Category: Blog
SFD081 When Your Parents Don’t Support Your Fashion Design Dream
February 04, 2019
Kayla’s fashion career journey has been an uphill battle. First, her parents didn’t support a “artsy” degree. Not that uncommon. But then? During her senior year of highschool, her dad became incarcerated. There was no money to pay for her college education. Kayla explored alternate, more “practical”, career paths like accounting and biology, but they […]
SFD080 Production & Manufacturing Processes for Small Batch Fashion
January 21, 2019
Jessica Osborn is the CEO and founder of Privy Label, a company that help brands and boutiques create their own custom clothing lines from design to delivery. She works closely with small-batch manufacturers in the USA in order to cut down on the wasteful practice of overseas manufacturing. Jessica has six years of experience in […]
SFD079 Three Years as a Freelance Fashion Designer
January 14, 2019
Kimberly Dippel was on the Successful Fashion Design podcast in August 2017, and we talked about her success finding freelance projects on UpWork. Since then, she’s come such a long way! In this episode of the podcast, we’re doing our first (!) follow-up with a past guest. Kimberly has slayed the freelance game this last […]
SFD078 Working with Factories as a Freelance Fashion Designer
January 07, 2019
There are a lot of different paths to becoming a freelance fashion designer. And Heather Royer took one I’d never heard of before. Instead of working directly with brands, she got her first freelance opportunity designing for a factory in China. The best part? There are ways you can create the same freelance opportunities for […]
SFD077 Interview with Project Runway Juniors Winner Chelsea Ma
December 17, 2018
Chelsea Ma won Project Runway Juniors when she was just 15 years old…and with no previous fashion experience. Like a lot of designers, she had an interest in fashion, but had no idea where to start. After convincing her parents to let her trade figure-skating lessons for sewing lessons, she began one step at a time by learning […]
SFD076 Six Steps to Starting a Fashion Line that Sells
December 10, 2018
Designing and starting a fashion line is exhilarating and inspiring and something most of us want to jump right into. Starting a fashion line that sells is something completely different–but it’s something you can do. Robyn and I are BACK with a podlet that sums up six easy steps to starting a fashion line that sells. The Successful […]
SFD075 How to Be a Lingerie Designer with Laurie Van Jonsson
November 26, 2018
Being a lingerie designer is its own unique and interesting niche of working in the fashion industry. There are tons of different things you have to think about compared to designing – let’s say – shirts or jackets. But it’s a pretty cool job! Laurie Van Jonsson knows this firsthand. From launching her own lingerie […]
SFD074 Mailbag: Fashion Design Career Advice on 3D Prototyping, Kickstarting Your Career, and Productivity
November 19, 2018
Many of you have loads of Q’s about working in fashion…and I know it can be hard to find answers. Maybe you don’t know any industry experts to ask. Maybe your coworkers are tight lipped and not willing to share their secrets. Maybe you just don’t even know where to go. Which is why I’m […]
SFD073 Accounting Advice for Fashion Designers and Businesses
November 12, 2018
Guess what? If you want to have a fashion brand, you’re going to have to deal with fashion business accounting. And while it’s not the sexiest topic around, it’s a fact of doing business. But the good news? It doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. And in this interview with accountant Peter Lang, who […]
SFD072 This Fashion Designer Applied to Puma 7 Times. How He Finally Got His Dream Job.
November 05, 2018
It’s easy to see someone who’s living their fashion design dream and think, “they got lucky, but that could never happen to me.” But that couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality? You have NO idea what their back story is. You have NO idea how hard they worked to get there. And you […]
SFD071 A Fashion Design Dream Come True: From the Honduras to NYFW, With Guillermo Irias
October 22, 2018
When it came to success in fashion, Guillermo Irias had nothing going for him. Raised in the Honduras by a single mom who didn’t think a fashion career was a good idea, he didn’t have the financial or emotional support he needed. But he is hardworking, driven, and passionate. And he wasn’t willing to let […]
Bonus Episode: What I Wish I Knew About a Fashion Career (from 10 industry experts)
October 16, 2018
Becoming a fashion designer in real life is not what most people think it is. Because what you see on Project Runway and what you learn in school is not how the industry actually works. So if you want a career in fashion, get the inside scoop from 10 industry experts. Most of them have […]
SFD070 Build a Fashion Brand with a Cult Following
October 15, 2018
Seeing other fashion brands on social media with these crazy cult followings can be pretty intimidating. You see these fashion brands and think, “I can’t possibly generate that much interest in my designs.” But it’s possible! You can design products that people want to buy because they are obsessed! With the right consumer research and […]
SFD069 Launching a Sustainable Fashion Brand and Manufacturing in Bali
October 01, 2018
Do you want to create a sustainable fashion brand …but feel like you’re on the outside edge of what is going on in the fashion world? It can feel as though no one will ever give you the answers to your questions or share their inside information or tips. Well… good news, this isn’t permanent. […]
SFD068 Mailbag: Fashion Design Career Advice on College, Why You’re Not Getting the Job, Freelancing and Factories
September 24, 2018
Many of you have loads of Q’s about working in fashion…and I know it can be hard to find answers. Maybe you don’t know any industry experts to ask. Maybe your coworkers are tight lipped and not willing to share their secrets. Maybe you just don’t even know where to go. Which is why I’m […]
SFD067 Working with a Fashion Showroom
September 17, 2018
You finally have your design process down and your merchandise production down to a science and you feel like you’re ready to take on one of those big time retailers, but you have no idea how to reach them. You have no idea how to get your foot in the door of a fashion showroom, […]
SFD066 10 Easy Networking Tips (you can use today) to Get Ahead in Fashion
September 10, 2018
One of the best ways to get ahead in fashion – whether it’s to get your first (or next) job or to launch your own fashion brand – is networking. Now, I know, no one really wants to “network”. But here’s the thing: You don’t have to do that “networking” thing. Instead, you can just focus on making […]
What’s it Like Working in Fashion: Expectations VS Reality (in memes)
September 07, 2018
Ohhhh….this is a good one. I had a blast putting these memes together and know you’re going to love them 🙂 They’re all centered around a common theme I hear from designer friends, coworkers, and my podcast guests who work in fashion. It goes like this: “I wish someone told me what working in the […]
SFD065 How This Surface Pattern Designer Creates From Music
September 03, 2018
Are you an artist or designer who finds inspiration is everywhere, often in the most unexpected places? And do you ever feel stuck not knowing how to turn it into anything? This is exactly what happened to Nadia Ricketts of Beatwoven, a textile and surface pattern designer who turned music into fabric. In this episode […]
Breaking Into the Creative Side of Fashion: From Product Development to Designer
August 22, 2018
There’s nothing more I love than a good fashion career success story. And a few weeks ago, a girl named Savannah emailed to tell me how she went from product development to fashion designer. It started back in 2013 when she graduated from fashion design school…but then got stuck in product development for 5 years. Like many […]
