Diversity and Development (Article)

Diversity is a very important aspect of human life. So I decided to research its role in the development of people and I came across this article posted on The Economist in July 15th, 2004 about specifically that.


Here is the link: http://www.economist.com/node/2926697


This is a quote that I found interesting in the article:
"Diversity and development might seem to sit oddly together. But they are intimately linked..."
I'm not too sure why this line stood out, but I thought it would be an interesting thing to share.

Website Update

Hey, everyone go check out the website @ http://aseattire.com ! No products are up yet, but the website is pretty much finalized.

Project Blog (Week 2)

Welcome, to Ase Attire! Here we will be making our own shirts and have total control over what happens. We use cultural or tribal designs to influence our shirts. We plan to use similar techniques used by the Native Americans, Greeks and Romans, Africans and the Arabs. We think that these designs and techniques are nice and can’t be found on many other shirts on the internet. So we have taken advantage of this in order to set ourselves apart from the competition. Intricate patterns, simple designs, and excellent quality.

                This week we launched the social media outlets and have started showing some of the designs (They’ve been posted on the blog already). We made an Instagram (with 26 followers in a day and counting), a Facebook page, a twitter, the actual website domain name has been bought and we have Nathan Leung (of Leung Enterprises) making it. We don’t have many designs to show yet, but you can’t really get a respectable company up and running in less than two months.

I’m starting to think that this project will be less about sales and actual selling of the shirts as much as it will be about preparing it and all the things that go on behind the scenes. Personally, I think that the creative side of the shirt business is simpler, but harder to report on. While on Arslan’s side, it’s rather black and white and not really varying in information. There are set rules to a business plan and methods that have been proving for balancing a proper budget. But the creativity aspect is an open-ended question where the answer is left up to the artist and the accuracy is up to the customer. There isn’t a right or a wrong way. There are just things that work and things that don’t.

My tasks in the upcoming weeks are to design (obviously) and look up the importance of self-expression, culture, and diversity in human life. If culture is going to be part of my inspiration, then it’s imperative that I research its role in society and everyday life. So look out for a few articles or websites I may post in the future.

DIY Shirt Company

One of the articles I read are http://t-shirt-business.com/how-to-start-a-t-shirt-business-quick-guide.

A real do it yourself site. It talks about where to buy what, but the cost is a bit expensive for us. This talks about buying the actually press machines and the various ink colors and stuff like that. Also there is no creative advice. It’s entirely based on making shirts for the people around us, businesses, the school, sports teams and the like. We are considering doing this as well because it has an already existing and ever evident audience. but I'd like to keep this separate from the Ase name. They don't really mix in my mind.

Samples

It may not be much, but I drew up three basic shirts today. We're considering making long sleeve shirts as well as t-shirts, so these are the long sleeve and short sleeve designs. They're pretty rough and don't even have colors yet. These aren't ready to be put onto the shirts and are still in development. Nevertheless, here they are:

Social Media Expansion

If any of you would like to support the company, then follow us and share us on social media. In the upcoming weeks, we'll start posting designs and things of the sort. The website should be up and running soon as well.
Facebook: Ase Attire
Instagram: @Ase_Attire_Co
Twitter: @Ase_Attire
Website: AseAttire.com

"Ase" and Why It Is the Perfect Name

I understand that the name "Ase" may be a bit out there, but there is good reasoning behind it. (The name of the company was almost "Ase Ire" (ah-shey-ee-ray), but I think it would have run a bit long. The word "Ase" is Yoruba for the life force that flows through our bodies. It is a greeting, and a statement meaning "right on!" A feeling of belonging and embracement of diversity. When I go to my masjid, I hear it all over the place. Mostly as a substitute for, "I know that's right!", but occasionally as, "What's up?" Friendly and welcoming, it is highly spiritual and exactly the effect that we want the readers of our site and our customers to feel.




Culture is running through the veins of this company from the name to the product. For more information I hope you want to know, check out this site below:


http://www.aseire.com/meaning.php

Pre-Project Blog (Week 1)

I’m not going to lie, this whole T-shirt idea could go one of two ways, either up or down. The up is we sell a lot of shirts and expand. We start to design more shirts and are able to include more people, we get big in the area, and we just move up from there. The down is we design shirts that are liked by few people and are only bought in small quantities. Then the business dies and we are left with nothing to learn from and no way of rebounding. The second one is a natural fear that should pass when the first shirt is sold.

But despite that, both scenarios are in pursuit of common goals. They both chase the measurable goals of having our own products of quality, development of a spirit that is hungry for sales, production of sales, not even profits, and collaboration as well as utilization of the existing network of people around us. I think that the most important one on this list is the last and the first. The first because it shows that we were working for the 5 weeks that we have, and the last because it really is one of the ultimate tests of our progress in life and our entrepreneurial abilities. Networking is important in life, and to be able to prove this at our presentation by showing its role in the end product, I feel like we will then be seen as real business men.

I learned networking’s importance from my father from a young age, indirectly, but I learned it nonetheless. We will be able to see our progress by the number of friends we make or use to help the business. Our success can be measured in the amount of profits that we make. We will be able to see the progress in the increase in creativity of our shirts. For example, the first shirts we make may be simple and rather bland, but then the shirts we release will be better crafted, including maybe the use of more colors or more detailed designs, or maybe just a better quality material was used than the first order of shirts. But this is all in the weeks ahead, and only our efforts and time will tell what profits we reap.

P.S. I just realized that I’m not doing this for the grade, I’m doing this because I want to and because it will help me. And isn’t that truly what these projects are for?