Starting your own fashion business involves many steps. You as the founder have to make the decisions to move your business towards your goals. But even before you start working through the spreadsheets, sticky notes, voice memos, or whichever method you use to track your to-dos, there are some questions you need to answer first.
The feast turned out great all around and we’re still enjoying the leftovers, but all the debate, guesswork, and phoning a friend about the family recipes got me thinking about how not having a tech pack results in similar commotion for similar reasons.
In episode 30, Alexa McNeal of Cedar & Sand Swimwear (now Bold Beach Swim) shares why and how she launched a swimwear brand in October 2020 where every suit is made to adjust to your body – not the other way around. Alexa has been designing adjustable swimwear for every body type since October 2020 […]
Whatever prompted you to start this business and however eager you are to get your design ideas out into the world, you need a realistic timeline for developing your collection so you can plan your launch. Getting a first collection ready to launch may take longer than you think.
In general, I think that when people think of quality production, they think of quality sewing. While this is certainly true, it is what’s upstream of the sewing – like the pattern – that has the most control over the quality of the finished garment.
In episode 21, Xi Chen, the founder and designer of Sonderlier, shares how she started her fashion brand on the idea that comfortable clothes should still be cute. She’s not alone in that belief as shown by the Kickstarter campaign for her first collection that reached 212% funding. Xi Chen is the Founder and Designer […]
Throughout product development and production, you’re going to be communicating with many different people. Clothing is very physical and visual, so having reference samples to look at during these conversations will keep everyone on the same page. So, what exactly can you use reference samples for?
Ashley Klein, the founder of sustainable brand Akala, joins me for episode 20 to talk about how and why she started her own brand after working in the fashion industry across varying roles from design to e-commerce. Ashley lives in Seattle with her husband, with baby on-the-way! Akala is currently her side hustle, as she […]
I often get asked “should I make pattern blocks for each category before developing and launching my collection?” Blocks and slopers are what we all were taught to start with in fashion. However, I recommend a different approach that gets you testing your market quicker and is more efficient for future development.
With a finished sample already approved, having a pattern made for the garment will be simple and cheap, right? Actually, no, that is most likely not the case. Having a finished sample is great for reference, but isn’t going to save you much money when it comes to getting a production pattern made.
