30+ Easy Eco Friendly Swaps to Make; TFBC Featured

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I was thrilled to be quoted in a recent article by Upjourney, a website that has free articles on a range of topics to help empower readers so they can achieve more. Topics include improving your mindset, finding purpose and positivity. The article I contributed to is called ‘30+ Easy Eco Friendly Swaps to Make in 2020’. I shared my views on sustainable fashion, why it’s important and brands that you can shop with. You can read the free article by clicking here. There’s some really great tips here from lots of contributors so it’s well worth a read.

If you’ve been reading this blog a while, you’ll know I’m passionate about sustainability, so it was great to be able to contribute to an article promoting sustainable living. I was also happy to be able to promote some of my clients work and help them get more exposure.

If you’re interested in sustainable fashion and want to learn more about it, I have a free masterclass here if you’d like to learn more about starting your own sustainable fashion brand. Click here to register free.

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Vicki Wallis interview with the Pattern Observer Lab

I’ve been a fan of Michelle at Pattern Observer for a long time, even taking some of her classes on print design techniques a while back, so it was particularly special when she asked me to be a Guest Expert for the Pattern Observer Members lab. In case you’re not familiar, Pattern Observer is a platform that helps and supports textile print designers, both brand new and established people who want to learn more about the industry and up-level. If you’re an aspiring print designer you can click here to find out more.

I did a 1-hour presentation for the group on how to launch your own fashion line and specifically went into detail on some of my favourite techniques for starting a business on a budget. We also did a live Q+A which was great to be able to help course members in real time. If you’re curious to learn a little more about me, there’s also an interview feature where I talk about why I love working with small business owners and why sustainability is so important to me. Plus, there’s some sustainability tips in there too. You can read the full interview by clicking here.

The training session is only available to Pattern Observer Members. If you’re not interested in becoming a textile designer but still want to learn about the techniques for launching a fashion business on a budget, I do have some training on this which you can learn about by clicking here.

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Business and Sustainability; Feature in Swimwear Yearbook 2020

I was so happy to be able to contribute 2 articles to this year’s Underlines Swimwear Yearbook (2020). If you’re not familiar with the magazine, this is an annual edition which focusses on the swim and beachwear industry and gives great insight into trends, new developments plus interviews with important brands and people in the industry. Compared to most trend and industry publications, the price point is very low, so it’s a great way to get industry insight at a low cost. You can read more about the magazine and order a copy by clicking here.

Following on from the article I wrote for the publication last year, I explained how sustainability has moved forward and what brands need to do in order to be as environmentally friendly as possible - something that’s not without it’s challenges in the swimwear market that’s heavily reliant upon fabrics derived from plastics.

I also contributed a piece on business strategy for swim and beachwear brands. There’s so much competition in the swimwear market that it’s important to have a solid strategy in place for success. I talked about ways to increase your sales, how get customers coming to you throughout the year and how to avoid the extreme highs and lows that a lot of swimwear brands face. If you want to learn more about this and how it affects your business, I have a small number of consulting spots open at the moment. You can email contact@thefashionbusinesscoach.com for more info, or click here to contact me. If you’re a new brand, you can learn about my popular Startup Strategy Sessions by clicking here.

A huge thank you to the Underlines team for having me and to Bok Goodall for the lovely illustrations!

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Manufacturing Apparel; Tech Pack Service for New Fashion Brands Video

A lot of people ask me ‘how can I get my fashion designs manufactured’ and also ‘why are tech packs so important for apparel production’ (if you’ve not heard of tech packs before, you can learn more about them in this free article). One of the main services that I offer to both startup fashion brands and established retailers alike is helping them to translate their ideas into a factory ready format. This video explains what it’s like to work with me on this and how you can get expert insight into your range plan, professional technical drawings and tech packs that make the production process easier to manage.

If you want to learn more about getting help with your fashion brand, you can email contact@thefashionbusinesscoach.com, or use the application form below to get a tech pack quote.

29andSeptember Studio is changing to The Fashion Business Coach

Have you noticed that lately, I’ve started talking about ‘The Fashion Business Coach?’ Well, the time has finally come to reveal that 29andSeptember Studio is now officially The Fashion Business Coach! More than 3 years ago I left the corporate fashion world to pursue my own business idea. It’s been through a lot of changes since then and after getting feedback from my audience over the years, I’ve decided to focus my efforts on small and startup fashion brands, plus adding in my own passion for ethical and sustainable fashion. Over the years, the business got further and further away from what I set out to do originally (but in a positive way!) and the name 29andSeptember Studio no longer made any sense at all, so I wanted to change it to something that really reflects what the brand is all about. So The Fashion Business Coach was the perfect fit. I love coaching people who are new to the fashion industry and teaching them how they can start and grow their own fashion brand.

It’s going to be a few months before the 29andSeptember Studio branding goes completely, so there will be a transition phase for a while. The good news is that any old links or email addresses should (fingers crossed!), still work indefinitely. Just remember that we’ve changed the name on social media and emails will start coming from The Fashion Business Coach, instead of 29andSeptember Studio.

What can you expect from The Fashion Business Coach? Pretty much the same as before, only bigger and better! I’m happy to say that I’ve built a lovely team around me to help with the workload, which will free me up to create more free content, especially video content that I’m excited to share. Plus, the team come with amazing credentials of their own, so I’ve been able to expand on my previous offering - in particular I can now help swim brands (more products to come!) with their patterns and sampling, plus there’s more we can help with when it comes to marketing, including done-for-you social media graphics, product descriptions and marketing campaigns. If you’re interested in any of these, you can click here for more info, or see a list of services by clicking here.

As always, the free content I make is driven by you guys, so if you have any suggestions of what you’d like to see, or if you want to share you’re struggles or what you would like to learn, I’m all ears! You can leave a comment below, or email contact@thefashionbusinesscoach.com.

If you want to stay up to date with the latest free content, plus access all my freebies, the best thing to do is to sign up to the email list, by clicking here.

Thanks for reading and following along with the brand. I’m stunned and so thankful that the 29andSeptember Studio community grew to over 150000 people and I can’t wait to make The Fashion Business Coach even better!

Thanks again and best wishes,

Vicki

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How to find and use data to help grow your brand; Feature on Flaunter

Last month I was delighted to be able to write an article for Flaunter, and Australia based website which connects brand’s images with journalists, bloggers and influencers. The article is all about the importance of using data in a fashion business, especially to grow a business. Data can be used to take some of the risk out of production and can help you to keep customers happy and make more sales. Sounds good? You can read the full article on the Flaunter website 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. 

5 Misconceptions About Working in Fashion - Feature on Indie Source

I was recently selected to write an article for Indie Source, a US based website which provides full service production in the US. In the article, I share 5 common misconceptions that I hear about the fashion industry all the time. A career in fashion is a big commitment and I want to make sure that people aren’t going into it thinking it’ll be totally different to what it is. If you’re imagining front row seats at fashion week and days spent travelling in search of inspiration, you’ll have to think again! You can read the full article on the Indie Source blog, here.

I love helping people to understand the fashion industry and how they can start their own brand. If you have any questions on this topic, please feel free to leave a comment below, or send me a message 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. 

Beta testing - what is it and why should you do it?

You might have seen that I’ve been mentioning the term ‘beta tester’ or ‘beta price’ recently. This post is to clarify what that means exactly and why it can be a great opportunity for you.

Simply put, beta testing is the second phase of product development, where the product is used by real people. At the moment, I’m inviting people to beta test my new course, ‘How to Attract Loyal Customers to Your Fashion Brand’. This opportunity is limited to the first 15 people to join, after that the price will increase.

I want to emphasise that beta testing in this case doesn’t mean trying strategies out to see if they work - don’t worry, that has already been done. The methods I teach have either been used by myself, my clients, other brands, or a mixture of all three. The testing part is really about the functionality of the website, videos, downloads and the way the information is presented (for instance, is there too much information, to little, is the pace too fast or too slow, etc).

The great thing about beta testing? You get to use the product before anyone else, at a massive price reduction and (I think most importantly), the course will be updated based on the feedback I receive - so by taking part, you’ll be getting the specific help that you need. If you don’t understand something, you can tell me and ask me to explain it further. Plus, your feedback will be taken on board for the course updates and you’ll receive access to any updates, completely free!

How it works

• You can register to beta test the course, by clicking here, taking advantage of the reduced price.

• When you’re registered, you’ll get access to all of the course videos, workbooks and downloads, which you can work through at your own pace. There’s about 4 hours of video to work through, whenever you’re ready

• If, at any time you have a question about the content, or using the downloads, you can reach out to me via the comments box below each video.

• At the end, I’ll ask you to complete a short questionnaire, which asks for a review and your feedback on the course experience. You can also let me know if there’s something you’re confused about in the content and would like extra help with.

• Completely optional, you’re also welcome to share your results with me; for example, part of the course is about getting featured in the press, if you’re featured, I’d love to hear from you and help spread the word via my social media channels.

• You get unlimited access to the course, so you can watch and rewatch the content as much as you’d like, plus you’ll get access to any course updates, at no extra charge.

Want To Join?

If you want to join the course, I’d love to have you! 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. Don’t wait too long though, as soon as the 15 places are filled, the beta testing opportunity and low pricing will end.

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. 

Feature in the Condé Nast Perspective Newsletter

Back in August I signed up for a new initiative from Condé Nast, the Perspective Newsletter and I’ve been reading it every week since. If you’re not familiar, Perspective provides fashion industry insight and analysis on various topics, such as fashion and consumer trends, business performance and ‘The Edit’ - a round up of industry news.

I was really thrilled to get a mention in the newsletter last month and was able to provide some information on sustainable fabrics, something that I’m really passionate about.

Not on the Perspective mailing list? You can sign up for free by clicking here. Just to let you know, I don’t receive any kind of commission or compensation, I just really like what they’re doing!

Here’s the mention in full;

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 Online Course extended!

I’m so excited to announce the addition of a new module to the Fashion Startup online course! If you didn’t already know, I have a course which is designed for people with little to no fashion industry experience, who want to set up their own successful clothing brand. The course launched in April 2018 and since then I’ve welcomed people from all over the world to the course. It’s amazing how word spreads and there’s now people enrolled from England, US, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Belgium, Australia and Thailand. Luckily, I’ve worked in a few different countries myself and therefore designed the programme with the global nature of the fashion industry in mind.

If you’re not already familiar with the course, here’s a very brief overview of the modules;

Module 1; Defining your target customer, brand and business aims

Module 2; Planning and understanding the business model options

Module 3; Designing; how to effectively create your collection

Module 4; Fabrics

Module 5; Working with a manufacturer

Module 6; Sampling and the fitting process

Module 7; Logistics

Module 8 NEW! Getting customers

If you’d like to learn more about the whole programme, you can click here.

Why Module 8?

I decided to add this new module as the course felt a little unfinished and although none of the participants had asked for anything extra, I felt like I wanted to help them find their first customers, as this is key to the success of any business. Another reason is that, after speaking to several clients and email subscribers, I kept hearing the same thing over and over, when it came to growing a business. Almost everyone said they would grow their business with Instagram. Which, in honestly, I found a little concerning. Instagram is a social media platform, it’s useful, sure, but it’s not a marketing strategy - it’s part of a marketing strategy at best. Many people seemed unaware that Instagram has a very low conversion rate (which, in a nutshell means that less people will buy from you if they see you on Instagram, vs seeing you in other ways). More on that in a future post!

The ‘Getting Customers’ module will talk about a strategy which can help brands to build a following, before they’ve even launched. But the strategies I teach aren’t just for getting the first few customers through the door, they can help you to scale up and get more visibility, too. And (perhaps best of all!), these techniques don’t require you to spend all day on social media. I can say this with certainty because I have thousands of visitors each and every month, while only spending a few hours a week on social media.

What Will You Learn?

In a nutshell, the new module will comprise of the following video lessons;

• Introduction

• The ‘Sales Journey’ concept

• Creating Content

• Types of Content

• The 80-20 Rules

• Free Marketing Options

• Paid Marketing Options

• Choosing a Marketing Strategy

• Step By Step ‘Sales Journey’ Building

• Marketing on Autopilot

• Improving Your Marketing Performance

• Action Steps

  + you'll get handouts and downloads, as always!

Who Has Access?

Everyone who’s currently on the course will get instant access to the new lessons, as soon as they’re available. At no extra charge! Not a member yet? Join us to get access to all 8 modules straight away; no drip fed content or waiting for modules to be released!

Want To Join?

If you want to join the course, I’d love to have you! 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@thefashionbusinesscoach.com

Designing for AW19/20 - feature on The Fashion Conversation

The next instalment in my series for The Fashion Conversation is live now! In case you missed it, I'm collaborating with the blog to create articles aimed at helping aspiring designers to make it in the fashion industry. This post is a little different from my usual writing - this time I’m talking about the trends that will take us through into a new decade - 2020. I’ve recently returned from trade show visits and viewed a lot of perspectives on the new trends. In the article, I share my take on 5 key trends for the season. You can read the full piece via The Fashion Conversation website, here. Thank you also to Munich Fabric Start for providing the images.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, or any ideas you have for future blog posts. Feel free to leave a comment below, or send me a message here. 

How to Use a Tech Pack for Fashion Manufacture

Put simply, a tech pack (sometimes referred to as spec sheet or tech spec) is a document which outlines your design for the factory, in detail. For more information on what a tech pack is and why it’s important, you might want to read this article first.

A common misconception is that a tech pack is created once and not changed again. This couldn’t be more wrong! Tech packs are constantly evolving and being updated as you go through the fit sample process and costing negotiations with the factory. In this post, I explain what each part of the tech pack is for, so that you have an understanding of what you might need to change as your product evolves.

For this post I've used a basic examples of tech packs that I've created; the details have been changed for client confidentiality, so I wouldn’t suggest using any of the details here as it’s a mash up of different styles and won’t work as an actual garment! Different garment technologists will have a different approach to tech packs and the format may be slightly different to other tech packs you’ve come across, but the information here should be on any tech pack in one form or another. Even if the formatting is different to your tech pack, the overall content and the key things to look out for will remain the same. You'll notice that in each box I've written some suggestions. I tailor this for each of my clients to give them an indication of what information is required and they’ll then update when they have the confirmed details. Again, this is a mix of different styles, so I wouldn’t suggest following the measurements or components listed here!

You’ll notice that some sections are left blank at the moment, for example ‘supplier’ in the example below. The supplier, along with other details are usually confirmed after the tech pack has been created, so these will stay blank until decisions have been made.

Cover;

• Brand; pretty obvious but do make sure to add your brand name so that the factory can easily identify it as yours.

• Style name; Ideally this should be what the item will be listed as on your website, or on the barcodes

• Style number; again, this should be as per any barcodes or care labels

• Number of colourways - how many different colour and/or print options will this style be available in?

• Season - this could also be a collection name, if you work that way

• Supplier - the name of the company or person who is making the stock

• Delivery date - be clear what you mean here - delivery date to you, the port, the airline? Be specific about where the stock should be delivered and when

• Lead time - how quickly you expect the factory to send the next fit sample, after they've received your spec sheet (in the first instance) or fit comments. The length of time will previously have been agreed with the supplier in your contract or service agreement, but it's good to put it here as well so the person working on the development is aware and there's no excuses for it being late.

• Size range - which sizes will you be offering to customers?

• Sample size - what size should your fitting samples be in?

• Samples required - the more sizes you can try the better, in my opinion, but of course the factory will only agree to so many and often at a price. After initial fittings have been completed, I like to have a good sample of sizes so I can check the fit across the size break, but this isn't always possible depending on what you've agreed with the factory. After you've discussed how many samples you can have, you can enter your size requirements here. The size you ask for will depend on your brands customers, your fit model and your advertising model, if you have one.

Colourways

On this page, there should be a drawing of each of the colour and/or print options that are available. You’ll then want to update the colours of each fabric below - this may well get updated if your chosen colour is not available.

Measurements and Sketches

• REF refers to the letters on the diagram

• POM shows the ‘point of measure’. You may amend this as you go through the fit process, if you add or remove elements.

• Original measurements will be for your chosen fit sample size and the first fit sample will be made to these specifications.

• 1st fit (abbreviated as FF), 2nd fit, PP (pre-production) samples - in this column you write the measurements of the sample that you receive from the factory

• +/- in this column you write the difference in the measurements between what you've asked for and what the sample actually measures

• 1st amended spec/2nd amended spec/etc - after fitting the item, you will use this column to request changes to the next sample. There can be a lot of changes throughout the fit process, so this is really important. It's difficult (read; virtually impossible!) to get a great fit the first time, because it's hard to predict how the fabric and components will react together (especially as the spec is usually done before the fabric is confirmed). Things like the weight of the fabric and amount of stretch can make the fit dramatically different, so make sure each sample is sent to you in the correct fabric. Plus, there’s so much sizing variation across brands, you’ll need to tailor the fit to your own specific fit model.

• Final spec - when you're happy with the way the garment looks, enter the measurements of that garment in here. The factory will use this to make bulk.

• Shipping sample - the factory will send this for your final approval before shipping the stock

• Grade rules - these will alter depending on your customer and market. Grade rules dictate the difference between each size. If you're able to get extra samples made up by the factory so you can check that the style works in each size, that is preferable. If not, try to look at your market research and competitor methods to make a choice. You could also ask the factory for information on products they've done for other customers in the same market. Your product may require you to have multiple sets of grade rules, particularly if you’re creating a large size range or if you’re working on a children’s range.

• Tolerance - this is the maximum amount of difference that you are willing to accept between what you have asked for and what you receive. For example, if the measurement should be 40cm and the tolerance is 1cm, you may receive a garment that is 39cm or 41cm. This can alter the cost price a lot and generally the numbers here will be smaller for high end ranges and higher for budget garments. Tolerance is often something that is discussed at the contract stage with the factory as it's good to outline your expectations from the start.

Construction

• The exact headings here will vary depending on the product you’re making, but essentially this page is for describing the construction on each part of the product.

• I also use photo references when available, as a lot of the people I work with have English as a second language and I find it’s really helpful to get the idea across.

Construction has a big impact on the price of the product, so you may well find the methods used change as the negotiations take place. Also, as there’s often several ways to achieve the same thing, the method may change if for example the factory is better placed to use one technique than another. Another reason for the change may be a reaction to your fittings and wear testing; you may find that you want to change the construction, to improve the quality or to better accommodate the final fabrics and trims selected.

BOM (Bill of Materials)

Depending on your brand and each style, you may need to add or remove components in order to make sure all of the relevant details are listed.

• Fabrics, these may start off as fabric ideas and the fabric will be confirmed at a later date (more on that in this post). When the fabric is finalised, be sure to add the composition and weight, plus any codes or reference numbers and the supplier name. You could also advise here if any sample testing should take place

• Trims - As with fabrics, these will often start off as an initial idea and then get confirmed at a later date, when you’ll be able to fill in the supplier details, reference number and exact quality. If there’s a specific appearance I’m looking for, I’ll also add a photo reference and delete this when I add the supplier info.

• Labels and packaging - when the fabric is confirmed a care label can be created. You'll need to specify where you want this and any other brand/size labels. You'll also need to specify which labels to use and who will be providing them. You might want to add a photo reference of the design and or placement to accompany the text.

Artwork Specifications

Not everyone will require this page, as this is for any placement prints or embellishments; if the print or beading is on the fabric and placed at random, this will not require an artwork page. The artwork specification page has the measurements of the placement and any other info required. The information on this page is often updated, as the position may change as the garment changes during fitting. Also, the application method is often added later, due to the restrictions of print methods at different factories.  

Extra pages

Sometimes there will be a need for additional pages, or additional sections of pages, depending on the design and also the requirements of the company. Some may ask for an inspection of bulk, so a page will be created for the factory to write down their findings. Some people prefer to add an extra page for fit comments and space for photos. There can be variances but these are the key details to look out for. 

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by this and would like some help with the production process, I’d love to help! I work with many brands on things like communicating with factories, improving product quality, keeping on top of production, fashion business strategy and more. If this is of interest, you can contact me by clicking here.

Are you signed up for the free resource library yet? If not, you can sign up to the mailing list below and I’ll send a login to you, which allows you to access the exclusive subscriber area, which has checklists, a glossary and more, to help your fashion business…absolutely free!

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. 

Basics 101: Using Data to Grow Your Fashion Business - feature on The Fashion Conversation

If you've been following me for a while, you might know that I've been writing a 'Basics 101' series for The Fashion Conversation. I've covered a range of topics which help new fashionpreneurs to learn about the industry, including where to start, how to hold a fit session and what you need to know about technical drawings. You can read all of those if you'd like here. 

The fifth part of the series came about after a discussion with The Fashion Conversation editor, Kate, who was interested to learn more about how brands create their collections. The article talks about the surprising and little known truth; that great designs often start with great data. You can read 'Basics 101: Using Data to Grow Your Fashion Business' on The Fashion Conversation website, here. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, or any ideas you have for future blog posts. Feel free to leave a comment below, or send me a message 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. 

Demystifying Sustainable Fabrics - feature on Maker's Row

If you've been following me at all, you'll know that I'm passionate about sustainability and spend a lot of my time researching alternative ways of producing clothing, in order to be more sustainable.  I was recently selected to write an article on the subject for Maker's Row, a US based website which focuses on American made products. In the article, I share 5 tips to help with understanding sustainable fabrics. There's a lot of mis-information out there and it can be hard to know if a fabric is truly sustainable, I hope this article will help you with the decision making process.  You can read the full article on the Maker's Row blog, here.

I love helping brands understand sustainability and ethical issues and have a free Masterclass available called ‘How to Start a Sustainable Fashion Brand’ which you can register free to watch 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. 

Sustainability, What Does it Mean on the High Street - feature in Swimwear Yearbook 2019

If you've been following me at all, you'll know that I'm passionate about sustainability and I also love designing swimwear. My passion for the two was combined recently, when I was able to write an article for one of my favourite industry magazines, Swimwear Yearbook 2019. I was especially happy to be able to write a piece on sustainability within the swim and beachwear market. Even better, when I saw the magazine in print, I learnt that sustainability was a focus for the issue, which is great for the sustainability cause. If you're in the swim and/or beachwear market, this magazine, published by Underlines, is a great option to consider, as it provides specialist information and content for a fraction of the price of other industry publications. You can learn more about Underlines and the Swimwear Yearbook on their website, 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. 

4 Ways To Make Your Brand More Sustainable - feature on Maker's Row

If you've been following me at all, you'll know that I'm passionate about sustainability and spend a lot of my time researching alternative ways of producing clothing, in order to be more sustainable.  I was recently selected to write an article on the subject for Maker's Row, a US based website which focuses on American made products. In the article, I share 4 tips for making a clothing brand more sustainable and the good news is, it's not as complicated as you might think! You can read the full article on the Maker's Row blog, here.

I love helping brands understand sustainability and ethical issues and I’ve created a free Masterclass called ‘How to Start a Sustainable Fashion Brand’. You can register free to watch 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. 

How to think about Ethical and Sustainable Garments - feature on The Fashion Conversation

If you've been following me at all, you'll know that I'm passionate about sustainable trade, so it's no surprise that my fourth instalment for the The Fashion Conversation is on this topic. In case you missed it, I'm collaborating with the blog to create articles aimed at helping aspiring designers to make it in the fashion industry. The first post was entitled; 'Basics 101: Where To Start When Building A Fashion Brand' + I shared 5 steps that will take your business from daydream to reality. You can read the full post on The Fashion Conversation website, here. Next, we talked about technical drawings; you can learn all about them in this post and fit sessions are covered in this one.

The fourth part of the instalment covers the basic things you need to know about both sustainable and ethical business practises. You can read the full post on The Fashion Conversation here and there's further reading on the subject in this post 'Why Being Sustainable is Good for Your Fashion Business'.

I love helping brands understand sustainability and ethical issues and I have a free masterclass here if you’d like to learn more about starting your own sustainable fashion brand. Click here to register free.

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. 

The truth about starting a fashion brand

I work with small and startup fashion labels day in, day out and I come across a lot of misconceptions about what to expect and  what running a business is really like. Today, I thought I'd share my story, to debunk some of those fashion industry myths and also tell you about the difficulties - probably not what you want to hear (because who wants difficulties, right?), but it's best to be prepared. The way I ran my business is one of several options and it may not be the right one for you, but whichever business model you choose, some of the realities in this post will be the same. 

So what business model did I use? 

To be honest, I was pretty clueless in the beginning. Despite having spent the last 6 years in fashion education and getting a degree in it, I found nothing really prepares you for running a business, or being in the real world. The one thing it did mean, was that I new how to pattern cut and sew, so I could make my own samples (this is where you and I may differ - I know most of my readers have no experience in fashion and that's ok). I wouldn't say I set off with a particular business model because in all honesty, like a lot of new entrepreneurs, I didn't put much thought into the whole thing (fatal error, as you'll find out later!). Looking back, initially I fell into the custom-made, part time job space, rather than trying to create a full time job from the start. I played about with some ideas and settled on creating basic printed tees and bags (there's an example below - cringy pictures looking back but that's what the Etsy market was like back in 2010!). So I went to a trade show to find suppliers to work with and made up some samples. I listed them on Etsy (this is back in 2010 and there was't a huge amount of people in the fashion space then, it was more about cards, jewellery and art) as custom made items. Basically, you could select a design and colour option from my colour chart and the customer would get their bag within 2 weeks. 

How did it start?

It started off super slow (hardly surprising as I had no target customer, no strategy and hardly any advertising!). In fact in the first year I barely sold anything. Fortunately, it didn't matter too much financially as I'd developed good relationships with suppliers, so I didn't have to hold any stock - I could order fabric and trims as orders came in, the delivery was super fast and reliable. This meant that other than the money I'd spend on samples, I didn't have any expenses. Ideal when you're not making any money! 

Of course, I did want to succeed and I realised that something had to change, so I spent a long time analysing my designs and also feedback I'd received. This is when I realised the power of having a target customer. My shop was very random and basically just a collection of things I liked, but it wasn't targeting anyone in particular. People would land on my shop and go to view all of my listings, but as there wasn't any particular theme, or niche, they would just leave as there wasn't anything else of interest to them. I realised I had to focus on something and at the time there was very little in the way of customised items for bridesmaids and wedding guests. I had found my niche! And things changed quickly. Because I had found my target audience, I could start networking with them, designing to cater to their needs and things really started to change. The sales soon began to come in and the best part was that most people have several bridesmaids and wedding guests, so a typical order for me would be 4-8 items per sale. It was great! Until a lot of sales became a crazy amount of sales. Who’d have thought too many sales would be a problem?

When do sales become too many sales?

As I mentioned earlier, I started without a plan. This seemed to go ok at the start, until I started getting too many sales (yes that really is a thing, in fact, did you know that a lot of businesses fail because they have too many sales and can't cope, causing them to go bankrupt?). I had so many orders and no systems in place, so I was working all through the night more times than I care to admit, trying to get orders ready for the morning post. I needed help, but as I didn't have any organisation, I'd have to first develop the systems, to then teach someone, to then hire them and hope they did a good job - this was all way too much, so a lot of time went by and nothing changed. By this point, even though I had quit my day job and gone full time, I was still working 80-100 hours every week to try and keep up. Worst of all, I wasn't making anywhere near enough profit, because without proper structure my expenses were much higher than they should have been. So I was exhausted, barely earning minimum wage and in desperate need for some systems, but had no time to implement them. But I also wasn't ready to give up.

So I hit reset. I took a risk and dramatically reduced my options and only kept styles that were fairly easy to make and were earning a good profit. I discontinued the other lines to make things simpler. It's much faster to produce 10 of the same thing, rather than 10 different items. This then saved me some time so I could start working on finding more sewing help and also to develop my much needed systems.

Two of the outfits I designed back in the day!

What systems does a business need?

By systems, I basically mean anything that can make your day to day easier and/or faster. Some examples of the systems I started to use are;

• Scheduling social media posts - it's always faster to do things in bulk, so I developed a system where I load all of my social media posts for the week in one go. My software then sends the post to go live at the time I've programmed in

• Accounts - I spent a long time building spreadsheet for accounts and finances. Now, all I have to do is enter the amount earned or spent and the formulas do the rest of the work for me - even my year end report automatically updates, so when tax return time comes, all of my figures are already complete. I can even link this up to my website, so any sales are automatically added

• Postage systems - I created a system to automatically print any postage labels, returns forms and invoices, to save me time when packaging orders

• Emails - I used to get emailed the same questions a lot, for instance a member of the press wanting to know about my brand, or a buyer wanting a line sheet. I set up drafts, so with a little editing I had all of the information ready to send, rather than having to write the whole thing from scratch.

Nowadays, I have systems for absolutely everything. I’m happy to admit that I’m a massive geek when it comes to systems. But, they give me hours of my life back to either work on important things for my business or have leisure time - what’s not to love?!

Systems allow you to automate your process as much as possible, or bulk tasks together to save time (because, lets face it, as a business owner there's never enough hours in the day). 

The scary thing is that it took me years to figure these things out and if I'd known them from the start, I would have saved myself so much time and money. That's one of the reasons why I now help new entrepreneurs with their systems - so they don't get in the same state I was in, when I literally had too many orders! If you want to know more about how I can help, you can click here for a list of the services I provide, or email contact@thefashionbusinesscoach.com for help.

How did the systems work out?

Like a dream! When I'd got my business organised, things were so much easier. For one, I had claimed so much time back and also, if I needed to hire some outside help it was easy, because I could simply hand over my guidelines (for my way of working and what they needed to do) and away they went. This gave me a lot more time to spend designing new ranges, pitching my range to the press and buyers and invest in new products. I found that when you've put in the hard work to get your range out there, there comes a time when you no longer have to spend all day doing marketing, as people start coming to you. There came a point where the press and buyers approached me. I even woke up one day to find myself featured in the Vogue diaries, after a celebrity bought one of my bags and used it on the red carpet (below) - I had no idea it was happening!

Photo courtesy of the Vogue diaries

Photo courtesy of the Vogue diaries

Things to remember when starting a range;

Before starting off all guns blazing, consider the following before making a start;

• Who is your target customer?

• What does your brand stand for?

• What business model do you want to run?

• What systems can you set up, to make production and/or selling smoother?

• Do you have a plan for managing a high volume of sales?

• How much time will you need to invest in this?

• How much money are you willing to spend on persuing this?

In the end I was able to achieve success; I sold to customers and boutiques across the world, got great press features and was able to make a full time living from my brand and most importantly, I loved my job (most days. We can't win them all, right?!). I ultimately gave the brand up so that I could go backpacking around the world (a fashion label doesn't really allow for the care free lifestyle I was looking for at the time!), having achieved what I wanted to and feeling ready to move on. But it wasn't easy at the start and I wish I'd invested more time getting things right in the beginning, so I didn't have that little melt down I told you about. I wish I'd set off on the right foot, with systems in place and clear brand and customer in mind - if I had, I'd have probably been abele to quit my day job a lot faster too! 

If you're wanting to start a new business and are serious about making it work, I'm excited to tell you that I've developed an online training course, to help you implement a well-considered business strategy from the start. If you want to start off confidently and learn from my mistakes, this course might be ideal for you - I'll give you all of the training to take you from idea through to production. You can learn more about what's included 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. 

Basics 101: Fit Sessions - feature on The Fashion Conversation

The third part in my series for The Fashion Conversation is live now! In case you missed it, I'm collaborating with the blog to create articles aimed at helping aspiring designers to make it in the fashion industry. The first post was entitled; 'Basics 101: Where To Start When Building A Fashion Brand' + I shared 5 steps that will take your business from daydream to reality. You can read the full post on The Fashion Conversation website, here. Next, we talked about technical drawings; you can learn all about them in this post. 

The third part of the instalment covers what fit sessions are, why you need them + what to do. You can read the full post on The Fashion Conversation website, here. If you want to learn more about how to have a successful fit session, there's more in depth info + a free checklist, here.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, or any ideas you have for future blog posts. Feel free to leave a comment below, or send me a message 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. 

Basics 101: Technical Drawings - feature on The Fashion Conversation

I'm excited to announce that the second part in my series for The Fashion Conversation is live now! In case you missed it, I'm collaborating with the blog to create articles aimed at helping aspiring designers to make it in the fashion industry. The first post was entitled; 'Basics 101: Where To Start When Building A Fashion Brand' + I shared 5 steps that will take your business from daydream to reality. You can read the full post on The Fashion Conversation website, here.

The new post focuses on one of the most important steps; technical drawings + taking your idea + presenting it in a way that garment technicians (the people who bridge the gap between designers and factories, such as myself) can understand. Keen to learn more? You can read all of my tips by clicking here. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, or any ideas you have for future blog posts. Feel free to leave a comment below, or send me a message 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.