Why Fashion Brands Need Email Marketing

Email marketing for fashion brands is so important for your business, particularly when converting people from followers to buyers. How can it be valuable and help you to increase your sales and profits? Let's find out in this video!

Keen to learn more about email marketing for fashion? Learn about my email ebook here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/email-marketing-for-fashion-brands-ebook

And catch the previous video on email marketing here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/blog/emailmarketing

Thanks for watching!

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Grow your Fashion Brand with Pinterest Marketing

Having supported startup fashion brands, I’ve always come across people who want help to scale and grow. What’s the best route to take? Most people look into Instagram, but I wish more people asked me about Pinterest --- especially for growth.

Pinterest is my favourite way to grow a fashion brand, for free! Instagram is great, but when it comes to building a brand, acquiring customers, and generating cash, which is what startup businesses reach out to me for, Pinterest is the way to go.

If you’d like to learn more about Social Media Marketing and how I can help, you can check my Fashion Sales Kit. This kit will help you grow your mind through various tools, in just 10 mins every day! Should you see that you need more help with anything else that isn’t covered by the kit, feel free to reach out and ask. I’d love to see how I can help you better.

Pinterest is where I started and launched my fashion brand, and it has been a reliable tool that has helped me help clients I’ve worked with one-on-one establish authority, increase discoverability, and reach their respective target audience.

For a business to thrive and continually generate income, knowing the right tools for scaling and reaching your target audience is essential. In this post, I’ll let you know how and why Pinterest has always worked for me and my clients. Hopefully, you can learn a thing or two about Pinterest and apply it to your business.

If you do, please let me know! I’d love to hear more of your thoughts.

A Visual Search Engine

I’m not sure if you’ve used or tried Pinterest yet, but if I had to describe this to someone who has never used it before, I’d say it’s like a virtual search engine where people discover what they’re looking for. People can look for photos similar to something they saw or have a picture of, or they can search for ideas and pegs, pin them to their boards, and save them for reference. 

And that in itself is what separates it from other social media platforms such as Instagram. If I have to sum it up, one main difference would be buyer intent. Buyer intent is what your audience’s intention is when opening the app.

Think about it, on Instagram, people open the app intending to do one among these things:

- connecting with friends and see what they’re up to

- catching up with friends and relatives

- posting a photo or an idea

- scrolling aimlessly out of boredom

No judgement here! While these platforms have evolved and already allow merchants to set up stores and advertise, it is still not the primary reason people open these apps.

One would not typically open Instagram first to buy a fashion product or discover a new fashion brand.

This is what makes Pinterest different, people mostly go to Pinterest for:

- inspiration,

- finding a new product, or

- discovering a new brand.  

And this is why I’ve always put Pinterest first. Because if I look closely and compare the like-for-like followers on Instagram and Pinterest, I can see that I’ve made a lot more cash on Pinterest.

Users on Instagram often tend to passively like, whereas, on Pinterest, users tend to click the pin and go to the website, leading to more email signups and sales vs other social media platforms.  

Also, a virtual search platform works wonders. Sure, you can search for hashtags and keywords on Instagram, but that won’t be as accurate as a visual search of a similar photo or pin that you have on Pinterest.

For example, people can go to Pinterest and search for custom wedding accessories – I know because this is one of the businesses I had and how people found me!

I was able to market on Pinterest for free and didn’t pay for ads at that time. Regardless, people found me anyway, because they were looking for my products! This was from 2011, and I’m still getting likes and pins from my old posts until now.

This brings me to my next point on what makes Pinterest worthwhile……

An Evergreen Marketing Platform

Content on Pinterest has an impact that lasts much longer vs Instagram. If you’ve tried Instagram, you know what I mean!

For instance, a post sort of just dies within 24 hours on Instagram, and in about a week for Reels. So many factors affect discoverability: the algorithm, likes, engagement, and saved posts to name a few. 

You won’t usually get new people to follow you from a post beyond a short time frame.

On the other hand, and for reference, my oldest pins (as mentioned, I started in 2011) grow in popularity over time. This is great especially because we pour so much time and effort into creating great content.

Organic growth is so much easier on Pinterest. Imagine: when you build your profile and people who like what you do follow you and repin your posts, it continues to grow!

In fact, there had been months where I wasn’t able to post for a month or two, and it still generates traffic (for free!) every single month.

I only recently started using Pinterest ads, so most of my content is generating free traffic. And without spending so much on ads, I was able to get up to as much as 300,000 monthly viewers, for free!

I love the fact that it doesn’t take a lot of time too, since it doesn’t provide many functionalities for engagement (comments, and likes). I simply put up a good pin regularly!

When it comes to generating traffic, Pinterest has outperformed most other platforms that I’ve used.

I hope you learned a thing or two from my experience and thoughts on using Pinterest as a great platform for being discovered online and growing your brand. This has worked for me and my clients, and if used the right way, this will surely help your business grow too!

Should you have more questions about how Pinterest works or would like to discuss how you can use Pinterest and other platforms for your business’ growth, feel free to reach out here. Would love to hear your most pressing concerns, or simply drop by to say hello and let me know if this has helped you.

PR Tips for Fashion Marketing; Live with Lauren

If you're a fashion brand wanting to grow with PR, this video is for you! This is a replay of an Instagram Live I had with Lauren from Put into Words. We covered media kits, influencers, PR tips and what to do when you’re featured, now what?

First! Make sure to follow @thefashionbusinesscoach for weekly content to help you launch and scale your brand and follow @put_into_words_ for all things PR.

Second, check out these resources to help promote your hard work even further:

👉Don’t know what to post or how to market your brand on social media? -https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/the-fashion-sales-kit

👉Want to work with an influencer? Start here; https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/blog/influencer

👉Want to explore PR Marketing for your brand? https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/blog/prmarketing

👉Creating your own Media Kit? https://mailchi.mp/c6c632a3b5f3/grab-your-free-diy-media-kit-checklist

👉Grab your DIY PR starter kit here; https://put-into-words.com/downloads/diy-pr-starter-kit/

Thanks for watching!

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

5 IG Reels Mistakes Fashion Brands Should Avoid

In this video I cover Instagram Reels marketing mistakes to avoid for your fashion brand. I made a video on Reels a few months back and it's been one of the most popular videos that I've made and one that's generated a lot of questions as well. This next video really is just to pick up on some of the mistakes that I've seen people making with their Reels and what you can do instead.

Here you'll find The Fashion Sales Kit, designed to help you create fashion marketing that coverts, in as little as 10mins per day;

https://thefashionbusinesscoachlearn.com/The-Fashion-Sales-Kit

Keen to get some one-on-one help to understand how you can launch and scale your fashion brand successfully? Get in touch here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/contact

Thanks for watching!

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Pinterest Marketing for Fashion Brands

If you want to use marketing to grow your fashion business, then you need to be considering Pinterest too. So many people don't give Pinterest a thought when it comes to promoting their clothing brand, but it's been my favourite way of promoting my fashion line since 2011.

In this video, I'll explain why Pinterest is my favourite platform for marketing fashion brands and why you should be using it....

Register for my free 'Pinterest Marketing for Fashion Brands' e-book here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoachlearn.com/freepinterestebook

Keen to get some one-on-one help to understand how you can grow your brand and make more sales and profits? Get in touch here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/contact

Thanks for watching!

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Make More Fashion Sales Online Video

Fashion brands come to me wanting to make more sales and usually the first think they'll ask me about is Instagram marketing. But there's so much more to marketing than social media.

In this video we look at important steps you need to take on your website. Without these key aspects of your website, it won't matter if you have 10million followers on Instagram, you'll still find it hard to make sales.

Watch the video to learn my tips for improving sales for your fashion brand....

Want to learn more about creating more sales with website optimisation? Join my free training series here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/websitetrainingseries

Keen to get some one-on-one help to understand how you can grow your brand and make more sales and profits? Get in touch here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/contact

Thanks for watching!

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Fashion Startup Challenges; The MOQ

People often ask me what the biggest challenge is when starting a new fashion brand. We'll cover the first one you'll face in this video, the first of the 'fashion startup challenges' series.

The first challenge relates to access - there's something important that holds a lot of small brands back from having access to the suppliers, fabrics and materials they want and we'll cover what that is in this video.

The details of my free 100 Must Know Fashion Business Terms Ebook can be found here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/freeglossary

Keen to get even more support for your fashion business? Get in touch with me here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/contact

Thanks for watching!

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Growing a Fashion Brand During Covid-19

If you're a fashion brand, it's tough times right now trading during an uncertain global pandemic. Last year, I collaborated with The Fashion Network and created this video with tips for those who are finding the fashion industry tough at the moment.

In this video I share 5 tips for running a fashion brand during Covid-19, to help you move forward even during uncertain times.

If you want more tips to help you grow your fashion brand in 2021, make sure to check out this free video;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/blog/scale2021

If you want to try email marketing to build more customer trust and make more sales, there's a free video on that too, here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/blog/emailmarketing

Thanks for watching!

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Influencer Marketing; What it's Like to Work with a Mega Influencer

Want to use influencer collaborations as marketing for your fashion brand but not sure how it works, or what you should consider? In this video I explain my experience of working with a mega influencer (with 4 million followers!) to build my audience.

This video explains how the collab came about and what you need to know when working on a project like this.

If you enjoyed this video, don’t forget to sign up to the email list below to get notified of each new video!

{Update} The Masterclass membership offer has now ended, however I’d love to help you further with your fashion brand! You can checkout my free video, How to Get Your Fashion Ideas Produced, Without Wasting Your Time and Money, here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/freemasterclassinfo

Missed last weeks PR video and want to know how it helps me to get collaboration opportunities like this coming to me? Watch the free PR video here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/blog/prmarketing

Interested in learning more about working together and getting more visibility and sales for your fashion brand? Get in touch here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/contact

Thanks for watching!

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

PR Marketing for Fashion Brands

If you're wanting to grow your fashion brand and make more sales, PR marketing is definitely worth considering. Lots of fashion entrepreneurs ask me about social media marketing, especially Instagram, but PR can be just as successful in getting more visibility for your brand and increasing sales.

This video explains the types of PR you can do for your fashion brand and where to start with pitching to publications.

{Update} The Masterclass membership offer has now ended, however I’d love to help you further with your fashion brand! You can checkout my free video, How to Get Your Fashion Ideas Produced, Without Wasting Your Time and Money, here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/freemasterclassinfo

Interested in learning more about working together and getting more visibility and sales for your fashion brand? Get in touch here;

Get in Touch Here

Thanks for watching!

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Email Marketing For Fashion Brands

Lots of fashion entrepreneurs know they should be using email marketing for their fashion brand, but many get stuck knowing what to write and end up not sending any emails at all 📧

If that's you, then this video was made for you! I'll share with you 3 essential emails your fashion brand needs to be sending, to help you increase sales.

Keen to learn more about email marketing for fashion? Learn about my email ebook here;

https://thefashionbusinesscoach.com/email-marketing-for-fashion-brands-ebook

Thanks for watching!

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Social Media Marketing for Fashion Brands Using Instagram

How to Promote Your Fashion Brand Using Instagram Marketing

Do you want to sell your fashion products on Instagram, but you're just not seeing traction, or you're not really getting the results that you want?

If you're chasing likes and followers. I'm not surprised because there's something much more important that we should be doing on Instagram when it comes to monetizing it and actually making sales for our fashion brand.

I want to explain to you what that is and give you a few tips to help you see more success with your Instagram marketing. If you want to learn about Instagram Reels specifically, you can click here for info on my free Easy Reels Ebook.

What is Instagram Marketing for Fashion Brands?

I've been getting a ton of questions about Instagram marketing lately. So in this video I wanted to share my biggest tip for Instagram marketing, although this will work across other platforms as well if you choose.

What is it? Well, it's going to be this….don't focus too much on the likes and I know that may be counterintuitive. It may be the exact opposite of what you've been trying to achieve but here's the thing…if you have 10 million followers and 10 million of them like this cute picture that you've just posted of a puppy. What have you got? 10 million likes, right? 

You've not got a sale. You've not got people going to your website. You've not got people sign up to your email list or becoming a customer. You've just got 10 million likes and while that's good for the algorithm admittedly and it's good for the ego - not going to lie - it doesn't actually build your business. 

We have not achieved anything. We've just spent time posting something and people have spent time liking something. We haven't actually gained a new customer. We've not brought money into the business. We've not really achieved a whole lot when we think about it.

What do you Want to Achieve?

My tip really is to really consider what it is we want to achieve with our marketing and chances are, we want to achieve more than just likes when we think about it. 

We want to achieve leads and people who are interested in our brand, who want to go and check our brand out and who want to hopefully buy our products. So rather than creating content that people just like because it's funny or because it's just super cute puppies. We want to make sure that we're actually strategically posting content that makes people trust us more that explains to people what our business is about and that attracts people.

What content should you post?

Content that is helpful or entertaining or funny and something that's going to drive people to your website, or a very least to view our products on our Instagram store section. And the way that we do that is not by posting things because it's super cute but really thinking about what does our audience love, or what is our audience struggling with, and thinking of a way that we can transition this post into getting them to take some sort of action. So when you're creating a post, lead with ‘what do I want the customer to do’ in your mind?

So for instance if you want a customer to go and check out your website and look at a blog post, rather than just leading with ‘go check out this blog post’ you could have an image with how to style something, say your customer is interested in trends, you could have an outfit, a really nice looking outfit, a good image. 

In the text you can talk about the trends that are on at the moment and how you style this item of yours to use different things and basically style it to this trend. Then you can explain in the caption, if you want to see more like this, there's a free article go to the link in bio to check it out or something like that.

Why do we Always Want a CTA?

We always want this CTA, this call to action, with everything that we do because we don't want to be leaving the customer just to think ‘oh okay, well that's done now. I'll move on to the next thing’. We want to keep them in our world essentially and direct them to our website or our products. We want to be building trust with the customer, we want to show them you can provide really good value for them and then you can introduce your products as well once you've built that trust. 

I hope that makes sense and hope that it's made you rethink the way that you want to do your marketing. Rather than creating content to get likes, we want to create content that gets the customer to our website and check it out our products. 

Are you posting the right content?

If you're still struggling a little bit with marketing in general and you never know what to post, or what to say, or you don't have any photos to post, you might want to check out my Fashion Sales Kit which includes all those things basically.

It tells you how you can get really great images that you're allowed to use, not ones that are taken from someone else’s profile! How you can actually post content, ideas for content, even swipe files are included as well. Click here for the link to my Fashion Sales Kit.

If you liked this article and found it helpful, please feel free to follow or subscribe depending on which channel you're watching this on. We have a new video every Tuesday and you can ask your questions in the comments. I'll try and answer as many of those as I can in the future videos.Thanks for watching and we'll talk soon. Bye!

How to Use Instagram Reels for Fashion Marketing

Instagram Reels is here! And I've been seeing some great results from brands using this feature - my own included. In this video I share 5 tips that can help you to grow an audience for your fashion brand using Instagram Reels.

If you like this video and want to get more marketing help, check out The Fashion Sales Kit by clicking here.

{Update} Grab my new Easy Reels Ebook, register free here;

👉 https://thefashionbusinesscoachlearn.com/easy-reels-ideas

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Interview with Cut From The Same Cloth

I’m excited to welcome Lauren Remesi, owner and designer at Cut From The Same Cloth to share her brand story, plus some challenges and highlights of being a business owner. I know a lot of you wonder what it’s really like to start your own fashion brand and run a business, so hopefully this insight will help you to figure out if the fashion industry is a good fit for you.

How would you describe your brand?

CFSC is a made to order women's brand that creates easy to wear pieces that are equal parts whimsy and edgy. I like to incorporate patterns and textures that can easily intermix from collection to collection. Taking sustainability and the environment into consideration we strive to use eco-friendly and natural fabrics and are always challenging ourselves to make changes in our business to better the planet.

What was your background prior to launching your brand?

I studied both apparel and costume design, but took a departure to work in the beauty industry. Prior to launching Cut From The Same Cloth, I worked in bridal and for Neiman Marcus.

What drove you to set up Cut From The Same Cloth?

My urge to create! I have always had a fondness of clothing. It says so much... tells a story, creates a mood, and empowers. I guess you can say I had a story to tell and just like a painter picks up a paintbrush, I sat behind my sewing machine.

You create all your own designs, what are you inspired by?

Most of my inspiration comes from music, film, and art. I also find myself pouring through fashion history books and finding elements I love and figuring out how to make them feel current and fresh.

What is your favourite piece from your collection and why?

The Ward Turtleneck is one of my favorites because you can do so much with the graphic windowpane print. It's an amazing layering piece and the gathering at the top of the sleeve creates the best little puff on the sleeve!

You can shop the Ward Turtleneck here.

You have some sustainable products within your range. What does sustainability mean to you and why is it important?

I think that sustainability goes beyond taking care of the planet and starts with taking care of yourself. As a small child I have always paid close attention to the earth and what we did to it. I was particularly interested in the Amazon Rainforest and the destruction that was happening. I felt the need that we needed to nurture and take care of Mother Earth because she's all we have. That philosophy trickled into my daily life and how I take cared and nurtured myself. It only comes natural that the same principals are incorporated in my business. We are making small steps to to make one little thing better everyday.

What have been your main challenges when starting a new brand?

I think that a big challenge I face as a new brand is juggling many hats. Because we make everything in house, my day can bounce around easily. What I planned to tackle for the day sometimes easily gets redirected. Another specific challenge as it relates to my strives in becoming more eco-friendly is sourcing fabrics. Its thankfully a growing demand in the industry and has become a bit easier, but can definitely improve.

And what's been the highlight?

The highlight, by far, is meeting and connecting with my customers. Nothing is more rewarding that seeing someone look and feel amazing in something that you took from just an idea to an actual product. Another highlight for me has been creating community and support within the industry. I love collaborating with other creatives. It takes a tribe, right?

Lots of people think that as a designer, you'll spend the day searching for inspiration, organising fashion shows and living a glamorous life. In my experience, it's a lot more numbers/Excel sheets than glamour! How would you describe the day-to-day of running a brand?

It definitely is not glamorous. My days are often spent drafting, grading, sample making, not getting a fit right, often to start it all over again. There is SO much problem solving that happens during the day. If I’m not sewing, I am usually photographing products, maintaining my website, and packing orders to ship. If I have a pop-up coming up, you can also find me building fixtures and sets for that. The tasks are so sure endless and I wouldn't have it any other way!

What's the biggest piece of advice you'd give other startups wanting to launch a brand?

Just start! There are so many pieces that you may not have exactly the way you want, but don't let that hold you back. Launch and you can always tweak things later. Its also ok to fail. There is so much growth and learning that happens with it. You just need to get up and get on!

Where can people find you and your brand?

On the website; www.cutfromsamecloth.com

And on Instagram, which you can find here.

What are your plans for the future of the business?

We are moving to use even more eco-friendly fabrics in our designs for the future as well as in our supplies and packaging. We also have plans to work with organizations and charities to donate a portion of sales, because giving back is super important to us. We are also working hard to expand our sizing and be more inclusive.

Thanks so much to Lauren for taking part in this interview, I really appreciate it and I hope it’s been useful for anyone who is thinking about starting a fashion range. Don’t forget, you can shop the CFSC collection on the website by clicking here.

Has this post inspired you to start your own sustainable fashion line? If so, I’ve written a free article here with tips for creating a sustainable brand, which you can read by clicking here.

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Fashion Marketing - How to Turn Browsers into Buyers

Many fashion brands that I work with ask me about fashion marketing - usually social media marketing. Instagram seems to be the platform of choice and I get so many questions from people who spend hours on this, but don’t get anywhere. If you’re one of those people, click here to read my thoughts on Instagram marketing for fashion brands.

However, I rarely get people asking for tips on their website. Here’s the important detail a lot of people forget; Social media marketing is only the first step.

(And you’re right, marketing is important)….

But, here’s the thing…

If you’re getting website visitors (which you can check using the data from your website provider)…

But aren’t making any sales, chances are the problem is with your website.

So, in today’s blog post I wanted to cover ecommerce websites and things to consider when selling your fashion designs online.

You have less than 15 seconds to impress, before someone decides to leave your site.

Experts disagree on how long it is exactly, but the reality is that people take only seconds, not minutes, to decide whether your website is worth looking at or not. So if your website isn’t properly optimised, all the hard work that you do on marketing your fashion brand is for nothing. Plus, your missing out on sales and leaving money on the table.

If you want a potential customer to stick around and check out your products, you need to make it as eye catching as a shop window during Christmas (/ the Holidays). That means making your homepage enticing and clearly letting the customer know who you are and how you can help them. It needs to be immediately obvious who your brand is for and who you can serve. You need to keep any important messages at the top of the page, so customers see them as soon as they land on your page. They shouldn’t have to scroll down to get the key details.

You’re not really selling products

Yup, that’s right. When you have a website you’re not actually selling clothing products. Now, before you think I’m crazy, consider this….you’re actually selling words and pictures. The customer can’t feel the product, try it on, walk around in it, see the true colour or detail online. They rely on our images and words to give them an impression of what the garment is like. The key here is in the impression. You need to give people an accurate impression of your products and make it desirable to the customer, using effective writing and photography. In fact, writing in particular is something that people misunderstand and undervalue so much. Let’s look at an example to see how choosing words selectively can make a difference;

For example, if your selling a metallic fabric dress to teen party goers…

Instead of; Midi Dress made with metallic fabric

Try; Our Midi Dress is made with a sparkly metallic fabric sure to make you shine at your next party

Rather than just using describing words, add something else that connects with your target audience - a hook to get them interested and excited.

Remember - people can’t try things on!

People get overwhelmed by choice

I see a lot of new brands who like to pack their pages full of different options and display every item in every colour on their homepage. This leads to only one thing….overwhelm! Think about it like this. If you go into a budget store, where the rails are packed and you can hardly get at anything, you really have to be in the mood for rummaging, or really want something in order to go through all of the stock. That’s why high end stores have a limited amount of stock on show, that’s well curated. The same goes for your website. If you have pages that are too cluttered, it’s a lot of work for people to go through and more often than not, visitors will decide it’s not worth the effort, or they simply don’t have time for looking now. Therefore, it’s much better to have a really clear message on your site that’s focussed, rather than giving people too many options.

You don’t need to learn code, or pay a web designer

The good thing about having a fashion brand today is that you don’t need to pay a lot for a fancy ecommerce store. There are so many inexpensive platforms and templates you can use that it really doesn’t need to cost a lot. The key factors as to whether someone will buy or not is how well you connect with the visitor and showcase your products. Yes, your website needs to look nice, but don’t feel that you’re at a disadvantage because you’re not a web designer. I’m flat out technically challenged, but I’ve built 5 websites myself (very cheaply too) and they’ve made me tens of thousands in sales. Plus, people always assume I’ve had help. I haven’t - it’s just that easy!

If you’ve enjoyed this article, I’d love to invite you to check out The Fashion Sales Kit, designed to help you market your fashion brand, get new customers and sell more to existing customers.

Social Media Marketing Tips; an Interview with Brandy Henry

Lots of brands I see using social media for marketing either underestimate the importance of the ‘social’ aspect of platforms like Instagram, or don’t fully understand how to do this effectually. Creating a community online is so important for any fashion brand, especially small and startup ones, so I wanted to share some tips on this. However, even better, Brandy Henry has kindly agreed to be interviewed for the blog and share her social media marketing tips. Brandy is a social media specialist who helps people to get comfortable using various platforms.

Brandy Henry, Social Media Specialist

Your approach to social media is centred around being ‘you’, for anyone who isn’t familiar, what does that mean exactly and why is it important?

Great question! I know that within each of us is an emotional motivator for a change we’d like to help others create for themselves. This could be through feeling better about one’s appearance through fashion, moving others with art, financial clarity, improve their relationships through coaching, etc. When you tape into that powerful reason that motivates you professionally and personally, you allow yourself to shine. That’s YOU! That’s being yourself on social media.

Does that mean it’s best for brands to be doing their own marketing in your opinion?

Absolutely! Unless we can afford the expense of dedicated, highly in-tune branding and marketing person or agency, it’s best that we show up as ourselves on social media. People want to get to know people, not stock images with overused quotes.

A lot of people are nervous about putting themselves out there on social media and fear how they’ll look, or start worrying about how many likes they’re getting. What’s the first step to overcoming this and being comfortable on social media? 

So true! It’s a vulnerable feeling when we put ourselves out on social media as our true selves. Likes and comments are feedback from your audience. Use that as data not as a tool for self-esteem measurement. You want to know what resonates with your followers and what does not. That’s was the likes, comments, shares, etc. are telling you. Remember, you’re showing up as you to serve and help. They are letting you know how well you’re connecting with them.

I often see brands just sharing constant product images, or offers and they forget that social media is designed to be just that, social. Why is engagement such an important part of social media marketing?

Yes, I see this too. You’re right! Engagement is key. It’s SOCIAL media and no one wants to see a stream of ads. That’s not what people come to social media for. Engagement is key because people want to get to know the people, the values, the processes, behind the product. That’s all part of the brand. Another BIG part of a brand is how well that brand responds to its followers. We too often see brands that do not respond to comments and questions. That’s the same as not answering the phone or emails. That brand is sending the message they aren’t reliable communicators, that they only want to be seen. Be the brand that responds to all comments and direct messages.

Do you have any tips for engaging effectively?

Absolutely! Thanks for asking. Here are Brandy’s rules for good engagement. Be appreciative of your followers. Thank them for their comments and messages. Respond to your audience. Answer all comments and direct messages. Be uplifting. What can your brand do to improve their emotional well being? ALWAYS check in with your mood before engaging on social media. Be the brand that others can rely upon to be there. This means being consistent in tone, responding, and being clear where they can go for more from your brand.  In other words, make it easy to find how to do business with you.

You’ve worked with a lot of different people, what are the biggest misconceptions that you hear about social media?

Ah, yes! The biggest misconceptions that I consistently see are 1) that social media is just people yelling at each other and posting cat videos and 2) that social media is a popularity contest. If a person wants to find drama and/or cat videos, the algorithms will surely push that towards them. By engaging with it, social media platforms know that’s what interests them. It’s a self-fulfilling loop. What is popular on social media is that which moves people, speaks to them, and does both consistently. Take good care of your followers, and they will take good care of you.

And what are some of the biggest mistakes you see people making with their social media marketing?

The mistakes I see people making on social media are many of the same mistakes that I’ve made. I’ve forgotten that it’s about providing value and an emotional connection and not empty content simply to post. I’ve forgotten that my audience on Facebook, Instagram, Podcast, and LinkedIn are all different and looking for content in different formats and tone. And, I’ve definitely forgotten to plan ahead. I’m still working on that last one! It’s always a work in progress to effectively plan out my content.

One big mistake that I see people make is forgetting that others are watching and getting to know them more than they may realize. For example, those who post extreme political views in harsh, angry tones, are sending a message that other opinions are not welcome. Maybe this is intentional niching down for some, but I sense that it’s most often poorly thought through messaging.

Lately, I’ve been seeing more and more video content being used. Would you say video is an important part of social media?

Yes! Video is key. Why? Because people want to see YOU and your world. They want to see how you talk, your body language, hear your voice, hear your tone, and, most of all, look into your eyes to assess how much you care. Yes, this is all mostly unconscious, but it’s still true. This is how we can allow people to get to know us better who, because of geography, we cannot meet for coffee, in passing at the grocery store, or at an in-person networking event. When we pause and think about why we watch videos of others, we can better understand why others are interested in our videos.

Do you have any thoughts on ‘impromptu’ video vs highly curated content? Is it still ok to video in selfie mode, or does the end result need to look more polished than that?

Video can be very confusing and even paralyzing. Spontaneous, highly curated, and little curated videos all have their place. When we’re new to our business and brand, funds are tight. A well-done selfie-style video is great for your Instagram Feed and Facebook Posts. By this I mean, think ahead about lighting, what you’re wearing, and what you’re going to say. These are the videos where you’re a bit more polished but not perfect. There’s a call to action in the video with an easy way for a viewer to follow through. You might add a link in the first comment on Facebook and make sure your Bio on Instagram has a link where you want a viewer to go. 

For Instagram and Facebook Stories, have fun! Use the filters. Add closed captions. Stories are more spontaneity, but you can still have a call to action. Remember to make it easy. If you’re on Facebook, go to your laptop and add a link in the last frame. For Instagram, again ask your viewer to link through your bio.  

A lot of people (like me!) are nervous about getting in front of the camera. Do you have any advice for them?

I know!! It’s nerve-racking and why so many people avoid it! Practice. Accept that we’re not beauty queens, and realize that many people actually appreciate that! There are plenty of ‘perfect’ people for everyone to follow. Be you. Be imperfect. You’ll be appreciated for that. And, give yourself a reward after your first video, third, sixth, and tenth videos. You deserve it!

Brandy has a great Podcast episode on this topic. You can find it on Apple Podcasts here and Spotify here.

For anyone interested in working with you, what can you help them with? Is there anything they should know about their requirements, or is there something they should prepare ahead of meeting/speaking to you?

Thank you for asking. I truly enjoy helping entrepreneurs utilize and engage well on social media. Contact me for One To One Consulting or Workshops. henry.brandy@gmail.com

You have a great podcast that I’m sure people will want to hear about. What do you cover on the podcast and where can they find it?

Thank you so much. I cover everything from the practicals such as what button does what to broader issues such as thinking ahead before you post or comment.

Click here to listen on iTunes, or here to listen on Spotify. Not on either of those? You can find alternative ways to listen to the podcast by clicking here.

What are you working towards at the moment and what do you hope to achieve in 2020?

First, thank you so much for this opportunity to help your readers. I truly hope they gained a few new tips and insights. Questions? Thoughts? Email me at henry.brandy@gmail.com

I’m currently working to expand my podcast audience and to sever them well. In 2020, I’m adding digital courses to my offerings. Thanks for asking.

Thanks so much to Brandy for this interview, I really appreciate it and I hope it’s been useful for anyone who wants to use social media marketing to promote their fashion range.

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Working with a Photographer - Interview with Elash Valerie

As you probably know already, having great quality images for your website and marketing is really important for your fashion brand. I’ve been to my fair share of fashion shoots, but I thought it would be helpful to interview a professional photographer and ask them some of the common questions I get from new fashion entrepreneurs. I’m thrilled that Elash Valerie has offered to be interviewed and I hope that you find this useful for your next shoot.

Please introduce yourself and let us know what you do and where you’re based.      

I’m Elash Valerie. I’m from Republic of Moldova, a little country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north. Now I live in Chisinau, besides my photography career I have another job, in beauty sphere, which helps me a lot with my first job.  

What kind of photography do you do?

I love street photography, lifestyle, fashion, beauty. I tried in different styles and to be honest I like al of them.

How would you describe your photography style?  

I wouldn't worry too much about getting a style. Whatever that is for you or will be has been done before. In the meanwhile as you improve, shoot interesting light, good content, good composition and attractive pictures that you and others enjoy looking at. I think a style is a very abstract thing and in special in photos I can’t define it. 

You have some amazing work on your Instagram feed. Which project has been your favourite and why?

I think this was one of my favourite couples. (See photo’s below)

Because their emotions and craziness conquered me.

Why do I love group pictures? They have great potential for candid shots, groups of friends in a row will often make each other laugh! And real emotions are my muse.

For those who are new to photoshoots, what tips would you give to help them make the most of the experience?  

What a hard question. Well is it so individual, it depends on whom you will photograph. But almost is a see that my client feels insecure or discomfort, I give them kinder surprise or chupa-chups. Sounds funny but almost all says that’s a very cute gesture and they feel like child and it works, immediately they smile and I can work.

Or the second type, it works almost with all men. If they don’t smile, but I need it :D ,  I scream “Tits” or something like that and you understand the reaction.

What should people consider when choosing a model?

The most important for me is the experience of a model, the taste “clothes, makeup,  style in general”.  And of course their attitude for your work.    

Shooting on location comes with a lot of challenges, especially because of the weather. How do you prepare for this? Is it necessary to have a second location picked out in case the weather or lighting isn’t what you’d hoped for?

It depends of what result you want. For me weather changes is a gift, because I can experiment in different locations, and try to shoot in rain. And the result is great. But of course for a photoshoot you have to have minimum 2, 3 locations, and make a few shoots in all of them, for a good portfolio.

What’s the biggest mistake that you see brands making with their photography (for example, not planning enough or not giving models direction, or just generally not choosing a photography style that suits their brand)?

I think they exaggerate with this new fashion current, to be different and to be extravagant and in almost all cases; they lose their style. Unfortunately only few brands can make different projects and still remain on top.

For anyone interested in working with you, is there anything they should know about their requirements, or is there something they should prepare ahead of meeting/speaking to you? Where can they find you online?

They can find me almost in every platform, Instagram, Facebook, Unsplash and Whatsapp. They just have to write me and I will answer with pleasure for collaboration.

What are you working on at the moment and what do you hope to achieve in 2019?

At the moment I work in my favourite field, beauty photo. And I develop in the given direction, along the way we will see what changes will occur.

Thanks so much to Elash for this interview, I really appreciate it and I hope it’s been useful for anyone who is preparing for a photoshoot. If you want to learn more about Elash, you can get in touch via elashvaleria@gmail.com.

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

What is Visual Branding? Interview with Bula Branding Co.

Most new brands I speak with either underestimate the importance of visual branding, or don’t fully understand what it is. A strong brand identity can make or break a fashion business, so I wanted to write a post on what visual branding is exactly. However, even better, Jess Jenkins (founder of Bula Branding Co and visual branding expert) has kindly agreed to be interviewed for the blog, to set the record straight on what branding is and why it’s important for your fashion business.

Jess Jenkins, founder of Bula Branding Co

You’re a visual branding expert. For those who aren’t familiar with visual branding, how would you explain what you do? 

That is an excellent question and one that I get asked often, as I don't think it is really common knowledge, unless you are in the field, what exactly the difference between the creative roles might be. 

I would look at a visual brand expert as a strategic marketing consultant and graphic designer all rolled up in one package. It is someone who takes a deep dive into understanding and developing your brand from its core, so that when developing your visuals, they are consistent in message, story, look and feeling. Their main goal is to create a cohesive story, voice and visual aspect that is told through every form of collateral, ie; websites, photoshoots, digital design, logos, sales/marketing, etc. 

Visual branding and marketing go hand in hand. How would you summarise this for someone who is new to this concept?

Yes, absolutely - branding and marketing definitely go hand-in-hand, especially if you are wanting to achieve any sort of amount of sales :) 

Every business has a unique offering - branding is taking that offering and making it into a story, a reason for “being” and to drive emotion. Then, marketing is the wheelhouse on how to get that story out to the viewers that are most likely to buy into it. Without one, there is not the other - and with out both of these - sales can be difficult.

When deciding on a brand identity, how important is it to have a clear target audience in mind? 

To answer simply - extremely important. If you do not have a crystal clear audience, then you will waste money, and time, just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. Without knowing your audience, you are not specifically directing your message to anyone? It really doesn’t make any sense. 

So one issue I’ve seen is some emerging designers develop a new clothing line that is not necessarily specific to a very narrowed down target market, unique niche, or not specific to solving a problem - figuring out their perfect audience applies to this group even more as they will need to do more due diligence on narrowing down their target audience, ideally, before they start to market their brand.

When it comes to selling fashion products, why do you think storytelling is so important?

I love this question because this is one of the questions that I go over in my branding course that I teach at at Fabric (a fashion incubator in Phoenix, AZ). To break it down, Story = Emotion…and Emotion = Buy in. When you are a consumer and moved by something it makes you take action - then you feel like you’ve become a part of that story, or you’ve helped in some way. Same thing goes for clothes but, I think, on a deeper level. Clothes are personal, they are someones identity, someones strength and someones weakness, they hide and they flaunt and can even change moods. Clothing is an emotion which is WHY telling the story of how you want someone to “feel” when they wear your clothing is extremely important.

You’ve worked with a lot of emerging designers, what are the biggest misconceptions that you hear about branding?

The number one misconception is that their line is more important than creating the business that sells it. Now, this is not a dig on the designer - it’s more of simply a lack of well-rounded education throughout fashion curriculum. There are not a lot of solid options for learning the business side of how to create a sound, healthy business specifically for fashion designers. These beautiful creative souls are developing wearable art - and that is what they are amazing at…but it takes a business to sell them, and unfortunately, unless they take it upon themselves to seek out business courses, these kinds of options are not easily accessible in school. So in lack of just not knowing what they don’t know, the misconception is that the clothing is more important because that’s what they obviously are passionate about…the issue is, that without turning it into a business, your clothing will not sell. 

And what are some of the biggest mistakes you see people making with their visual identity? 

The biggest mistake I see, and not just in emerging fashion designers, but many small to medium-sized business owners, is the lack on being crystal clear on what their brand is and its story. This is a mistake that will end up costing them more time and marketing dollars in the long run, as there is no plan to actually base metrics off of or measure results. If the work and research are done on the front end, then the process becomes streamlined, and not to mention cost-effective, measurable and scalable. Plus, when you are prepared, it allows for that space to get really creative about how to reach your audience, which is needed in such a noisy industry.  

I find that a lot of new fashion labels don’t feel that branding is a priority and they’re very focused on design and production. What would you say to them? 

I would ask them three questions; 

1) Do you want to sell your clothing?

2) Do you want to make a living doing what you love?

3) Is your last name Versace? 

I would then communicate how branding is a priority because it will get your line in front of the perfect audience…leading to sales. It will incorporate the essence of your clothing through visuals that tell the story of why you even started it in the first place. Secondly, unless your last name is Versace and you are an heir - the industry is so noisy you have to stand out if you want to sell. You do this by telling your story and showing your perfect audience why you’re unique. Aside from that - what is the point of adding to the huge waste problem that the industry has, and creating the clothing - if you’re not going to actually sell it? 

All hard questions, I know, but I like to be realistic. 

How can new brands decide on what their identity might be?

New brands can start to decide what their identity might be by answering three questions.

1) Why am I doing it? (What is unique about your line)

2) Who am I doing it for? (Audience you are creating for)

3) How do I want to be perceived in the market? (ie;Target vs. Walmart)

These questions are simple but will give powerful insight/direction on where to start to uncover their brands story. 

What’s the best place for brands to start working on developing their identity?

Designers should start within to start to develop their brand. They can do this by answering the top three questions above and getting clear about what their lines purpose is. This base knowledge is imperative to uncover as even if they were to hire a creative agency, they are the one person that the agency will be drilling with questions to try to figure out how to get to that core of what their brand is. So the first place to start is within themselves and getting decisive on the “why” of your brand and what makes it unique. 

For anyone interested in working with you, what can you help them with? Is there anything they should know about their requirements, or is there something they should prepare ahead of meeting/speaking to you?

I consult emerging designers to help build their brands voice and visual identity, then, develop the digital, print, web and marketing/sales assets that tells their brands story, in a uniform way throughout all assets.

I typically have two types of business owners I work with - emerging designers and current lines needing a brand clean up to reposition them back in their market. Either way, after initially speaking to each other and making sure we are a good fit - I send out a simple questioner that asks prompting questions that get to the core values of their brand. I do this for every client that is booked, no matter how small or large the package, as it gives me the insight into how and where to help market you and what visuals would be the strongest, right on the front end. 

There is nothing to really be prepared for when reaching out - however - I only can truly help people that are ready to help their business and do the work that needs to be done to do so. Coming in with that open mindset typically always has a wonderful outcome.

You’ve also developed a course which helps designers to go from start to finish and develop their own brand story. What does this entail?

Yes, I have! So excited about this! I am in the middle of creating a self-paced 6 module interactive branding course specifically based around helping emerging fashion designers uncover their brands voice, mission statement, value props, story, and perfect audience. The entire course is broken down to make these concepts simple, to the point, and a digestible learning curve…while also not breaking the bank. At the end of the course there is an invitation to work with me to start on the next level of perfecting your brand visuals to seam your marketing and branding together. At the very least, having the information that is discovered within this program will be invaluable to the designer. 

The course also offers a wonderful monthly newsletter that has a 1-on-1 industry professional interviews giving keen insights into the industry from all professional levels, such as; incubator owners, successful emerging designers, photographers, video production, hair/make up, PR, retail GM’s, and so on. To me, this helps gain even more insight to the actual industry and the things to expect and get amazing tips from seasoned pros.

What are you working on at the moment and what do you hope to achieve in 2019?

I am always working on a handful of things, but the main thing I am really focusing on for the rest of this year is helping to get a general brand education out there for emerging designers. I feel like there's a huge lack within fashion curriculum that truly prepares the designers interested in creating a line to run as a business and actually making it something that they can make a living off of. I also feel like if we are not educating on the front end to have designers truly understand what it takes, we will continue to add to the horrible waste issue that the industry currently has. It is my hope to really start getting the word out and helping designers that want to create a successful business out of their line.

Thanks so much to Jess for this interview, I really appreciate it and I hope it’s been useful for anyone starting a fashion range. If you want to learn more about Jess and Bula Branding, you can view the website here, follow along on Instagram here, or get in touch via jess@bulabrandingco.com.

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

Fashion Marketing; Why You Should Build a Following Before You Launch a Brand

When starting a fashion brand, it’s natural to think about the products; what you will design and how you will manufacture them. But a lot of new fashion labels make the mistake of only thinking of the customer as an afterthought. The customer should be the first thing that you decide on and you need to be connecting with them right from the start. Therefore, it’s important to promote your brand, before you have your product.

There’s a few reasons for this. To give an example, lets think about movies. Movie studios don’t just invest millions of dollars in a new movie on a whim. They do some research and they see what themes are popular, or perhaps which Actors or Actresses have a big following. Then, they make a script and get feedback on it. Later, they even make a mock up movie and get people to watch it and give a critique (have you ever been to one of those? I have. It’s like watching a massive production before any special effects or airbrushing – you get to see what the Actors really look like!). After all of this, when they’re confident they’re onto a winner, the cut it into an actual movie.

So, how does this relate to your fashion line? Let’s apply the same principles as the movie industry; rather than starting off with a few designs and worrying about how we’ll manufacture them (and even after we’ve manufactured, we’ll then be worrying about who is going to buy them), we start by identifying with our target audience. We can learn about them and understand their needs and can design a range to solve their problems, or one that they just have to say yes to. We can even ask them if they like our designs, before we’ve spent any money on them. If they love them, great! If not, we can make alterations until they do – all without having worked with a factory, or paying them any money.

Starting with our target audience allows us to minimise the cost and risk of production and ultimately, the cost of starting a fashion label. Pretty great, right?

We can take this principle a step further too. Again, let’s think about the movies. Do they start advertising a movie when it’s released? No, they prepare months and months in advance. The new Frozen 2 trailer was out months ago and the actual movie is still 5 months away from being released. Movies are promoted waaaay in advance. And so should your fashion collection.

Marketing in advance has a few benefits. For one, it takes time for marketing strategies to get traction. You can’t set up an Instagram account today and expect to get sales from it tomorrow. You need time to build a following. Same goes for other types of marketing too - you wouldn’t pitch to a magazine editor to be featured this month, they usually work months in advance, so thinking ahead is really important. Typically people need to see your brand multiple times before they go from the initial time they saw you and found out about you, to become a customer. So unfortunately, marketing isn't as simple as just posting a few pretty pictures to Instagram. Customers need to keep seeing your brand, which means that you need to be thinking about your marketing activity way ahead of your launch.

As a new brand, it also takes time to build trust with your customers. If someone has never heard of you, they need some time to decide if they trust you with their money, and their credit card details. For all they know, you could be a scam artist. Building a long term marketing strategy helps you to build what we call the ‘know, like and trust factor’, without this, customer’s won’t feel confident in purchasing from you and, chances are, they won’t.

Another reason to build an audience for your fashion brand as soon as you can is so that you can create meaningful connections. As a small brand especially, connections are super important. If you share your journey with your audience; your design ideas, your route to manufacture and behind the scenes of your business, it’ll help potential clients to form a connection with you. Not only does posting this kind of content mean that you can get in front of an audience regularly, without being salesy all the time, but you can also show the human side to your business and you can get potential customers on side and cheering you on. It really comes down to this; when you launch a fashion collection, would you rather tell strangers on Instagram? Or people you’ve engaged with and who are waiting for you to launch? I know which one I’d choose!

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful! If you’d like to learn more about growing your business, I’d like to invite you to checkout my latest course ‘How To Attract Loyal Customers To Your Fashion Brand’. It teaches you how to get an audience before you launch, plus grow your business, find new customers and keep old ones coming back for more. You can view all of the details and register by clicking here. Alternatively, if you have any questions on the course, I’d be happy to answer those for you - you can click here to get in touch, or email contact@29andSeptember.com

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. 

How to Start an Activewear Line - Interview with Lead the Pack

I know a lot of you wonder what it’s really like to start your own fashion brand from scratch. The experience can be a bit different for everyone and I’m happy to be able to share an interview with Andrew from Lead the Pack, which is an activewear brand that launched about 6 months ago. Andrew has kindly offered to be interviewed for the blog and share his experience with you. If you want to learn more about the brand, or shop the collection, you can follow them here.

Can you introduce yourself, your position and your brand?

My name is Andrew Clark, and I’m the founder of Lead the Pack a startup activewear brand. It’s been a long, very long time in the making, but finally the brand is live and doing well! Was it an easy process? No, not at all, but it was probably made harder through the endless number of mistakes I made along the way…Has it been worth it? Read on to find out.

What do you sell and who are your customers? Feel free to include your brand values here too.

We focus on kitting out and connecting fitness enthusiasts, giving them the opportunity and means to grow their own brand in the fitness industry.

We sell comfortable performance activewear that’s suited for both the gym and daily use. We’ve tried to keep our designs as unique as possible, whilst still keeping to the styles that people are known to love. Vicki was great at taking rough concepts and ideas to an actual design.

Whether this is through our up and coming Ambassador program or just with a simple connection over Facebook or Instagram, we strive to help our customers grow.

How do you differentiate yourself from other activewear brands?

With the surge of social media marketing and the new generation of fitness enthusiasts flooding the scene, the concept that these individuals can be brought together to help not only grow the brand, but also learn more about themselves and aid them in expanding their brand is not only exciting, but very realistic. 

Lead the Pack hopes to connect these passionate individuals by giving them the means to expand their own fitness brand, as well as earning a side income, with the aspiration of it becoming their main income.

Our base range released in December is a stepping stone for what is to come. Be Ready.

What was your background prior to launching in the fashion industry?

I’ve always loved the fitness industry. Started the gym about 7 years ago. Became an ambassador for another brand about 3 years ago, and thought there were a few things that could be improved, so thought that I could be the one to do it.   

I actually graduated with a Masters in engineering, but the innovate, fast pace of the fitness industry drew me to thinking of changing career path.

I have nothing against the normal 9-5 routine, but over the last year and a half (whilst starting this clothing brand) I’ve worked anywhere from 10-14 hour days to 3 hours a day, regardless of weekdays or weekends. There’s no way about it, it’s totally different from a normal job, but unique in the sense that you feel more of a commitment to your own project, or it is possibly the fact that it’s just refreshing feel positive about a project, and want to wake up in the morning and speak to positive people about their fitness.

What drove you to set up your brand?

Basically I just wanted a piece of the fitness industry lifestyle. The whole 9-5 lifestyle sitting at a desk all day is doable, but I’m nowhere close to being passionate about it to the extent where I want to rush into work every morning.

How long did the launch take from concept to product?

A long time. A very long time. Did I initially underestimate how long it would take at the beginning? You bet I did. Is it worth it? Still to be decided, but now I’m finally selling the clothing, it’s definitely going in the right direction.

 If I’m honest, it could have taken a lot less time, but you learn from your mistakes, and if I was to do it a second time there would be an endless list of things I would do differently.

 The big challenge is that you think surely after getting the products a lot of your work is done? WRONG, Double, Triple the amount of work done up to this point to making your brand sellable.

It’s not a case of Facebook and Instagram marketing and reaching £1000 of sales every weekend, it’s a case of getting your product into the eye line and minds of people who may be interested in it, but it is doable.

What have been your main challenges with regard to being new to the fashion industry?

Overcomplicating designs and wanting to rush head first in and set up a whole range for my first launch. Both are my downfalls. I mean to a certain extent you need to be different from the rest, but there’s a reason certain companies do certain designs... because they sell and are probably cheaper to manufacture than the rest. 

Hindsight is a fabulous thing, and it’s something I am very familiar with. The whole “learn from your mistakes” obviously fits well with this, but I still somehow seem to love making them.

Andrew, you and I have worked together for a while. Was there a part of the process you found most beneficial, if so, why?

Designing tech packs and explaining the fitness industry to me. Unique, well-fitting designs. The pieces Vicki designed are fan favourites of our brand.

What’s the biggest piece of advice you’d give other startups wanting to launch a brand?

Take a month to plan everything out, research research research. Pay a designer like Vicki to help find a suitable manufacturer and source suitable fabric and fits you like. The more preparation you do, you’ll honestly saves months and months when it comes to the later stages.

What are your plans for the going forward?

Restock our collection.

Look at doing variations of the same pieces.

Bring out a much wider range of products.

Design more products than just clothing, that cater to all of the fitness industry’s needs.

Become a millionaire, retire at the age of 23 and live in a mansion by the beach…Too much? Well it is a plan of mine... whether I make it a reality or not is dependent on the clothing line.

Thanks so much to Andrew for arranging this interview, I really appreciate it and I hope it’s been useful for anyone starting a fashion range. Don’t forget, you can follow along on Instagram here.

Has this post inspired you to start your own activewear line? If so, I’d love to hear from you! Email contact@thefashionbusinesscoach.com or use the contact form by clicking here to learn more about how I can help you launch your line!

If you want to learn more about getting your designs into production, you can register for my free masterclass by clicking here.

I hate spam too - if you sign up to this email list, your details won't be sold or leased to anyone else. I will email you from time to time with helpful content and occasional offers, which you can unsubscribe from at any time.