SHOWCASE YOUR COLLECTION DURING FASHION WEEK
Even if you are just starting out!

Have you always dreamt of showing your fashion collection at fashion week….

Well…. Some of the designers in Fashion Entrepreneurs Academy experienced the esteemed opportunity of showcasing their collections during Fashion Week in February after just a few months in the programme.

Most were starting from scratch and some hadn’t even gone to fashion school but this is what they achieved.

Lotte said she loved being part of the showrooom and that it was an “amazing unreal experience”…..

Natasha said she "felt lucky to be mentored by [yours truly] in Fashion Entrepreneurs Academy" …

Tiffany said "it was a great experience". She "loved talking to press and buyers", who all loved her collection, and she finally "felt like a fashion designer" and entrepreneur!

Our spotlight designer even received celebrity treatment from a barrage of fashion press.

In less than 6 months you too could experience this when you become a mem...

Relying on social media marketing to grow your fashion brand is DEAD!☠️

Huhhh. 🫣……

OK…..   I am being a little dramatic!!!  🤣 

BUT the reality is that you can no longer rely SOLELY on social media marketing if you want to avoid an empty order book!

According to McKinsey & Company BRAND MARKETING is back!!   

They said in their annual State of Fashion report that [in 2024] 71 percent of executives plan to spend more on brand marketing than in 2023.

So what does this mean for you as an independent fashion designer….

It means that brand marketing is more relevant in 2024 and you cannot be AS dependent on Instagram!!   

You need both social media AND brand marketing!  

In 2024 your Instagram, other social media marketing and Facebook (Meta) ads demand more raw authenticity than ever….  and your content needs to be turbocharged to create an emotional connection if you want to drive people to eventually become a customer.

A HUGE mistake I see hundreds of ...

If you are sitting at the same desk surrounded by the same people, doing the same boring job 8 hours a day 5 days a week and basically feeling soooo creatively repressed ….  

...but you’ve always dreamt of becoming a fashion designer….  Then isn’t it time you took charge of your life before it’s too late?

Most of us are indoctrinated to believe that getting a well paid secure professional 9 to 5 job with a big pay check is the right thing to do if you want happiness, self fulfilment and stability ….. and sometimes it’s just to please your family!

But is it worth denying what you really want?

When you are young you just do what you are told so it is natural to follow the path that your family want for you….   

...and when you are young you don’t yet have the life experience to realise that a big pay check can never make you happy.   So it is normal for us to unwittingly follow that path.

But if a 9 to 5 with a big pay check was enough to make you happy then the...

Most of the designers I meet are working 14 hour days designing and doing photoshoots but struggle to get any more than 300 views and 5 likes on Instagram.   They think social media is the only solution but it is not…  

So, take off your Gucci sunglasses and watch closely because I am about to show you how to FINALLY get your brand noticed:

STEP ONE

Firstly here’s how to turn your audience into loyal customers.  Most  fashion startups burn themselves out designing amazing collections for an audience who don’t actually want to buy them. 

So they invest more time and money designing more and more products but it doesn’t matter how many products you design if people don’t resonate with your brand they won’t buy. 

Instead what you want to do is define the vibe of your brand.  This is an attitude or feeling  that will inform your designs,  photography, videography, and merchandising so that all your designs and communication of them are consistent and aligned with what your audie...

Most fashion designers, when pricing their garments and products, will follow a percentage mark-up method which should ideally leave them with a workable profit margin.

However it’s never that simple because some customers don’t care what your make price is,  the pricing method used or even how much profit you made.  They just want the BEST!   ….  

Some want the cheapest but some customers want the BEST;   the most durable; lowest cost per wear; the most timeless or some want the best fit.

Of course it’s understandable that you use the percentage mark up method because it’s what you’ve been taught to do and it is the simplest way to approach pricing…..

But I don’t need to tell you that when your garments are priced like this you STILL get people telling you the price is too high! … and thousands of designers all over the planet use this method and STILL can’t sell enough to make a profit.

The popcorn you buy at the movies has a mark-up of around 1,000%.     You happ...

If all independent Fashion Designers get behind a new concept we could create a paradigm shift in the fashion industry, making it much easier for small creative fashion designers to thrive alongside the big brands.

I call this concept LUXIE.    Luxie is a hybrid concept where big LUXURY brands collaborate with small INDIE designers.

When I started my business in the 90’s consumers wanted big brand labels so it was a struggle and that’s why I want to make it easier for independent designers to thrive in a much more even playing field without the struggles we experienced.

For the first time in at least 40 years more consumers now actually do want to buy from small independents and at long last realise that it is cool to buy more authentic, unique products produced in small quantities and to have a real connection with the designer.

I think the large luxury brands could risk becoming dinosaurs if they don’t adapt and the most obvious solution is for them to work with, spon...

Wanting To Sell More Is Not Going To Help You Sell More!

Don’t worry.  I understand why you want that.   Every independent fashion designer wants to sell more and you might have been trying for at least three months to sell but can’t find enough people who will actually pay for your fashion products or garments.

But I’m going to ask you a question:

If you were an accessory designer selling £50 purses to gen Z direct to consumer and a futurist said to you “I’ve looked into your future and you are going to get one new sale in the next 90 days” would you be jumping up and down in excitement that you had made….  Erm, lets see 🤔 £3.33 a week.

But, if you were the designer of exclusive designer pieces selling wholesale at £1,000 to high end retailers such as Neiman Marcus who has 36 locations and would  probably buy a significant number of each piece and that soothsayer or futurist said the same thing ….  “I’ve looked into your future and you will get one new sale in the next...

A once-in-a-lifetime RADICAL shift in the fashion landscape is leading the way to create exciting possibilities for Fashion Designers to build successful brands from their OWN HOMES.

Consumers now actually WANT to buy authentic products from small artisanal designers and social media is providing low cost or free ways for designers to promote their designs on a much more even playing field.

This will result in a NEW AGE for designers to work in a more ethical, sustainable way around their lifestyles and many designers have already adapted to this SHIFT building successful brands from their KITCHEN TABLE or spare BEDROOM.

Over the last 3 decades big fast fashion companies made it impossible for independent designers to compete with their large marketing budgets and exploitative low manufacturing costs. 

So, while these big companies were polluting the planet, overproducing and undervaluing staff ambitious designers had to give up dreams of running their own fashion busin...

Why you DON'T want to be the most OUTSTANDING, conceptual fashion designer!

Most fashion designers think it's becoming really great at DESIGN that leads to fame and success but that is the most DELUSIONAL idea thats actually likely to keep you broke.

If you keep thinking success comes from putting 100% of your attention into being an outstanding designer you could actually just be working yourself into burn out with no sales or profit to show for your efforts.

If this is you your audience probably don’t even appreciate the quality and craftsmanship of your products so you are undercharging...

... and now you are running out of money,  wondering how to pay for your next collection and you’re tired of posting on social media every day when nothings selling!

If it was true that every conceptual, innovative design sold then EVERY  conceptual designer who JUST focused on design would be successful and we all know that is NOT what happens!! …

 ….   On the other hand w...

If you’re a fashion designer who’s been burning yourself out working 14 hour days, falling asleep on the sewing machine to produce your fashion collection but you’re now wondering why nothing is selling.

If you’re feeling a bit defeated, wondering why no-one is buying and losing your motivation to continue with your dream business…

… then I bet you are doing one or more of these three things:

1️⃣You are designing a large collection that offers too much choice so you burn out your health and finances in the process and your customers are confused by the choice so end up choosing nothing.

2️⃣You didn’t edit your collection strategically in such a way that would increase sales yet reduce resources.

3️⃣You didn’t consider what your audience actually want and will be willing to pay for when editing your collection……. Or didn’t edit at all!

If you are doing one or more of these three things then you don’t want to miss my free workshop when I’ll show you the essential strategies every fashion desig...