Heart Hold Fast

Chapter Eight

"I'm really pleased to be here," Ally said earnestly.

"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine," responded Lauren easily, as the lift arrived and she swept out.

They entered one of the most spacious conference rooms in the JMA building. Being in one of the highest floors, to whole walls were floor to ceiling glass, with incredible views out across Manhattan. The spectacular weather was certainly doing the scenery favours. Smart leather chairs were arranged around a large oval table, and a projector was set up, with the presentation ready to go.

"Please, take a seat!" Lauren exclaimed, gesturing to the available places, "This is my esteemed managing director, Normani Kordei, who is going to give you a flavour of what JMA can offer you,"

"Thank you, Lauren," Normani beamed, "It's going to be difficult to keep this short – this brand really has so much potential – but I'll do my best. Then, hopefully, we can get on to some discussions, and answer any questions that you may have,"

Normani proceeded to deliver and exceptional pitch, and Lauren felt a wave of pride roll through her. The presentation covered every detail. Ally's clothing line was intended to be business, and workwear, and Normani emphasised every key point about their marketing strategy.

"At the moment, it seems that most other celebrities are tapping into the sportswear industry, and so the fashion area for office, and corporate clothing is being left behind. That's leaving a huge hole in the market, especially considering the fact that so many more people are working in the types of careers that require some form of smart wear,"

Ally and her team nodded and murmured in agreement.

"The workplace fashion for men in pretty much set in stone – a suit and tie. For women, it is open to interpretation. You can be the brand that defines business wear for the businesswomen that are driving our economy and leading our biggest companies. And, not only can you do this, but through creating a label that becomes associated with fortune and prosperity, you can begin to give others the confidence to start entering these careers, and driving for their own success,"

"It is," Lauren interjected, "An opportunity to not only revolutionise this sector of the fashion market, but you can also start to inspire people to begin chasing the dreams that come to life in buildings like this,"

Her words had the desired effect, and Ally stared in awe around her.

"We want to be the people that spread the word about this fashion revolution," Normani finished, "I'm sure you can see how enthusiastic we are about this,"

"I can," Ally nodded eagerly.

"Have you got any questions?" Lauren asked her cheerfully.

"I'm not sure..." Ally admitted, staring back at her team, "You were very thorough,"

"Celebrity endorsement," a man piped up from beside the popstar, "Is this something you would encourage?"

"Obviously, Ally's name alone adds enormous value to the product, and that's something we will be looking to exploit," Lauren replied, "But if you have other contacts that you would consider bringing in for advertising purposes, that is something we would be open to hearing about, and can look into,"

"I would like celebrities to be involved," Ally told them, "I think that could be really good for inspiration – if you have already recognisable role models wearing the clothing, then that's going to add to the appeal. But I don't want generic, reality television celebrities,"

"Who would you be looking for?" Lauren queried interestedly.

"Actual business people," answered Ally, "People who are where they are because of the work that they've done. Then we keep with the theme of being 'different', as well as marketing a clothing range with a backing of relevant people. If sportswear is being sold by athletes, then business wear should be sold by entrepreneurs and CEOs,"