Category: Factory + Trim Sourcing
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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!
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.
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 […]
SFD101 How to Build a Direct to Consumer Clothing Line
March 02, 2020
When you’re starting a clothling line, there are so many options and details that it can overwhelm even the most savvy designer. One of the questions you may be asking is, “Should I sell my clothing line wholesale or direct-to-consumer?” On this episode of the Successful Fashion Designer podcast, you’ll hear from Ellie Mae Waters, […]
SFD099 Why this Startup Fashion Brand Makes Clothes for Short Men Only
February 03, 2020
Steve Villanueva is an entrepreneur with a history of success in multiple industries. And, like at least 40% of men, he’s also less than 5 foot 9 inches tall. Frustrated with clothes that just weren’t made to fit short men, Steve set out to find a better way to design clothing for this underserved market. […]
SFD091 100 Ways NOT to Start A Clothing Line: These Guys Learned Firsthand What Works and What Doesn’t
September 16, 2019
Starting a clothing line from scratch is a massive challenge. And when you don’t have big investors and influential connections, it can seem impossible. But these three young entrepreneurs found a way to beat the odds and make their brand a reality. Meet Salvatore Graci, Angelo Acquista, and Luca Graci, founders of luxury streetwear brand […]
SFD088 How to Build Your Fashion Business with Festival Vending
May 13, 2019
Kimberly Ponniah didn’t take the typical route into the fashion world. Yet through grit and perseverance, she went from knowing almost nothing about the industry to running a successful fashion design business. She now works full-time designing her own line of accessories, Wild June. Through years of experience, Kimberly learned how to use festival vending […]
SFD083 How This Designer Built a Vegan Luxury Shoe Brand
March 04, 2019
Bebe Mehr’s fashion entrepreneur journey began in 2001 while she was in college and started selling stuff on Ebay. Little did she know, that 13 years later, after a lot of different fashion careers, it would turn into her own line of vegan luxury shoes, Cult of Coquette. Coming from an entrepreneurial family, Bebe’s journey […]
SFD082 Fashion Startup Trade Shows: Are You Ready (and what’s the cost)?
February 18, 2019
When it comes to trade shows, there are SO many questions. How much is this going to cost? How does this all work? How do I make sure it’ll be a success? Am I ready? In my interview with Danielle Licata and Kelly Helfman, we talk about these exact questions and more. Danielle and Kelly […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
SFD064 Fashion Startup Advice on Creating, Manufacturing and Selling Your Designs
August 20, 2018
You’re someone who spends hours getting lost in a fashion idea, drawing and redesigning a garment over and over again until it’s just right. But once those ideas are perfected you’re not sure how to go from hand drawing on a napkin to holding that garment in your hands. But you can wade through the uncertainty […]
