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 ...

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...

Hey, It’s Jane 😀

Recently I’ve been noticing so many emerging fashion designers and fashion band startups not making it past their first three years of running a sustainable fashion business and it occurred to me that most of them have similar problems.

If you’ve been doing at least one of these it means that you are you’re likely dealing with something I call the Curse of the Fashion Designer…trying to sell while your brain is still in creative design mode!!

1.

You’ve been working 14 hour days with no social life for 3 months or more putting your heart and soul into a 20 piece collection but only get 2 or 3 sales of only one of your designs

2.

You’ve been in business for 1 to 3 years but still losing money and every 3 to 6 months your new collection goes over budget so now you’re wondering if you can even afford to do another season.

3. 

For 1 to 2 years you’ve been trying different products and posting images of them on instagram at least five times a week in a...

As a fashion brand startup or emerging designer,  trying to compete with the big brands when pricing your fashion products is preventing you from making any profits and growing your business to the next level.

I get it….   All your friends are telling you that Zara or River Island sell similar pieces for a fraction of what you’re charging .…. But are your friends your customers?   

Trying to keep your prices similar to the big brands could just be your reptilian brain trying to keep you small and safe.....   You might be thinking that if you keep your prices low people won't criticise, reject or judge your designs.

But, they are going to judge them any way.....  and wouldn't you rather your designs were judged for being high quality & high price that allow you to grow a profitable business instead of being judged as poor quality & low price where you can't make any profit.

This fear also shows up in your marketing when you hold yourself back from EFFECTIVELY communicati...

You are more than likely suffering from Overdesign Syndrome if you've been struggling to sell your products for more than three months, have trouble manufacturing a wide variety of products  and you’re running out of money.   

It could mean that you are failing to EDIT your collection succinctly enough.   You might be trying to get every single one of your great ideas noticed in just one collection and its confusing your audience.....   And we all know that a confused customer never buys!!...      Or maybe you're unsure what will sell so you give them everything….. but designing “everything” is keeping you broke!!

What you really need to do is FOCUS on a specific product range and strategically edit it to a final range of designs you know will sell and is as cost effective to produce as possible.

Have you ever wondered how brands like Prada, Loewe or Gucci can make 100 piece collections repeatedly several times a year, scaling into the millions?...

... Yes, I know t...

Most fashion designers, and this probably includes you, want their designs to be sold and in their customers wardrobes...

... They have lots of fabulous ideas and want to get noticed.   They want their talents to be recognised, to be in-demand and not have to worry about how they’ll finance the next collection.   They want lots of loyal customers who value their designs and will pay a fair price for them.

The problem is that most designers work flat out depriving themselves of sleep to produce their collections and when they attempt to launch get no sales so they waste time and money switching from design idea to design idea hoping that eventually they’ll land on a winning design that will make them “famous”!  

But that never happens.  They loose sight of the fact that it’s not just about any one particular product.   There is a lot more going on.    It's about the SYNERGY of designing and producing an original product and communicating its value to the right people at t...

CHARGING LESS FOR YOUR FASHION PRODUCTS IS THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO TO BUILD A SUCCESSFUL FASHION BRAND

If you have lots of unsold inventory I know how tempting it can be to lower your prices THINKING that it will increase sales….

But that could be the worst thing you can do to build your brand! 

I know it can be really disheartening when no one is buying....

But have you ever considered that if lowering prices meant increased revenue then all cheap garments would fly off the shelves and we all know that’s not the case!

Customers queue to buy £3000 Chanel handbags and bespoke Ferraris have a 5 year WAITLIST! ... Yet I’m sure you’ve seen all the images being circulated showing huge landfills of cheap clothing!

If you are lowering prices like the Floundering Fashion Designer then you’re probably burning yourself out working more hours, attracting the wrong customer and deterring those who ACTUALLY want the best, most expensive products…. Or, perhaps resorting to...

One of my students , a few weeks ago, came to me in a bit of a flounder.    She said there was no point designing anything because everything already exists and she felt it impossible to design anything unique.

She didn’t want to add yet more unwanted clothes to the worlds surplus….

….So it all just seemed pointless and she was about to give up!!!

Do you ever feel like that?

I'm sure it was just her brain finding excuses to keep her “safe” and prevent her going after her scary goals!!!

But nevertheless it got me thinking that technically she was right!!!    When it comes to clothing everything has already been done before!

But, as I said to my student, not designing and following your passion as a designer because the things you want to create have already been done is one of the worst things you can do if you’re trying to become a successful fashion designer

I completely understand why she would think that.  At uni design tutors told you everything had to be c...