Lebanese Aliens art and fashion house : a business plan for a startup -

Abstract

April 2007: In an article titled: “T-shirt, The Ideal Canvas for Self-expression”, and released in the Leader-Post, a daily newspaper in Canada, Robin Summerfield stated the following about the t-shirt: “…this humble article of clothing, aside from the invention of blue jeans, has had more of an impact on pop culture fashion than any other garment. That impact comes from both its straight-up function as sensible clothing and from the images and words we emblazon on the fabric.” I think that the fashion market in Lebanon is thirsty for T-shirts that express the rich Lebanese culture including values, language, landmarks, history, people, humor, pun…etc. Currently, most Lebanese fashion designers are trying to follow the steps of successful international fashion leaders such as Elie Saab by entering the luxury business, leaving behind the Lebanese pop culture nearly untouched. Personally, I find T-shirts as simple yet effective means to express my mood, thoughts, and personality. Being a creative art director who worked for more than 7 years in the creative corners of multinational advertising agencies, I’m looking forward to utilize my art and creative skills to establish a T-shirt fashion business in Lebanon under the name of “Aliens”. For this purpose, I have managed to acquire the necessary business skills through the rich MBA program of the Olayan School of Business, which makes me feel confident and well-prepared to run my own business. The aim of this MBA project is to help me accomplish the first step towards reaching my dream business. This step will be in the form of a comprehensive business plan that would seek financing in order to start-up the “Aliens” venture. The project will also be a great opportunity to learn from the faculty at OSB.