessings can arrive in unexpected ways, enabling me to make further progress and keep the anxiety at bay. July was truly transformative, as I had the pleasure of meeting incredible individuals, and life as a creator is truly taking shape.
Then came August, another surprising month. Unexpectedly, I was recognized as a finalist for an Innovation Award for South Florida's chapter of Fashion Group International.
It's been a whirlwind of a summer, filled with hard work and valuable experiences. I've earned my stripes and am eagerly looking forward to a strong finish to the year!
To remain a vessel for information, we’ve launched Digital Fashion Unlocked Season 3 on Apple and Spotify, with community support from Rug Radio.
Listen Here (also please rate and review!)
Goals for VV 2023:
Partner with a brand or protocol for Digital Fashion Unlocked
Develop (1) Fashion Week Platform
Fix tech issues in Github Account
Publish 5 Contributor Pieces on VV or across other VV apps
Have something to say? Become a contributor by emailing gm@violetverse.io.