Fashion Designers Get Paid: Build Your Fashion Career On Your Own Terms

Latest Episodes:

SFD087 How to Become a Fashion Merchandiser and Product Manager 👗 Apr 29, 2019

Show notes

In this interview with Shelby Collins, we go a little off the beaten path of the Successful Fashion Designer podcast. Shelby is a merchandiser and works in product development--she knew right from the beginning that design wasn’t quite the right path for her, so she did a lot of self-exploration throughout school and found the right path for her through trial and error.

Besides Shelby taking a “non-traditional path” through the design world, and going into something other than design, I want you guys to pay attention to the exact thing that Shelby did to progress her career. She worked her way up--spent a lot of time working for The North Face in California, and now works for VF Corp. Shelby’s career trajectory did not come by accident! She started out in some pretty crummy administrative roles that she hated, but she worked her butt off, got noticed, built friendships and relationships and that’s exactly how she grew her career.

We talk about how she was mindful about creating these relationships in the workplace, and how she was always very intentional about showing that she was willing to put in the work and go the extra mile to stand out, even if it was a project that wasn’t that exciting. She’s experienced such amazing growth in her career--so pay attention to her advice because I know it can help so many of you go so far in your careers as well!

In the interview (which you'll love) we will cover:

How Shelby got her start in the fashion industry
The difference between the production / merchandise part of the business, and the design / development part of the business
How Shelby knew she wanted to get into merchandising (it all started with a 2007 Burton catalogue!)
Shelby’s first opportunity after college
How she proactively prepared for interviews
How Shelby navigated the “networking” world by authentically and genuinely maintaining relationships
What Shelby did in her Product Line Coordinator job
The one thing Shelby wishes people would ask her about working in the fashion industry

SMALL TOWN DREAMS

Shelby grew upon a farm in a small town in Colorado. She always loved looking at magazines and seeing how different things were from her day to day “real world.” Like a lot of us, she really enjoyed expressing herself through apparel--she loved the way she could almost change her mood and how she felt; how she represented herself to the world. So the logical next step after high school? Start in a design program in college (because it’s so hard to know which career path to follow in the fashion industry when you’re brand new!).

But it didn’t feel quite right. She was doing well, but she didn’t feel grounded in the creative space. As a math lover, she wanted more balance and logic thrown into the mix. She kept thinking back to her magazine-flipping days, and specifically remembered a 2007 Burton catalogue--and how disruptive it was. There were badass women in white snowboard gear sitting in mud, completely filthy after snowboarding all day. She remembered how the image had struck her, and knew she wanted to be the person making those decisions. So she checked out merchandising, and got a little closer to her dream.

BREAKING IN AFTER COLLEGE (ALWAYS DIFFICULT, RIGHT?)

Shelby’s last semester at college was a 12-credit internship. School helped her land the gig (a little), but she had to work her butt of to get it. She applied to around 50 internships, and two people called her back...but that’s just how it goes! She googled interview questions and made her dad run through the answers with her (anyone else done this? Such a good idea!), and landed an internship in the marketing department. Sure--it wasn’t the product creation team like she wanted, but she was open to her options. Shelby dug in, learned what she could, and navigated forward from there.

After she graduated, she got a job at the same company she had interned at, but it was in customer service--not her desired career path. But she kept grinding and excelling, and when the company acquired another women’s outdoor brand, an opportunity arose. She became brand coordinator, and so began the marathon of many hats. And she LOVED it. She did materials sourcing, approved material colors, did day-to-day communication with factories, worked with the marketing team on sales tools, organized photo shoots, and so much more. She gained visibility into all areas of the business, and even though the learning curve was steep, and she was scared and insecure every once in a while, she took a deep breath and did it, and learned a ton.

The brand went under and closed after a year, but she got an opportunity to stay on the marketing team on another project. This was another job she wasn’t crazy about, but it motivated her to find something that did make her happy. She reflected on the relationships she had built with her coworkers--she had always been scared of the “networking” word, but was able to connect in a genuine, authentic way with the people she saw every day. She had always been mindful of building and maintaining relationships, so asking her connections for what she needed came naturally and easily for her. “If you do the upfront work of keeping in touch with people frequently, it doesn’t feel as icky when you reach out for connections.” (Write that down!)

JOB HUNTING

The connections she had helped Shelby get an interview in the Bay Area, and she got a job as a Product Line Coordinator where she did...everything. It was similar to what she had done in her brand coordinator position before, but more specific: she prepared meetings, made grids / visual line plans, managed all documents (like the workbook, line plan, image approval), did data entry, managed tools, and had lots of exposure to things like fittings and being at the decision table (finally!). She had always been a detail-oriented person, but this job was perfectly challenging for her. She was promoted twice in her five years at the company.

HER SECRET?

Shelby was never too shy to request feedback from her coworkers and superiors. She constantly wanted to improve, and constantly did so. When asking for promotions and raises, she backed everything up with hard facts. She would talk about which goals she met, the steps she took to achieve those goals, and how she extended beyond those goals. She always focused on the ways she added value to the company, and made sure to always contribute in a positive way.

Shelby is in a new role now (a little over 6 months at the time of the interview) at VF Corporation, a company that owns North Face, Timberland, Vans, etc. She’s on the Innovation Team as the Senior Product Manager. She works on all of the brands at VF Corp., focusing on leveraging cross-brand projects that take personalization and customization to the next level. She’s loving it, and we couldn’t be more excited for her.

Shelby is full of valuable advice for anyone looking to get ahead in the fashion industry, and really anyone looking to level up their networking and interview skills (not to mention she’s a total inspiration in the work ethic department, too). Can’t wait to see Shelby shine in this new role!

Resources & People Mentioned

Shelby on LinkedIn

Enjoy the show? Help us out by:

Rating us on iTunes – it really helps!
S...

SFD086 This 76 Year Old Worked in the NYC Fashion Industry since the 60's. Here's her story. Apr 15, 2019

Show notes

Judy worked in the industry way back in the 60’s and 70’s in New York and she has so many fun and inspiring stories about what her journey was like through fashion back then. Whether you’re listening for a fun flashback or for some insight into what the New York fashion world was like back then before you were born, you’re going to love this episode!

P.S. This interview was done here in my living room in Denver, and my terrier Lana was home and very excited that the ladies were talking. She doesn’t bark, but she’s definitely there tapping around (and chewing on a bully stick). She’s excited about this episode too!

In the interview (which you'll love) we will cover:

How Judy decided to start in the fashion industry
What it was like working in the fashion industry when she was right out of college in the 60’s
What it was like working for a t-shirt factory in New York (yes--a factory in New York!)
How the fax machine changed the lives of the sketches being sent!
How the car industry would influence the fashion industry
How Judy presented her ideas (sketching, sketching, sketching!)
Which celebrity wore her westernwear shirt designs!
How the fashion industry was different without Adobe Illustrator

FASHION SCHOOL IN THE 60’S

Judy Karp was like a lot of us in that she was always interested in art. She knew she wanted to study that (maybe become an art teacher?) But when it came time to choose a college in the 60’s, her counselor suggested Washington University in St. Louis. When she saw the fashion design course in the brochure, she knew she wanted to try it--she like sewing (“everyone sewed back then”), so she did her four years out there. This was back when FIT was a tiny little course, and RISD was somewhere out there. But Judy got her BFA and made her way into the world.

At first she got a job for Formfit Rogers, but then decided to move to New York. Formfit Rogers had an office out there, so Judy packed up her volkswagon and made her way out there! Shortly after she got a job as an assistant designer at Smartee--one of the first places to actually DO tshirts. Seriously--no one wore t-shirts back then (maybe to the beach), but she got to be on the forefront of creating that trend! Vogue and Harper used to come by the factory (yes, factory in NY) to check out the t-shirt trend. (Thank goodness Judy helped create the t-shirt as we know it--my life would not be the same without them!)

WHAT THE JOB WAS LIKE

As you might imagine, Judy spent a lot of time sketching. And sketching some more, and sketching some more. There wasn’t any way to do anything except by hand, she says. Doing things on a computer “wasn’t normal.” My, how the tides have turned! After working in New York until about ‘78, she made her way west to Denver, Colorado. She worked for Carmen westernwear and got to design western shirts for John Travolta in Urban Cowboy! Yes--he wore her designs!

Judy’s story really is a fascinating insight into the fashion industry in the 60’s and 70’s--you’re going to love it!

Resources & People Mentioned

Enjoy the show? Help us out by:

Click here to join the last round of FAST!

SFD085 How this Mom Got a Tech Design Job After a 12 Year Career Break Apr 01, 2019

Show notes

Nicola Osborne is a technical designer who got her break back into the fashion industry after taking 12 years off to raise her family. Getting back to any career after 12 years is a daunting task, but getting back into the fashion industry is an even more intimidating one. As Nicola says in her own words, she felt as though she was “clawing her way up a mountain.”

Nicola talks us through everything she did mentally, emotionally, and skill / learning-wise to get prepared and ultimately land her first opportunity back after her 12-year break. She talks through how she figured out which skills she needed to learn, how she started getting internships as a “non-traditional intern” (i.e. not a young college student), how she prepared her portfolio, and got up to speed on technical skills like Adobe Illustrator and tech packs, and also shares the technique she used on her resume so that the first thing brands saw wasn’t a big 12-year gap.

Nicola also talks us through how she bombed her first interview and exactly why it went so terribly, and what she did to better prepare for future interviews. Whether you’re struggling with your job search now, or you too have taken some time off and are breaking back in, there’s so much great inspiration and insight in our interview today.

In the interview (which you'll love) we will cover:

How Nicola got her start in the fashion industry
The different jobs you can get in the fashion industry
How she got into childrenswear (and how this niche helped her a lot)
How Nicola strategically chose her jobs in order to maximize her experience in the fashion industry
The terror Nicola felt when looking for jobs after a decade of not working in the fashion industry
How Nicola applied her determination and self-discipline to learn Adobe Illustrator and how to do tech packs to make herself more marketable
How Nicola’s self-directed practice portfolio leveled up her interview success
How Nicola got over her fears and just went for it
The differences Nicola noticed between the interviews that went well and the ones that went poorly, and what she’d do differently

NICOLA THEN AND NOW

Nicola Osborne is a technical designer for a children’s apparel company in San Francisco. She’s passionate about apparel and has worked for leading British clothing brands such as TopShop, New Look, and Next, where she helped bring the product to market for the right cost at the right time. Her wider experience working for vendors has given her hands-on knowledge of the garment development process, manufacturing systems, and order fulfillment. But she’s been in the industry for a LONG time, and has deep roots in it.

Nicola got started in the fashion industry as a fashion model while she was still in school. After she retired from being a model when she was 20, she knew she still wanted to work in the industry in a way that was more intellectually stimulating. She went to a two-year fashion design course in her hometown, fell in love with garment construction and pattern-making, and became fascinated with the technical / skilled side of clothing.

She went to a four-year course in fashion and textiles management, and learned all about fabrics, manufacturing, and the business side of the industry. She had never even heard of the garment technology / technical design job position when she first got started in school! But once she dipped her toes in the water, she knew she wanted more.

CHILDRENSWEAR?

Nicola got one of her first jobs as a junior garment technologist at New Look, a fast-fashion clothing brand. She got great insight into the whole process of getting the clothes made and into the customers’ hands, which is something a lot of people don’t get to do when working with factories in China. After New Look, she got a job at Next in the childrenswear department. While she wasn’t originally interested in getting into childrenswear, she ended up liking it and honing her niche--it became a specialty for her. There’s so much to keep in mind when designing childrenswear, and so many different body shapes to keep in mind when grading and sizing for infants up to 12 year-olds. Then there’s safety considerations--and once you’re in the niche, you’re quite specialized.

TIME FOR A BREAK

Nicola decided to take a break after she had her first child and her husband’s job took them out of the country. After a while, when the kids started school full time, she thought about getting back into work. Initially she didn’t think about getting back into the fashion industry--she thought about training for something else entirely! She had never heard of anyone having a part-time fashion industry job, and worried she wouldn’t be able to fit it in. But when she thought back on her 6 years of experience in the industry, she figured why not, and started looking at job postings. And that’s when she became “really terrified.”

The challenge of how to move forward was daunting for her. Things had advanced so much, and her role as a Garment Technologist didn’t really exist in the United States (where she and her family were living at the time), but she found that the Technical Designer position was something she could jump into with a little bit of work. But that bit of work was...Adobe Illustrator. Every single job asked for it, and she’d never used it before. So she researched and researched and signed up for courses, and whittled away at her skills.

Nicola worked hard to learn the technical side of the industry, and then made proof that she knew how to do it. Twelve years is a long time to be out of the industry, and she wanted to show people that she knew what she was doing. She took on self-directed sample projects to show interviewers that she knew how to do the work, which requires so much determination! After a lot of hard work, she started to put herself out there. She took on a couple of internships that ignited that passionate spark for the fashion industry, and really kept her going through the hours of going through Illustrator tutorials.

Through it all, Nicola kept going because she didn’t want to NOT do it just because she was scared. She told herself that if she didn’t carry on, it would be stupid. If it didn’t work out, it would be better to say that she tried rather than not. She immersed herself in learning about the industry again--learning the language of the industry and reading what was going on, so she could talk about it in interviews.

AND THEN THERE WERE JOBS

Working on her resume was another way Nicola leveled up her professional presentation. She picked up tips and tricks online and got an interview every single time she submitted a resume. Interviewers constantly said that they were impressed with the way she clearly outlined what she did while she wasn’t working. Her “Career Development” section of her resume was a real game-changer, and her “Courses” section, too. She was able to show that she had been working hard the last few years!

Yes, she bombed an interview. But the buzz she felt afterward was a good one...she was back into it! The interviews after that were better, and she pushed her boundaries and learned a lot. Now Nicola has a job that she loves (totally cried when she got it--and we don’t blame her!), and they chose her because of all of the self-directed career development that she did. She proved that she’s willing to work, and wants to better herself constantly.

Resources & People Mentioned

Nicola Osborne on

SFD084 How to Become an Event Planner for New York Fashion Week Mar 18, 2019

Show notes

Emily Burton lives in Georgia, is barely 5” tall and has a thick southern accent. She’s pretty far from what you would coin as a stereotypical “fashionista”. But she’s a spitfire of a woman and through pure perseverance and hard work, built an event planning company that now works with brands at New York Fashion Week.

Her journey is long an inspiring, from the days she lived paycheck to paycheck and knocked on boutique doors to offer pro bono styling, she tells it all in this interview. Emily has faced a lot of no’s and has had many opportunities to give up, but her sheer passion and drive led her to success.

Whether you want a behind the scenes glimpse at what it’s like to be behind the scenes at New York Fashion Week

In the interview (which you'll love) we will cover:

The overview of Emily’s rich history in all things design, and how she landed as an event planner and stylist for New York Fashion Week
How having the guts to work *pro-bono* showcased her talents and proved her skill
Why she always has contracts--even (especially) when it’s pro-bono work
How starting small got her on the right track
Why her mentality and never taking “no” for an answer is something we should ALL be doing
The BTS of planning, styling, designing, and coordinating New York Fashion Week
How New York Fashion Week and the goal of the designers have changed over the years
Emily’s role in relation to the designer in the design process
How Emily turned “Nos” into “Not right now,” and persevered until she was successful
Emily’s opinion on taking time for yourself mentally and emotionally and how to take care of yourself first

START SMALL

Emily Burton does event planning and styling for New York Fashion Week. BIG WOWs. But Emily started off so small--she lived paycheck to paycheck back when she first got started, and she had to literally go knocking door-to-door to find people she could do free work for just to get exposure, portfolio work, and resume experience. Emily came from an interior design background, and after a while, she got bored with it and wanted a change. In this episode of the podcast, she talks about that change--how she did it, and how it didn’t come easily. There were a lot of tears, no’s, and moments when she wanted to give up.

Emily lives in a small town in Georgia--not a fashion hub! And she makes her career work. Yes, she travels--but she does most of it from home! I mention this because I say this all the time--you can work in the fashion industry anywhere. Persevere, have confidence, and keep working hard, and you really can make it work. Emily’s story is inspiring in so many ways, but especially for this reason--she doesn’t take “no” for an answer, and she’s making it happen for herself. Emily is a passionate woman, and she does a great job of pulling back the curtain and sharing the unfiltered truth.

After majoring in interior design in school, Emily worked as an interior designer in Atlanta doing commercial and residential. After the economy crashed, losing her job, and moving for a new job that she hated, she knew she had to get back to design. When she saw The Wedding Planner (that J-Lo movie), she fell in love with the idea of event planning, and knew that was where she wanted to go. She wanted to be the “interior designer for your event,” because, as Emily says, “Fashion and the event industry is really a happy marriage.”

So she did what any hard-working, passionate woman would do: she worked for free. She knocked on doors, offered her styling and planning services, and kicked ass doing it so that she could build up her portfolio and gain exposure. She would pay photographers and models with her own money when she had to, because she wanted them to know that she valued them, knowing that karma would have her back in the future. “If you create a positive working relationship with your vendors, they’ll want to work with you, and they won’t feel used.” She built experiences, built relationships, and then started getting local contracts to shoot mini magazines, which turned into more referrals, and then the dominoes toppled.

HOW TO START CHARGING WHAT YOU’RE WORTH

Emily talks about the intricacies of transitioning from working for free to asking to be paid for said work. Yes, she says, it was a struggle. You have to be strategic. What she did was make her craft more tangible--she always let her customers know the exact value of what she was giving them--on paper so they could see. “To get your foot in the door, you can’t disclude doing pro bono work.” But don’t do too much, she says--set a cap for each year, and don’t go over it. Do it on your terms.

Emily is full of great advice that she’s lived and succeeded by. You reap what you sow. Do a good job, treat people well, live your dreams, and do well. Fill up your pipeline and the cards will fall the way they may. And the one that kept coming up? The big one?

“Don’t take no for an answer. Instead, take it as not right now.”

Maybe it’s not the right time for something, for whatever reason. But believe in yourself, and try again in the future if it feels right. “Never take no for an answer of where you want to be in your career.”

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

Since Emily set herself up for success in terms of putting herself out there and networking, she worked her way up to event planning for the big kahuna: New York Fashion Week. And it’s every bit of the “wild and crazy ride” that Emily says it is. There are 6-9 designers that come down the runway every day, split into two or three shows. Emily and her team are in charge of...everything. Gathering information, coming up with a concept, solidifying key vendors (venue, bartender, marketing materials, color concept and design).

Emily builds a team of front-of-house and back-of-house people, and there aren’t as many of them as you may think. But the timeline is airtight: there are spreadsheets and notebooks filled with minute-by-minute schedules of who is supposed to be where: models, hair and makeup artists, VIPs, publishing crews, production, and photography. She transfers her vision to a few notebooks and makes very specific vision boards so that the team can wrap their heads around the direction they’re going and SEE the end goal. It’s madness, but very well organized madness.

TEAMWORK

Emily has been hustling and working hard her whole life, and knows what she wants. She’s always made it a point to know the expectations, and exceed them. She expects that same dedication from her team of people that she works with--and strongly recommends that anyone working in the industry embrace the same dedication and drive. Certain companies require different things, different designers have preferences. Learn about your clients, and customize services for them. Develop trust in your relationships and make a good partnership. Doing an exceptional job by going above and beyond goes such a long way, and that alone is extremely valuable.

Emily’s strongest advice to people in the fashion industry? Never say never. Talk to people, knock on doors, and ask questions. And never feel guilty as an entrepreneur about having time to yourself!

Resources & People Mentioned

Emily Burton Designs Website
Emily Burton on Instagram @emilyburtondesigns
Emily Bu...

SFD083 How This Designer Built a Vegan Luxury Shoe Brand Mar 05, 2019

Show notes

Bebe Mehr’s fashion entrepreneur journey began in 2001 while she was in college and started selling stuff on Ebay. Little did she know, that 13 years later, after a lot of different fashion careers, it would turn into her own line of vegan luxury shoes, Cult of Coquette.

Coming from an entrepreneurial family, Bebe’s journey isn’t that surprising. But it doesn’t mean parts of it weren’t insanely hard and that she hasn’t faced her fair share of failure while she built her company.

Bebe walks us through, step by step, how she funded her line of vegan luxury shoes, how she found a factory to produce her designs, and how she built a customer base to sell them to.

In the interview (which you'll love) we will cover:

Bebe’s start and thoughtful trajectory in the fashion industry
How starting small helped Bebe get off on the right foot
How, even despite her success, she ran out of money, and what she did next
Bebe’s presale through a crowdfunding campaign, and how it went
How presale is going to be part of Bebe’s business’ future (it’s a pretty good model!)
The logistics of her factory production, and how she found one that she really liked and was ethical (and female-owned!!)
The misconceptions of overseas manufacturing...it gets a bad rap but Bebe has some words for us
Bebe’s email marketing strategies (pretty minimal actually! Because she found her niche)
The college affiliate program she’s rolling out, and how that will work
How Bebe has educated her customer on her ethical and sustainable practices, and her women-empowering focus
How Bebe’s customers deal with her presale timeline in the age of Amazon two-day-shipping
The one thing people never ask Bebe about working in the fashion industry that she wishes they would
And so much more!

INTENTIONAL VEGAN LUXURY

Bebe Mehr runs a line of vegan luxury shoes called Cult of Coquette. Her journey got started way back in 2011 when she was in college selling stuff on eBay, which turned into her running a boutique, which then turned into her realizing that there was a huge gap in the market for vegan luxury shoes. She knew there were a lot of high heels and shoes out there that just happened to be “vegan,” but it was just because they were cheap to make. There was nobody out there doing it intentionally, creating an exceptional line of luxury shoes and cruelty-free products. So she decided to give it a go and do it herself.

It all started in 2014, and over the last 4-5 years, she’s had some major ups and downs. She’s learned what works and what doesn’t. She ran out of money. She had to go back to work and learn the ins and outs of the industry, do some fashion styling, and save up money to launch again. In 2018 she re-launched her brand, and she shares her story with us here on the podcast. She’s really engaged with her customer to find out what they really want before sending anything into production, started small, and found the right manufacturers to partner with. If you have any interest at all in launching your own brand, Bebe’s insight is going to be super valuable to you--use her wisdom and learn from her mistakes to make your dream a reality!

ALWAYS THE ENTREPRENEUR

Bebe started Cult of Coquette, a line of women’s cruelty-free footwear, in 2014. Her start in the industry was an online business when she was in college, selling things she’d find in China Town in New York. Then she ran a boutique for many years, but after a few years of that, she decided it was time for a brand new business. She had gone to school at FIT in New York for a year and studied Merchandising. She had thought about being a full-blown fashion designer when she was younger, but when she saw the stresses involved, she thought perhaps she’d prefer the business-side of things!

While she was running her online eBay store in college at FIT in 2001, her dad called her up one day. He was going to buy a retail space, and wondered if she wanted to open a boutique there. Her online business was really successful, and she was in school to one day open a boutique, so she figured...why not just start now? It was a hectic time in New York (right after 9/11), and she figured if she had the opportunity to open a boutique before finishing school where she was learning to do so… she had to jump on it. She had the boutique for about 8 years, and then...stopped eating meat.

MORAL COMPASS REORIENTATION

So she’s vegan, now what? Well, that meant there was a conflict of interest against her moral compass to sell fur and leather products in her boutique, so she stopped. And that got her thinking: there are so many opportunities in LA, and so many people making their dreams a reality. When she saw a pair of Louboutins she liked, but didn’t want to purchase because they were real leather, she saw an opportunity. “Why don’t I just start my own line of shoes?” and “What do I have to lose?” turned into 500 pairs of cruelty-free luxury shoes.

It turned out vegans all over the world were desperate for something special like this. Bebe thought of everything: the packaging was beautiful, the experience was beautiful, and not to mention the shoes. Bebe noticed the things she liked about luxury brand shoes, and kept those details in her own vegan line. She got a great reaction, and great exposure from vegan celebrities with magazines ended up contacting her without her even trying (literally...she just used a couple hashtags on Instagram). But then the money ran out.

There are so many costs to running a business--we’ve all been told that before. Storage alone was a huge one for Bebe! Then there was the time to go get the shoes and ship them out, and all of the other costs as well. “You have to have the money for a year in advance, and plan for the problems.” Bebe had a ton of momentum in the beginning, but didn’t have the the capital to keep it going when it slowed down, which can be harmful to the business. So she took a year off.

When she was ready for more, she decided to go about things a little bit differently. She did a ton of research and decided to do a presale of her second collection through a crowdfunding campaign. This was a costly endeavor in itself--targeting ads and emails and making a landing page, hiring a videographer, getting a new logo--everything. But she had been scraping and saving for a year, and knew this was what she needed to do. Then no one could figure out how to place an order...the user experience on IndieGoGo was so unclear in the context of the donation that no one knew how to place an order for shoes! She had a stressful 24 hours rebuilding her website, but was able to cover costs of production. “In business you have to expect the unexpected...have a plan B, C, D, E, F to Z.”

AND BOY, DOES SHE

Bebe has grand plans for the future and she’s sticking to her guns (her ethical, vegan guns, that is). She’s working on tailoring her email marketing to focus a little more on vegan stories and education. Spotlighting fashion trends and relating it back to her own product and things that her audience cares about. She’s even rolling out a college affiliate program: she’ll give a promo code to different influencers and bloggers to spread awareness about the option of vegan fashion, while giving these college entrepreneurs a little extra cash flow, and their audience a little more brand awareness. Bebe’s commitment to ethical, women-owned, vegan fashion really is inspiring, a...

SFD082 Fashion Startup Trade Shows: Are You Ready (and what's the cost)? Feb 18, 2019

Show notes

When it comes to trade shows, there are SO many questions. How much is this going to cost? How does this all work? How do I make sure it’ll be a success? Am I ready? In my interview with Danielle Licata and Kelly Helfman, we talk about these exact questions and more.

Danielle and Kelly are brand directors for the Magic Trade Show in Vegas, the Coterie Trade Show in New York, and so many other specialty shows for specific categories. Magic and Coterie are some of the largest fashion trade show events in North America, and these ladies know their STUFF! They’re so knowledgeable and so generous with sharing it here on the podcast--you’re going to love it.

We go through what these trade shows are doing to support new and emerging designers (like you!), how to decide if you’re ready, the details of the exact numbers of how much things are going to cost, and they’ve really set you up for success. We talk about how to prepare before, during, and after your trade show experience. I’m so excited about this episode--I know you’re going to love it!

In the interview (which you'll love) we will cover:

DTC vs retail
What brands are doing to break in, get started, and stand out at trade shows (and how to know you’re ready)
Ways to connect with buyers to make sure you show up at the show in the right orders
Step-by-step advice to figure out if this is the right path for you
What kinds of brands Kelly and Danielle see coming to their trade shows, and what they’ve seen brands do to have a successful launch the first time around
The timeline to be expected
The foundation brands start with when jumping into a trade show
How seriously buyers take your Instagram following (!), and how clear you need to be on your brand story
How much of a foundation to build before getting results at a wholesale trade show
How much money to set aside to do trade shows!
What Danielle and Kelly think the future of trade shows will look like--they’re changing!
What collateral you need to go in prepared as a brand
The key to your success at a trade show: knowing who you are as a brand, and knowing where you should be positioned
How brands kickoff the successful trade show experience
Opportunities for startup and emerging designers
What Kelly and Danielle wish people would ask them about working in the fashion industry
And so much more!

DANIELLE LICATA

From being a Sales and Operations Manager at Stella McCartney and Vice President at Belstaff, Danielle Licata has earned her role as the President of East Coast Womens, Informa, overseeing Coterie, Fame, Moda, and AccessoriesTheShow. With over 10 years of experience in the luxury fashion category, Danielle is both a macro-thinker and micro-executer, allowing her lead and successfully builds her team. Danielle has had many hats; from opening flagship stores to increasing multi-million dollar revenues to curating trade shows from the ground up. Since her start at UBM Fashion (now Informa) Danielle has pioneered the launch of Beauty at Coterie and will be unveiling the company’s first stand-alone retail pop-up in Miami this July 2018.

KELLY HELFMAN

Kelly is the President of West Coast Womens, Informa, overseeing WWDMAGIC, Project Womens, and Pooltradeshow. Kelly leads the MAGIC Women’s events while balancing motherhood and advocating for work/life balance. With 15+ years of experience in fashion sales, marketing, and design, her career highlights include starting her own celeb-favorite, vintage-inspired clothing brand, launching Children's Club Las Vegas, and FWD New York (now merged with FAME).

LET’S TALK TRADE SHOWS

Kelly and Danielle are here to help you maximize your trade show experience and decide when and if it’s right for you. Through Magic and Coterie trade show, they provide a platform for brands to sell directly to buyers, holding your hand (if you need it!) to do what’s best for your business. They have about seven shows a year, so if you’re interested, there’s always time to get prepared for the next one--you don’t have to wait long!

Danielle and Kelly and their team help you decide if you’re 100% ready for a trade show, and in this episode, they talk about how to know if you’re there or not. You could be brand new to trade shows, but if you have a on-trend product at just the right moment in time, they’ll help you make it happen. If the market is saturated with your product, and they don’t feel like you’re ready, they’ll be honest with you!

WHAT’S THE DAMAGE?

Depending on which trade show you’re interested in, you could be looking at some different price points. Coterie is focused on Contemporary and Premium brands, and Magic is more for the mass market price points. Magic has a $5500-6500 all-inclusive price--that’s tables, chairs, etc. But it only fits 100 samples, so you have to plot out how many booths you might need. They offer booth sharing for a small extra brand fee that’s much more affordable than reserving a whole extra booth. Coterie has an $8300 price point, but there’s a high ratio of buyers to brands. Then you have to think about travel, branding, and shipping...multiplied by three times (the minimum number of trade shows Danielle and Kelly recommend committing to in order to see a favorable outcome).

Then when you’re setting up your booth, make it special! Are there mimosas? Is there a bouquet bar? Perhaps a wall of flowers? Music? Does it smell good? In this industry, you need to create your brand and create an instagrammable moment that people won’t forget. Don’t sit on your cell phone--engage with people! Get to know your neighbors! You can’t just put a rack up and hope something happens. A buyer is still a buyer, whether they’re wholesale or retail--Kelly and Danielle urge brand to create an experience no matter where they are.

USE YOUR RESOURCES

So you’re at the trade show. You’ve prepared for months, done the research, branded your booth, and created something special. There’s still (free!) opportunities to maximize your trade show experience! You can always ask questions of your representative or trade show consultant. Ask what complimentary opportunities you have at the show where you can market. Perhaps there’s swag bag participation, or a new brand highlight on social. There might be mannequins featured and they could be yours! Don’t just sign up for the booth and show up--always ask for more.

Kelly and Danielle truly are experts and they want to help. Such a dream come true! Trade shows can feel like a huge ordeal and time commitment--because they are. But they really set you up for success with their support and resources. They encourage you to reach out on social--take them up on that! They’re a valuable resource and a wealth of information.

This episode is a great listen whether you’re preparing for your first or umpteenth trade show, and whether you’re going to Coterie, Magic, or another trade show. They’ll set you up for success by telling you how to prepare before, during, and after your trade show experience, and get your brand into the buyer’s hands that want it!

Resources & People Mentioned

Coterie

SFD081 When Your Parents Don't Support Your Fashion Design Dream Feb 04, 2019

Show notes

Kayla’s fashion career journey has been an uphill battle. First, her parents didn’t support a “artsy” degree. Not that uncommon. But then? During her senior year of highschool, her dad became incarcerated. There was no money to pay for her college education.

She explored alternate, more “practical”, career paths like accounting and biology, but they bored her. So she took a chance on a creative career and enrolled in a liberal arts state school because FIT was too expensive.

Her journey is long and trying. It involves many failures and countless rejection. Pretty much NOTHING has gone her way. But now? 3 years after college graduation? She works in Manhattan as a fashion CAD designer.

How’d she finally get her big break?

Learning the skills brands needed that she didn’t have (like Illustrator).

Doing an exceptional job and being a good worker.

And showing confidence...even when she didn’t feel confident.

Kayla’s story is inspiring and motivating. She proves that ANYONE can make it in this brutal industry...no matter your financial situation, your family situation, or how many times you hear no.

In the interview (which you'll love) we will cover:

The day-to-day responsibilities Kayla has as a CAD designer
What Kayla’s #1 software choice is
How Kayla finally decided to go to school for fashion...and how she decided which school to attend
How she earned the opportunity to continue with her internship and secured a job after graduation
How her parents felt about her first job offer right out of school
What she did after she was laid off...the first time
How she took initiative to learn what she needed to outside of school
How Kayla kept at it day after day to roll with the punches and keep going after her DREAM

SHE ALWAYS KNEW

Kayla grew up doing a lot of art. Even when she was young she would draw and sketch clothes on models! Without really knowing what a fashion designer was when she was little, she would swipe clothes out of the donation and trash in her house and cut them up to sew things for her sister. Sure, it was just a hobby at the time (her parents always reminded her)--but she never got sick of it.

Kayla’s parents were more focused on her education. Art (in any form--especially fashion) was never something they saw as a “serious career.” A creative career was a poor person’s job in their opinion...a “starving artist.” But Kayla was the definition of a creative person--she was a dancer, a painter, an artist. She even taught herself art techniques in the library in her free time.

In high school, she decided she had to tell her parents she really wanted to go to art school. She put a portfolio together, applied to a summer intensive, and was accepted (obviously). She knew this was her path and her passion, but how could she convince her parents that there would be a solid career path?

IT WAS TIME

After her father was incarcerated, the decision was almost made for her. It was a sad moment, but she realized something: her parents were no longer going to shoulder the burden of her college tuition, which meant they didn’t have a say in what she studied...so she went for it, all on her own.

She applied to a dozen schools and was accepted by ten (ok wow), and she ultimately decided on Framingham State University--it was an awesome four years. As a student she was just as involved and stellar and passionate as she had always been. The summer of her junior year, she was approached about an internship, and got it. It became her first job after graduation as an assistant technical designer...which wasn’t her first choice of a job. Kayla wanted to be mindful not to get pigeonholed within a field and never get out. But with her family’s expectations of her, she took a risk and did it. Her parents (needless to say) were proud.

BUT THEN...

Six months after graduation, working in her first fashion job, she was laid off. Getting laid off is never fun, but Kayla really felt the pressure from her family. She wanted to prove that she could do it--after all, this was her passion! She decided to view it as a blessing in disguise, and set her sights on New York. She found an internship there and moved in the dead of winter. She worked there for a week, and then it didn’t work out.

WHAT NOW?

Kayla had just moved to New York, and now didn’t have a job. This would defeat most people…but not Kayla. She put together a few part-time jobs, and worked on her portfolio. Sure, she was rejected left and right at different fashion design jobs she applied for. But she kept at it.

HELLO, OLD FRIEND

Kayla went back to the library. She worked hard on her portfolio and met with a career counselor. She connected with a temp agency and learned about what hiring managers were looking for, and made it happen. She focused on acquiring the skills she didn’t have, and honing the skills she did.

After hustling with juggling jobs and portfolio projects and applying for jobs, she nailed a job as a design assistant. All because she noticed where she was lacking, what skills she needed, and then made it happen. Kayla’s initiative and perseverance and grit are exactly what one needs to make a name in the fashion industry, and in this episode of the podcast, she inspires us all to make our dreams come true. We’re so grateful that she shared her story with us and we can’t wait to check in with her down the road!

Resources & People Mentioned

Enjoy the show? Help us out by:

Click here to join the last round of FAST!

SFD080 Production & Manufacturing Processes for Small Batch Fashion Jan 21, 2019

Show notes

Jessica Osborn is the CEO and founder of Privy Label, a company that teaches fashion entrepreneurs how to launch their custom Men's or Women's apparel lines through design, development, and small batch manufacturing in the US. They work with designers who have an idea but aren’t really sure where to go from there, or who get stuck somewhere in the process. She talks traditional vs. on-demand manufacturing, production process and timelines, the #1 mistake she sees brands make, and more.

For the complete show notes, including links to any resources mentioned, head to Successful Fashion Designer!

Click here to join the last round of FAST!

SFD079 Three Years as a Freelance Fashion Designer: Advice on Pricing Jan 14, 2019

Show notes

Kimberly Dippel was on the Successful Fashion Design podcast in August 2017, and we talked about her success finding freelance projects on Upwork. Since then, she’s come such a long way! In this episode of the podcast, we’re doing our first (!) follow-up with a past guest. Kimberly has slayed the freelance game this last year and a half, and you’re going to love this recap of how she’s made it happen for herself.

Kimberly Dippel is a fashion designer with 13 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 kept her consistently busy.

But she’s way past her Upwork days! In the interview, Kim shares how she transitioned from piecing together small Upwork clients to the four clients she works with now full-time.

In the interview (which you'll love) we will cover:

How Kimberly moved from her Upwork hustle to her four steady clients
How she goes about pricing, structuring projects, and getting the wages she (and you!) deserves
What she learned after experimenting with charging less in order to build out her freelance fashion design portfolio
How she keeps track of her time (it’s a free app linked below! No more annoying spreadsheets)
Her advice on managing and controlling projects these days (communication is key!)
What she’s learned about charging a flat rate (hint: briefs, briefs, briefs!)
Where her clients are coming from now (and where you can look to get ideas for yourself!)

WHERE SHE WAS

In Episode 16, Kimberly was combing Upwork to get freelance fashion design jobs, and figuring out how to charge what she was worth. She had to comb through a lot of junk and low-paying gigs, but was able to find a few clients that she worked with consistently, and slowly built up her freelance fashion design portfolio.

Now, she still has one of her same Upwork clients, plus four more steady clients that keep her busy full-time! Kimberly has made such amazing progress in her fashion career since we last spoke that we had to catch up with her--and boy, did she learn some lessons along the way.

Kimberly tells us about one project that she took on to focus on building out her freelance portfolio, where she learned some important lessons about valuing herself and her work. It was her first really big job (30 full tech packs and design!), and she was getting ripped off. But she doesn’t regret the lessons she learned from that: freelance is a different animal--one that comes with growing pains and zero step-by-step instructions. She (and everyone!) is always learning how to grapple with the learning curve gracefully.

THESE DAYS

Kimberly has some awesome advice for people getting into the freelance game. In the interview, she tells us how she charges clients, how she manages and controls projects, and how she keeps clients in the loop every step of the way in order to avoid surprises (for everyone). She even tells us where her clients are coming from now--which might be a surprise! Her website and LinkedIn are linked below--go see how she’s presenting herself on the platforms, and see how it compares to what you might be doing…

Kimberly is full of good advice for freelancers because she did it herself from scratch. She went from putting together Upwork jobs to actually not having much time to take on new clients--in a year and a half! Tune in to hear all of her advice and get inspired. And go check out episode 16 to hear the beginning of her adventure into freelance!

Resources & People Mentioned

Successful Fashion Designer Podcast episode 16 with Kimberly Dippel
Kim’s Portfolio Website
Kimberly Dippel on LinkedIn
Flexible Timers app

Enjoy the show? Help us out by:

Click here to join the last round of FAST!

SFD078 Working with Factories as a Freelance Fashion Designer Jan 07, 2019

Show notes

There are a lot of different paths to becoming a freelance fashion designer. And Heather Royer took one I’d never heard of before. Instead of working directly with brands, she got her first freelance opportunity designing for a factory in China.

The best part? There are ways you can create the same freelance opportunities for yourself, and she shares step by step her best advice to do this.

In her 20+ years in the industry, Heather has worked for brands like Target, LL Bean, REI and Talbots. She now runs a team of 9 full time fashion designers located around the world while working remote from her home in south Florida.

And it all started with one freelance gig from LinkedIn.

In the interview (which you'll love) we will cover:

The simple change you can make to your LinkedIn profile to attract brands or factories looking for freelancers
How to turn one freelance project into many to get more work and make more money
What brands are looking for when interviewing and hiring freelance fashion designers
How to give your opinion and feedback about design without sounding pushy or negative
Why staying in touch with past coworkers and industry friends can make or break your success (even if you’re uncomfortable “networking”)
What Heather’s transition from working as an employee to working freelance looked like and how you can do the same
What Heather learned at her first (big!) freelance project for a Chinese company
How she made the decision to start hiring designers to help her
The skills Heather looks for in her own freelance candidates-for-hire
How Heather runs her freelance business and the freelancers that work for her

FROM 4H TO FASHION

Heather Royer has created a job for herself that is unlike anything we’ve heard of before here at Successful Fashion Designer. But like most fashion designers, fashion was just a hobby in her early life. But she did get an early start! Heather was in 4H when she was little (the kids club that does hands-on projects surrounding health, science, and agriculture), and loved the sewing aspect of the group. She started making clothing when she was 7 years old! We’d say “the rest is history,” but we’d be leaving a lot out (like when she worked for the park service in Alaska building hiking trails--how cool is that??).

Knowing she always had a passion for working in the fashion industry, she took fashion classes on the side, and then made the commitment to going to Rhode Island School of Design. She started designing kids’ outdoor clothes (talk about blending her loves), and then got a great first job as “just” an assistant--but she loved it! It was “the bottom of the barrel,” but she got great exposure to the industry that way.

THEN CAME THE FREELANCING

Heather’s freelancing career came about as more of a necessity--she wanted to move to Florida, but knew there weren’t going to be a lot of jobs in the fashion industry. So she took her fate into her own hands: she started working on her portfolio, working on her own projects, and branching out. She started her own jewelry line, and got a taste of business for herself. When one of her contacts on LinkedIn reached out to her about an opportunity, she was ready.

This is where her career path delved into the unknown. Much like her work for the park service, Heather made her own… fashion-hiking-trail, if you will. What started as a simple proposal for a factory in China for men’s cold weather goods turned into a huge project and eventually a team of 9 full-time designers working for her.

How? Partly the usual way: she gave it her all. She worked long long (long) hours, did tight turns, bent over backwards. But she also vocalized her ideas, drew on her previous experience, and eventually started outsourcing her workload to other freelancers, as well. Freelancing begets more freelancing! As much as she cringed at “networking,” she made it work with her friends and contacts.

SUCCESSFUL (FREELANCE) FASHION DESIGNER

Now that she’s the Vice President of Design and Operations for Weihai Luda Company, Heather is still looking forward. She has plans to build a private label, her own brands, and chooses to think of her company as an investment portfolio that she diversifies and keeps flexible. Heather’s rich experience building her own business has led to enormous insight into the life of a successful freelance fashion designer, and her advice is applicable to almost any fashion designer. She’s learned how to delegate, how to build a team, how to outline tangible results, and how to make sure things are getting done, all while acknowledging that the fashion industry is “not always glamorous. If you can see the humor in that, it’ll go a lot farther.”

We loved hearing Heather’s inspirational story--you really can create the job you want!

Resources & People Mentioned