Freelancing in fashion can be a rollercoaster. One month you’re flooded with projects, and the next you’re scrambling to pay your bills. I’ve been there, and I know the struggle.

But with the right strategies, you can earn steady income and earn more as a freelance fashion designer. 

It’s possible, and I’m going to show you exactly how one freelance footwear trend consultant did just that.

FAST Grad Spotlight: Louise Ryan

Louise Ryan is a freelance footwear trend & design consultant and a graduate of my Freelance Accelerator: from Surviving to Thriving (FAST) Program.

After 20 years of working in-house for fashion brands, Louise made the leap to freelancing. At first, things were okay. She was making a decent living from her network contacts and getting a steady £3,500-4,500 a month. 

But then, work dried up.

Louise was left with no projects and no income for months. It was a real wake-up call. Having contacts was great, but it could only take her so far.

That’s when Louise decided to join my FAST program. She was ready to put in the work to level up her income and get a steady paycheck. And holy cow, she did.

Within a few months of implementing the strategies she learned, Louise was consistently billing £12,000 a month. 

That’s more than triple her previous freelance income!

And oh, did I tell you that she did all this while pregnant with her second child? She was able to maintain her workload right up until delivery, without her clients even realizing she was pregnant. Talk about a #supermom!

New here? FAST is my 5-step proven program to learn how to freelance in fashion and earn a steady income, all while being in control of your own business. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to grow as a freelance fashion designer, FAST provides you with the essential tools, strategies, and confidence for success. Learn more about FAST here.

5 Strategies to Boost Your Freelance Fashion Design Income

Louise faced two major hurdles in her freelance fashion career. Some months, she had zero clients and no income at all. And some clients felt her rates were too high.

And I know a lot of freelancers in fashion face the same challenges. So here’s how you can tackle them:

1. Pick a Niche

A common mistake I see aspiring freelancers make is trying to offer every service under the sun. While it might seem like a good way to attract more clients, it also means you’ll face more competition.

Being intentional about your niche is crucial. Not everyone can do the job you do if you’re an expert in that area, and clients are more likely to hire you this way.

Louise, on the other hand, nailed this right away by focusing specifically on footwear trend consulting. Her niche helped her stand out and attract clients willing to pay more for her expertise.

Which one would you likely hire?

Think about it from your perspective: if you were the hiring manager at an activewear company going through countless applications, who would stand out more? Someone with a generic “Fashion Designer” title or an “Activewear Fashion Designer”?

Granted, your portfolio’s quality will still matter, but specializing in a niche puts you one step ahead.

Here’s another one:

Instead of endlessly diversifying your skillset and finding yourself buried in work that pays you peanuts, find something you’re exceptionally good at or passionate about. Then, become very good at it.

How do you figure out your niche as a fashion freelancer?

There are many types of services you can offer as a freelancer in fashion. This could be anything from, garment design, technical design, pattern making, sourcing, product development, graphic design, and more.

Check out more services you can offer on my list of 24 services you can offer as a freelancer in fashion.

You can narrow down your niche even more by choosing a specific category, such as specializing in small businesses or startups, or focusing on areas like menswear, childrenswear, wovens, knits, activewear, and more.

Here’s a good example of how you can further “nichify” your niche in activewear:

2. CHOOSE Your Clients

When Louise started freelancing, her first client was actually her former employer, but it turned out they wanted full-time work for part-time pay. 

Louise quickly learned to be selective about who she worked with.

Louise used online tools to compile a curated list of dream clients then used software to locate their contact information. She only focused on companies that resonated with her and matched her values (and pricing!).

So, how exactly do you find clients?

You don’t need fancy tools or paid apps to do this. Start scouring the internet for brands you’d like to work for, go through websites, social media, forums, and use targeted Google searches related to your niche. 

For example, if you specialize in petite lingerie design, search for terms like “lingerie for petite women” to discover relevant companies.

If you’re targeting a specific location or have other preferences such as focusing on men’s or women’s wear, tailor your search accordingly. 

(The beauty of freelancing is the ability to collaborate with companies worldwide, and you do not need to limit yourself geographically.)

You can also reverse hashtag search on Instagram. Start by looking up a couple brands in your niche. Then see what niche hashtags they’re using like #sustainableswimwear (not #fashionbrand, which millions of brands use). Last, do a “search by hashtag” on Instagram to discover other brands using that same hashtag. All of the brands you find are potential clients!

Trade show listings are also a great way to find brands. Here are some of the best fashion trade shows – go to their websites and browse the exhibitor listings. Many of them have search features where you can filter by “category” (ie active vs lingerie) or even specialties like “sustainable” or “startups.”

The reality is, there are tons of ways to connect with potential clients (well beyond what I’ve shared here). You have to get creative and sometimes do some digging!

How do you contact them?

I suggest using email to connect. Search for their email addresses on their websites (I usually look at their website’s “about us” page!), try Googling specifics like “CEO of ABC Company,” or check out key contacts on the brand’s LinkedIn page. Hunter.io is another great free tool to find email addresses.

Pro Tip: Look for “Middle America” brands or “non-glamorous” brands. Smaller businesses like these are often more flexible in how they hire compared to big names like Zara or H&M. They might not have a formal hiring process and don’t deal with as many applicants as larger companies do. Surprisingly, those quieter, lesser-known companies often pay better too.

3. Cold Outreach

Cold pitching is where you reach out to brands even if they’re not actively hiring. A lot of times, fashion brands need more help than they currently have but may not have the time to search for new hires. This is common for small to medium sized businesses.

How many clients do you need to reach out to?

The number of clients you need to contact will be different for everyone and will depend on your capacity. For Louise, she set a goal of contacting 15 potential clients EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. It felt overwhelming at first, and there were days she wanted to give up when no one replied. But she stuck with it, and after a couple of weeks, 70% of them eventually responded.

I’m not saying you need to do exactly the same or expect the same outcome. There’s no magic number. Some freelancers contact anywhere from ten to hundreds of potential clients regularly.

Set a goal that works for you, whether it’s emailing one or 15 brands a day like Louise did. It will be tough at first, and you might not hear back immediately. But plant those seeds, and eventually, they will start to sprout. 

Don’t forget to follow up too. If you don’t hear back, I suggest sending 2-3 follow ups a couple weeks apart.

Once you secure retainer clients or a loyal client base, the need to reach out daily decreases. Over time, with a steady flow of clients, you may not need to reach out at all.

That’s the case for many of our FAST grads, including Louise. She now needs to hire her own team member due to the number of clients reaching out to her!

What do you write in your pitch email?

Introduce yourself concisely (a sentence or two is enough) and make the pitch more about THEM than you. To put it simply, show them how you can help achieve their goals or solve their problems.

For thes rest of the email, keep it to 6-10 sentences. Remember, they don’t know you yet, so if they see a lengthy email, they might not even read past the first line.

And don’t just send out generic, AI-generated messages. Make it personal and make it sound like you. Sure, AI can help refine it, but people who read emails regularly can quickly recognize a soulless, AI-spewn message.

I’ve been on the other side of the table, hiring freelancers who cold-pitched to me. That’s how I hired Atara Himmel, a graphic designer based in New York specializing in brand design.

I wasn’t even looking for a graphic designer when Atara messaged me on Instagram. She basically just told me how much she admired the work that I do, and then shared exactly how she can help, which was perfect timing since I had just finished a big branding update.

Here’s the pitch that convinced me to hire her:

It was a short pitch, no fluff, and it convinced me to hire her because it shows she understood my business and why I need her.

Atara and I talk about the entire experience in this podcast. It’s a deep dive into the process of pitching to getting hired, from both the client’s (me!) perspective and Atara’s experience as a freelancer.

As you see, you don’t need to draft an entire manifesto. Short but impactful is the way to go.

Here’s a sample pitch template you can use:

One sentence about you:

For example:

“Hi! I’m [Your Name], a 3D fashion designer specializing in creating realistic 3D prototypes for women’s handbags.”

Main body is about the brand:

For example:

“I’ve been following [Brand Name] for some time now, and I love how your designs balance elegance and practicality, which align with my personal design style. Your recent collection featuring [mention specific collection or product] really caught my eye! 

I know the fashion industry moves fast, so I specialize in creating 3D prototypes and mock-ups that will simplify your design process, and cut down on the need for physical samples. Some of my clients also use these 3D mock-ups in linesheets and even as product photos.”

Close with a call to action:

For example:

“You can check out some of the work I’ve done for other brands [insert link]. I’d be so happy to discuss this project with you further should you be interested!”

4. Figure Out Your Pricing

During Louise’s outreach efforts, some potential clients initially balked at her rates, while others didn’t immediately recognize the value of trend consulting. 

Instead of letting this discourage her, Louise refined her pitch and focused on finding clients who appreciated and valued her expertise. She found a fresh batch of clients and quoted her projects.

Today, she confidently charges between £375-450 per day (or more, depending on the project!)  and also added premiums for rush jobs or complex projects. 

How much should you charge?

Some of you might just be starting freelancing and figuring out your rate, while others are looking for a rate increase. I know that the fashion industry is tight-lipped about $$$, and this has become somewhat of a personal agenda for me – to make pricing more transparent for everyone. 

I’ve already written guides for just about everything pricing-related so let me walk you through each one and how you can use them:

1. Decide How to Charge: Start by figuring out how you want to charge – by the hour, by day, or by project. You can use my guide on the 3 ways to calculate your freelance rate to help you decide how to charge, including the pros and cons of each type, and sample rates.

2. Set Your Rates: This part can be tricky, especially if you’re just starting out. My best advice is to decide on a rate you’re satisfied with and just run with it. Many freelancers get stuck at this stage and never actually start working because of it. Remember, you can always adjust your prices as you gain more experience and feedback.

A good tip is to look at how much other freelancers charge. Talk to other freelancers and check rates on platforms like Upwork (but be cautious, as many freelancers undercharge there). I also have a guide on how much money freelance fashion designers make and a list of rates from 100+ fashion freelancers all over the world for reference.

3. Adjust Your Rates Over Time: Test your rates for a couple of months. As you get more work and experience, you can start increasing your rates. For example, if you’re getting more work than you can handle, it’s a sign to raise your rates for new clients or upcoming projects. 

I have this guide on how to confidently increase your freelance rates. Soon enough, your growth can look like this, with each new project and each new client getting bigger and bigger:

Pro Tip: If a client isn’t willing to pay your rates, don’t rush to take on lowballing offers. It’s a common pitfall for new freelancers to undercut themselves while trying to offer every service possible. Freelancing is all about setting your own rates and choosing projects and brands that really resonate with you.

Looking to be a freelance fashion designer from scratch? Check out my comprehensive guide on how to become a freelance fashion designer (or technical designer, pattern maker, etc.)!

5. Join Freelance Fashion Communities

Being a freelancer can sometimes feel like you’re in a bubble and that there are zero opportunities around you.

Louise shared:

“Make sure you surround yourself with other freelancers/ communities to share problems/ ideas/ lift you up when times are challenging.”

Louise became a member of the British Footwear Association, which opened up a whole new network of potential clients and bolstered her credibility in the industry.

She’s also an active member of my FAST Program. Beyond its core curriculum, FAST offers access to a global community of hundreds of freelancers. 

This community is a place where current students and graduates can engage in discussions, share freelance job openings, and connect through events and peer chats, providing ongoing opportunities for networking, learning, and just giving each other lotsa love. 

Here are just a few example of discussions, events, and sample job postings inside our FAST community:

And here’s what Louise has to say about FAST and how it has contributed to her freelance career growth:

“Heidi’s content really spoke to me regarding some of the issues I was finding myself in. It was like she was speaking directly to me!”

“It enhanced my ability to get work (from cold pitching) through tone of voice 100%. FAST made me focus on what is important and to not sweat the small stuff – it’s built my confidence and made me feel like an actual business!”

“I have a portfolio of 20 years and now, I have the confidence to literally send one or two pages of work – charge what I’m worth (and people agreeing with the price!)”

All that said, I’m not here to just promote FAST. I understand it’s not accessible for everyone. The takeaway here is that you don’t have to be alone in your freelancing journey. 

There are numerous ways to find and connect with supportive communities. You can start small with options like LinkedIn/Facebook groups, online forums, trade shows, free webinars and events, even your university alumni network.

To wrap up, I encourage you to listen to Louise’s full story on our podcast episode. Also sharing deets on how you can reach out to her (she’s awesome!).

Hear more about Louise’s story in our Fashion Designers Get Paid Podcast:

Connect with Louise:

Email: louise@larcreative.com

Website: LAR_

Instagram: lar_creative

LinkedIn: Louise Ryan

Freelance Accelerator: From Surviving to Thriving (FAST)

Since opening my FAST Program (Freelance Accelerator: from Surviving to Thriving) in 2018, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing incredible freelance fashion career transformations and helping almost 1000 fashion designers (and TDs, PDs, patternmakers, and more) build their dream life.

You often hear stories of freelancers making 5x more while working fewer hours, but not how they got there. These success stories may seem like one-in-a-million chances, and while freelancing in fashion is hard, it can be done.

To show you how, I’ve decided to start a monthly feature highlighting the journeys of my hardworking FAST grads. Through their stories, you’ll see how you can take your freelance fashion career from surviving to thriving and learn how my FAST program has helped them achieve their dreams.

These are real stories of real freelancers who, just like you, started with corporate work and some even without any background in fashion.

Inspired by Louise’s story? Click here to learn how my FAST Program can help you transform your freelance business and fashion career.