The Successful Fashion Designer

Whether you’re new to the fashion industry or you’ve only worked for bigger brands, sourcing fabrics and trims for smaller brands can be a daunting task for many freelance fashion designers. How do you find fabric suppliers with low minimums? How do you know if a fabric supplier is any good? And what are the basic steps to buying fabric for a small fashion brand? In this episode of the Successful Fashion Freelancer Podcast, I’m once again chatting with Jay Arbetman, the founder of The Sourcing District. Since he started helping out with the family coat business at age 14, Jay has accumulated 50 years of experience in the fashion industry. A lot has changed since the last time I interviewed him in 2017, especially when it comes to startup brands, sustainability, and freelancing in fashion.  Don’t miss The Complete Guide to Sourcing Fabric with Low Minimums. And for the complete show notes and links to all the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

On the surface, it sounds like Krystal has it all—a thriving freelance fashion design biz, FIFTEEN solid clients, and a connection that regularly sends her more work. The problem? Her 15 clients are all in different niches, from hunting & fishing to swimwear to golf. Krystal’s killing it and her clients love her, but switching between so many different categories leaves her feeling scattered, disorganized, and frantic. She wants to niche down and do the work she’s most excited about, but how do you tell good clients that you’re letting them go? And how do you find the time to update your portfolio, find potential clients in your new niche, and pitch when you already have more on your plate than you can handle? Listen to this Freelance Strategy Session for actionable advice on how to offboard freelance fashion design clients in a way that leaves them feeling great, how to change your niche, the different kinds of brands that hire freelancers and tips on finding them, avoiding permalance roles, and more.  F

“I can’t freelance—I need a stable job.” One of the biggest misconceptions about freelancing in fashion is that it’s feast or famine. So many people imagine freelancers stuck in an endless job hunt, never knowing where their next project is coming from (or if they’ll get one at all!). But the truth is that, when you know how to build your career the right way, freelancing can actually be MORE stable than a full-time job. Hear how once-reluctant freelancer Sam Shammas has created her dream career doing fashion illustration and freelance bridal design, and get inspired… because it’s possible for you, too.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

One of the MOST common reasons aspiring fashion freelancers put off building their freelance career is not having enough time. There’s this myth that you need to find a two-hour block of time every day to “hustle” and “work your business.” And the only way most of us mortals can carve out time like that is to sacrifice our sleep (get up at 4 a.m.!), or to sacrifice that precious bit of leisure time we all need at the end of a long workday.  Well, there’s good news: You can create space in your day to build your freelance career without giving up your social life, your sleep, and your sanity!! For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

The high cost of fashion school shouldn’t be the thing that keeps you from working in the industry you love. Yes, it is possible to break into the fashion industry without a fashion degree, without industry experience, without connections, AND without living in NYC! Today’s guest, Arya Mishra, is a 20-year-old, self-taught designer in India. She started out as a freelancer exclusively offering fashion flats, and within the first two months she already had multiple clients paying her $20 an hour—and more lined up!   Don’t let fashion industry myths keep you from pursuing your dream. Fashion is a challenging industry, but with the right tools and a lot of determination, you CAN become a Successful Fashion Freelancer.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

You’ve landed a new client, and the trial project they requested went great! You’re ready to start the full project with them. But then, they suddenly stop replying to your emails. You try following up, but it’s like they’ve vanished. You’ve been ghosted. And it sucks.  Were your rates too high? Did you do something wrong?  That’s what I explore with this week’s guest, Anna. She’s a FAST student with a couple of years’ experience freelancing. But when she was ghosted by a couple clients in a row, she started to lose her confidence. Is she really a good enough designer? And if she is, why did they bail? For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Successful Fashion Freelancer Alison Hoenes has grown her freelance business to 75% more than her old full-time income in just 4 years. She has plenty of clients and more projects than she can take on, and she needs help! In part two of the interview, we dive into what Alison can do to keep growing her business without losing her work-life balance–one of the best things about being a true, remote freelancer. We cover hiring, deciding what tasks to delegate (or dump altogether!), and how Alison can help even more clients without lowering her rates or burning out.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

How do you grow from your first few clients to a thriving, fully booked freelance biz? After four years as a Successful Fashion Freelancer, Alison Hoenes is earning 75% more than her old full-time salary, booked out months in advance, and still growing. And she’s doing it all without working insane 60-hour weeks (like most traditional fashion jobs). If you’ve established some steady clients and are ready to grow your freelance business, this episode is full of strategies to get you there. And if you’re just getting started, you’ll be inspired by how far Alison has come in just four short years. This episode is a follow up from Alison’s interview two years ago: Episode 103: How to Make More Money as a Fashion Freelancer (than in a Full Time Job)!  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

A common myth about freelancing is that it’s unstable, and you have to hustle 24/7 to get enough projects to survive. That was how this episode’s guest, PK, felt. When she had her son and started freelancing, she got burned by a client who refused to pay, and felt like she was constantly searching for a job. Now, she works with brands in her home country of India and around the world, and she has so much work that she had to hire other freelancers to help out!  Listen to hear how she did it, and what it takes to build a successful freelance career anywhere in the world.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

You’ve put in the time and the work. Now there's only one thing standing between your side hustle becoming your full time source of income: getting more freelance clients. In this episode our guest Connie reveals the simple change that allowed her to transform her side hustle into a design agency within 18 months.   For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Congrats! You’ve landed your first big freelance client on Upwork… now what? It appears you got your work cut out for you, is it even feasible to accomplish the scope of this project within the client’s expected time frame and budget? Before you start to convince yourself that you are in way over your head, you need to get your bearings. So let’s come up with that game plan! In this week’s episode of Successful Fashion Freelancer, I strategize with our guest Amna on how to guide a project and have open communication with a client after she landed her first $4k project on Upwork.   For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Pitching on Upwork can be tough. Despite knowing that you're THE perfect fit for projects, it can be a struggle to get the right clients. Today’s guest, Lucia, found herself in the same situation. After six months of failed pitches, it left her thinking, "Is this really it for me? Why can't I be a mom AND a Successful Fashion Freelancer?" In this episode, Lucia shares the small changes she made in her pitches that immediately started landing her clients, how she got her first project for $1800, and more. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Starting a new career is scary, and it can be easy to underestimate what you bring to the table when you do. In this interview, Heidi helps new freelance pattern-maker Vanessa dissect Vanessa’s current outreach approach and strategize how to receive more email responses, starting without experience, what her pay rate should be, how Upwork can help grow her business, and create a plan of action. See more about the episode here!

"Just realized I'm permalancing and I hate it! How do I 'Quit'?" Finding yourself in the world of permalancing can be unexpected. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional, it can still come as a shock to find that your part-time gig has become a full-time drain. What are the telltale signs that your freelance work has become permalancing? And how do you leave? In this episode of Successful Fashion Freelancer, we dive in with today's guest Michelle Arrubla about her permalancing situation and how to be clear about those important work needs. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

One place new fashion freelancers get stuck all the time is figuring out what services to offer. If you’ve been spinning your wheels thinking you need to learn flats, repeats, tech packs, patterns, sourcing, and maybe graphic design? before you can start freelancing, there’s good news: You don’t have to offer every service under the sun in order to present yourself as a freelancer. In fact, the secret you’ll learn in this short solo episode will make every aspect of freelancing easier, and make you MORE marketable at the same time.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Ever wondered what your clients & potential clients are thinking? What makes them decide to hire a freelancer from a cold pitch? What are they thinking while you’re working together? And how do they decide whether to lose your info, or hire you again (and again, and again)? In this interview with freelance graphic designer Atara, you’ll hear a client’s perspective on what makes a freelancer irresistible.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Ah, puberty. That fun phase we all go through. When surprises pop up that NO ONE prepared you for, everything is awkward AF, and you’re just trying to figure yourself out.   Puberty may suck, but it’s a mandatory phase--there’s no getting around it.   But I’m not talking about middle school, body hair, and braces. I’m talking about the cringeworthy, painful, but absolutely necessary phase of Freelance Puberty.     If you’re… Breaking into a sweat before every potential client call…  Putting off sending that cold pitch for weeks (because you don’t want potential clients to laugh at you!)... Or just feeling the freelance growing pains...  … then this episode is for you!  For the complete show notes and to register for the free training on finding freelance clients, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Even if you’ve been in the fashion industry for years (or decades!), transitioning to a freelance career presents a unique set of questions and challenges. Today’s guest has a decade of experience, but she still has tons of questions about how to turn that knowledge into a thriving freelance business. And we cover it all, from pricing to portfolios and so much more.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

“It’s practically impossible to break into fashion.” If you’ve ever believed this myth, you’re not alone. And that’s how today’s guest, Brittany, felt after she graduated from fashion school. For 15 years, Brittany couldn’t get her break. But within two months of launching her freelance career, Brittany has already landed her first client and completed two projects--her first paid work in the fashion industry. And this is just the beginning.    For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

If you’ve ever felt rusty or worried that you’re losing your edge in your fashion career, this episode is for you. Tina is a freelancer in Germany. Coming from the activewear category, she now exclusively designs workwear, and loves it! But will her workwear clients notice that she’s “lost” her activewear skills? And how can she get them back?   For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!