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. She started out as a freelancer exclusively offering fashion flats, and within the first two months she already had multiple clients paying her $20 an hour—and more lined up!
Don’t let fashion industry myths keep you from pursuing your dream. Fashion is a challenging industry, but with the right tools and a lot of determination, you CAN become a Successful Fashion Freelancer.
Episode Highlights
Introduction and Tease
- Heidi excitedly introduces Arya Mishra, a 20-year-old self-taught fashion freelancer from India with three active freelance clients and three more lined up for the next month.
- Arya’s participation in Freelance Week earned her a spot in the Freelance Accelerator program.
Arya’s Background
- Arya shares that she is a self-taught fashion designer with no formal education or extensive industry experience.
- She highlights the role of research and free online resources in launching her career.
Initial Struggles and Learning Process
- Arya talks about sending pitches without getting responses and how she taught herself using Google, SFD content, books, and Adobe Illustrator.
- Through trial and error, she refined her pitching strategy.
From Non-Responsive Pitches to Strategic Pitches
- Arya identifies three early mistakes: wrong markets, unclear services, and long paragraphs.
- She now uses clear, concise, and targeted pitches based on what she learned in the Freelance Accelerator program.
Breakthrough with Social Media Pitches
- Arya shares her strategy of using Instagram hashtags to find brands and pitch them.
- One successful pitch came from replying to a brand’s post about struggling with technical sketches.
Struggles and Persistence
- Arya opens up about the emotional highs and lows of freelancing, including self-doubt, rejections, and societal pressure.
- She emphasizes persistence, learning from mistakes, and staying grounded.
Portfolio Setup
- Arya describes her minimal yet tailored portfolio, focusing on technical sketches that address client needs.
- Her niche-focused portfolio helped her attract the right clients.
Engaging with Clients
- Arya explains the value of connecting with clients as people and understanding their struggles.
- She shares how authentic Instagram conversations led to client relationships.
Building a Freelance Business
- In just five weeks, Arya secured three clients and has more lined up.
- She stresses the importance of trial and error, self-belief, and continuous learning.
Emotional Journey
- Arya discusses the lack of peer support and societal doubt, but highlights her family’s encouragement.
- She validates her success with client testimonials and paid invoices.
Closing Thoughts
- Arya reflects on how freelancing has offered her flexibility and freedom.
- She encourages others to learn from real-life experience and free resources, even in the face of challenges.
Key Questions and Responses
1. Who is Aria Mishra and what does she do in fashion?
- Arya Mishra is a 20-year-old self-taught fashion designer from India who specializes in fashion flats and technical sketches. She has no formal education or extensive experience in fashion design but has secured three freelance clients with more in the pipeline.
2. How did Arya teach herself fashion design?
- Arya extensively utilized free online resources and conducted thorough research. She relied heavily on resources from the Successful Fashion Designer website, reading several books multiple times and participating in free training like freelance week and the 5-day fashion workshop.
3. What strategies did Aria implement to start getting freelance clients?
- Initially, Arya didn’t receive responses from brands due to her pitches being less targeted and messy. After refining her approach with strategies from the Freelance Accelerator program, she began creating concise, strategic pitches that addressed specific brand needs, which led to her securing clients.
4. What did Arya do wrong in her initial pitches versus her successful pitches?
- Her initial pitches were not targeted to the right market, overly detailed and wordy, and presented a scattered message. In contrast, her successful pitches were concise, clear, and directly addressed the brand’s current needs and challenges.
5. How is Arya finding her clients and starting conversations with them?
- Arya uses hashtags on Instagram to find relevant brands and examines the profiles and stories of these brands to understand their current struggles. She initiates conversations based on those insights, effectively positioning herself as a solution to their problems.
6. Can you elaborate on Arya’s emotional journey and belief in herself?
- Arya acknowledges experiencing self-doubt and emotional ups and downs, especially initially when she faced rejection. Despite this, she emphasizes the importance of believing in oneself and pushing forward through setbacks, as evidenced by her eventual success in securing clients.
7. What does Arya’s portfolio look like and how does it function?
- Her portfolio is a simple PDF that includes her contact information on every page, sketches, technical sketches, and mood boards relevant to her niche. It effectively demonstrates her ability to translate inspiration into practical design solutions.
About Arya
Arya Mishra is a freelance fashion designer who lives in India. At just 20 years old, she taught herself to draw fashion flats and technical sketches and started freelancing. She loves to help startup and small fashion brands translate their designs into usable digital flats so they can bring their vision to life. In her free time, Arya is an avid reader and loves to travel.
Loved this episode? Don’t miss SFF148: How She Built an International Freelance Fashion Design Agency from India!
Resources & People Mentioned
- Free resources for SFF Podcast listeners!
- Connect with Arya on LinkedIn
- Follow Arya on Instagram
- Want to work with Arya? Email aryamishra174 [AT] gmail [DOT] com