Category: Fashion Designers Get Paid Podcast
SFF160: Fashion Freelancer Q&A: How to Pick a Niche for Surface Pattern Designers (plus more on pitching & pricing)
Surface pattern design is a broad category that includes textile design and print and pattern design for all sorts of applications, from dishware to packaging to office supplies. If you’ve been listening to the SFF podcast for long, you know how important niching down is for finding freelance clients. But in such a diverse specialty, […]
SFF159: What Does a Freelance Fashion Designer Do? (It may surprise you!)
If you’re interested in freelancing in the fashion industry, but you don’t know where to start, this one’s for you! Learn what services freelancers can offer (spoiler alert: It’s way more than just “design”!), how to decide what YOUR services should be, and the secret that makes getting started as a freelancer 10X easier! Plus, […]
SFF158: How this Freelance Textile Designer Out-earned Her Salary (in Her First Year of Freelancing)
Struggling to find a job (even after attending a respected fashion school)? Stuck at a job that sucks the joy out of life (but feel like it’s your only option)? Laid off (and not sure if fashion is worth the struggle anymore)? If you’re fed up with the fashion industry, but don’t want to give […]
SFF157: Fashion Freelancer Q&A: What to Do When a Client Ghosts Me (and How to Charge for Meetings + Phone Calls)
Are you charging too much as a fashion freelancer? Money is one of the most awkward subjects for many newer fashion freelancers, and a fair rate can deter some clients. But your time is valuable! If you’re setting or raising your freelance rates and worried that charging what you’re worth will scare potential clients away, […]
SFF156: How to Source Fabrics for Your Freelance Clients
Whether you’re new to the fashion industry or you’ve only worked for bigger brands, sourcing fabrics and trims for smaller brands can be a daunting task for many freelancers. How do you find fabric suppliers with low minimums? How do you know if a fabric supplier is any good? And what are the basic steps […]
SFF155: Fashion Freelancer Q&A: I Have 15 Clients and Am on the Struggle Bus
On the surface, it sounds like Krystal has it all—a thriving freelance biz, FIFTEEN solid clients, and a connection that regularly sends her more work. The problem? Her 15 clients are all in different niches, from hunting & fishing to swimwear to golf. Krystal’s killing it and her clients love her, but switching between so […]
SFF154: How She Became a Freelance Fashion Illustrator + Designer (and sent a $4500 invoice!)
“I can’t freelance—I need a stable job.” One of the biggest misconceptions about freelancing in fashion is that it’s feast or famine. So many people imagine freelancers stuck in an endless job hunt, never knowing where their next project is coming from (or if they’ll get one at all!). But the truth is that, when […]
SFF153: Fashion Freelancer Q&A: What to Do When You’re Stuck and Can’t Find Enough Time
One of the MOST common reasons aspiring fashion freelancers put off building their freelance career is not having enough time. There’s this myth that you need to find a two-hour block of time every day to “hustle” and “work your business.” And the only way most of us mortals can carve out time like that […]
SFF152: How this 20-Year-Old from India Became a Freelance Fashion Designer (With No Experience)
The high cost of fashion school shouldn’t be the thing that keeps you from working in the industry you love. Yes, it is possible to break into the fashion industry without a fashion degree, without industry experience, without connections, AND without living in NYC! Today’s guest, Arya Mishra, is a 20-year-old, self-taught designer in India. […]
SFF151: Fashion Freelancer Q&A: Why Are Brands Ghosting Me?
You’ve landed a new client, and the trial project they requested went great! You’re ready to start the full project with them. But then, they suddenly stop replying to your emails. You try following up, but it’s like they’ve vanished. You’ve been ghosted. And it sucks. Were your rates too high? Did you do something […]
SFF150: Fashion Freelancer Q&A: I’m at Capacity! How Can I Grow My Business if I Can’t Take On More Clients? (Part 2)
Successful Fashion Freelancer Alison Hoenes has grown her freelance business to 75% more than her old full-time income in just 4 years. She has plenty of clients and more projects than she can take on, and she needs help! In part two of the interview, we dive into what Alison can do to keep growing […]
SFF149: How This Freelance Patternmaker Beat Her Full Time Income by 75% (Part 1)
How do you grow from your first few clients to a thriving, fully booked freelance biz? After four years as a Successful Fashion Freelancer, Alison Hoenes is earning 75% more than her old full-time salary, booked out months in advance, and still growing. And she’s doing it all without working insane 60-hour weeks (like most […]
SFF148 How She Built an International Freelance Fashion Design Agency from India
A common myth about freelancing is that it’s unstable, and you have to hustle 24/7 to get enough projects to survive. That was how this episode’s guest, PK, felt. When she had her son and started freelancing, she got burned by a client who refused to pay, and felt like she was constantly searching for […]
SFF147 “I turned my side hustle into my full time hustle”
You’ve put in the time and the work. Now there’s only one thing standing between your side hustle becoming your full time source of income: getting more freelance clients. In this episode our guest Connie reveals the simple change that allowed her to transform her side hustle into a design agency within 18 months. In the interview […]
SFF146 Fashion Freelancer Q&A: Managing Your First $4k Project on Upwork
You’ve landed your first big freelance project on Upwork. Now comes the tricky part: How do you manage all the moving parts, your client’s expectations and budget, and yourself? You’re not in over your head… you just need a game plan! In this week’s episode of the Successful Fashion Freelancer Podacast, I strategize with our […]
SFF145: How This Textile Designer Is Charging $60/hr on Upwork
Pitching on Upwork can be tough. Despite knowing you’re THE perfect fit for a project, it can be a struggle to get the right clients. Today’s guest, Lucia, found herself in the same situation. After 6 months of failed pitches, she was left thinking, “Is this really it for me? Why can’t I be a […]
SFF 144: Fashion Freelancer Q&A: Why Your Emails Aren’t Getting Replies (+ more on pricing, starting without experience, and finding clients)
Starting a new career is scary, and it can be easy to underestimate what you bring to the table when you do. In this interview, Heidi helps new freelance patternmaker Vanessa dissect Vanessa’s current outreach approach and strategize how to receive more email responses, starting without experience, what her pay rate should be, how Upwork […]
SFF143 FROM $100 TO $3K/MONTH… AND THEN I REALIZED I WAS PERMALANCING…
“Just realized I’m permalancing and I hate it! How do I ‘quit’?” Finding yourself in the world of permalancing can be unexpected. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional, it can still come as a shock to find that your part-time gig has become a full-time drain. What are the telltale signs that […]
SFF142: How to figure out your services as a fashion freelancer
One place new fashion freelancers get stuck all the time is figuring out what services to offer. If you’ve been spinning your wheels thinking you need to learn flats, and repeats, and tech packs, and patternmaking, and sourcing, and… maybe graphic design? before you can start freelancing, there’s good news: You don’t have to offer […]
SFF141: Why I Hired This Freelancer (and then hired her again, and again, and again!)
Ever wondered what your clients & potential clients are thinking? What makes them decide to hire a freelancer from a cold pitch? What are they thinking while you’re working together? And how do they decide whether to lose your info, or hire you again (and again, and again)? In this interview with freelance graphic designer […]
