Tag: Networking
SFF133 The Fashion Freelancer Who Never Wanted to Be a Freelancer
If you’ve never considered freelancing as an option for your fashion career, you’re not alone. Today’s guest, Amy, liked working in-house and was never interested in becoming a freelancer. But when she became a mom and needed just a little more work-life balance, she came face to face with how inflexible this industry can be. […]
SFF131 How this fashion freelancer is charging $85/hr (during the pandemic!)
One of the most common myths about freelancing in fashion is that brands won’t pay a fair hourly wage. Today’s guest blows that myth out of the water–sharing how she’s been charging up to $85 an hour over the past year (yes, during the pandemic!). From tips on finding clients, to pricing, retainers, and contracts, […]
SFD126 How to Find Freelance Fashion Design Clients
Learn new strategies for finding freelance fashion design clients, charging a retainer for consistent income, and growing your freelance fashion business even when it seems like there’s no work out there. Sophia is a full-time fashion freelancer who moved from NYC to Texas and grew her freelance business–during Covid! If you’ve been struggling to find […]
SFD124 How this Pattern Drafter Grew Her Freelance Business with Generosity
Karen LePage is a freelance patternmaker and grader who specializes in size inclusivity and sustainability. She’s also a fit consultant, a sewing and fit teacher, an author, and a mom. Karen broke into the industry without going to fashion school, and she has built a thriving freelance business doing meaningful projects for clients she loves. In […]
SFD122 Working as a Freelance Pattern Maker with Shilo Byrd (+ Tips on Starting Your Own Brand)
Shilo Byrd has been in the industry for a decade and a half, and she knows her stuff. She’s a freelance pattern maker, product developer, supply chain & production consultant, and a contributor at Vogue Business. In this episode of the SFD Podcast, Shilo chats about everything from understanding fit and the best way to […]
SFD114 How to Predict Textile Design Trends and Colors
Understanding trends and the direction the market is going to go is vital for anyone working in fashion. Print and textile designers need to understand what consumers are going to be looking for next. Thea Perez founded Polychrome.Design to provide prints as true digital working tools for fashion designers. Along the way, she has honed […]
SFD108 How to Become a Senior Fashion Designer by Age 27
From internship to senior designer by the time she was 27? Outdoor and motorcycle apparel designer Kelsey Runge did it, and in this episode of the SFD podcast, she shares exactly what she’s done to design her perfect career. She says she’s had a lot of luck, but it took a ton of work and smart moves to get her where she is today.
SFD098 How to Get a Better Job in Fashion
Michele Mavi is a recruiter and Strengths Coach who’s worked with fashion job seekers for over 15 years. On this episode of the SFD podcast, she shares what she’s learned about how to get a better job in fashion. She’s here to give the deets on landing the best fashion job for YOUR unique set […]
SFD096 Q&A: How to Become a Fashion Freelancer with Heidi & Marissa
Have you been dreaming of beginning a freelance career, but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you’ve been freelancing for a while, but you still have a ton of questions! Between pricing, juggling projects, finding clients and resources, and more, it can be overwhelming to navigate the fashion freelancing world alone. In this special […]
SFD095 How to Get Your First Fashion Design Job After College
When you first decide to work in the fashion industry, going to fashion school can seem like the one thing you need to score your dream job. But as many fashion graduates discover, completing that degree is only one step in the complicated and sometimes frustrating process of breaking into the industry. In this interview, […]
SFD093 How to Land Your Dream Job in the Outdoor Apparel Industry
Fashion is a tough scene. Even when you manage to break into the fashion industry, how do you get into your dream category? With so much competition for design jobs, it seems like luck can play the biggest factor in many designer’s careers. But what if you could make luck work for you? In this […]
SFD091 100 Ways NOT to Start A Clothing Line: These Guys Learned Firsthand What Works and What Doesn’t
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 […]
If you want to work in fashion, don’t send emails like this
I’m going to put on my glasses and wag my finger at you for a quick minute. Like the true nerdy old lady that I am! Because there’s a BIG lesson many people (and you?) need to learn to advance their fashion careers. It starts with emails like these: What should I include in my fashion […]
SFD089 How This Fashion Designer Balances Career and Being a Mom to 4 Kids!
Working in the fashion industry can be brutal. The long days, late nights, and cutthroat competition can make balancing a fashion career and motherhood seem impossible. But the reality is that women everywhere are finding ways to make it work. While there’s no magic answer for every situation, there are many ways to balance a […]
SFD087 How to Become a Fashion Merchandiser and Product Manager
In this interview with Shelby Collins, we go a little off the beaten path of the Successful Fashion Designer podcast. Shelby is a merchandiser and works in product development–she knew right from the beginning that design wasn’t quite the right path for her, so she did a lot of self-exploration throughout school and found the […]
SFD084 How to Become an Event Planner for New York Fashion Week
Emily Burton lives in Georgia, is barely 5′ tall, and has a thick southern accent. She’s pretty far from what you would coin as a stereotypical “fashionista”. But she’s a spitfire of a woman and through pure perseverance and hard work, built an event planning company that now works with brands at New York Fashion […]
8 More Strategies to Land Your Dream Fashion Design Job
No matter your skill level or where you live, you can use these strategies to land your dream fashion job. If you haven’t noticed, there are a few themes that come up over and over in this book to land your dream fashion design job. Beyond the required technical skills of sketching fashion flats in […]
How to Land a Fashion Design Job If You’re 35+
Have Experience But in Between Jobs? Take Time Off for a Family? This Chapter is For YOU! An interesting thing happens when you hit a certain age in fashion. Well, the word “interesting” may not be quite right. Arguably, “depressing” is more appropriate. Whether you happen to be a more seasoned candidate or took some […]
How to Find Your First Fashion Design Job (or Internship!) After College
Even If You Have No Experience You know one of the hardest things to do in the fashion industry? Land your FIRST job. It’s the whole chicken and egg thing: “I can’t get a job without experience. But how can I get experience without a job?” Getting your foot in the door when you’re just […]
SFD082 Fashion Startup Trade Shows: Are You Ready (and what’s the cost)?
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 […]
