Tag: Domestic Manufacturing
SFF129 How this designer freelanced while starting her fashion brand
Launching a fashion brand is expensive. And many designers who dream of having their own brand find themselves stuck in this dilemma: You need to work to support yourself while you’re starting your brand. But a full time job hardly leaves any time to work on your line! In this interview, Atlanta-based sustainable designer Christina […]
SFD113 How to fund your fashion brand with a freelancing career
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.
SFD086 This 76 Year Old Worked in the NYC Fashion Industry since the 60’s. Here’s her story
Judy worked in the industry way back in the 60’s and 70’s in New York and she has so many fun and inspiring stories about what her journey was like through fashion back then. Whether you’re listening for a fun flashback or for some insight into what the New York fashion world was like back […]
SFD080 Production & Manufacturing Processes for Small Batch Fashion
This episode was first published January 21, 2019. February 2, 2021: Jessica checked in, and Privy Label is still going strong! Privy Label teaches fashion entrepreneurs how to launch their custom Men’s or Women’s apparel lines through design, development, and small batch manufacturing in the US. If you have an idea but you aren’t really […]
SFD075 How to Be a Lingerie Designer with Laurie Van Jonsson
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
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 […]
SFD070 Build a Fashion Brand with a Cult Following
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 […]
SFD065 How This Surface Pattern Designer Creates From Music
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 […]
SFD064 Fashion Startup Advice on Creating, Manufacturing and Selling Your Designs
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 […]
Bonus Episode: AliExpress knocked off this fashion brand. Here’s what they did.
Fashion designers worry all the time about how to protect their ideas. Unfortunately? Our industry doesn’t get much protection or have much control when it comes to knockoffs. Grassroots brand Solstice Intimates has had their lingerie and loungewear ripped off before, both by independent designers and large trendy stores. But the most recent incident with […]
SFD061 Are You Ready to Quit Your Job for Your Fashion Startup Business?
You have had this full time corporate fashion job for several years. You’re comfortable where you’re at, with benefits, income and stability. But you also have this “passion project” that you started as a creative outlet and it has turned into a fashion startup business. You spend all your free time designing, making, creating and problem […]
SFD051: Discover How One Fashion Design Entrepreneur Created a Flexible Direct-to-Consumer Business
Creating a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business in the fashion industry isn’t easy. Learn from serial entrepreneur and new fashion designer Allison Floam on this episode of The Successful Fashion Designer – I promise it’s an episode you don’t want to miss. Allison shares the story behind her latest business venture, Bello Belts. The company specializes in […]
SFD048: How An Amazing Eco Friendly Clothing Brand Was Built On The Passion Of One Woman
Contact Heidi: podcast (at) SuccessfulFashionDesigner.com If you need a shot of inspiration, you’ve got to hear this conversation with my guest Elle – the creator and designer behind Ellerali, an eco friendly clothing brand built solely on the passion of its founder. Elle wasn’t educated as a designer, she was trained as a marine biologist. […]
SFD044: This Company Runs their Fashion Brand like a Tech Startup (and they’re crushing it)
Do you ever feel like the fashion design and development process moves at a snail’s pace? We often work years and multiple seasons ahead, and by the time product is delivered, it’s easy to feel like it’s already outdated. Voormi thinks about things differently, and they’re pushing the boundaries and timelines that fashion takes. What takes many […]
SFD041: How to Set Up Your Fashion Brand Successfully, from Samples to Production
Tricia runs her fashion studio, Hello World Fashion, in DTLA. With more than a decade of experience in the industry designing, sourcing and doing production, she can help you set up your fashion brand successfully, from the entire design through development process, including sampling and production. One of the things I love most about how Tricia runs her studio is her […]
SFD038: Hard Lessons Learned From a Career in Fashion
Stamatina is a designer who finally gave up on her fashion career dream, and wanted to share her fashion career lessons. Now, I don’t want to start this episode with a negative tone. Or make you feel like you too will have to give up on your fashion dream. But I wanted to bring Stamatina […]
SFD027: Curled up in a Ball Crying: How Community Can Save You
Making it as an indie fashion designer is emotionally, mentally and financially brutal. And trying to do it alone is even harder. Which is why I love this episode with Nathalie Kraynina, an indie ready-to-wear fashion designer turned custom bridal designer who has built her brand by working with other designers. Sharing resources like factories […]
SFD025: Make the Most of A Fashion Sourcing Trade Show for Your Clothing Line
Attending a trade show is expensive, so before you go, make sure you’re fully prepared. Get industry expert advice from Trish of DG Expo to make the most of your trade show visits. Learn what mistakes you should avoid, and how to walk away with the right fabrics, trims and contacts for your clothing line. […]
SFD022: Why We All Must Ask: Who Made My Clothes?
Carry Somers is founder of Fashion Revolution – a global movement calling for greater transparency, sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry. If you’ve seen the “Who Made My Clothes” sign that millions of consumers, brands and producers have shared on social media, then you know what Fashion Revolution is doing. Simply put, they’re asking […]
SFD020: The Step by Step Guide to Fabric Sourcing for Your Fashion Brand (with low minimums)
Do you know what the biggest mistake startup fashion designers make when fabric sourcing? They buy from retail shops (like Mood and other NYC garment district stores) which means you’re overpaying and wasting money. Learn exactly where you to source low minimum fabrics (and trims) for your fashion brand. Jay shares his 30+ years of […]
