You poured your heart into every design  stayed up until 3 AM perfecting that neck detail,  finally launched your collection to the world, and for a brief, glorious moment... people noticed.

Then silence.

Within 24 hours, the buzz evaporates. The Instagram comments stop. The inquiries dry up. And you're left wondering what went wrong.

Here's the brutal truth: talent isn't enough.

The fashion industry is littered with incredibly gifted designers whose collections disappear into obscurity while less skilled competitors build thriving, sustainable brands. The difference isn't creativity.  It's strategy, credibility and visibility.

After working with hundreds of fashion designers, I've identified five critical mistakes that separate the designers who build lasting brands from those who remain trapped in the cycle of launch, buzz, silence, repeat.

If you're making even one of these mistakes, you're leaving money, influence, and impact on the table.

Mistake #1: The "Exposure Trap"

Yo...

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...

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...

In the fashion industry it’s common for new businesses to be financed solely by their owners and develop organically.   Bootstrapping is the term used to describe the challenge of financing your startup without relying on outside funding and instead relying only on existing resources such as personal savings, materials equipment and workspace.

It's what I recommend to clients and students going through the Fashion Entrepreneurs 3 X Launch Formula and in my experience that's what I recommend for most people unless of course you already have someone ready to invest and they are willing to wait a while to receive a return on their investment.

There are many reasons why I recommend this:

• If you obtain funding too early your investor might not be aware how long it can take a fashion business to become profitable and if they don’t see a return on their investment early on could pull out.  
• In the early stages you need some time and creative space to build your customer base an...

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...

Most fashion designers think that to grow a successful fashion business all you need are fantabulous unique designs, customer acquisition, sell as many products as you can and make great profits.

I understand why you think that….It’s what everyone told you: college tutors, business books, the marketing guru’s, your bank manager,  business advisors…!   We are conditioned to believe that business is all about the cold bottom line and that we have to focus only on the intellectual aspect of a sale....  But,  have you ever wondered why 60% of UK businesses that put blood sweat and tears into great products, sales and profits fail in their first three years.

Don’t get me wrong….you do need fabulous unique products, sales and profits to grow a successful fashion brand…..However what is very often missed is the EMOTIONAL CONNECTION.   Building strong emotional connections with both your customers and your team will form strong lasting relationships that keep your customers returning, ...

Every Bodacious Fashion Entrepreneur knows that it pays to keep ahead of the curve when it comes to retail trends and to build a UNIQUE brand that embodies their individual style. 

 If you enjoyed last weeks blog about the demi-couture business model, and you are still not sure about the best business model route for you, then you’ll definitely like this post.   I’m about to give you another really EXCITING business model that I’m sure you’ll love.

Are you still procrastinating in indecision about which business model is best for you and making these mistakes:

• You don’t know who your customers are;
• Have no idea what the price points should be for your market;
• Have not yet gone past the starting line and you’re feeling FRUSTRATED because you don’t know why it’s taking you so long;
• Have no clear direction so are overwhelmed by SCATTERED business advice and can’t retain anything because it’s all too much.

Or perhaps you have already started your business but you: 

• c
...