The Successful Fashion Designer

Welcome back to another episode of "Fashion Designers Get Paid"! Today we have a fantastic guest joining us - the talented Mari Medina, a freelance knitwear designer. In this episode, Mari will be sharing her journey of building and growing her fashion career as a fashion designer, navigating the world of freelancing, and the valuable lessons she has learned along the way. From the importance of hands-on experience to seeking feedback and constantly evolving, Mari's insights are sure to inspire and educate. So grab a cup of tea, sit back, and get ready to dive into the world of freelance fashion design with Mari Medina. Let's get started! Sick of being tied to a desk and want more freedom in your day, snag my free training: How to Freelance in Fashion (even if you're terrified you don't have all the answers) by clicking here.

Welcome back, fashion friends! It's Heidi here, and I am beyond excited to announce that we're back with some BIG changes on the podcast!  Our break was far from idle - we've been reflecting, brainstorming, and working on some exciting things behind the scenes. But let's dive right into what you can expect from our revamped show!First off, we are zoning in on our ideal listeners. We want to reach fashion professionals who are feeling burnt out and looking for more opportunities in their careers. Maybe you're considering a couple of options but aren't sure if it's the right move or maybe you're unaware of the freelancing option. No matter where you are in your fashion journey, this podcast is here to support and inspire you.We recently conducted a survey, unrelated to our podcast name, and were blown away by the responses. Many of you expressed feeling undervalued and underpaid in the fashion industry. That's why we've come up with a brilliant idea to tackle this issue head-on - finding a simple solution for f

This episode is a little bit different than our normal episodes. In this episode, I’m going to talk about some of the amazing benefits of being your own boss while sharing some announcements about the podcast.  You’ll also get to hear some very exciting news about an upcoming event that we are pumped about!    For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Referrals are one of the best ways to grow your freelance fashion design business but they don’t just fall in your lap!  If you’ve ever struggled with the confidence to ask for a referral or have trouble finding the right time or words to say, then this episode is for you!  Meghan is joining me as we dig into her referral strategy to discover what’s working, what’s not, and what could be improved. You’ll also hear Meghan share her challenges of asking for more work and being afraid of taking on anything outside of her comfort zone.  Between being a mom and working on her freelance career, Meghan has some legit questions about how to overcome the fears of asking for referrals and overcoming her comfort zone.  Listen in to learn effective strategies for being confident and taking the right steps to ask for referrals to get consistent income. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

We love all of the great things being a freelance fashion designer has to offer, but what about the tasks that seem really intimidating? In this episode, Stayce and I are jumping into these intimidating tasks head first (literally…we’re going to be tackling mindset!)     Find out how Stayce wraps her mind around tackling some of these intimidating tasks and landed a $10k project on Upwork!  Join us as she talks us through the very strategies that she used to pitch to that client, get them on a phone call, and put the proposal together to land the project and how you can, too! For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

We’ve all been there – struggling to figure out what in the world to include in your tech pack portfolio as a freelance technical designer, what NOT to include, what’s relevant and irrelevant… That’s why Christina and I work through exactly what her goals are and how to create the optimal portfolio to attract the right brands while doing the work that Christina loves! You’ll also hear about Christina’s struggles figuring out what aesthetic to pursue, since she was told she wouldn’t find work in the industry that she loves. Listen in on why I think this could actually be a really amazing opportunity for Christina to find clients and brands while not compromising on the work she’s passionate about.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

On this episode of the Successful Fashion Freelancer Podcast, we bring on Darci, who took an interest to sewing at a young age and followed her interests to fashion school. But, after moving to Florida, USA she quickly found that the only market for her skillset was in factories as a seamstress. This didn’t stop her from continuing her education, since along the way, she picked up crucial skills in software for patternmaking, started listening to the SFF podcast, and took a few of Heidi’s courses. Then? She took the leap and QUIT her job to pursue fashion freelancing. Listen in to hear about Darci’s journey in more detail including her struggles in confidence with business skills, English as a second language, navigating projects, and how she started getting clients as a freelance patternmaker. Plus, she did all of this with NO formal portfolio! For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Have you ever wondered how much is too much when reaching out to brands? You want to be a proactive freelance fashion designer and let it be known that you’re available for projects, but the clients keep giving you the old “not now, maybe later” and you don’t want to be overbearing…What do you do?  This episode of the Successful Fashion Freelancer podcast is a clip from a Strategy Session I have with FAST: Freelance Accelerator student Renée, and we work on verbiage and strategies for keeping in touch with brands in a sustainable way, while not turning them off from over-outreach.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Can you imagine having the flexibility and resources to just simply… take 2 months off from work? Well, in this episode of the Successful Fashion Freelancer podcast, I bring back a former FAST: Freelance Accelerator student and we discuss how she did just that. And get this: she funded it by quadrupling her income as a freelance patternmaker in the first half of this year alone! Definitely take a listen with Alexandra as we discuss how she accomplished this as well as the personal and philosophical growth she experienced as a freelancer in the fashion industry. (Spoiler alert: she lives her life on her own terms!)  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

One of the most common topics students ask about freelancing in fashion is pricing. Do you charge hourly or by project? How do you know you’re getting paid enough? What do you tell clients when you end up working more than expected? If you can relate to any of these questions, this episode is for you. In this strategy session with Laetitia, a lingerie fashion designer from France, we discuss these issues and work through strategies that help you make sure your project prices are up to par, and that you don’t undercharge when you end up doing more work on the project than expected. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

You’ve tried everything to get clients – Upwork, cold pitching, you name it. In this interview with Aashika, a freelance lingerie fashion designer, she shares the same sentiment and advice on how she handles this hardship. She also shares literally ONE thing that she changed on LinkedIn that not only got her more clients, but made them approach her! Plus, keep listening for some valuable tips and transparent experiences on charging wages based in India, including getting a fair wage both inside and outside of India.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

We can all agree that no matter what you have going on – life can get really busy sometimes. Between your job(s), freelancing, social life, family life – the list goes on – it can get so difficult to keep track of everything while building a freelance fashion career. Productivity and time management skills are quintessential to your success in the fashion industry and beyond, so this is a major talking point on today’s episode of the Successful Fashion Freelancer podcast.  While pregnant with her second child and already raising a 3 year old, working, and freelancing, Lindsey knows how crazy life can get. We cover advice on balancing your career and family responsibilities mom-to-mom, as well as all things freelance fashion design – including finding your niche, searching for clients, and refining your pitches to make yourself more attractive to a brand while needing to do less customer research. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer

There are millions of reasons we might leave the fashion industry – burn out, starting a family, a big move, or just life in general… And I often find people asking if it’s possible to break back into the industry, whether they’re too outdated and not up with the trends, or that they don’t know the latest software. In this episode of the Success Fashion Freelancer podcast, I’m here to tell you that it’s TOTALLY possible, and how one of my former students did it. In this episode I interview Kate Knight, a cashmere sweater designer who took a whopping 10 year long break from fashion after pursuing a different career and having a daughter. Now, she’s killing the game – and we walk through the challenges she faced and the strategies she’s used to break back into fashion design. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Setting your rates is one of the hardest aspects of freelancing, and it might be holding you back. Such was the case of Chad Robertson, a freelancer who was severely undercharging for his services in the book editing and formatting industry. After Heidi hired him for a freelance job to edit her first book, Chad followed her advice to raise his rates and turned his annual earnings from $20,000 a year to a whopping $100,000! In this episode, we discuss how Heidi found Chad through his niche, the conversation they held about his rates, and how that turned his earnings into a 6-figure income. While it’s not the fashion design world, Chad’s story is inspiring and relatable for all freelancers as he had to overcome mental barriers to raising his rates and finding the confidence to charge what he was worth.  TRIGGER WARNING: Chad discusses his early career as an immigration paralegal and touches on sensitive topics including severe poverty, suicide, and family separation. To skip this conversation, start listening a

Everyone has to start somewhere in the fashion world. In this episode of the Successful Fashion Freelancer podcast, you’ll get to know Kayla Marshall – a fashion design freelancer who didn’t go to fashion school, is totally self taught, and doesn’t have any formal industry experience. This can be suuuper daunting, but together we will talk through some great tips for getting started as a freelancer! Plus, it can be hard to know when you’re “ready” to start offering skills to clients you aren’t 100% confident about. You’ll hear some valuable advice on ways to learn these skills such as creating tech packs, fashion flats, and using Adobe Illustrator, which will help you gain some confidence on offering new skills such as pattern making to clients. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Starting your own fashion brand is the dream for many – but it’s not a walk in the park. In this episode of the SFF podcast, Sofia Luzon recalls the late nights of sewing, packing & shipping, talking with suppliers, and more sewing for her lingerie brand. Not only was it overwhelming, but it took 5 years of dedicated work for Sofia to even pay herself – and even that was less than minimum wage! Then, after attending our Freelance Week last year and learning from some of my free resources, Sofia decided to dip her toes into the world of fashion freelancing. After creating a portfolio, an account on Upwork, and working up the courage to start pitching, she had her first client in just 10 days. Not only is she in complete control of her work life, but she is consulting for brands and hasn’t been without a project since.  Listen to this episode to learn how Sofia started her career, and you might want to rethink your journey in starting a brand. Plus, get tips on how Sofia found clients, sent pitches, and gai

Surface pattern design is a broad category that includes textile design and print and pattern design for all sorts of applications, from dishware to packaging to office supplies. If you’ve been listening to the SFF podcast for long, you know how important niching down is for finding freelance clients. But in such a diverse specialty, figuring out what to focus on can be a big challenge!   In this episode, I walk surface pattern designer Rachelle Fields through choosing the niche she wants to focus on. Then we go on to talk about pricing, and what to include in a textile design contract so both you and your client walk away happy. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

If you’re interested in freelancing in the fashion industry, but you don’t know where to start, this one’s for you! Learn what services freelance fashion designers can offer (spoiler alert: It’s way more than just “design”!), how to decide what YOUR services should be, and the secret that makes getting started as a freelancer 10X easier! Plus, get inspired by stories of real-life Successful Fashion Freelancers who are loving their flexible careers in fashion.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Struggling to find a job (even after attending a respected fashion school)? Stuck at a job that sucks the joy out of life (but feel like it’s your only option)? Laid off (and not sure if fashion is worth the struggle anymore)? If you’re fed up with the fashion industry, but don’t want to give up on the work you love, this episode is for you!    If any of those situations sound familiar, Textile Designer and Successful Fashion Freelancer Katerina Dimovska has been there too. But her transformational story is proof that you don’t have to leave the fashion industry to have creative, fulfilling work that lights you up! Now she’s earning more than she did in her full time job, she has the freedom to travel between her family in Macedonia and her partner in Italy, and she’s finally doing work she truly loves.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Are you charging too much as a freelance fashion designer? Money is one of the most awkward subjects for many newer fashion freelancers, and a fair rate can deter some clients. But your time is valuable! If you’re setting or raising your freelance rates and worried that charging what you’re worth will scare potential clients away, this one’s for you. Listen for tips on how to avoid this tough scenario, and to learn why losing freelance clients because of your rate might not be a bad thing! For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!