Above is a pic of blogger Joz and me. She’s trying to steal my bag. Anyway.

The shortage of progress report posts lately is due to the lack of actual progress. Instead, I’ve been dabbling these days. Oh, lots of dabbling. That’s what you do when you don’t know what to do. You dabble.

For one, I’ve been designing for another designer. That has been an amazing experience and loads of fun. His style and brand point of view is distinctly different and divergent from TZ’s, so we’re in no way competitors. You could describe his label as fashion-forward and highly conscious of current trends, lots of bells and whistles. His target buyer couldn’t be a bigger contrast from my target buyer, and that’s been an interesting exercise, to design for someone with tastes really quite different from mine.

(Not a bag I would carry myself.)

(I can show you these images because they are not actually being used.)

Production wise, I’ve also been dabbling. Pretty much everywhere except the PRC now. To China’s credit, the one positive point of manufacturing there (before) was how fast they were (when they wanted to be). We are currently working with several manufacturers, none of them in China, with one in particular very dearly close to home (cross fingers), and while I have enjoyed the service experiences so far, they’re a whole lot slooooower. I’m not complaining, just saying. If you want quality and personal attention, you’re going to have to wait for it. If you want fast turnaround and cheap prices, some things will have to give, and it’s usually quality and personal attention. Good to have learned firsthand this otherwise common-sense-ish lesson. So here is me saying to you, “After personally touching the blazing flame several times, I may now confidently confirm that the fire is indeed hot. Ouch.” And folks, now you know, in case you’re an idiot like me and hadn’t known this before, yes, the metaphorical fire is quite hot.

When I’m not designing (or in pursuit of any of the other dozen of my interests), I’m the managing editor of Kartika Review, a national APIA literary arts journal. We’re currently working on finalizing the 2011 anthology, which will be due out in print later this month.

Flyer design by Lac Su.

By the way if you’re in the San Diego area and interested in APIA literature, be sure to attend our anthology launch party and reading event January 27, Friday, 8:30 p.m. at the Thumbprint Art Gallery in La Jolla, CA. Check out the Facebook page for the event. It’s organized by the lovely Jennifer Derilo, one of Kartika‘s editors, and Lac Su (look him up if you’re not already familiar with his amazing work).

With regard to that other designer, I can’t wait to tell you all more once the details of our collaboration are solidified.

I am pissed as f*** over the purse hook polish wipe things I ordered, although what can I say, maybe it’s my own darn fault.

You can’t tell from any photos I’d take of the wipes, but every wipe has embossed into it “Zheng Cheng Long.” I haven’t a f****** clue what that means nor do I care. It shouldn’t be there.

You would think after my many traumatizing experiences dealing with Chinese factories I would have known better than to order my polish wipe things from China, but I mean these were just polish wipe things, what could possibly go wrong?

I even specifically e-mailed the manufacturer prior to order, inquiring whether the wipes were completely blank, void of any designs, decorations, embossings, logos, etc. I explained who I was and what I needed the wipes for and emphasized how important it was that there were no designs, decorations, embossings, or logos of any kind on the wipes.

I mean, it was a great discounted deal. That should have been the second red flag. You get what you pay for. Still! I wouldn’t have ever expected the seller to outright lie to me!

So I now have a giant stack of purse hook polish wipes that are otherwise of good sound quality, except every one of them has “Zheng Cheng Long” embossed on them. Holy moly @#$%^&*. I don’t know what I’m going to do with these things now. I’m so pissed. So pissed. If this entire transaction had occurred in the States, you better believe I’d be seeking legal recourse. But it’s in China and ultimately, it’s just not worth pursuing. All I can do is wallow in my own fury.

The seller even had the audacity to include a Christmas card (see photo above). Gah!

Well. *breath, breath, exhale* I’ll figure something out.

In other cheerier news, let’s announce our first giveaway winner!

I opted for Excel’s random number generator. Here were the entrants:

Hubby, my finance whiz, showed me how to do this:

And the winner is…

Number 6, Laura, a “geektastic girl attempting creative proctastination” (her words, not mine) of “The Blog of Worldly Delights.”

Laura, my dear, I will be contacting you privately soon. I wanted to package the TZ purse hooks with the polish wipes and the velveteen drawstring bags, but at this point, we’re going to have to discuss further. As you can clearly see in the first part of this post, we’re having problems. Gah~!

Anyway, thanks for playing, everybody!

In other news…

Greetings from Lake Tahoe. I have paws!

Purse Hook Polish Wipes Update: I’ve been trying to negotiate with the seller. The seller not only refuses to acknowledge any fault or misrepresentation, she assures me that the “Zheng Cheng Long” is pretty. Pretty! That’s what she said! The words are pretty and is part of the decoration and design. Some people are incredible! :: sooo pissed ::

I tried again to take photos to show you what I’m talking about with the “Zheng Cheng Long.” (Below to the left is the back view of one of the TZ clutch samples. To the right–the wretched, blasted purse hook polish wipe things.)

If I do crazy funky things with the image in Photoshop, you get the following contrast, which makes the “Zheng Cheng Long” a little more visible:

Un-effing-believable! And then to add a farcical Merry Christmas card like you have no foresight that I, the buyer, will be royally pissed off… and then after I do get royally pissed off, to tell me “Zheng Cheng Long” is part of the decoration and design and it’s pretty?!

Some people (or sellers in China) are born with no shame at all. Bah humbug. Christmas indeed.

I know I’ve been inactive on this blog for the past few months, and I feel bad about that. So to segue me back into activity here on this design diary, I’m holding a bloggers’ giveaway, just a small one. I’m giving away two Taryn Zhang purse hooks. (Click on that link for more info on these nifty little doodads.)

Why two? Well, dear, because it is the giving season now. One is for you, and one is for you to give away. =)

Whatcha gotta do? Here’s a summary:

Checklist:

[  ] You’re a blogger.

[  ] Leave a comment to this post.

[  ] Share link to this blog on FB or Twitter.

[  ] Follow this blog in your blog reader.

If you win and I’ve sent you the purse hooks:

[  ] Blog about this blog on your blog.

The winner will be selected at random about two weeks from now, on December 19.

That is basically all you need to know/do to enter. If you still have questions, though, more deets after the jump.

Now here are the guidelines in long form:

TO ENTER:

1. Bona Fide Blogger. You must be authoring a blog that to date has at least 5 entries. Hence the title “bloggers’ giveaway.” [And I reserve the right to refuse awarding you if, you know, your 5-entry-blog looks fake. This is for legit bloggers, my friends.] No, your blog does not need to be about handbags or fashion. Any kind of blog will do, so long as it’s a bona fide blog.
2. One Entry Per Blogger. Sorry, no, you cannot enter a gajillion times. Only once. One entry per blogger. If you author fifty blogs and enter fifty times, that’s cheating and while I’ll probably never find out, it’s gonna be on you. Let’s play fair. One blogger, one entry. If you host multiple blogs, you get to choose which one blog to enter under.
3. Comment. Leave a comment to this post so I know you’ve entered. I’ll be selecting the winner at random from the comments section. So if you don’t leave a comment, you can’t possibly win. Does that make sense? =P Also, be sure you leave in your comment an easy way for me to privately message you in the event you win.
4. Share Via Twitter or Facebook. Share through either your Twitter or Facebook account a link to TZ. You can link this blog directly, blog.tarynzhang.com, or the TZ website, tarynzhang.com.
5. Subscribe to this Blog. Subscribe to this blog with either Bloglovin’ or your blog reader of choice. For quick links, see the right hand side bar.

Alas, there are more guidelines… keep reading… I know. I’m horrible.

ACTIONS REQUIRED, POST-GIVEAWAY:

Once I’ve selected at random a winner for this giveaway, the winner agrees to do the following after he or she has received the purse hook:

1. Post a blog entry with some reference to Taryn Zhang. Whatever you want. I trust you. The focal point of the post does not have to be about TZ, by the way. I’m self-centered, but not that self-centered. After you receive the purse hook, post something on your blog about Taryn Zhang New York. You can do a whole post featuring TZ, any one aspect of TZ, the purse hook you just got, whatevs. Go nuts. Or you can simply reference it sweetly somewhere in the post and make it seem like TZ relates to whatever was the focal point of said post. Hey, I’ll take that too. Be sure to link me to your post once it’s up. =)
2. Give away that second purse hook. Give it to your mom, your best friend since preschool, your roommate, another fellow blogger, host a giveaway on your own blog, anyone at all who you care about. That’s the only condition: someone you care about. No, sorry. Make it two conditions: (1) someone you care about, and (2) someone who will actually put a purse hook to good use. Yeah. That second condition makes sense, right? Be sure to let me know who you gave away that second purse hook to and, to satiate my curiosity, also let me know why you chose that person.
3. Complete post-giveaway actions soon. I’m not going to stamp on here a set time frame or deadline. But get it done within reason. I would say a month is within reason. If you suddenly get slammed with work in your life, within a couple months is okay, too. You get it, right?

True, the post-giveaway part that is to happen after I’ve selected the winner and sent out the purse hooks is a leap of faith on my part, but one I’ll gladly take. I’ve had an amazing, positive experience via this design diary, so I’m in!

Okay. That’s all of it. Bloggers’ giveaway to close on December 19. Love you!

Valerie of Miniskirt Murder featured me on her amazing blog and I am eager to share it with you! Her bio on the blog’s About page sums up why I am so fond of this gal: “Recovering attorney. Fledgling businessperson. Wannabe entrepreneur. Someday women’s empowerment expert (the kind of expertise that comes from experience, please).” Gee, I wonder who else that could describe. =X

Valerie and I have been exchanging e-mails on the highs and lows of both lawyering and our shared new adventures into entrepreneurship. She, like me, is starting her own small business. I highly recommend her blog, where she ruminates empirically on changing from the stable, known lifestyle of a litigation attorney to the high-risk, unknown ventures of a small busines entrepreneur. Writing wise, this woman has an amazing voice and style. She should write a book, a memoir or something! Oh, and while you’re there, please read: I know her! Sunny W. tells it like it is.

Speaking of reading…

Christine, a writer, editor, and an amazing blogger, held a giveaway for a signed copy of Patricia Engel‘s debut Vida, which I by plum luck won. So I am just diving into Vida this week. Christine’s writing style is warm, heartfelt, and intimidatingly honest. That’s an odd adverb to use with “honest,” I know, but where I come from, that’s how it seems.

I don’t have much to report on the TZ front because lately my legal work has consumed all my time and energy. I’ve come to understand too painfully well the difference between a job and a profession. A job is something you can leave at 5 pm, or whenever the stated shift ends. A job is separate and distinct from your identity. A profession, on the other hand, is part of you, or at least something you’ve made (often unwittingly) part of your identity. There is no beginning or end to your shifts. You are your profession always, and that is both the professional’s honor and her burden. Now. Go read Valerie’s and Christine’s blogs! =)

Wanted to share another painting I’ve done this summer (previous summer painting work here). The above is of Hubby and me and yes, the background is an attempt at the New York City skyline. I’ve titled it “Love On A Summer Night” and it’s currently hanging in our living room.

And those were the photos I used as reference for the painting.

In the last few weeks, work on TZ has consisted predominantly of punching away at the above machine. I have never liked that machine. As a kid I vowed I would avoid careers involving calculators. So I thought–woo!!–fashion, I’ll do fashion! Fashion is just doodling and sketching, conducting “market research” by flipping through Vogue, W Magazine, and InStyle, glossies that I’d flip through anyway, and traveling to exotic faraway locales to get inspired by pretty fabrics. Right?

Wrong. Someone should have impressed upon me just how much math would be involved in fashion design. Especially if you are starting your own business in fashion. So, folks, letting you all know now because I didn’t know then: lots and lots of math involved in fashion design. In fact, this is my second post on math; first one here: “The Mathematics of Design.” I have had to do more number crunching with that stupid machine than I ever anticipated to do voluntarily.

In any case, apologies for not having updated here in over 3 weeks. FYI during that time, I’ve done the following (and more):

• processed handbag orders (we’re not currently selling, but on occasion we get private requests from the CEO of a Fortune 500 or a bigshot lawyer partner who is integral to business dealings from my day job, and we feel we can’t and shouldn’t turn down such requests);
• finalized production orders for the handbags, dustbags and eco-friendly reusable non-woven totes that each order will come with;
• worked on production of custom TZ purse hangers (they’re really cute!);
• worked on custom TZ packaging materials;
• worked some on our trademark application with the USPTO (we’ve been having some complications with the TZ logo trademark app., though the situation is finally on the up and up, yay!); and
• lastly, because I felt I had been lacking in civic participation, applied to be a commissioner in my city’s Arts and Culture Commission, where we oversee the allocation of city funds to public art. I just had my interview with the mayor last week for the commissioner position..

So although it’s been quiet on this blog, it’s been hectic in real life.

Me logging inventory. It’s one of the less glamorous aspects of the gig.

Examining different samples of non-woven totes we’re giving away in lieu of dustbags.

 My favorite tote sample: it rolls up into a tiny, convenient, portable pouch!

Of course, the TZ one will be in black, with our logo and name in gray.

 Designing the TZ purse hangers. They’re made in Taiwan! =) The shaded in dotted sections mean recessed and sandblasted; not-shaded means raised and smooth metal.

I did want to sound off on another aspect of this venture that has been a bit of a reality check. I started TZ for art’s sake. I love all things art and this was my way of dabbling in the creative and maintaining full control of the creative. I thought if I had worked for a fashion house or found employment through my art, I would not have full control because I would have to tailor my work to a client or my company. I’ve seen this tension a hundred times over in the producers, writers, graphic designers and artists my day job firm have retained in the past. You can see the irritation in the artist’s eyes when the client (our company) rips apart the work, shoves it back at the artist and tells him or her to do something totally different (and totally outside that artist’s style).

Launching my own label meant 100% creative control, I thought. Not so. Instead of being controlled by a client, as my own label I am controlled by economics. And it feels awful.

For example, I had wanted to offer each design in many color options, with each color option representative of a specific personality facet: black for the traditionalist, brown for the lover of classics, red for the bold and intrepid, an antique rose pink for the feminine, and the working women among us with a softer side, etc. Now I can only offer each design in two color options. Two! Picking two colors from a rainbow of hues, tints and tones, the infinite spectrum of swatches availed to me, was torture. Also choices in hardware got limited as well. We didn’t compromise on the material quality, so the vegan leather we picked is still super nice. However I won’t get all the cool custom TZ hardware I wanted. Sigh.

Another thing I’ve been doing: making minor but critical adjustments to the bags. For example, the Precisionist satchel. See below. The black bag on the right is photoshopped to show what I want the final product to look like. The marked up light green bag on the left is the current actual sample.

Another example: added a patch behind the metal TZ logo plate on the Peripatetic weekender tote. See below. Also changed the positioning of the decorative chains.

Speaking of the Peripatetic, I’ve been carrying one of the original Peripatetic samples for quite some time now, the one in a smoky violet color (which won’t appear in the finalized color options for this collection).

This particular version of the Peripatetic got rejected by me pretty quickly because I didn’t like how minimal the contrast was between the light smoky purple color and the darker smoky purple color. The light should have been lighter and the dark should have been way, way darker.

Also, the mock alligator skin didn’t sit well with me at all. It felt like plastic. Plus I’m just not into mock alligator skin (or real alligator skin for that matter). I just don’t see the draw in slinging a dead animal over your shoulder, or even mimicking one. By the way Hubby picked the material. He saw it in a swatchbook and said he liked it. I said I didn’t, but ordered one in the mock alligator skin anyway to appease him. He still likes it. Me not so much.

In any case, I now have this single sample of this mock alligator smoky purple Peripatetic, so I’ve been using it. As it turns out, the functionality of this design is fantastic and I don’t even care that I dislike the color, dislike the material, and this is more of a weekend/casual bag than business-formal. I still carry it to work. It fits everything. It’s got all those interior and exterior pockets. In the interior pockets I can organize my pens, sunglasses, and cell phone; for the exterior pockets, I can stash my business cards in one compartment, my lipgloss in another, quickly tuck away receipts when I’m out shopping, it’s just the most useful bag. Here’s to hoping that future purchasers of the Perpipatetic weekender tote will love it and find it as useful as I do!

More production and collection design updates soon, once I have cool photos from production or the purse hangers, bags, or packaging, etc. to show. I’ll conclude this post with a link to an article: “True Activism Missing In Asian American Fashion Designers” posted over at 8Asians.com.

The gut response to that piece might be that political activism is missing among fashion designers generally, not just among Asian Americans, but that’s not true. Fashion and politics have always been intertwined. If you want to know what the political climate is of a society, just look to that society’s fashion trends. There is a great Barbara Walters interview with Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, where Wintour addresses this point. (In the video linked, start at 3:18 where Walters asks Wintour, “Does the mood of the country affect fashion?”)

Considering how “exotic Oriental styles” are being pushed this season (and will be again in Fall 2011) as a “hot trend,” it’s appropriate to critique how and why someone’s cultural heritage could get turned into a mere fad. First, I construe the fad as indicative of how the Western world to this day perceives the Asian Diaspora in the West: as perpetual foreigners. No matter how long I or my parents or the generations of my family have lived in the States, no matter how American I feel at my core, I am still seen as something exotic. Perhaps the way we Asian American activists can challenge that stereotype, then, is to challenge the “exotic Oriental” fashion trend. Something for our dear Asian American fashionistas to think about. =)