Founder’s Letter – Meet Frank: The Hero of the Unsung Heroes
What kid doesn’t spend their childhood imagining what they’ll be when they grow up? An astronaut? A firefighter? How about a textile salesperson? Well, maybe that last one not so much! Yet being a textile salesperson is as enjoyable a career as it is varied.
I spent the majority of a lucky life selling textiles, as have a lot of people at Kingpins who love what they do and are awfully good at it. All of you know salespeople. We’re at the heart of creation, enabling brands to produce products that people love and make them feel good every time they put them on. Yet as textile salespeople, we get very little credit for our role and very little support.
Look at Kingpins, for instance. There are three key stakeholders involved in our business. First, exhibitors who come from all over the world to showcase their products and companies. Then the decision makers from brands and retailers, scouting out what exhibitors are showing and discovering new suppliers. And lastly (the most under-appreciated of the lot), the sales and marketing people who work on behalf of the exhibitors — a.k.a. the salespeople.
These salespeople spend hours each day searching for the perfect fabric that’s going to help their client turn their vision into reality. They strive to understand exactly what it is their client wants, and then comb through hundreds of thousands of materials to find the closest match. It’s a great job — the vast majority love what they do and are awfully good at it. Still, a little help would go a long way in this industry. And that help is finally here.
To all textile salespeople out there, I am excited to tell you that Frank is ready to meet you at Kingpins. Frank is the new virtual assistant for salespeople (think Alexa for textiles). Created by Material Exchange, Frank was designed to make your life easier. As fashion’s first AI sourcing assistant, Frank can send emails, write data reports, send FDS sheets, provide prices and fabric data — all he needs is access to your notes.
This stylish bear will be at the Kingpins Show for you to test drive. Try to trick him — but I think it will not be so easy, Frank is ready for prime time. Imagine it: You and Frank going to all your meetings, diving into all your client needs on a shared quest for that coveted material. Say hello to your new right-hand man… er, bear.
You can meet Frank at the Kingpins Show in the Sugar Factory, yellow zone, booth G. Stop by to chat to him about materials. Or for a more in-depth experience of Frank and all that he can do, just ask and we’ll arrange a one-on-one meeting. Your new best friend in sourcing can’t wait to meet you.
-Andrew Olah
