Creative director, Katelyn Pankoke, started Elaya Vaughn, a vintage inspired bridal line, in 2010.

  Elaya Vaughn values quality fabrics and attention to detail

  Supports fair labor

  All gowns are made here in Chicago!

  Elaya Vaughn prides itself on creating an overall experience for brides

To provide every type of bride with “The One”: A gown of artful femininity, and a memento to keep

for a lifetime.

Creative director, Katelyn Pankoke, started Elaya Vaughn in 2010. The name, Elaya Vaughn, comes from two of Pankoke’s family names.

Katelyn has been designing for ten years; however, as with most girls, her interest in bridal began early on in life. Katelyn earned a Bachelor’s degree in Apparel Design and Technology. While still in school, she began her career with commissioned design work that consisted mostly of evening wear. It has always been her goal to start her own line, and that time has finally come.

As a designer, Katelyn is very detail oriented; this is evident in the textile manipulation, and other fine details seen in each of her designs. As creative director, Katelyn ensures that each gown consists of the highest quality of materials. Katelyn is a proponent of fair labor and is proud of keeping the manufacturing of her gowns in The USA. Katelyn describes her design aesthetic as artful femininity. Foremost in her focus is the fit of her designs and how they make the bride feel. Katelyn insists that Elaya Vaughn is more than a brand; Elaya Vaughn is an Experience. Katelyn also understands that a wedding gown is unlike any other purchase a woman will make, and she is determined to make sure that this experience is just as unforgettable as the wedding itself.

This past year has been particularly exciting for Katelyn and the whole Elaya Vaughn family. Katelyn is a contestant on Season 11 of Project Runway. After taking home a big wins on the Heidi Klum, Surprise challenge, Katelyn has become known for her structure and corsetry.

In the beginning of 2013 Katelyn started working with the Chicago Fashion Incubator as a Designer in Residence at Macy’s on State Street. This past Spring has presented Kate with great opportunities and connections that are sure to help make Elaya Vaughn a success.

Katelyn was recently engaged this past December to her high school sweetheart. Now the ultimate question, what will she wear

  Age: 18-32                  

  Sex: Female                       

  Family Life Cycle: Engaged                       

  Income: $40,000 and up                       

  Education: College degree or currently in college  

  Occupation: Business woman                       

  Religion: All                     

  Ethnic Background: All  

The Elaya Vaughn girl is independent and knows what she wants. She is 18-32 years old, hard-working, and has job in the business field that involves expressing her creativity. She has an income of $40,000 and up, and loves to spend her extra money on creative hobbies. The Elaya Vaughn girl can come from any ethnic background or religion, but has a style that is all about modern vintage, and romance. She wants her gown to reflect her personal style, and to be made from the highest quality materials and embellishments. As a bride she is looking to spend $30,000 dollars on her wedding. She wants the complete experience when finding a gown, and wants her gown to be a memento she can treasure for a lifetime.

  Kate’s Vision

  Change of Deliverables

  Our Roles   Marisa – Visual & Marketing Coordinator

  Claire – Design & Operations Coordinator

  Renee – Business & Financial Coordinator

 How we utilized social media networks

 Benefits

 Challenges

The 4 P’s:   Product

 Unique, extravagant gowns complete with Elaya Vaughn’s signature metal coil boning

  Place  Boutiques, trunk shows, online website, and blogs

  Promotion  Reaching brides through blogs, Pinterest, social media

  Price  Wholesale = $750 - $2500  Retail = $1500 - $5,000

 Main Competitors:

 Anne Bowen  Claire Pettibone

 Main differences: EV uses a special metal-coil boning where as competitors use plastic or even none at all. Perfect fit for every shape and size.

Strengths • Domestic Production • Environmentally Conscious • Accessibility • Quality Garments • Low variable costs • Youth and Publicity • Family supported and structured • Established/household name

Weaknesses • Lack of solid sourcing • Organization • Understanding the customer • Understanding constraints • Targeted/strategic visibility • Stragetic planning • Lack of financial accounting • Customer base

Opportunities • Selling in the Chicago Market • Utlizing the current publicty • Current wedding trends in favor of Elaya Vaughn design aesthetic

• Advertising in Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine, The Knot, and Style Me Pretty Blog

Threats • Risk of Audit • Increased Competition • Advertising rates are rising • Wedding budgets seem to be shrinking

Before A"er

Design Process Garment Engineering

Submit Design Samples to vendors/buyers • Include style sheet, construction details,

fabrication, accessories, etc.

Sales Sample • Sample made in actual fabric/accessories • Pre-Production meeting • Define/Purchase all raw materials needed • Create bills of materials • Create Price Lists

Sales Order • Create purchase orders for style items • Perform material planning

Pattern Design • Sample Making • Production pattern • Grading • Marker Making • Spreading • Cutting • Quality Check • Sorting/Bundling

Sewing/Assembling • Garment Construction • Inspection • Pressing/Finishing • Final Inspecition • Packing

Generate Allocation and Delivery Proposals • Confirm Shipments • Sales Order Updates • Distribution • Financials

An Alliance of five key partners working together to support the UK’s high-end designer manufacturing sector

Designer Name Here Date

Garment Description Style No. Check

Fabric e.g. Red Silk Satin

Seam Type e.g. Open - satin bound

Seam Allowance e.g. 4mm

Zip e.g. 18cm invisible

Fastenings e.g. 4 24l buttons

Stitches per inch e.g. 15

Thread Type e.g. Gutermann 70

Thread Colour

Interlining

Pad

Key Measurement 1

Key Measurement 2

Key Measurement 3

Key Measurement 4

Key Measurement 5

Content Label

Logo Label

Swing Ticket

Hanger

Bag

Other

Other

Comments

Quality control and garment specification checklist

 Group Dynamic/Teamwork:

 Our experience

 What worked within our team  Our Challenges

 Key Takeaways

 Marisa’s Press Kit

 Renee’s Accounting/Finances