Window Fashions Business Opportunity

John Galliano's last chance

Ever since he was formally charged over the incident at La Perle, Galliano has been in hiding in America, initially at a rehab facility in Arizona, though his whereabouts more recently have been unknown with rumours circling that he is ensconced at the atelier of a leading fashion designer in New York working on Kate Moss' wedding dress.

But aside from his early statement in which he vehemently denied all the accusations against him, the world is yet to hear Galliano try to talk his way out of, what looks on paper and on film, to be a fairly open and shut case.

According to the court papers, Galliano denies calling 35-year-old Arab World Institute art curator Géraldine Bloch a "dirty whore" with a "dirty Jewish face" and saying she should die, although after telling police he had drank Champagne at lunch, more Champagne in the afternoon while shopping, and a mojito or maybe two at La Perle, and testing four times over the legal driving limit, it may prove hard to convince a judge that his recollections are entirely reliable.

For his part, Galliano claimed in his early public statement that he was subjected to "verbal harassment and an unprovoked assault when an individual tried to hit me with a chair having taken violent exception to my look and my clothing," and instantly commenced proceedings against his accusers, Bloch and her companion 41-year-old receptionist Philippe Virgitti, for defamation.

And according to the court dossier, when Galliano faced his accusers at a Paris police station days after the incident, he maintained that he would never have said those things: "How would I know she's Jewish? It isn't written on her forehead….It's clear that I'm neither a racist, nor an anti-Semite, nor a misogynist."

This claim has been repeatedly backed up by everyone who knew Galliano, but anyone who blithely dismissed Bloch's accusations as the work of a bitter nobody seeking 15 minutes to bask in the reflective fame of a worldly genius, quickly piped down once the earlier video footage emerged.

The fashion industry has to be one of the most forgiving business - Kate Moss is still in demand as 'the face' of multiple brands despite the cocaine scandal which the tabloids gleefully predicted would end her career, while Naomi Campbell has weathered more scandals than a team of premiership footballers and has managed to reinvent herself as the fashion world's answer to Mother Theresa via her charity 'Fashion For Relief' - but overt racism, particularly anti-Semitism, in an industry that prides itself on tolerance and cultural diversity, may prove too hard a pill to swallow.

Mychael Margott & the Window Fashion Pros » Mychael Margott

When Mychael Margott started Windows Fashion Pros, he wanted more than just a business. His idea was to provide jobs and business opportunities to people who would also become like his family. The windows fashion business has always been interesting to him because the entire home environment is affected by the beauty of its window treatments. Every year more products become available and their offerings never becomes stale.

Mychael’s first decision was to implement a franchise business model to reach more territory. Through the franchise model, the company’s products and services would be closer to the customers and the sales force would be able to visit homes for on site sales. Support of the franchise network would be performed by the home office. New franchise owners are trained and receive all the information necessary for success.

The home office would be designed for expansion as the product line grew and more space was needed for production. Franchisee support has become more important as the experience of every department has made the company stronger. Marketing and sales efforts are closely linked with production. Suppliers are located near the home office and raw materials arrive to keep the production line running. The entire home office operation is a well-oiled machine that seems to take on more work each year.

Instead of a two dimensional growth plan, Mychael Margott started to look at other product lines that would complement the company’s window fashions line. Clients had been asking for referrals to window replacement firms, so the first expansion project meant entering a piece of the construction sector. The strain of coordinating with other companies for installation of windows and treatments was removed since both divisions could visit the customer on the same day and schedule for two successive days of installation. Clients were thrilled and knew that one company would provide customer service for both product lines.

The most recent expansion project was the acquisition of the Blind and Shutter Pros, which completed their offerings. Customers have come to rely on Window Fashion Pros for all of their window replacement, fashion and shutter needs. Whether the client wants to add each product in stages, or can afford to do all of the changes at once, the sales people can accommodate their needs. Mychael enjoys reliving the years it has taken to build the business into his dream.

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