Fashion is a staple within
the Second Life community. Without it, we could not express our personal style.
There are many talented designers in the virtual world, each with their own
creative style and vision. Among them is Journey McLaglen.
She has been filling
my personal wardrobe for the past few years, including custom pieces you won’t
find in world or on the SL marketplace. I thought it is about time I share her
with the rest of you. Prism Designs prêt à porter is for fashion forward divas
that like to dress to impress and won’t settle for anything less.
Journey McLaglen rezzed on
the scene December 20, 2006 and brought with her a unique fashion sense that
can be seen worn by many fashionistas across the grid.
Prism Designs is a two story
fashion boutique located on Bal Harbour.
When you arrive at this store, you are presented with open space
shopping that is light and airy.
One quote she has in her
profile that sums up the type of person she is states,
“When you find peace within yourself, you become
the kind of person who can live at peace with others.”
This rings true when you are
in the presence of kind genuine people and Journey is definitely one of them.
She takes customer service seriously and puts her best into creating high
quality fashion.
Interview with Journey McLaglen
Lanai: Hi Journey, I am excited to present our
readers with such a talented designer. Let me start of by saying thank you for
one of the most fabulous custom dresses I have hanging in my virtual closet. I
received so many compliments when I wear it.
Journey: Thank you for
featuring me and Prism, Lanai. We are so proud to have you wear the Prism
brand. Prism has grown into a team effort with some of my dearest SL friends
who started as models with Prism when it was new.
Today these talented ladies
– Jezzixa Cazelet, Evita szuster …., Sererika Capra, Angeleena Capalini, Maia McKeenan and Honeybear
Lilliehook – have become the heart and soul of Prism. Without them I would be
lost. They provide photography, model, handle hunts and events, work with the
bloggers, fill shopping bags, reset vendors and are even trying their hand at
designing. Jezz particularly is getting very good. It is truly a team effort.
Lanai: It
is great that there is a team effort involved In Prism. I know it helps
tremendously in business here in Second Life but before we get into Prism
Designs, I wanted the readers to get to know a bit about you. Where are you
from and how did you discover Second life?
Journey: Well, I am one with
Journey and she with me, but in real life my name is Cindy. I live in Katy,
Texas, a suburb of Houston and work in marketing in the oil and gas industry.
In real life, my specialty is brand culture development and management but I also
handle organizational change and blended learning development, which usually
are the key changes in a business that adversely affect the culture.
As a teenager growing up in
the Florida Keys, I never would have imagined I would be working in some of the
largest companies in the world. But I always wanted to make a difference and
improve people’s lives. For years I did it through social responsibility
projects and now I get to help people when the company is hurting and the
employees are stressed. I go to work each day with the hope of making
noticeable improvements in the working environment and helping people rally
around the brand they represent.
Lanai: Thank you for sharing a bit about
yourself. It sounds like you have a very rewarding life both in and outside of
SL. Would you say Second Life is a hobby or an extension of your real life?
Journey: Second Life and
design are a creative release for me, and making clothing that makes my fellow
SL’ers smile is a labor of love. I look forward to logging in each night --after
spending time with my RL family, I then get to spend time with my SL family.
Part of Prism is an
extension of my real life and that is the dedication to marketing and brand. I
am proud to have a brand that my employees and customers have an emotional
connection with.
Lanai: Creating a balance between rl and Sl is very
important. I’m glad to hear you are able to organize such a schedule. You
should be proud of your accomplishments, you do a wonderful job. What do you
like most about Second Life when you aren’t working?
Journey: Definitely the
people! There are so many wonderful people here and since we are all equally
beautiful on the outside, it gives the inside a chance to shine without the
distortions we might have in RL – perceptions that are influenced by the media
and images of impossible perfection.
There is nothing more
rewarding for me than to meet people and get to know them from the inside out.
And to dress these beauties is a dream come true. I am so happy to help our
Prism customers feel beautiful through and through, because they are.
Lanai: I cannot agree more with that statement.
The people here are what make SL worth logging in for me too and I like that we
meet from the inside out. There are so many that inspire my creativity. Where
do you draw your inspiration from when you begin sketching your designs?
Journey: A lot of my
inspiration comes from the environment and from social interaction. I may see a
basic mixture of textures on the runway or in a magazine and I imagine them in
variations in SL. You can see those variations in my clothing. I usually do
about six versions of each outfit and they look so unique from one another. You
will seldom run into anyone wearing the exact same thing when they are wearing
Prism.
Lanai: My closet is full of Prism clothing in all
kinds of colors and styles. I really like the fit and styles you come up with.
You certainly have an eye for what is trending. Do you work with a business
partner or is this a solo endeavor?
Journey: As I mentioned
earlier, this is definitely a team effort. If I did it on my own it would be a
full-time job. But pitching in together we are able to do so much. And this
leaves us all a little wiggle room to enjoy our Second Life and get creative.
I consider every member of
my team to be a partner in Prism. Instead of a salary, the team is set up on
the servers to share part of the revenues so they are as much invested in the
success of Prism as I am, and they reap the same rewards.
I try to spend at least four
evenings and one weekend day on design. The team makes that possible for me.
Honestly, they are the most giving and caring women I have ever met and they
are very loyal and committed to the brand. It would not exist without them.
Lanai: Commitment and Loyalty are two of the most
important traits when working with others and it sounds rewarding to everyone
involved. So going behind the scenes, can
you give me an idea about what goes into a design from start to finish?
Journey: First there is the actual
decision about what I will make. Then I must decide what pieces are mesh,
prims, or system items.
Production of the mesh and
prim pieces comes next. Sometimes I use exclusive or semi exclusive meshes
designed by some of my wonderful artistic friends in the SL design world. I
have also invested in Maya and am now learning to work in Maya’s 3D
environment. It is exciting and fun, I only wish I had more time for learning.
Then I head to Photoshop or
sometimes GIMP depending on what I need to do. GIMP does a few things really
well like netting. Photoshop definitely allows for a lot more creativity.
System pieces are layered in
the avatar framework. Mesh clothing is painted into layers over the UV map. A
typical outfit can have 20-25 layers used to create the highlights, shadows and
wrinkles that make the clothing realistic. These will all be blended together
to create the final texture.
I enjoy producing the
fabrics themselves more than anything. I always produce unique fabrics and only
use them once. My latest fabric creation is windowpane which is often used in
suiting. I just finished a set of belted tunic sweaters, each in a different
knit stitch.
Lanai: You have so many nice separates in your
collection. I really like that I can mix and match your outfits. I also noticed
a lot of new items. How often do you add to your collection?
Journey: I try to do three
new outfits a month and Jezz is now doing one new outfit a month. Her clothing
is identified in the store with her name. I encourage my team to design and
want them to be known for their work.
The separates are handled by
Jezz, and Ange. They tediously break down outfits to find unique pieces that
could be sold individually. And Evita combs through my designs to find textures
I created for an outfit but never used.
Jezz also does the Lola
appliers. I admire her work there. It is no easy task to match my design over
those big boobies without getting stretch!
Lanai: lol. I see you take into consideration all
body shapes and sizes. Everybody loves a good sale. I couldn’t help but notice a section that
included some high quality clothes priced at only 75L, What is your average
price range?
Journey: A new outfit
typically goes for about 400 linden but I never do just an outfit. There is
always a surprise inside like shoes, a scarf, jewelry or a jacket. These can be
used with the outfit or on their own. If the outfit has fewer pieces or if it
is a simple design, we will sometimes introduce it in the 300L range. Typically
the price of the outfit directly reflects the number of hours I have had to put
into the design.
A typical outfit with six different color schemes takes me one
week from start to completion.
Sales are determined by
Evita, our financial expert. She carefully watches to see what is selling and
what is not. Sometimes she recommends a reshoot of another color in the outfit
to freshen interest. These statistics are also used to determine what colors
become exclusives and what goes on sale. Evita is a banker in RL and brilliant.
Her spreadsheets give us a million ways to look at our results.
Lanai: Researching statistics like that
definitely works in your favor. Besides what is trending now, I know people
like giveaways and hunts. Do you do them?
Journey: Oh yes. The team,
led by Jezz, all get involved with the group gifts. They love to find exciting
things to give for gifts. It becomes a treasure hunt in my inventory to find
items I designed but did not release.
The hunts are a quite a
lot of work. Sere and Jezzixa keep them rolling according to schedule.
Maia also manages
exclusives for fund raisers, plans events and contests and is our blogger
manager. She also keeps me on track for delivering those items on time.
Evita helps us get
additional exposure by making our clothes available on Marketplace and several
of the top shopping regions like Mimi's Choice!
Lanai: I
agree, those activities can be time consuming. I like that you get involved in
fundraisers to. You are a woman of style and class with a giving nature. Let’sa talk about colors. What seem to be the
most popular color this season and what is currently your best seller?
Journey: Well, black is the
new black! Yes, black is back, particularly black and white, but color and
prints are still strong. The fabrics that are popular at this time of year are
tweed, herringbone, knits, plaids and leather. The top colors in fall fashion
this year are hunter green, leaf green, marine blue, cassis purple, stop red,
patina brown, and storm grey.
Lanai: Those are some nice earthy colors for this
fall. I am also a big fan of black and white, I just love that
combination. While browsing Prism Designs,
I noticed some limited edition items around the boutique. Once they are gone,
they are gone forever or can they still be found on the marketplace?
Journey: Limited editions
are definitely limited to the number on the vendor. When they are sold they are
gone forever. Typically when I am making an outfit, I will do one or two extra
in special colors and designs. These are used for holiday specials, exclusives,
and special events.
Lanai: That’s a good way to add some exclusive items
to a wardrobe! I will have to keep an eye on those limited editions. The worst
thing to be faced with is going to a party and someone is wearing your same
exact outfit. Ahhhh! lol
Let’s talk about custom designs. You did an
amazing job on my dress. I gave you a kindergarten level drawing and you turned
my vision into a reality. If a customer wants something custom, what steps do
they need to take to make an order and how long do they usually take to be
delivered?
Journey: Well Lanai…you are
very special. I do not usually do custom. But once in a while for a special
person or reason I will do it. Timing is also critical. It helps to approach me
when I am ahead on my designs and have one or two things in the hopper. It is
impossible to price a custom piece. Anywhere from 9-16 hours can go into one
exclusive item. This is why so few people do custom work.
Lanai: Aww Journey, you are so sweet. I think
highly of you too and thank you again for that gown, I can tell you put a lot
of thought into it. It is exactly how I imagined. I can also see how custom
work can be quite time consuming for designers. Do you participate in fashion shows and other
activities here in Second Life when you have time?
Journey: Well, I am not perceived
as the most social person because design is so time consuming and I work full
time in RL but I do try to get out and have fun and can sometimes be lured away
from the sim to play for a while. Prism participates in about two shows a
month. Maia manages them and makes sure they stay on schedule.
Lanai: You offer Prism Gift Cards. How can new
customers redeem them at your store?
Journey: It is really quite
simple. We use the BSM (aka Bejamble) Vendor System. All you have to do to
redeem a gift card is wear it once and remove it. It will credit the value of
the card to your SL account in our store. It shows up as store credits. You can
check your available store credit from any vendor in the store and also at the
store kiosk.
To use the credit in your
account, simply touch the item you wish to purchase and select the store credit
button. That is all you have to do.
Lanai: I know you are a busy lady, so before I
let you get back to work, what do you have in store for the Prism Designs
Collection in 2014?
Journey: Well the big thing
for us will be men’s clothing. I have made many promises to do it and will
finally make true to my word. I might also try my hand at skins. Other than
that, I can definitely promise the latest fashion trends for prêt à porter,
which is French for ready to wear. That is the Prism niche. There are some very
good haute couture designers in SL but the market is limited. This is why at
Prism we have chosen to focus on fun, trendy, fresh-off-the-catwalk prêt à
porter.
Lanai: I
cannot wait to see your men’s line! Men’s fashion really needs a boost in SL’s
fashion world so I am sue you will do fantastic. Journey, it was a pleasure
chatting with you. Is there anything else you wanted to share with our readers
before we end this interview?
Journey: Thank you Lanai. As
always it is wonderful to visit with you. Yes there is one important thing -- I
would like to encourage all of those who want to learn to design to follow
their passion whether it be fashion, furniture, accessories, or hair, whatever.
I have mentored many SL designers in my years in here and it is so rewarding to
see them succeed. I am always open to design questions from new designers. Be
patient with yourselves. Your skills will improve with every outfit you make.
.
Join the Prism Designs group
to stay up to date with freebies, new releases and Prism Events.
SHOP AT BAL HARBOUR
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