Tag: Niche
SFD106 How This Designer Launched a Bespoke Dress Brand (while still in college)
May 11, 2020
Noemie Jouas is a self-taught designer who runs a bespoke dress brand that keeps her steadily busy with several clients a month. The incredible part? She’s still in college! In this episode, she talks all about how she got started, where she finds her clients, and the number one thing she credits for her early success.
SFD105 How to Predict Fashion Trends (and work as a trend forecaster)
April 27, 2020
If you want your designs to stand out and capture your market, you can’t just know what’s big now; you have to know what’s going to be big next. From her 2+ decades of experience in trend analysis and fashion marketing, including working at WGSN, guest Wendy Bendoni shares how trend forecasting has evolved over the past 20+ years, and how you can sharpen your eye to spot what’s next in YOUR niche.
SFD104 What Is a Fashion Tech Pack (and do you really need one)?
April 13, 2020
Most aspiring fashionistas don’t envision their fashion career and think, “I can’t wait to create an amazing tech pack!” But love them or hate them, tech packs are a crucial part of getting your garments from your head into your customers’ hands. In this episode you’ll hear from Belinda Jacobs of Tech Packs Co on what a tech pack REALLY needs, why they are SO important, and how you can be sure yours gets the job done RIGHT!
SFD103 How to Make More Money as a Fashion Freelancer (than in a full-time job)
March 30, 2020
Freelance pattern maker and product development specialist Alison Hoenes left her job after just 3½ years in the industry to pursue a freelance career. Hear how she perfected her niche, went from zero customers to a steady clientele, and within two years was making more than her full-time job–and she still works just 40 mostly-remote […]
SFD099 Why this Startup Fashion Brand Makes Clothes for Short Men Only
February 03, 2020
Steve Villanueva is an entrepreneur with a history of success in multiple industries. And, like at least 40% of men, he’s also less than 5 foot 9 inches tall. Frustrated with clothes that just weren’t made to fit short men, Steve set out to find a better way to design clothing for this underserved market. […]
SFD097 How to Become a Fashion Freelancer (and work remote)
January 06, 2020
Guests on the SFD podcast tend to fall into one of three categories: They’re employed by a company in the industry, they work as a fashion freelancer, or they’ve launched their own brand. In this episode, you’ll hear from someone who has done all three! If you’re wondering how to become a remote fashion freelancer, […]
Bonus: Freelancing Advice for the Fashion Industry
December 23, 2019
In this special episode, check out Heidi’s interview on the Spirit of 608 podcast. The interview, which originally aired in March 2018, focuses on her work as a freelance fashion designer, and Heidi doles out tons of valuable freelancing advice for the fashion industry. Heidi talks candidly about her fashion journey, sharing the highs, the […]
SFD096 Q&A: How to Become a Fashion Freelancer with Heidi & Marissa
December 09, 2019
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 […]
SFD094 This Dirndl Designer Grew a BIG Fashion Brand with a TINY Niche
October 28, 2019
Is it possible to start a successful fashion brand when your niche is super small? On this episode we hear from Erika Neumayer Ehrat of Rare Dirndl. Her full time job is designing and selling dirndls. If you’ve never found yourself desperately scouring the web for the perfect dirndl, we’re not surprised! It’s such a tiny […]
SFD093 How to Land Your Dream Job in the Outdoor Apparel Industry
October 14, 2019
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 […]
SFD092 Should you sell your fashion brand on consignment?
September 30, 2019
Sometimes it seems like there are as many ways to sell your fashion brand as there are types of fabric! But when you’re starting a fashion brand, should you sell your pieces on consignment? On this show, you’ll hear from Sam Murkoff. Sam’s brand, Manhattan Knights, was born when he started refashioning vintage tee shirts […]
SFD091 100 Ways NOT to Start A Fashion Brand: These Guys Learned Firsthand What Works and What Doesn’t
September 16, 2019
Starting a fashion brand 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 […]
SFD085: How this Mom Got her First Tech Design Job After a 12 Year Career Break
April 01, 2019
Nicola Osborne is a technical designer who got her break back into the fashion industry after taking 12 years off to raise her family. Getting back to any career after 12 years is a daunting task, but getting back into the fashion industry is an even more intimidating one. As Nicola says in her own […]
SFD083 How This Designer Built a Vegan Luxury Shoe Brand
March 04, 2019
Bebe Mehr’s fashion entrepreneur journey began in 2001 while she was in college and started selling stuff on Ebay. Little did she know, that 13 years later, after a lot of different fashion careers, it would turn into her own line of vegan luxury shoes, Cult of Coquette. Coming from an entrepreneurial family, Bebe’s journey […]
SFD076 Six Steps to Starting a Fashion Line that Sells
December 10, 2018
Designing and starting a fashion line is exhilarating and inspiring and something most of us want to jump right into. Starting a fashion line that sells is something completely different–but it’s something you can do. Robyn and I are BACK with a podlet that sums up six easy steps to starting a fashion line that sells. The Successful […]
SFD075 How to Be a Lingerie Designer with Laurie Van Jonsson
November 26, 2018
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 […]
SFD070 Build a Fashion Brand with a Cult Following
October 15, 2018
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
September 03, 2018
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 […]
SFD058: Navigating the “4 P’s” of Fashion Marketing and Overcoming Networking Intimidation, with Robyn Spady
July 09, 2018
One area of the fashion industry that unites us all together is marketing – getting the right message about our products to the right people. On this episode of The Successful Fashion Designer podcast, I interview Robyn Spady, a lifelong handweaver and fashion industry professional with over 17 years of experience. Throughout our engaging conversation, […]
SFD054 Mini Episode: The Priceless Advice of “Know Thy Customer”
June 04, 2018
You’ve probably heard about the value of getting to know your customer. It helps you understand what they need and learn how you can solve their problems. And whether you’re an up-and-coming brand, a freelance fashion designer, or looking for a job in the fashion industry, you have a customer. It’s whoever is paying you for a […]
