Everyone has to start somewhere in the fashion world. In this episode of the Successful Fashion Freelancer podcast, you’ll get to know Kayla Marshall – a fashion freelancer who didn’t go to fashion school, is totally self taught, and doesn’t have any formal industry experience. This can be suuuper daunting, but together we will talk through some great tips for getting started as a freelancer!
Plus, it can be hard to know when you’re “ready” to start offering skills to clients you aren’t 100% confident about. You’ll hear some valuable advice on ways to learn these skills such as creating tech packs, fashion flats, and using Adobe Illustrator, which will help you gain some confidence on offering new skills such as pattern making to clients.
In the interview (which you’ll love), we will cover:
- What it’s like getting started without formal experience
- Tips to learn the production side of fashion
- Ways to learn skills such as tech packs, fashion flats, and patternmaking
- Gaining the confidence to pitch your services
- And more!
Press the play button below to listen here, or listen on Apple Podcasts:
Or read the full transcript here!
About Kayla
Kayla is a self-taught sewist who is new to the fashion industry. Quite the busy bee – she works a full-time job outside of fashion, is the mother to two young girls, and has a small business doing alterations on top of it all. Kayla is a FAST: Freelance Accelerator student who hopes to expand her skills and eventually would like to start with pattern making and 3D renderings.
Loved this episode? Don’t miss these other episodes featuring freelancing without industry experience:
- SFF138: How She Did It: A Fashion Freelancer with No Industry Experience
- SFF152: How this 20-Year-Old from India Became a Freelance Fashion Designer (With No Experience)
Resources & People Mentioned
- Free resources for SFF Podcast listeners!
- Want to work with Sofia? Email blackbirdsandbelladonna [at] outlook [dot] com



