A COMMUNITY BASED E-COMMERCE BUSINESS CENTERED AROUND A PATENT PENDING BRAND NEW BAG SYSTEM


YOUR MAIN ROLE? YOU MAKE THE BAGS BEAUTIFUL
Imagine a brand new system of customizable bags. An innovative system that was developed to give end users bags that are highly entertaining without loss of any functionality. At this stage I cannot disclose the main innovative features of the system. However I can reveal that the system can create customizable cotton bags that could be likened to t-shirts - printed with lovingly created pieces of artwork - that have morphed into bags. The bag system is being developed to make it appeal to a wide range of customers a bit like how products like t-shirts, jeans and rubber flip flops appeal to different types of customers of different ages. So I aim to start with artwork that appeals to women that fall within a wide range - 21 to 39 years old - that is printed on cotton to create a new genre of casual bags for women. Bags women might use at times when they wear t-shirt and jeans. Bags for men and unisex bags will follow on shortly.

BE ONE OF THE FIRST ARTISTS TO COME ONBOARD AND MAKE THESE BAGS BEAUTIFUL
I am here because I hope some of you great artists will create said lovely pieces of artwork that will be printed on cotton to make said bags beautiful.

Eventually, we plan for the e-commerce website to feature a choice of many bags each printed with a distinct piece of artwork. Probably, as many as 100s or thousands. So the business wants to have long term relationships with many artists and this might be the first of several pieces of artwork you create for these bags.

The following account is merely meant to show you that you might be one of the first artists to get involved with the production of what has considerable commercial potential and could cause a ripple or two in the bag industry. The owner of the first factory that was approached regarding production of a first batch thought signing a non-disclosure agreement before seeing details of the bag system would be pointless since in over 30 years in the business he reckoned he had seen it all. After signing the agreement he realized he had never seen a bag system like ours before and was keen to become our producer.

COMMUNITY BASED E-COMMERCE BUSINESS MODEL......
Said bag system is to form the nucleus of a community-based e-commerce business model that encourages artists to get more involved in the business because the more bags bearing an artist’s artwork sells the more money the business will pay the artist. So if the artwork you create for bags is drop dead awesome said bags will be very popular with end users. Which means that you the artist will regularly receive payments and then hopefully be encouraged to create more artwork for more bags. To get things started I will pay invited artists like you - that will be artists with befitting styles that show an interest in getting involved - a nominal fee to create artwork for bags. The aim being that there is considerable potential that payment you receive as a result of bag sales will exceed - maybe greatly - said nominal fee.
I am based in London, England. I invented said bag system and I am bootstrapping with my own limited funds to get this business up and running, but it has the potential to become a considerably successful global business in a short period of time. I am aiming for at least five pieces of artwork and offering £200 per piece. Artists creating more than one piece is fine as long as each piece of artwork is very distinct. As stated earlier subsequent payment you could earn from artwork you create could potentially far exceed £200.

Such a business model spreads both the risk and monetary returns amongst all involved. I have not fully worked out the details of the payment scheme (please bear with me I have never undertaken anything like this before). However it is likely to be based on an artist being paid a fix amount for every bag sold of every batch of,say, 100 bags sold. We will soon start building the businesss website and aim to be in business by year end. By the time the website is up and running said details would have been worked out, detailed at the website and all artists that have become involved will be notified.

Before then if you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Apart from full involvement of artists the business will give all interested stakeholders an opportunity to get more involved in bag production-consumption activity, hence the term ‘community-based’. We the organizers of this business will always want to choose artwork that is used to create bags. However in additionally to that what artwork of all proposed bag artwork - anyone will be free to upload, to the business’s website, their artwork that they think will make great bags - will be used to create bags will be determined by votes from all parties that visit the businesses website and care to vote.

.............YOUR NAME IN ETHER INK ON BAGS
At the businesss website artists that have created artwork for bags will be given kudos. Bags bearing an artist’s artwork will also permanently bear markings along the lines of, Sophie creates for XY Bags (The name for the bags will be revealed at a later date).

BASIC INGREDIENTS
Artwork that stops women in their tracks because it is very appealing. It can be seriously ‘arty’. Or it can be lighthearted and casual as long as it is professionally created and gorgeous/beautiful/artistic without being (overly) cartoonish,immature or childish, cheap-looking or pornographic. Even if the artwork is created with software we think it might be better to avoid artwork that looks like it was created with software.

EUREKA ARTWORK
Even though artists are so versatile asking an artist to create a style that might not necessarily be what is their natural style can lead to too many requests for tweaks and changes and that is not what I want to subject you to. Which is why we think it might be more prudent for us to look out for Eureka Artwork in your portfolio that already are of a style and/or subject at least quite similar to what we think will fit said bags. Having stated that we would be delighted and grateful if you took the risk to create artwork and propose it to us.

The women friendly artwork could contain anything. And it might be better if the first artwork you put forward for these bags is inspired from your original ideas.

Having stated that the following are a few of the things that we think could be inspiration for said bag artwork:

Bijinga (Japanese pictures of kimono-clad beautiful women)

How about a collaboration with an Old Master like,say, Mucha or Michelangelo or Suzuki Haranobu or Hokusai by creating a piece loosely based on one of their old creations? Michelangelos Libyan Sibyl is absolutely divine. If interested please ask me to show you a Suzuki Haranobu piece that I call ‘Flying Umbrella Bijin’ that is just amazing.

Facelift a copyright free Old Masters piece? For instance maybe introduce more colour.

Wine Labels/Family Crests/Kamon(Japanese Family Crests). Some of these are quite impressive. I keep thinking they could be conceptualized to create a whole series of badge-like art pieces geared towards women.

We love the Alfa Romeo badge. Artwork conceptualized and loosely based on something like this but with at least a bit more detail could have potential.

A single (or double) panel of a comic created in a vintage/retro style with a speech bubble? If interested please ask me to show you a great relevant piece called ‘Feminism. Nonsense. Obviously’. I look forward to an ongoing whole series of such single or double panel vintage comic strips for these bags.

Classy and high quality graffiti-like artwork.

Classy and high quality tattoo-like artwork. Again if interested please ask me to show you a Japanese tattoo piece that is the best abstract tattoo we have ever seen.

Bank Notes Art. I have had a brand new ¥ 5000 note that I have refused to spend for eleven years because it is so beautiful. Again a whole series of serious artwork could be created that is loosely based on paper money.

A great pattern.

Kueen Konnie? Instead of a cartoonish giant gorilla holding a distressed damsel how about a serious but humorous piece showing a gorgeous giant damsel holding a beautiful distressed female gorilla in her fist? (No? Is my imagination running too wild?)

FORMAT
Artwork in RGB mode, 150 DPI Full scale or 300 DPI Half scale would be fine. The following formats are acceptable: JPEG, TIFF, AI, EPS, PDF, PSD, AVA.

As much as possible each artwork piece is to proportioned to fit into a rectangle that is about 29cm high and 20cm wide. Artwork fitting into a similar rectangle that is 21cm high and 30cm wide might be an option too.

Please get in touch and help me make lovely bags.