INDEPENDENT DESIGNERS CAN BECOME INSANELY SUCCESSFUL WITHOUT A FASHION DEGREE

For generations we’ve been told a degree is necessary to start the fashion business of our dreams.

However countless numbers of big name designers including Cristobal Balenciaga, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons became INSANELY SUCCESSFUL without a degree!

Every year thousands of fashion graduates get a degree from the outdated education system and clearly most won’t be successful.

So, is it REALLY worth spending 4 to 5 years getting a degree if you have nothing but debt to show for it and no understanding of how the fast changing fashion business is working NOW?

No-one comes out of the womb with all the skills and knowledge you need to be successful so of course you DO NEED education….  If you can afford the time and money to get a degree then yes do get it!!....    But if not then isn’t it more important to focus your VALUABLE time & energy on gaining the SPECIFIC up-to-date skills and education about what you are most passionate about… 

..  And if running your own fashion business is your passion then a degree might not be the best use of your time or money.

The problem is that fashion schools haven’t kept up with the FAST PACE of fashion business and lots of designers with degrees are working round the clock, depriving themselves of sleep, to produce collections that don’t sell..

So, they switch from idea to idea thinking the problem is with their design and that each new design will be the ONE to make them “famous”!

But that never happens. They loose sight of the fact that it’s not JUST about any one idea. It’s about the synergy of designing & producing an original product AND communicating its value to the right people at the right time in the right way.

So, what does every successful fashion design entrepreneur have?   Well, they all have a creative mindset, an abundance of ideas and good marketing skills. Have you ever found a successful fashion design entrepreneur that wasn’t continually working on marketing,  developing original ideas or who didn’t have a creative mind?  

To develop the mind of a successful fashion design entrepreneur without a degree you could try to do it alone through trial and error; you could learn a fashion launch formula; hire a CEO or you can take a business course…

…But how long do you think this will take you doing it on your own with trial and error and how will you sustain yourself for all that time?   Yes,  you could hire a CEO but that will probably cost a few hundred thousand dollars or pounds a year. ….  And how can a business course teach you all the specifics of FASHION research, design,  sourcing the best materials, sampling, manufacturing and hiring the right team etc.     

To learn ALL the skills required to start and run a successful fashion business in the fast changing 2020’s  the only way to synergistically do this is with a fashion launch formula because of the multi faceted way it’s structured.   

Do you think Sara Blakeley, the founder of Spanx, Ralph Lauren or Karl Lagerfeld ran their businesses without mastering all of these skills.   No, of course not!

You need to learn this diverse range of skills and design something that STANDS OUT to get MASSIVE attention for your brand….  and you can’t wait forever hoping that a great idea will just land on your lap one day.    

I mean how long are you going to wait?…   2 years, 20 years, 80 years???   You have to set a deadline, make a decision and start with something because that is the only way to get feedback and learn what will work for YOUR business.

So, how do we do this?  How do we make YOU stand out as a designer and FINALLY start your fashion brand without a degree?  

Well there are about 12  videos in Fashion Entrepreneurs Academy on this topic but I don’t want to bamboozle you any more then you probably already are so I'm just going to give you 4 really SIMPLE steps now so you can get started by the end of today.

1.  Define the VIBE or mood of your brand.   This will inform your designs,  photography,  videography, merchandising, packaging, marketing, how you communicate, the people you work with, collaborators etc. ….    Almost everything!!!   There are some processes in Fashion Entrepreneurs Academy to help you do this and you want to define it right at the outset because if you keep changing it your customers will just get confused.   N.b. don’t misinterpret your brand with your collections.   The mood of your collections will change seasonally with each new collection whereas the overall vibe / mood of your brand remains consistent for many years.  

2.  Write down the specific words that describe your brand VALUES?    I give my clients and students templates to help with this and a large list to choose from.  As an example words to describe Gucci’s vibe might be:  colour, pattern,  adolescent, curiosity, genderless, attic treasures, 60’s & 70’s or bohemian.

3.  Choose the COLOURS, textures & SILHOUETTES that represent the vibe of your brand & sprinkle these throughout your collection consistently.    Again you are keeping this consistency so as not to confuse your customers.

4.  Develop a DISTINCTIVE feature to consistently add to garments so that people automatically recognise every individual garment being from your brand before they even see the label. 

Now you’ve  just learned a recipe to create your unique brand and if you remain consistent  with this you will surely create a distinctive stand out brand that builds massive attention for your business.

Your next step is to learn how to position & market your brand and this is covered in Pillar 1 of the 3X fashion launch formula in Fashion Entrepreneurs Academy….   Then you need to learn how to design, develop and manufacture your products (covered in pillar 2) and finally how to actually launch it to the world and scale your business (which is in pillar 3)

So, do  you still think you need a fashion degree before starting your fashion business?  If you do,  then at least do what one of my students did very successfully and start your business BEFORE / during your degree.     He went through the St. Martins degree course while running his business (that was already showing at London Fashion Week) solely to gain attention from the press show and was very successful in doing so….   He never actually attended college but luckily was one of the few chosen to participate in the show!!!  

So, if you are ready I have a free workshop coming VERY SOON where I’m going to show you step by step how a fashion launch formula can help you LAUNCH YOUR FIRST FASHION COLLECTION EVEN WITH NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE.   We will focus on a six piece capsule collection, a mono product or any number in between.      

To be the first notified about the next FREE workshop         

CLICK HERE