Case Study: How can Ambitious Fabric Designer Make Business Profitable?
Lime-colored bubbles, loopy red swirls and chocolate-brown stripes jazz up the baby blankets, place mats, aprons and laptop bags created by Robyn Murgio of Murge Designs Inc. in Los Angeles.
Her modern sensibility has tapped into the growing demand for stylish, functional goods with a pop twist, attracting retailers such as Anthropologie and Barneys Japan. Her playful prints have been featured in magazines such as Real Simple and Martha Stewart Weddings and have starred on television shows, including “Scrubs” and “How I Met Your Mother.” Sales this year are expected to hit $125,000, a 56% increase over 2006. It would seem like a dream come true for an art history major who started out just wanting a decent duvet cover for her bed.
“There’s definitely a void in the marketplace for modern printed fabrics,” says Murgio, 32, who operates her one-woman business from a studio in her backyard.
But her potential fairy tale is marred by the fact that she’s not turning a profit…