The Successful Fashion Designer

With no fashion background, experience or contacts, Sarah Coronado launched an insanely successful Kickstarter campaign for her underwear line, Blooms Privé. Now, if you listen to the interview, you'll hear me mention multiple times that these undies - the world's first period-friendly travel panty - are not something that a podcast does justice to. You have got to see them to really appreciate the ingenuity behind the product. Meticulously engineered for quick change and self-packing so you can be discrete, here are the undies every woman needs in her drawer: Sarah's journey from idea to launch is not unique. Like most successful brands and Kickstarter campaigns, it took a lot of hard work, passion and drive. Within the first few minutes of meeting her, it was clear that her ambitious attitude and unwillingness to accept rejection or failure is why she's been able to create so many amazing opportunities for herself. Sarah spent 9 months planning and strategizing the Blooms Privé Kickstarter campaign to make

If you love step by step instructions, you're going to love this SFD episode. Rosie Davies runs The London Fashion Agency and PR Dispatch to help indie brands get the press coverage they deserve. In our interview, she walks us through the exact process brands can use to get featured in publications, on blogs, or with influencers. From figuring out what magazines to pitch to, what your email should say, and what to do if you don't hear back, she graciously spent an hour with us answering all our PR questions and telling us exactly how startup fashion brands can get publicity. Considering agency retainers can set you back $3k / month, this is a pretty sweet deal. Thank you Rosie for sharing all your knowledge! You Will Learn The number one mistake designers make when trying to get press coverage Why it’s worth investing in professional photography and brand assets before doing PR How to determine what publications are right for your brand Bigger doesn’t always mean better - why small publications can be your

Malie’s climbed her way up the corporate ladder in the fashion industry and now works for one of the largest fashion brands in the industry, PVH. It took her a while to realize it, but she unconsciously did some strategic things that helped her gain traction and keep moving forward in her career. When she started implementing those strategies on purpose, she noticed promotions, new opportunities and career advancement seemed to land in her lap. Networking? I know many of us hate that dirty word, but it works. Malie walks us through the best way to network online, at events, and even with coworkers. It's these relationships that will help you move up in your job, or land a new one.  Going above and beyond? It’s hard to think about doing more work when so many of us are already swamped with our day to day tasks. But if you want to get noticed, you’ve got to put in a little extra effort. Malie shares simple things you can do to create more opportunity for yourself like chances to work on new projects and make yo

It's Thanksgiving week in the US, so we're taking a holiday on the podcast. But I did create a short holiday message just for you to say thanks for all your support and give you a heads up on a few things we're planning for 2018. If you want to give your feedback on the idea I shared about recording your questions for the show, you can send your input to podcast at successfulfashiondesigner dot com. Look forward to hearing your thoughts, thanks again for all the support, and hope you have a great week, holiday or not ;) xx Heidi

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 and fabric suppliers, and pooling efforts for fashion shows and events helped everyone in her community get further. Together, they celebrated the highs and helped each other through the lows. The times when you're at your worst and you want to give up, curled up in a ball on your bathroom floor in a pool of tears. Nathalie is brutally honest, humble and transparent about what goes into working in fashion and she doesn't sugarcoat anything. It's something I appreciate tremendously about her. Listen now for a candid and truly behind the scenes look at what it means to really work as a startup or indie designer. You Will Learn Why building a community and working togeth

Liz Segran covers fashion at Fast Company, a world leading progressive business magazine. She’s interviewed hundreds of industry professionals, and in this week’s episode, I turned the tables and interviewed her. In our chat, Liz shares her interesting perspective of how the fashion industry is changing at the hand of millennials and what that means for consumers and industry professionals like you and me. From abusive workplace realities to startup fashion trends, she has a pulse on what’s happening and why brands do or don't succeed. Liz’s outlook and the overall trends she sees in fashion are positive. Our industry is making progress towards being more inclusive, and there’s more room than ever for startup brands to find their place in a crowded and saturated market. Our conversation takes a few interesting turns and we cover tons of topics, so whether you're a budding designer launching a label or trying to climb the corporate ladder, there's something just for you in this episode. You will learn: How m

Trish has worked with companies that support startup and indie designers since 2009. Her breadth of knowledge isn’t just around trade shows, but the business that goes on behind launching and building a successful brand. From how to get started to ensure success (yes, it includes finances and costing) to how to make the most of your trade show visit, she’s extremely knowledgeable and graciously shared tons of tips during our interview. If you’re launching a label, you don’t want to miss this episode. You'll discover not only how to make your trade show visit worthwhile, but also hear Trish's insights on making it as a startup designer. You will learn: When you should attend your first tradeshow (hint: it’s sooner than you think) How to prepare for a successful show Why follow up after the show is the most important part of building relationships The difference between sourcing at a small show like DGexpo vs a large show like Magic How to explain to suppliers what you want if you don’t speak the right lingo

Last week, in episode 23 (part 1), I introduced you to Solomon Eversole, who has the most calm and collected approach to creativity I've ever witnessed. He also has the same approach to fear. There's no panic or frantic "hair sticking straight up" frenzy moments. At least, that's not what you see from the outside. Solomon fully admits that he's a nervous, anxious wreck internally. But he carries himself calmly so that the fear and panic don't overcome or cripple his potential. And his strategy works. With 15 years experience in the corporate fashion world (plus a few of his own collections), he's gotten so good at remaining calm in stressful situations that his demeanor spreads like wild fire through any room. His team and coworkers tell him this regularly. You'll hear it in his voice throughout the entire interview, and I promise you'll experience the contagiousness firsthand. Within 5 minutes, I bet you feel more relaxed, inspired and ready to take on life than you have in a while. Solomon is an awesome hum

Solomon Eversole has the most calm and collected approach to creativity I've ever witnessed. With 15 years experience working in the corporate world and on his own collections, he's figured out the best ways to help himself and his team express their artistic side in an industry that thrives on tight deadlines and late nights. Solomon explains his "plan first" approach to creativity. Giving himself a comfortable amount of time, the right mindset, and being prepared with the necessary tools, his outcomes are not only better, but he feels more peace of mind during the creative process. If you struggle with creative block, creative panic, or creative pressure, listen to this episode now. Not only will Solomon inspire you with new ways to approach your creativity, his cool, calm and collected demeanor will provide you with a sense of relief in an industry where we all too often feel overwhelm. And watch for Part 2 of our interview on overcoming fear. It's out next week. You will learn: How “Proper Planning Prev

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 us to be more curious about where our clothes come from and who made them. You will learn: The harsh truths about what goes on behind the scenes in many factories Why higher price doesn’t mean ethically made Why paying fair wages and creating safe workplaces for garment workers only increases your garment cost by $0.50 Why being curious can have the biggest impact towards a more ethical supply chain What you can do - as just one person - to make a change and have a voice Guest Info & Resources: Fashion Revolution Website Fashion Revolution Instagram Fashion Revolution Facebook Fashion Revolution Twitter Enjoy the show? You can help us out by: Rating us on

Billie Whitehouse has been called the Elon Musk of Fashion. In just 4 1/2 years, she's launched multiple successful wearable tech products. Her most recent, Nadi X, is a line of activated yoga apparel that listens & responds to your body. In the interview, Billie shares her valuable lessons learned about getting funding, advice for growing your circle of friends to help support you during your ventures, and how to create a product that your customer loves. You will learn: How to know when you’re ready to go after funding Why you’ll probably get rejected 100+ times (and that’s ok) Why you should become friends with your competition How to get over the dirty “networking” word Why you need to put your customer, not yourself, first The difference between emotional vs quantifiable data in fashion tech, and which direction we’re moving towards The importance of creating experiences for people through the clothes they wear Why you should look at yourself as a designer of the future Where fashion tech is headin

Jay is your absolute one stop shop for sourcing anything and everything you need to make your product, including fabrics, trims, hangtags, labels and so much more. In this interview, Jay shares why indie designers are seeing more success now than they were 5 years ago, what materials you can cut costs on and where you may want to spend a little more, and why buying from NYC’s garment district is the biggest mistake most designers make. You will learn: The different supplier tiers: retail, jobber, fabric importer, converter and mill Why you need to be really careful buying from a jobber The challenges of sourcing fabric in the NYC garment district Why independent designers are seeing greater success now than 5 years ago The importance of continuity in the supplies you source Why logistically it’s more expensive to do small batch production overseas than locally What materials you can cut corners and costs on, and what ones you don’t want to Guest Info & Resources: The Sourcing District Website The Sour

Kathryn Hilderbrand is a master tailor, designer and business entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience working in the fashion industry. She founded Good Clothing Company in 2015 to create small runs of production for designers, and is passionate about bringing clothing manufacturing back to the United States. In this interview, she shares why it's important to bring manufacturing back to the US, how it's unfair to expect a garment to cost the same as a cup of coffee, and what designers are doing to educate their consumers about ethical manufacturing. You will learn: Why manufacturing and production are coming back to the states The number one challenge US factories face How doing small batch production and going direct to consumer can make you more money Why US production costs are starting to compete against Chinese factories How to educate your consumer about your product and why the cost is more than some retail The downfalls of fast fashion and why customers are starting to shop differently Why cons

Dior Bediako founded Pepper Your Talk out of personal frustration. As a young designer beginning her career in fashion, she realized there was little to no support available for designers to work they way up from an entry level job. In her own words, PYT is that friend that will: (a) steal all the unanswered fashion questions from your head (b) ANSWER THEM with the help of our cheeky industry connections (c) Make you laugh (when you want to cry) throughout the process of navigating the career cross-roads. In our interview, she delivers on all of these things! You will learn: How to tailor your resume / CV towards fashion jobs even if you have no experience How to write a cover letter / introduction that gets noticed What you can do to be prepared for an interview, and how to decrease your anxiety Why you must have an opinion, even if everyone doesn’t agree How to add value to your team and get noticed in your company Why you should always be thinking about what’s next in your career Why it’s ok not to know e

I took the day off today and hope you did too! We'll be back next week with another great episode.

Anna Livermore is founder of VMora, a fashion business and production consulting company that works one on one with independent designers. In this interview, she shares where many designers waste money that has little to no return, why you should look at your first round of production as a test, and why staying specific and niche with your idea is better than trying to please every body. You will learn: How much you need to budget for each design Why timeline, costing and budgeting are essential for success The number one (and number two) thing brands spend money on that have little to no ROI (and where to spend your $$ instead) How to make sure your fit is perfect so it sells Where most creative designers get stuck during development and production The challenges of finding an investor for your fashion collection How to build your audience before launching a product Why having a specific niche audience will help you build lifelong customers The value of staying true to your product and story and not trying

Kim Dippel is a fashion designer with 12 years of experience working for surf brands like Oneil and Quiksilver. After having a baby and moving away from a hub, she wanted to try freelancing. After not having any luck with her existing contacts, she turned to UpWork where she successfully landed a few ongoing clients that have kept her consistently busy. In the interview, Kim shares how to land your first few gigs, why honesty and transparency is essential to building relationships, and how to raise your rates with clients. You will learn: What you can do to land your first few jobs and build up your ratings How to write a custom proposal and get the client’s attention Red flags to look for when deciding whether to take a project or not What to watch out for when bidding project based (flat fee) work How to negotiate your rate without cutting yourself short How to transition clients off UpWork Strategies to track correspondence (phone, email) to make sure you get paid for your time Why your website should be

Kathleen Fasanella is author of one of the fashion industry’s best resource books, The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing. Kathleen is a trained pattern maker with almost 4 decades of experience, and now owns a factory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In this interview, she shares why speaking the right language can help factories and vendors take you seriously, how to make sure your production stays on track so you don’t get bumped out of line, and why designing isn’t always as glamorous as it can seem. You will learn: Less expensive and more effective alternatives to FIT or FIDM for technical design Why you may be more technically inclined than you think (hint: if you can sew, you are) The difference between a manufacturer and a sewing contractor How speaking the right language will help suppliers take you seriously Why you should only produce one style with a new factory The realities of being a designer, and why it’s not as glamorous as you think How to make sure your production stays on track

Having a job as fashion designer glamorous and creative. Honest, it isn’t always that way. Most people don’t talk about this publicly, but Emily Keller is different. Which is why I knew I had to invite her on the show. In this episode, Emily shares her experience working as an employee the perception of working as a designer versus the reality, how to figure out if pursuing fashion as a second career is right for you, and the often limited creativity you’ll actually use in your job. You will learn: The difference between what you think a fashion designer does and what they really do How creative you really get to be as a designer Pros and cons of working for big runway brands versus smaller lesser known brands The perception of working in fashion versus the reality Tips on pursuing fashion as a second career How to understand what you’re really getting into when you go into fashion Why fashion designers don’t dress well Guest Info & Resources: Emily’s Website Emily’s YouTube Channel Connect with Emily

In this episode I’m chatting with Abbie Ellis, co-founder of Stitch Method - a Chicago fashion agency that helps you DEFINE your market, DEVELOP your product and DELIVER it to your customers. In the interview, she walks through a step by step overview of the production process, how to work backwards from costing and budgeting to design, and why a tech pack is essential for every product, no matter how simple or where you’re manufacturing. You will learn: How long it takes to go from idea to production (hint: it’s longer than you think!) How much you should budget to get your design into production How to know whether you should manufacture overseas or locally A step by step walk through of the production process from start to finish Why your factory is one of your most valuable resources How to work backwards from costing and budgeting to design The value of thinking bigger picture and creating long term goals Guest Info & Resources: Stitch Method Production Checklist Enjoy the show?