$120 Plain White T-Shirts By Kanye West Sold Out Immediately And Even More…..

First check out the story between the lines (italic) taken from businessinsider.com then read my thoughts on it.

Everyone is talking about Kanye West’s $120 T-shirts that sold out almost instantly when they went on sale Sunday at 10 a.m. in Paris.
What most people don’t know is that the entire collection sold out and the online traffic crashed A.P.C.’s website, according to People StyleWatch.

The collection for French A.P.C. had only nine pieces, including two pairs of jeans, hooded sweatshirts, and a couple of T-shirts.

The items range in price from $120 to $250 and A.P.C. is taking preorders for the next shipment of the collection.

I am actually glad to read this story. I recently had a discussion with a designer I am yet to work with who has many lovely clothes but no branding and hardly a web presence. In the conversation, we discussed how her work was more detailed and better designed than some of the most popular designers out there in Ghana but yet she’s having a hard time.

I tried to explain to her that it is all well and amazing that you are a great designer, but if you have a bad presentation and your images are limited to phone pictures, your branding is limited to a Facebook page, then you are not going anywhere. I further continued to explain if she can not afford pr, she is better partnering with someone, and/or spending 80% of her time researching and doing it herself even if it means she spends only 20% of her time designing.

Branding is a fairly lost cause amongst many good creatives and talents. Kanye West’s plain white t-shirt sell-out is a perfect example to all labels that, in today’s world the quality of what you sell is only a fraction of what lures your clients. But your branding, promotion, and popularity are what will create your market.

Thank you Kanye, the next time I come across a designer who doesn’t understand why his/her clothes are not selling I would simply answer because no one cares about you, who you are, your name, your brand name, and how long it took for you to make that dress. Until you manage to make people do so, you will only sell to close people around you and the one or two open-minded people in this world. For those that spent $120 on a plain white t-shirt, I hope it looks good on you when you check yourself out in the mirror.