10 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Launching Your Fashion Brand (And How to Fix Them… So You Can Launch with Confidence)

If you're gearing up to launch your next collection or debut your brand you're probably obsessing over every detail:
“Are the buttons the right shade?”
“Should the thread be a tone darker… lighter?”
“Do the straps look better 2 mm wider… narrower?” 

But here’s what no one talks about.
It’s not just about the clothes.

A strong collection matters, but it’s your launch that gets it seen.

Because quietly existing won’t cover your fabric costs or pay your manufacturer.  A strategically planned  launch puts you in front of buyers, press and paying customers.

Without a clear plan, even your best work can go unnoticed.
The good news?  Launching successfully is a skill you can learn.
And once you know what to look for, you can plan with more strategy, without losing the soul of your creativity. 

Over the past three decades supporting designers at every stage, I’ve s...

Still Think Fashion Design And Business Are Two Separate Things?

From the start, you were taught to keep them apart:

Design is creative.   Business is strategic.

Design comes from the heart.   Business comes from the head.

Design is cool.   Business is boring.

But what if that belief,  the one that feels so normal, so obvious,  is the exact thing holding you back?

Why So Many Designers Stay Stuck

Let’s look at what shaped this belief.

• Fashion school taught you how to develop concepts, sketch ideas and construct garments. But it didn’t show you how to build a business around that creativity.

• Internships taught you how to cut a perfect sleeve, not how to structure a launch or create demand.

• Awards celebrate “visionaries,” not profit margins. You’re praised for pushing creative boundaries—not for building a brand that actually grows and sustains itself.

So of course the “business side” feels like it belongs to someone else.
You weren’t trained for it. You...

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...

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...

The biggest mistake I see most fashion designers making is thinking they can build a successful fashion business without learning some contemporary business skills or a launch formula and this is the worst assumption they could make.

But it’s not actually the designers fault.  Traditional fashion education wrongly lead them to believe that conceptual artistic skills is all you need to be a famous fashion designer!   So its understandable that’s what all designers think.

And if it was possible then all designers who launched a business without business skills would be a raving success and we all know that’s not the case.   Many graduate designers who thought the didn’t need any business skills are left penniless with a failing business after just a year or two.

In fact if you continue to think you don’t need any contemporary business skills you will just be investing in an expensive hobby with no strategy for growth and how many years can you keep doing that? 

So how can...