Category: Blog
SFD121 How to be a fashion freelancer (if you don’t know anyone in the industry)
January 18, 2021
Alex is a self-taught freelance technical designer living in Ottawa, Ontario. He didn’t go to fashion school, and he never held a job in the industry. Yet he’s working with small fashion brands, helping them get their ideas into production alongside his full-time job. Even if you don’t know anyone in the fashion industry, you […]
SFD120 How this accountant launched a handbag brand (with no experience or money)
December 07, 2020
Have you ever found yourself sitting at your day job, feeling like something is missing? Have you always been full of ideas, daydreaming about a more creative life? My guest on this episode, Tara, pursued an accounting career for stability. But she could never shake the creative ideas that came to her, tempting her to […]
SFD119 How to advance your fashion design career (from assistant to director)
November 09, 2020
Oni Auer is a design director and fashion career mentor in NYC. She got started in fashion by scoring a position with BCBG when she was a mere 18 years old. She had an associates degree, but no industry connections or advantages to help her get ahead. Since then she has worked with a huge […]
SFD118 How to build a sustainable clothing line (in Latin America)
October 26, 2020
Juan Pablo Martínez is a Colombian designer who has worked in sustainability for more than 10 years, and in the fashion industry for more than two decades. One of the first sustainable designers in Latin America, he has also designed for Christian Lacroix, owned a successful boutique, shown his designs at a New York fashion […]
SFD117 How to quit your full time fashion job and start freelancing
October 12, 2020
*Note: This episode has a slight tic on the guest’s audio that we were unable to repair. But the interview is way too good not to share, so thank you for understanding!* Freelancing is a hot topic in the fashion industry right now. With almost everyone working from home, more and more companies have realized […]
SFD116 How to start your clothing line on Etsy (and then build an empire)
September 28, 2020
Anna Triantafellou designs fantasy couture dresses for girls, and her business is now so successful that she supports her family of 3 on only her income. If you’re thinking this kind of success is only possible for lucky people with trust funds, you’ll definitely want to hear Anna’s story. Coming from a traumatic childhood in […]
SFD115 How to Start a Clothing Line with (practically!) No Money
September 14, 2020
When you think about starting your own clothing line, you probably imagine garments you designed completely from scratch gracing a magazine page or floating down a runway. But starting a fashion brand takes years… and a major investment of cash. If what you really want is to get something of your own design out into […]
SFD114 How to Predict Textile Design Trends and Colors
August 31, 2020
Understanding trends and the direction the market is going to go is vital for anyone working in fashion. Print and textile designers need to understand what consumers are going to be looking for next. Thea Perez founded Polychrome.Design to provide prints as true digital working tools for fashion designers. Along the way, she has honed […]
SFD113 How to fund your fashion brand with a freelancing career
August 17, 2020
Need funding to launch your fashion brand? Mat Booth, founder of UK-made luggage brand Both Barrels, funded his startup brand by working as a freelancer. Listen to the story of how he shifted from employment to freelancing, and then started a successful label without any outside funding.
SFD112 How to launch a shoe brand without any fashion experience
August 03, 2020
Not all successful fashion designers go to fashion school. Lila Stewart used to do marketing in the music industry, and her husband Jeremy was a political consultant. But when they decided they wanted to start a business with philanthropy at its heart, they found themselves entering the fashion industry with zero experience. In this episode […]
SFD111 How to get a fashion design internship right after high school
July 20, 2020
Like many people working in the industry, Emilee Goff always knew she wanted to go into fashion. But when she managed to score a fashion internship with Scott Sports right after she finished high school, Emilee’s career trajectory changed in ways she never imagined. In this episode of the SFD podcast, she shares what she’s learned […]
SFD110 How to break into fashion design without going to fashion school
July 06, 2020
Selena Leong has worked her way up from production associate, to product development, to technical design, to apparel design. Along the way she’s worked with brands on both coasts including Aeropostale, Forever 21, and even Ralph Lauren. And she did it all without ever going to fashion school. In the interview (which you’ll love), we […]
SFD109 How to Get Your Clothing Line into Production with The Chicago Patternmaker
June 22, 2020
If you want to see your garments and accessories in the hands of more than just a few customers, you need to understand how to get your fashion designs into production. On this episode of the Successful Fashion Designer podcast, patternmaker and designer Xochil Herrera Scheer of The Chicago Patternmaker draws on over a decade of experience to share what she’s learned about factories, production, and bringing your designs to life!
SFD108 How to Become a Senior Fashion Designer by Age 27
June 08, 2020
From internship to senior designer by the time she was 27? Outdoor and motorcycle apparel designer Kelsey Runge did it, and in this episode of the SFD podcast, she shares exactly what she’s done to design her perfect career. She says she’s had a lot of luck, but it took a ton of work and smart moves to get her where she is today.
SFD107 What to Include in a Freelance Fashion Designer Contract
May 25, 2020
Do you really need a contract as a freelance fashion designer? What should your contract include? On this episode of the SFD Podcast, you’ll hear from small business attorney Andrea Sager on contracts, design ownership, payment disputes, and the best ways to protect yourself and your assets when you’re freelancing in fashion.
SFD106 How This Designer Launched a Bespoke Dress Brand (while still in college)
May 11, 2020
Noemie Jouas is a self-taught designer who runs a bespoke dress brand that keeps her steadily busy with several clients a month. The incredible part? She’s still in college! In this episode, she talks all about how she got started, where she finds her clients, and the number one thing she credits for her early success.
SFD105 How to Predict Fashion Trends (and work as a trend forecaster)
April 27, 2020
If you want your designs to stand out and capture your market, you can’t just know what’s big now; you have to know what’s going to be big next. From her 2+ decades of experience in trend analysis and fashion marketing, including working at WGSN, guest Wendy Bendoni shares how trend forecasting has evolved over the past 20+ years, and how you can sharpen your eye to spot what’s next in YOUR niche.
SFD104 What Is a Fashion Tech Pack (and do you really need one)?
April 13, 2020
Most aspiring fashionistas don’t envision their fashion career and think, “I can’t wait to create an amazing tech pack!” But love them or hate them, tech packs are a crucial part of getting your garments from your head into your customers’ hands. In this episode you’ll hear from Belinda Jacobs of Tech Packs Co on what a tech pack REALLY needs, why they are SO important, and how you can be sure yours gets the job done RIGHT!
SFD103 How to Make More Money as a Fashion Freelancer (than in a full-time job)
March 30, 2020
Freelance pattern maker and product development specialist Alison Hoenes left her job after just 3½ years in the industry to pursue a freelance career. Hear how she perfected her niche, went from zero customers to a steady clientele, and within two years was making more than her full-time job–and she still works just 40 mostly-remote […]
SFD102 How to Copyright Your Fashion Designs and Protect Your Brand
March 16, 2020
How do you prevent your fashion designs from being stolen and safeguard your brand? And as a business owner, how do you legally protect yourself and your assets? On this episode of the SFD Podcast, you’ll hear from fashion industry attorney Andrea Sager on copyrights, trademarks, and other ways to be smart and protect your […]
