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design process

Part 1: The Fashion Design Process from Idea to first sketch

Ever thought of starting a fashion label? Many do – every day and as soon as they think about it, their heads get inundated with questions… Questions about the design process in general like… Do ideas come from inspiration or from materials? What is the best way to go about designing a collection?

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Fashion moodboard

What is a Fashion Mood Board and how to create one?

At the start of every new season, fashion designers sift through their research and distil the essence of it into what is commonly referred to as “fashion moodboard”. A visual diary of details and inspirations that will later serve as a guideline and constant source of further inspiration while finalising the new collection.

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double double business book camerol herold

“Double Double” by Cameron Herold

“Double Double” by Cameron Herold is a business book full of ‘unexpected’ lessons. The premise behind it, that if you followed the basic teaching of it, you will double your business in three years.

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find-right-factory

How to Find the Right Factory to Make Your Product

How to find a factory to make your product? A common question anyone looking to turn their fashion idea into a reality will ask countless times. Not because it is hard to find contacts these days, but simply because the prospect of contacting a manufacturer, whether by phone or through email, for the first time can be a scary one.

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The-One-Thing-Gary-Keller-honest-review-

The One Thing by Gary Keller

The One Thing by Gary Keller is an insightful book about eliminating what you want less and including what you want more. The One Thing reaches to a near about perfection in delivering what it promises – mastering ONE THING.

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critical path

What is a Critical Path and Why your Business Needs it?

What is a critical path in fashion? It is a continuously reviewed system, which is used to track the progress of fashion projects and production deliveries. A production plan that contains a list of all of the necessary activities that are required to be done within a particular time frame.

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fashion business

The Basics of How to Start a Fashion Business

Starting your own brand can be the most exciting thing in the world. Designing your dream line and the prestige of selling your collections in renowned stores are surely very enticing. However, the reality of setting up shop will be something entirely different to your initial perceived idea. Read up and find out what is vitally important to know before you start.

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The-War-of-Art-steven-pressfield_entrepreneur_books

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

A succinct, engaging, and practical guide for succeeding in any creative sphere, The War of Art is nothing less than Sun-Tzu for the soul. Always wanted to write, start your own business, or paint? What is stopping you?

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Atlas_shrugged_ayn_rand

Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand

Atlas Shrugged is a black and white story of characters that are destroying themselves for reasons that will baffle you. It is not a story for the faint-hearted.

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Just in time manufacturing

What is “Just In Time” Manufacturing?

In the 1940s the Toyota Motor Company pioneered a type of manufacturing called “Just-In-Time.” Its objective was to eliminate waste, inconsistencies, and unreasonable requirements from the production process, thus resulting in improved productivity. Simply put, it meant making only what was needed, when it was needed, and in the amount needed.

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working-specislists-generalists-fashion-podcast

What is a Garment Tech in the fashion industry?

The mysterious person who liaises with designers, adapts designs to suit production methods, sources fabrics, and accessories, undertakes quality evaluations of materials and responds to product queries, including complaints, from wholesalers and customers is the Garment Tech.

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-spec-tech-pack-fashion-resource

What is a Fashion Tech Pack and why do you need one?

No matter how amazing your fashion product design may be, without a Tech Pack, and with no experience or knowledge of the industry, most factories will not take you seriously, deal with you or if they do, you will face countless problems. And yet so few fashion entrepreneurs know about it or know how to put one together.

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Utelier - fashion branding basics

Simple Fashion Branding Basics for Start-Ups

Once upon a time, not that long ago, the word “logo” was synonymous to “brand”. Fast forward a couple of decades and today a “logo” is merely a shadow of a “brand”, but nowhere near what a “brand” is. Yet – not many people seem to make the distinction and realise this. Especially start ups.

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Utelier - how to network even if you hate it

How to Network Even If You Hate It

Being in the fashion industry means that you have to schmooze (read: network as a professional) at events. But being a fashion business owner means that you have to effectively network with a range of people, at a number of different events.

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Utelier- investors

Finding Investors for Your Fashion Business

If you have decided that finding an investor for your fashion business is the best option for you, here is some advice on how to prepare yourself to find the right one; whether you’re looking for a venture capitalist, an angel investor, a super-angel or a growth investor.

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Utelier - fashion start-ups - crowdfunding fashion start-ups - a legal perspective - counterfeiting

Crowdfunding from a Legal Perspective

If you are considering crowdfunding to launch your fashion product, there are a number of legal issues that should be considered before trying to raise money through a crowdfunding platform. Tahir Basheer of law firm Sheridans shares his advice to keep you ahead of the game (most of the points are relevant to Equity Crowdfunding).

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utelier blog - legally preparing for investment

Legally Preparing for Investment

Many fashion start-ups seek out investors in order to grow their businesses, but there is a lot that you need to know about investment. Tahir Basheer of law firm Sheridans has the key information that you need to know.

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Utelier - Marc Worth - Ten Commandments

Marc Worth: Ten Commandments for Your Fashion Business

At the Enterprise Nation’s Fashion Exchange event on Wednesday 16 September, Founder of WGSN and CEO of Stylus, Marc Worth shared his advice with fashion entrepreneurs on running a successful fashion business. It was a day filled with entrepreneurial spirit, and fashion professionals sharing knowledge and experience, and making new contacts.

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utelier - design and product development - fashion start-ups

Design and Product Development

It is no secret that the fashion industry is predominantly a product-based industry. Success is often underpinned by great design, strong product and well-structured collections. Learn how to translate your ideas correctly into the products that you want.

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utelier fashion law and employment contract

The Law and the Employment Contract

Being a fashion start-up business owner means that you need to wear a lot of hats, and one of the most challenging to make fit, is the legal hat. So this week, Tahir Basheer of law firm Sheridans explains what issues need to be addressed regarding employment contracts.

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Utelier - allocating the budget - fashion start-upsp

The Best Ways to Allocate Your Budget

Rarely does a new business start with enough money to last until a profit is turned. It might happen in the movies, but what happens in real life – more often than not – is that you start spending some or all of the capital you have raised.

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utelier-financing-debt

Equity vs. Debt

Financing a business can come in many forms, but regardless of how you raise cash, more often than not you will be dealing with equity or debt. So, let’s explain what they are, and how they can work for or against us.

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utelier-ip-battle

What happens during an intellectual property battle?

There are so many things that you prepare yourself for when launching your fashion business, but no matter how ‘ready’ you are, receiving a letter that could threaten your business, and an intellectual property (IP) battle with a big brand would shock anyone. So what happens when a fashion start-up is told that the unique name created for their brand, is an infringement on a big brand’s trademark? It happened to Michaela Anderson last year, and she shared her journey with us to inform others.

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utelier-anti-competitive-arrangements

Anti-Competitive Arrangements Explained – Part 1

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority announced that it had opened an investigation into suspected ‘anti-competitive arrangements’ in the UK clothing, footwear and fashion sectors. Tahir Basheer, an Industry member specialising in fashion and media law for leading London-based law firm Sheridans, explains what that means for you.

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utelier-tool-kit-business-planning

Business Planning for Success

Imagine this – you have a great idea, you want to start your own business and everyone you tell is supportive and encouraging, and then they tell you firmly in a non-negotiable tone of voice, “You MUST write a business plan!”

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utelier_focus_group

Engage Your Virtual Focus Group for InstaValue

You’ve researched who you want to target on Twitter. Your Instagram curation shows potential followers exactly what your brand is about. Your Facebook fans are liking your posts daily, and your Pinterest photos are beautifully styled mood boards.

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Utelier - legal fashion advice - Annabelle Gauberti

Interview with Legal Expert Annabelle Gauberti

Legal advice is the one thing that every fashion brand needs but not everyone can afford or makes time for – particularly for young designers and fashion start-up brands. Utelier aims to make sure that fashion professionals are as informed as possible.

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utelier-business-basics-choosing-a-business-structure

How to choose a legal structure for your business

Making the decision to start your own business is the first of MANY that you will have to make during its lifetime. The decisions that you make in the early stages are of the utmost importance, so take time and professional advice where necessary and make the right choices.

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registered trademark

The Registered Trademark and Your Brand

Brand logos will be gracing the silhouettes of bloggers and many other FROW members this weekend at the London Fashion Week shows – and lusted after by many other fashionistas in attendance.

There is a lot more to branding than simply a product being recognisable to others, as Tahir Basheer – an Industry member specialising in fashion and media law for leading London-based law firm, Sheridans – explains.

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Utelier - fashion start-ups - crowdfunding fashion start-ups - a legal perspective - counterfeiting

Counterfeiting and the Fashion Industry

For a long time, counterfeiting had been considered a necessary evil, especially in the luxury and fashion spheres, but its exponential surge has become such a threat that various business stakeholders are now reacting faster and meaner to contain this epidemic.

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utelier-tool-kit-pre-business-plan

The Pre-Business Plan

Working in fashion is often not for the faint hearted. But starting your own business, your own brand – as some would say – that’s a different ball game.

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Utelier Toolkit Series

Fashion Insiders Launches The Toolkit Series

Over the coming months, in addition to our regular interviews with our network of designers and manufacturers, and industry news scoops, Insider will introduce a regular series of articles on how to set up your own new fashion business.

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communicate your designs

5 Not-So-New Business Resolutions

Take the root of the word more literally and create a movement to resolve your business. There is hope and it is not too late, so, recalibrate and let’s recalculate your 2015 journey.

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Setting the Table by Danny Meyer

Setting the Table by Danny Meyer

Ever wondered if you can be a good ‘boss’ without being mean and hated? Do you fall asleep at the thought of a business book? Love food and a good ‘How I Made It’ story? If your answers are yes, yes and yes – you are in luck, there is a book that ticks all three boxes.

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Utelier Blog - Top 10 Tips for Successful PR

Top 10 Tips for Successful Public Relations: Part Two

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the world of fashion has never before been as competitive as it is today. To start with an idea is easy in comparison to turning that acorn of an idea into a successful business. There are many prerequisites in the recipe for success but one of the main ingredients is PR. Here are our top tips on how to market your brand.

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Utelier Blog - Top 10 Tips for Successful PR

Top 10 Tips for Successful PR: Part One

There are many prerequisites in the recipe for success but one of the main ingredients is PR. While the world of press has also evolved and changed, few things however still remain relevant and necessary to do, in order to garner attention. Here is our top tips

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Utelier - Employment Law Myths

Top 10 Employment Law Myths

In fashion we are often surrounded by myths and hear-say information. We spoke to lawyers from Sheridans Employment Group to demistify some of these myths and more…

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