Jaded No More

It's not a pretty term, but if I said a "two by two cotton ribbed singlet with a single lock hem" would you know what I was on about?

Well it depends if you're thinking just very plain 'wife beater' style singlets, that you can sell really cheaply, in either red or navy with a small Melbourne emblem placed somewhere, because that would probably sell quite well. It'll be a level entry product, one you'd buy in multiples and wear to the gym, in the garden, etc... If you're thinking the high performance type singles, the kind that Reebok makes for us, and which are already available, I'd say they are less likely to sell. You can buy performance products in every sportswear shop for a lot less, and from my experience performance wear is often your worst seller. It's expensive to make, your margins are often lower and you sell much smaller volumes. Working on some of the jackets at the moment, I'm thinking those products will need to retail at around $150-$200 for the club to make a decent margin, purely because they are complex garments to make. But, I do think it's important to cater to every consumer group that exists within the club, which means you have to have basics on offer that younger consumers can afford. That's where a singlet might be a good core product, along with caps/beanies/tees. The issue at the moment is that for the purposes of the project I need to have no more than 10 items, but the way this has taken off I could easily do a 25 piece range, which I would love to do, but I just don't have the time. I'm more than happy to get as many designs as I can done in the time that I have, and once my exams/assignments are finished I will happily add and build onto the collection, before sending it to the club. I'm taking into account that once I put some of the initial specs up, every poster and his dog will have an opinion and I'll need to do a complete re-work, which is going to be a lot of fun <_< On the other hand, if someone is willing to do my other assignments...

Hey genius, did you click "view votes", also known as 'null vote'? You can PM me your answers and I can insert them manually.

Best changes ever. :D

I'm not gonna delve into merchandise that is not classified as apparel, such as flags etc... because that is not my area of expertise. With accessories, I'll steer clear of scarves, since I think we all have more than enough, but definitely caps (unisex military style ones probably) and beanies are a must. Gloves are also a good idea. Obviously outerwear, so jackets, jumpers, bomber jackets etc... are going to be the most appropriate and salable items, but I'll also do some lighter weight tops and tees/polo. One because we do play games in the heat at the start of the season, and secondly because the collection is made to be worn outside of the footy as well, and you need to have a balance of winter, summer and transeasonal pieces to ensure you generate sales all year long (with the primary focus obviously being winter). The idea of 'convertible' clothing is also something that I want to incorporate, so reversible hoodies and jackets with removable sleeves/hoods. That gives the piece a more functional aspect, and I know myself that I'd rug up to the footy, only to get overheated when I start abusing players/umpires, so having the option of removing a layer is important.

As far as I know surf/skate brands are big on the hoodies, zip-up jumpers, tees (long and short sleeve) and casual jackets, which are all things that I want to include in the range. Is there a specific product or brand that you have in mind? If you or anyone has an item that they've seen and really like, attach a picture or a link and I can incorporate the basic shape or some of the design elements in the collection. I'm definitely liking the collegian look. It's a big trend with sportswear retailers and is a real cash cow. Elements of that look, particularly the idea of 'tags' or branding stamps, as well as the use of numbers as prints is definitely stuff that should be incorporated into a sports-focused collection. For anyone not familiar with the style, Franklin Marshall is the sort of label that I'd be looking at.

I know, finally doing something which gives me an excuse to procrastinate on Demonland I'm spewing that I didn't make it to the Youth Summit so I could whinge about the merchandise, but I do know the guy from Globe that you're talking about (he did a guest lecture at uni once upon a time). There is, in my mind at least, a real opportunity for Melbourne to get a secondary apparel sponsor on board, similar to the Jeff Banks sponsorship, only for casual merchandise. This means that Melbourne can draw on Globe's expertise in development and design, and Globe can get some much needed exposure through their association with a national football club (that caters to the sort of supporter group they would be targeting). Ah, to be given free reigns at the MFC!

I also prefer the darker, deeper 'blood' red and I will definitely use that. The navy is also going to be a very very dark navy. That's why I don't think I'll use much black. When I send it all to the club I'll attach the colour codes so that if they do want to take some of the ideas on board, they'll be able to use the same colour tones. I've got so much to do before this project is due, because as well as garment designs, we're required to come up with marketing and merchandising ideas for the range, so packaging, visual displays, tags, fabrications etc... then put the entire collection into a catalogue. The finished catalogue is what I'll (hopefully) send to the club.

I will do my best to get the initial specs up, so that I can get opinions regarding the basic shapes and structural details. This is pretty much the most important aspect because this is what I think the club is most likely to adopt. I'll also try and put up some trim details and printed appliques that I'm thinking of using. Hopefully I can get about 80 voters on the poll by next week, then I can close it, gather the data and start moving. I've got 3 other subjects at the moment, plus a thesis that needs finishing, so I need to make sure I don't give all of my time to this and get completely behind on the other stuff. For one, this will involve us having to find overseas suppliers, and not just overseas suppliers, but ones that are willing to make very small runs. If anyone has the contacts or the time to do that, great, but the idea is to get the club to use their contacts and their volume discounts to produce a substantial range that can be updated on an ongoing basis. You're also looking at the issue of distribution. How many sales can we possibly generate on Demonland, when compared to all the avenues where Melbourne merchandise are currently sold? It's just not going to have the same kind of financial impact, and that's the bottom line. I can design a range that Demonlanders might love, but if it doesn't generate large volume sells, it's not going to help anyone.

I've long loved the idea of 'customised' merchandise, so just as you can choose what number you want on your jumper, you can choose what number application to have on your hoodie/jumper/jacket. Price and logistics wise this is probably a very difficult thing to coordinate, especially if you're looking at fabric number trims, transferable appliques etc... but who knows. 1964, 12 and 1859 will all be numbers that I'll look to feature in some form, as they are not obvious but they would mean something to Melbourne supporters. I'm going to guess that because we need to use the same red on all of our merchandise, there is a discrepancy that comes across in some merchandise. Some items do appear to have a darker, deeper red (the track jacket for example), but the full synthetic items, particularly the jumpers, are a brighter red. This is an issue to do with fiber properties, since each fiber has a different level of dye absorbency, so you'll have some items coming up brighter and some absorbing the dye a lot better and having a more intense, darker shade. If you're going to create a completely separate casual range,and you're going to use cotton as your primary fiber (or at the very least a 70-30 cotton/poly blend), than you could set one dye tone and you'll get a consistent colour across the range. However you will always get some colour discrepancy if you use the same shade on different fabrics. Everything from fiber content, weave or knit structure and any finishes that are applied, will impact the final colour. If you want to get the exact shade across every item, you need to do separate lab-dips for each garment, which can be done, but is a costly process.

I did notice that Melbourne put a merchandise survey on their website a couple of days ago, but it seems to die half way through. It also doesn't seem to have many design/item specific questions, so what's the point? Einstein, lingerie is a whole other dimension, and not my area of expertise, so I might leave that one alone

Good summary Rhino. Bailey made the obvious cuts, but also put his balls on the line when he traded a fan-favourite in TJ. That trade has paid off BIG, and is exactly the sort of stuff I expect Bailey to keep on doing. Ladder position means nothing at the moment, in fact, the lower we are, the better off we are. What interests me is the development of our young players, and IMO there has been a huge improvement in our list overall. Players have come on, they have shown new found versatility, they have been challenged and they have shown glimpses of an ability to carry through DB's game plan. I'm also happy that Bailey is not afraid to drop under performing senior players, or giving young kids big tasks (e.g.- Grimes on Chapman). So far, Bailey has done an excellent job given the state of our list and where we are in the rebuilding process. He has stuck to his guns, he has put a lot of time and energy into our kids, and it's slowly but surely paying off. Whether he can bring us what we all ultimately want, is another question altogether, but I'm positive that Bailey's work over the last 2 years will help us significantly in any future flag challenges.

Haha. You are exactly the sort of sample demographic I'm going for. Shame there is only one of you! <_< If a basic range takes off, we can look into Ralph Lauren inspired cardigans and skinnies, just for you. Try pressing F5 and refreshing the page?

Hello all, So after years of complaining about the very ugly and uninspiring range of merchandise available to us long suffering Melbourne supporters, I have decided to finally do something about it... hopefully. My final undergrad CAD project involves designing a range of merchandise for a company/label/organisation of my choice, so I figured this is a good way of killing two birds with one stone. I'm looking to design a range of casual merchandise, not necessarily the sort of generic stuff all other clubs have, but products you would want to wear outside of the footy as well. My theory is, that if you design a versatile, fashionable range, supporters will be more inclined to purchase. Because of trademark issues, and the fact that everyone wants a cut, AFL merchandise is often expensive, disproportionally so. However since we all have to buy and wear clothes, if a casual fashion range was on offer by the club, you might think twice about spending $60 on a cotton shirt, if it's not completely hideous and you could wear it say when out and about. This means no large logo placement, a better use of details and trims, and nothing that scream "I really want to let you all know that I barrack for Melbourne so you can laugh at me". The better and more widely appealing the range, the higher the sale volume, the more money the club makes, the happier we all are. Merchandise really is a huge revenue stream for AFL clubs, but ours seems to be seriously lagging behind. Hopefully, despite the time constraints, I can come up with a range that is good enough to send through to the club, for ideas and inspiration if for nothing else, and the more members who have their say and get involved, the more the club is likely to listen. There is life outside of a polyester red and blue polo! So this is where you come in, take a minute, fill the survey (I've got visual aids as well), make sure you select multiple options if available, and leave notes/comments/ideas (but no silly remarks about me failing this assignment because my lecturers is a Collingwood supporter). Thanks! P.S.- female Demonlanders, please do not be shy, because I will be designing us ladies some stuff too! P.P.S.- I don't have a Demonology account, but if you do, and you know of Demonology posters who might want to have a say, get them to come on board. Colours: Logos: Edit: Grey marle is not the sort of vomit colour that came out in the picture... so don't be put off. Grey marle is more of a light grey, the sort that you see used by most sportswear brands

Ha, me and him working together in the coaches box might just be the perfect solution to our dilemma. I guarantee that the only winning moves you'll see on matchday will involve me going to the bar.

he's telling you to get in the box and coach us. Brilliant tanking tactic as far as I'm concerned- supporters coaching for a day!

Given that Garland can play small and tall, has better disposal and decision making and can also possibly play as a key forward, I disagree. Frawley is very important structurally as well, but Garland is a lot more versatile and can play a better brand of attacking football. Choosing 5 is a very difficult task. You could argue that Warnock should be included as well, Blease and Strauss who are yet to play, Sylvia, etc etc

At his age, there is no guarantee that Davey will be around when we're challenging. If he is, he could be in decline. I specifically chose young player who I think will provide the core group of players that will potentially lead us to a flag. This is no indication of Davey's talent or importance to the team, just my general view of who I would least like to lose and which players I believe are the most irreplaceable.

The glaring lack of love for Garland in this thread shows how underrated this kid is. A true modern-day key position player, with all the defensive and attacking talent you could ever wish for. 1- Watts 2- Grimes 3- Garland 4- Jurrah 5- Morton

In bad news for us this week, the Pav and Sandilands will apparently be back this week to take on West Coast, while we know that Cox and Kerr are out 'indefinitely' with broken nails/chlamydia/tank flu. Suddenly the Dockers are a real chance, although West Coast are still the better team and should win.

I've changed the title of this topic, so please post relevant information in this thread, instead of starting a new one. Enjoy!

:D Edit: Hopefully the Grimes thing is a fake, or at the very least very very minimal soreness. Good management regardless.

Amen!

Our midfield is rubbish, so no issues there. Our inside 50 numbers are terrible too, but our forwards really do seem to be converting those opportunities now (thanks Jurrah! <_< ). So more than dropping players, we need to push our main forward threats into the middle, and create serious mismatches in our backline, which is where we excel. That means Jurrah and Bate onto the wing. PJ to ruck and Jamar up forward. Put Warnock on smaller, faster forwards, Frawley on big resting ruckman. Make both of these guys take the kick-ins. All of these moves are perfectly legitimate and can be labeled as 'list development and experimentation', but are likely to cause us to lose. It's really about changing what happens down back that is the key, because that is our biggest strength and what keeps us from getting smashed most weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if Bailey gave Frawley a run up forward as well. The intriguing one for me is Robbo. He is not playing well, but could easily kick a bag against crap teams like Richmond and Freo. Do we push him up the ground and play him as a defensive forward (the one thing he refuses to do), or do we drop him in what is likely his final season? Of course on top of all that, we need to really push the guys out on the track during the week and hope for some niggles. Anyone with a cough, a cramp or a sniffle takes a week or two off. We need to hold on for the next 3 weeks, and we can then go all out and absolutely obliterate Freo. Giving us all something to smile about, plus Scully and pick 3.' Edit: GO WEST COAST GO!!!

Every midfielder should be capable of winning their own ball and every midfielder should be capable of disposing the ball consistently well by hand and foot. Those qualities are not negotiable if you're looking to build a strong midfield. But of course there will always be those players who excel in winning the contested ball in tight situations, like McLean, and those who are finishers and excel in moving the ball by hand and foot and creating forward movement, like Morton and Sylvia. Players who can do both equally well, are A graders or elite. Those who struggle in one area or another, can still be part of a successful midfield, given that they have quality around them. Players that can't win a lot of their own ball in contested situations can be brought into the game, in the way that we bring Davey or Morton into the game. However those players also need to possess an ability to position themselves in the right spots to be on the receiving end. Dunn is someone who struggles to win his own ball, and while he can use it very well and has a great long kick on him, he rarely gets a lot of it because he does not position himself in the 'hot spots' where winning possession will advantage the side. The inside and outside label is just that, a label. Aside from the ruck, do we really still have defined positions on the ground? We might have 2 players on each forward flank and no CHF. You might play two guys out of the square at FF. Warnock might play CHB one week, and in the back pocket then to FB the next. Versatility is becoming hugely important nowadays, particularly given the increase in rotations. You have to have players capable of playing in a number of roles, and that applies to midfielders more than anyone else (since they have the highest percentage of rotations). But of course, each player will have their own unique strength and will most often play in a position which reflects that (unless you are errr... list managing and happen to put Jetta at FB )