The Blue Zebra®

Worldwide the first international
FICTION COMPANY
within university faculties!
By Peter Duhm


EUROPE will be, for a lot of designers, manufacturers, importers and consumers, the Centre of education, as a link between PRODUCING Countries in ASIA and CONSUMING Countries in Europe and the USA.
Based upon the historic Silk Road and other historical links, the cooperation between universities in a project like the BLUE ZEBRA, will guide their young people into a successful future.
Because in addition to the traditional university education new subjects like MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, MERCHANDISING and knowledge about MANUFACTURING become more important than ever!
These additional educational programs must be added to the curricula, work plans and courses of almost every faculty. Especially in FASHION-Design, BA, MBA, EMBA, Engineering, Cotton/Wool-Processing, IT and electronics and many others, MANAGEMENT itself becomes substantial.
The history of Marco Polo builds the basement of the new idea of cooperation between Europe, Russia and Asia.
Hundreds of young creative and highly educated graduated MASTERS will dominate the future of BUSINESS in a certain way.
They will be the creative pool for a lot of famous brands and well-known import-export houses, industries, mid-size-manufacturers, distributors, hypermarkets, chain stores and retail-organizations world wide.
These young creators will be the >>Great Wall<<>>Universities and Highschools of Applied Sciences<<>>piece dying for knitwear << a world wide operating sales organisation.
And what do we do…, we transfer education, creativity and individual heart blood direct to the market!

One of the main questions will be: How to finance an operation like described before?

Of course financing is always a problem.
But, at first of all, we have to finance the initial samples only.
The styling ideas are coming out of the education, for management, book keeping, marketing, logistics we can use experts from other faculties as an inter-faculty- service. That means for a lot of questions, we will have experts to avoid beginners mistakes.
The second step is the “sales”. We sell based upon our sample collection only.
If an importer wants to work with us, he has to finance his order according to international rules and regulations.
A team of sales-agents covering Germany, Austria, The Netherlands and Switzerland is available. They are ready to sell on PRE-ORDER-BASE.
That means, we will produce just those garments, for which firm and written orders have been received.
For production we have a lead-time of three month, the sales team will sell monthly collections.
This needs a quite tuff organization, but it is worth for both sides, for the students and for their education and for the involved universities.
For promotion and events we do not have any budget, but ideas which make sure to be published in all fashion-magazines and in the media.
Our calculation reserves a good profit for the company. This will allow mobility and controlling, research, visiting international fairs and to establish international contacts.
Furthermore we are sure to find assistance from international designers, brand labels and global players. Because they create the future of their fashion business too.
The better the VERTICAL education on universities is, the better the companies future staff will be.
And this is worth to invest in.

If the education and the management is split between two or three universities, isn’t it too much diversification?

We are living in a global world. That means time management is the key to success. Let us say we work in three countries around the globe, in this case it will be much easier to control the business, because somebody is always present. There is no need to travel regular and in short intervals.
For one university partner is responsible for the organisation of the management, logistics, sales and for the “money”. One partner stands for styling, designs and colours, one partner stands for the techniques and the production.
In our present time of the Internet, computer aided designs, PDM-Programs and much more, we just have to use all these technical possibilities, which are hidden in our computers, software and IT-possibilities.
It is much easier to send an e-mail than to travel, it is easier to transfer a set of paper-pattern via software, than to send it by courier service from one continent to the other. And it is much, much cheaper of course.
This is just a small part of our advantages. We need to use all our possibilities in reality and not only in theory, like now.


This plan, such an organization is nothing for softies!

It is a very interesting plan for young fashion designers and those who wish to become one.
This plan needs hard works, needs people with engagement, people who wish to build their future by themselves.
Tear, blood and sweat will be one part of the business, commercial success will turn into great moments of satisfaction for the individual.
This project will show how reality works, how business is made, how hard work real business is.
Our students will learn to work in practice, in reality and we wish to avoid that they fall into their quarter-life-crises when they realize, that living at the university is like living in a golden cage.
When it comes to find a job, students might feel that reality is made out of steel.
Peter Duhm