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Luxury fashion label Prada is pursuing annual growth of 23.5 per cent over the next five years, according to statements given to its banks.

The company forecasts sales of more than £1 billion by 2010, through a focus on its lucrative Prada and Miu Miu labels, more effective use of showcase stores, and upping the efficiency of its supply chain.

The company, which will also focus on strong brands Azzedine Alaia and Car Shoe, is targeting a sales increase of 3.2 per cent annually.

Prada has already sectioned off unprofitable units Jil Sander, Helmut Lang and Church’s - the British footwear business in which it has a minority holding - with the creation of a new company, Prada SpA, which excludes underperforming businesses.

The company said its shareholders were looking at a range of offers for the Jil Sander and Helmut Lang brands, but that it was not pressured to sell either one.
While Jil Sander is due to be relaunched with new creative leadership, Helmut Lang’s cost base has been frozen will the company considers future options for the unit.

Prada has forecast a 6.9 per cent rise in this year’s sales to €1.29bn, and profits of €51.7 million compared with last year’s €61.96m loss.

The positive predictions come after Prada SpA netted a 23.3 per cent earnings hike for the six months ended in July, plus a sales rise of 5.6 per cent.

Source: just-style.com

It is said, to be successful in selling, you must be passionate about what you sell. This is easy if you love designer handbags and fashion. Fashion is a huge industry. Wholesale designer handbags and fashion is also quickly becoming a very large and profitable industry.

But as good as it sounds, there are many things to know before you jump in and become a designer handbag wholesaler.

The most important issue you must understand is the manufacturing and distribution channels of the top designers. The production of designer handbags is almost a top-secret event. With the heavy competition between the designers to offer the latest and hottest trends for the up coming season, handbag manufacturers keep quite about their production runs, the quantity they will produce and orders must be placed two or three seasons in advance just to get any product. What does this mean to you, the wholesaler? It means that you cannot call up GUCCI or Hermes and ask for a couple hundred bags and expect to not get laughed at (in Italian of French of course). It also means that the top designer handbag manufacturers only supply their product to large retailers, small boutiques and maybe a website with an exclusive contract.

So where do all the handbags that you see for sale online come from? Well, that is the key to getting into the wholesale designer handbag business. Most of the bags come from intentional or unintentional overstock by the small to medium size boutiques oversees. They will sell off their surplus of last season’s handbags to distributors who will then sell them to wholesalers. It is your goal to find these distributors.

To find reputable, honest dealers who distribute authentic merchandise is tricky. There are a couple of things to consider.

**Most dealers that sell designers from Italy, France and England are not found in the US. It only makes sense. They need to have a close relationship with the boutiques, and very rarely the manufacturers themselves, that supply them with their overstock. So become familiar with what country the handbags you want to sell were originally produced.

**Learn the language. You will need to learn a little Italian or French. Just enough to understand colors, styles and shapes of the handbags when you are given an inventory list. It would also be good to know enough to at least say hello and what your intentions are when initially contacting the dealer. Learning the language is also extremely helpful when conducting searches on the internet. Don’t limit your search to pages here in the US, search google and yahoo in Italian and French as well.

**Contact as many dealers as possible. This will help to validate which ones are honest and have an interest in a business relationship. Once you have received the inventory/price list from several dealers, cross reverence them. Are the prices similar? Are the quantities on hand reasonable? This is important to gage if the dealer is selling authentic merchandise. If he has 600 of a particular bag, chances are they are not real. It is not reasonable, given the means in which he most likely purchases his stock and the production methods of the manufacturing, that he would have so many of one style.

**Understand all terms of sale prior to placing an order. It is not uncommon that the dealer will want a deposit on your order. You will usually commit 30% up front and pay the remainder when the items have shipped. Many dealers will only accept bank transfers. This is where becoming a designer handbag wholesaler takes a great deal of faith. A bank transfer offers no protection from the dealer taking your money and never shipping product. If he was dishonest and took the funds, but shipped nothing, you could have very little recourse. Unlike a money order or credit card purchase, there is no 3rd party protection. At the least, make sure you have the dealers phone number, complete business address and email address.

Of course, like with all start-up business, there are many, many more things to consider. But to make your search for the right distributor easier, we highly recommend going to ModaImports.com. Unlike the many lists and directories that claim to offer true sources for authentic designer handbags, ModaImports.com has used, or contacted, all of the sources on their Supplier Database.

If you have a passion for fashion and are looking to start your own lucrative business, wholesale authentic designer handbags is a great business opportunity.

Shopping in Beverly Hills last week I strolled Wilshire Boulevard popping in and out of fancy stores sizing up all the new designer handbags. There are a number of new looks for Fall 2005, and prices have a new look, too. Did you know designer handbags have become the staple in most wardrobes? It doesn’t take a genius to buy a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, but to purchase the correct designer handbag to pull it all together has become quite an art.

In conversations with many handbag salespeople, it was obvious the upcoming season will offer a variety of wild colors, exotic leathers, and metallic finished leathers. They will appear in shoulder styles, clutches, slings and large totes. Most designer bags remain consistent in size and function. The variations from season to season come to color, hardware, texture and price.

Prices are a difficult topic for handbag lovers to discuss, it became the purpose of the Beverly Hills shopping trip. Which designers will rise to the top? Which handbags will have the highest price tags? These thoughts offered astonishing observations wondering through the high-end boutiques and department stores.

Doing a bit of mental gymnastics with a few designer handbag price tags, it became obvious a calculator was needed! Prices are competing with Los Angeles mortgage payments! One designer bag, constructed of scratch resistant, pebble grain calf leather, had a hefty $3500.00 price tag. Durability to last a life time is a major characteristic of a quality handbag, but let’s get real here, women change handbags as often as they change their nail polish. Paying hefty prices for a designer handbag a few times each month is fashionable, but not healthy or wise.

Not mentioning any names, a lengthy conversation with a handbag specialist in a very well-known department store shed light on the day’s mission. We strolled the designer handbag department with calculator in hand. Punching in numbers of our favorite high-end designer, we came up with a hefty five-figure total for 10 handbags. Then, with jaws dropped open, the average price was uncovered! As expected, little was left to shock and surprise. Based on a sampling of the designer handbag prices, the price for a brand new, high-end designer handbag this season averages an all-time high of $2000.00 USD.

Oh my! What a price we pay to pull it all together with that pair of denim jeans and T-shirt! We have become the hunters in search of the best designer handbag we can find. And, when we know it will coordinate with a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, then we know we’ve selected the best bag. We want to look good, and we want to feel good, too. It would be nice to know we can purchase a bag from a new designer and still make a mortgage payment this same month.

Here’s a solution. For those of us who know style and don’t want to compromise quality, find a designer handbag expert to coach and guide your investments. Lacking modesty, I’ll volunteer recommendations on a variety of designer handbags available at a fraction of what you’d expect to pay in a retail store.

You can actually purchase several handbags for the average cost of one designer handbag if you shop wisely. If you are a true designer handbag addict, and you purchase a new handbag whenever you get the urge, then you need a reliable source. Shop carefully at sites specializing in designer handbags, and you’ll find your favorite designers at as much as 50% less than the average cost on Rodeo Drive!

Real or fake? This question is asked of a lot of things: paintings, jewelry, bosoms and yes, handbags. Whether your Louis Vuitton is real or fake is your business, isn’t it?

Well, yes and no. Obviously, if your LV is real, you will probably eagerly correct anyone that hints that it is not. After all, you paid good money for the bag, and might even be appalled that someone would assume it is a replica.

On the other hand, if your bag were a replica, would you really tell people that it is a fake? Would you tell them by purchasing a replica, instead of the real thing, that you knowingly took money away from the designers that created the real bag? Would you mention that the money you spent for the bag possibly went to terrorist organizations. Or that the manufactures of your fake bag could have used their handbag business to transport thousands of dollars worth of cocaine into the country? I doubt you would mention any of these things to an inquisitive acquaintance.

I know it sounds harsh, but knowingly buying a replica bag is wrong. (Note: buying replica handbags is not illegal but selling them is.)

Designers like Gucci, Kate Spade, Chanel and Hermes charge so much for their product because they are highly sought after and they are made from quality materials. Many bags by these designers are made by hand. Also, these designers spend millions on advertising, customer care, quality assurance and customs. By buying a replica, you are taking directly from these designers.

Buying replicas also takes from the US economy. Companies that sell replica handbags often do so as cash based, tax free business. If you have bought a replica handbag before, think back, did you pay tax for on the purchase. Probably not.

We all know that authentic designer handbags are pricey, but that doesn’t mean you should buy a knock-off. Just because something is out of your price range is no reason to rip off the company that manufactures the product.

Real or replica…which is right for you? I don’t really see you have a choice. Always buy real.

I was flipping through this months Elle. There’s some terrific style information in it! Looks like we’ve made it full circle to the 1970s. For some of us we’ll get to relive some of our favourite fashions but there may be some ‘yuck’ in the group too.

Flirty cuts in pretty colors with ruffles and frills are in. Remember the vibrant balloon tops - they are back. As are the wool wrap tops and wool jackets. Super high heels have also made their way back into the picture. Your jewelry selections are wide open for mixing and matching. Big and bold will certainly fit the current trends.

Elle says that these items are runway hits: croppped sweaters in acrylic, cotton, or wool. Satin wrap tops ranging from long sleeves to no sleeves, and asymmetrical skirts.

The skirts are definately fun and sexy - black is the hotest color, sequens are very popular, and beaded silk is definately in. Add some sexy earrings or a sparkly necklace and your ready for a night on the town.

Straight leg wool pants are also in, as well as wool jackets with faux fur collars. Chiffon and satin are big and sleeveless cotton knit turtlenecks are ever so in style.

Accessories are bright and bold - hot pink clutches, chintz hand bags, satin and metalic pumps, ballerina flats. Your jewelry can be a mix of bright and bold, and more muted tones. With this years fashions almost anything goes.

Check out the Spring 2005 Elle Runway

Some of Ralph Loren’s Spring Fashions are just terrific and they are fitting for almost everyone. Watch the Ralph Loren Show

Alberta Ferretti has some outlandish and fun pieces this season Alberta Ferretti Show

Alice Roe has some very sexy looks Alice Roe Show And check out Balenciaga formal or evening fashions - they are to die for! Balenciaga Show

Its a great year to set your own limits and make your own fashion style.

There is certainly something for everyone! You may also want to check out some of the other designers such as Blugirl, Calvin Klein, and Prada.

Always remember to complete your look with your jewelry!