S6, E2: Fad or Trend? Strategies for Successful Interior Product Development with Stacy Garcia

When starting a new interior product development process, knowing what colors and trends are happening is crucial. This ensures that the products and experiences you bring to market resonate with consumer preferences and generate maximum value. Staying up-to-date with current trends allows you to create designs that feel contemporary and relevant, meeting the aesthetic and functional demands of today's market. Colors play a significant role in influencing consumer emotions and decisions, making it essential to choose palettes that align with prevailing tastes and themes. In this episode, Stacy Garcia shares tips on innovative forward-thinking, the difference between a fad and a trend in interior product development, and strategies for incorporating the latest trends and colors to enhance the appeal and marketability of your products, capture consumer interest, and drive sales. Stacy is a successful serial entrepreneur and founder of LebaTex, a distinctive commercial textile supplier, and Stacy Garcia Design Studio, a product design and licensing firm. With her established brands—Stacy Garcia New York, Stacy Garcia Blue Label, Stay By Stacy Garcia, and Stacy Garcia Home—this internationally renowned designer has partnered with some of the world's leading manufacturers to create products that span from floor to ceiling for resorts, hotels, and homes all over the world. As a forecasting and design expert, Stacy serves as a chair holder of the Color Marketing Group, the International Association of Color Professionals. She was voted one of the 10 leading voices in the hospitality design industry and honored by ASID for design excellence. Her work has been featured in Interior Design, Boutique Design, Luxe, Architectural Digest, and Traditional Home. Ready to tune in?  Key Highlights from the Episode: [00:01] Intro and a bit about our guest, Stacy Garcia  [04:00] Stacey’s journey and what inspired her to get into interior design  [08:01] How Stacey built and grew successful brands from ground up  [11:58] What propelled Stacey to where she is today  [13:31] The difference between selling and licensing your art collection  [20:00] 2 lessons that has helped Stacey in her entrepreneurial journey [22:12] Where Stacy draws inspiration and information for predicting trends  [23:53] Economic drivers and how they impact consumer preference [28:07] How Stacy sees the color evolving and impacting product development [31:25] How to distinguish a fad Vs. trend  [32:44] Tips on how to secure and maintain licensing deals  [36:26] Stacy’s 3 years roadmap and what she has on the horizon [38:51] Wrap-up and end of the show   Notable Quotes:  When you make that leap to go out on your own, you just need one paying client and you’re in business. The only time when business ceases to exist is when you decide to quit; you are the engine behind it. Don’t be fixated on the No, it has been blocked for a reason, keep going and the right yes will come. Every no gets you closer to your yes. The hardest balance is in the timing of collection development and making sure you are ahead enough. Knowing what trends are happening helps you bring products and experience to market that generate the most value to the consumer.    Let’s Connect: Resources Mentioned:  Color Marketing Group: https://colormarketing.org/   Stacy Garcia  Website: https://www.lebatex.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacygarcia Learn more about Thrive In Design:  Website: https://www.thriveindesign.co/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thriveindesign/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/thriveindesign/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thriveindesign/   Register for the next Thrive In Design live training here: https://training.thriveindesign.co/   Get your copy of "The Ultimate Guide to A&D Sales": https://www.thriveindesign.co/brand-reps.