Talented independent designers are pouring their heart and soul into their online presence... cringing as they create behind the scenes founder videos, posting 3 to 5 times a week on Instagram, hiring social media managers, running ads... and still wondering why nobody's buying.

If that's you, here's what's actually happening, why it's happening, and what's working instead.

Social media alone stopped working as a fashion brand launch strategy a long time ago. The platforms are saturated, the algorithms favour entertainment over craftsmanship, creativity and intellectual design, and your potential customer has scrolled past a thousand beautifully shot product videos before she's even finished her first coffee.

And yet, sign up for almost any fashion business coaching programme, watch almost any webinar aimed at independent designers, or follow any fashion mentor on Instagram and you'll still hear the same advice delivered as if it's cutting edge: post daily to Instagram, get on TikTo...

This is the stage no one warned you about…

You’re working longer hours but the results are a million miles away from the effort your putting in. 

• Your sampling bill looks like a mortgage.
• The collection cost triple what it earned.
• Your audience is growing in millimetres, not miles.
• People ask why your £650 hand-finished blazer costs more than Zara’s £59 version.
• You’re up at 2am unpicking seams because the factory “didn’t follow the spec… again.”

Yet you still show up the next morning ... eyes burning but your drive still kicking .

You can’t sell enough to hit the profit margin you know your work deserves.

You’re sending lookbooks, line sheets and perfectly crafted emails to buyers who never reply.

You post stunning campaign images and get… 5 likes.

High-street brands copy your designs, and sell more than you!

You’re financing production on a credit card because your dream won’t let you quit.

This is the part where most people walk away.  

But you’re not most peopl...

The sign you’re ready?

You notice what’s missing in the industry and know how your collection could stand out...  even if no one else sees it yet.

Most designers think they need a massive team, glossy showroom and a perfect collection to get noticed. After all, that's what you see in the press.

But being ready isn’t about what you think you should have.  It’s about how you position what you already have.

Think of each sample you’ve sewn as a single note in a song.  Alone, it’s nice enough but it doesn’t move anyone.   However if you arrange the notes and craft the melody then suddenly you have a performance that people are raving about for months after.

Your launch is that performance .  You have the samples and now it’s just about orchestrating them to make an impact.

A designer I worked with in Fashion Launch Catalyst was stuck sewing in her studio for months, thinking she needed to be ‘ready’ before presenting to buyers or press.  

Within weeks of repositioning w...

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...