9 Effective Ways to Launch and Grow a Fashion Brand Online
To launch and grow a fashion brand online seems like a glamorous way to make a living. Fashionistas and those with an eye for style would be perfect for this job. Unfortunately, there’s more...
10 Top Signs You’re Working with the Wrong Manufacturer
Fashion manufacturing is not for the faint-hearted. Working with the wrong manufacturer can be painful. Fashion manufacturing is like relationships. In fact, it is apt to compare the process to dating...Pick the right fashion...
5 Important Reasons for Sourcing Materials at Fashion Trade Shows
The reasons why one should attend an industry trade fair have changed over the last few years. But their importance has not diminished, as long as you know what to expect and ma
How to Clear Excess Stock and the Importance of It to Your Fashion Brand
In product-based businesses, the issue of excess stock is often a problem that is overlooked. It is, in fact, one of the silent killers known to the fashion business. Being aware of it and...
The Secret Sauce to a Successful Cohesive Fashion Collection
Designing a fashion collection is relatively easy. Anyone can do it. But creating and putting together a cohesive fashion collection that sells requires you to know the secret sauce. Say YES if you want...
The Top Seven Fashion Pricing Strategy Mistakes Brands Must Avoid
Fashion pricing strategy is one of the most challenging areas for fashion apparel and accessories brands. For the most part, the challenge is due to product (SKU) complexity, relatively limited item comparability within (especially...
The Challenge Western Brands Face in Working with Clothing Manufacturers Overseas
Working with clothing manufacturers overseas is a natural progression for many fashion brands. The move is often necessitated by two main factors - a need for larger volume production or a necessity to reduce...
7 Mistakes Career Changers in Fashion Industry Make
https://youtu.be/wkC0a5O0zag
The fashion industry is like no other. To those on the outside – it is a glamorous and glitzy industry that looks fun and promises fame and riches. The truth is far from it....
Top 5 Reasons Why Not to Discount Your Fashion Brand Products
The 2008 global recession has a lot to answer for. Aside from so many fashion brands and retailers closing doors and filing for bankruptcy, many barely survived by adopting a discounting strategy and reducing...
5 Ways Startups Can Use Tech Packs to Cut Costs and Save Time
Tech packs! Love them or hate them, if you're in fashion - you simply need them!
Like anything in life, the quality of the outcome depends on the quality of the input. In fashion, this...
How to size label your clothing range – letters vs numbers
Selecting the correct size label for your clothing range and whether you use letters or numbers sends a clear message about the market you aim to enter.
Their use isn’t based on random selection. Both...
What is a Technical Drawing in Fashion Design?
Providing factories with a "Technical Drawing" otherwise known as a "Flat Drawing" is one of the essential requirements when manufacturing garments or accessories.
Whether you are a designer who has skills in fashion sketching, or...
Fashion Job Opportunities for Students After Graduation
Are the students learning anything valuable (i.e., updated) in terms of the real-world fashion jobs? After graduation, students are not left with enough opportunities thus, leading to designers only. Here we explore more fashion jobs opportunities after graduation.
How to Get the Best Out of Your Mentor [and grow your business]
We all need mentors in some point in our lives. Whether it's our own business or a 9 to 5 job, these top tips will definitely help us find the right mentors for us and get the best out of them.
7 Eco-Friendly Practices Every Small Fashion Business Can Do
Brands with any integrity have been thinking of ways to build their businesses with a sustainable advantage for a while now. Below are 7 Eco-friendly practices that a fashion business can do to contribute to sustainability in the fashion industry.
How to Work with Fashion Manufacturing Companies as a Startup
Working with fashion manufacturing companies is easy if you know and follow the few simple do's and don't do's most entrepreneur learn the hard way. Don't be one of them - read this and get a start on the right track.
9 Top Tips to Get the Best Out of Your Pattern Cutter
How to get the best out of your pattern cutter should be at the forefront of your mind if you’re about to embark on developing a fashion range. Learn how to prepare for your meeting.
7 Top Tips How to Avoid Manufacturing Drama During the Chinese New Year
The Chinese textile manufacturing industry is one of the world’s biggest apparel exporters to the west. But their Chinese new year celebrations can affect negatively your fashion business. Read and learn how to avoid this from happening.
What Makes a Perfect Fitting Session?
Read on to learn what makes a perfect fitting session and what you must ensure you have in place if you do not want to waste time and money.
Top Tips for Showing your Brand at the Fashion Trade Show
Fashion trade shows are a great opportunity for a new designer brand to announce its arrival on the fashion scene. For those more established, exhibiting at trade shows is just another way to access new national and international buyers.
11 Top Tips for Working with Indian Manufacturers
Working with Indian manufacturers offshore is a good option for any growing fashion brand looking to improve margin, but before you embark, consider these wise words and the benefit of others experiences.
3 Tips to Make a Perfect Garment Sample
Making a perfect garment sample good enough for the factory to follow through to production, can be approached in three ways. Whichever way you choose, your final outcome is to produce items to a very high standard so that they can be used by a factory as a template for your production.
Fashion Insider Tips for Sourcing Fabric Efficiently
Sourcing fabric for new fashion collections is one of the most exciting aspects of running a fashion label. Learn how to do it better with our top tips.
Top tips on growing your business exposure with Pinterest
Pinterest is a social media platform of choice for brands, due to the ability to curate visual content and drive traffic to the brands' commercial channels.
11 ways to screen fashion factories before working with them
Asking fashion factories key questions before working with them will save a lot of time, money and heartache. Learning how to identify the best from the rest will be the single most important skill you need to develop.
The importance of Quality Control in fashion manufacturing
Quality control in the fashion manufacturing industry is incredibly important. Failing to maintain certain standards can lead to all sorts of problems, especially for a start-up company.
Without a track record for selling your products,...
Aim for “good” rather than “perfection”
When you run a business, you cannot afford to chase "perfection". Commercial thinking must be exercised, deadlines respected and the business needs put first.
5 No-Brainer Tips to Increase Brand Value
People buy most products, especially luxury goods because of branding. This one, short, two-syllable word is vital for successful fashion businesses.
3 tips for launching a website in no time and on a budget
Launching a website is no longer a choice for a business. Regardless of the size, industry and location - not having a website is like not having a name. So what can you do on a budget? A lot more than you might think is the answer.
7 Most Common Fashion Business Mistakes
Fashion business mistakes are easy to make and hard to correct. Seemingly small, they can fast lead to the death of your business in a matter of months or less. We look at what they are and how to avoid them.
Business Crowdfunding for Fashion Brands
Many emerging designers are making the decision to crowdfund their projects - a great post-recession fundraiser - to create a product that they love and know their target consumers will also love, and buy.
6 Productivity Hacks to Save Time and Money
For any entrepreneur, time is of short supply and of great demand. So here are 6 simple productivity hacks that may help a little manage your time better.
21 tips on how to launch a successful Kickstarter campaign
Crowdfunding has become one of the key ways in which small businesses can raise essentials funds to either start up or launch a new area of business or project. While you may not raise as much as money as you would by using an investor, crowdfunding means not parting with any equity.
5 tested tips for finding the right fashion manufacturer
Finding a good manufacturer is not as tricky as many believe it to be. Like with any first business meeting, you need to go prepared and armed with clear information about who you are, what your business is about, where you want to go, and what you need out of this meeting.
5 Reasons You Need a Business Mentor
Having a mentor is one of the things in life that those that most need it – either don’t know about it or don’t know how to find one; and those that we would consider as least needing one i.e. they are already successful – almost without fail currently have or have had one in the past, because they know and understand the value a good advisor brings.
9 Tips for Coping with the Overwhelm of Fashion Trade Shows
Sourcing tradeshows are almost a right of passage in the fashion industry and they can be a great place to start if you are looking for suppliers.
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.
4 Top Tips for Working With Bloggers
Working with bloggers has become a mainstream modus operandi for anyone looking to gain media exposure for their brand. Here are some tips and tricks.
5 Top Tips for a Successful Pop-Up Shop
Have you thought about running a pop-up shop to sell your products? If you are, there are many points to consider to ensure that your brand’s message is translated to your target audience.
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.
Top Tips for Fashion Vloggers
If you vlog for your fashion business, Tahir Basheer of law firm Sheridans explains what you need to consider.
5 tips on how to work with a manufacturing supplier
Here are some tips on how to work with a manufacturing supplier.
The Do’s & Don’ts of Communicating with Factories
How frustrating is it when you contact factories or suppliers and get no response? Here are the Do’s and Don’ts of communicating with factories so that you get better results.
6 things to remember when launching a fashion business
Well done! You’re about to launch your fashion business, there is so much you need to focus on and your mind is busy with endless to-do lists. We’ve compiled the key things that you need to bear in mind to give you clarity, and act efficiently and effectively.
3 Top Tips for Better Fashion Product Pricing
Fashion product pricing is essential, yet tricky to get right. To make your fashion business work, one of the key things you must do is make a profit. Learn what is required in order to get the price right outright.
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.
What To Look For In A Manufacturing Partner
One of the challenges most often faced and talked about in fashion is the delicate matter of finding a manufacturer – the right manufacturer for you and your brand.
Top Tips For Creating Your Own Eyewear Line
If you're considering making an eyewear line, eyewear designer Sandra Battistel shares her wealth of advice and experience with these top tips.
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.
Multi-Cultural Business Challenges
The fashion industry is multi-national, multi-cultural and multilingual, with the latter approached in a technical manner and interpretation often ignored.
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.
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
Turning Strangers into Connections in 6 Easy Steps
We see it every day, on the commute to work or at a business event; people are almost never willing to speak to one another. When did networking become a chore or a scary situation?
10 Top Tips – How to Protect Your Brand
With the help of our expert from Sheridans Media lawyers we bring you the top 10 tips of how to protect your brand.
Getting Trade Press for Your Fashion Business
The editor of U Magazine attended a talk at last week’s International Jewellery London show, on the ways in which fashion brands and designers could work effectively with the trade press.
Lessons in Working with Leather Goods Manufacturer Overseas
Rebecca Hafenrichter, founder of minimalist handbag label Becca Haf London, is currently working on her first collection of handbags and small leather goods. All the manufacturing for the collection is completed in Ubrique, Spain, a small town famous for its 400-year-old leather industry. She recently went to visit her manufacturer for the first time.
Celebrity Gifting: A Sound Marketing Strategy?
Imagine making one of your products: designing it, sourcing materials, manufacturing it and then putting it through vigorous quality control measures, and then giving it to someone for free.