Staying Positive While Launching A Fashion Brand.

Launching a fashion brand is not a quick process and many startups enter into this with rose-tinted spectacles, only to be met with the minefield that is the Fashion Industry.

Common complaints include the fact that everything seems to take twice as long as you’d thought! Combine that with a 9-5 day job, family commitments and a social life and suddenly what you‘d naively expected to be a 6-month job, rolls into a year or perhaps 18 months to launch your collection.

So how do you keep going? How do you stay resilient and full of motivation when things seem tough?

I Believe It All Lies In Reflection.

A technique I use with my clients as part of my goal setting and planning workshop is to review the previous year, quarter and month to reflect on what has gone before. Taking stock of how far you’ve come, what you’ve achieved so far and where you are still to venture really puts things into perspective.

Being an entrepreneur and running your own business is so very different from being employed. In your average 9-5, you’ll often have a manager, supervisor or boss who will hopefully give you a level of praise or recognition for a job well done. Some achievements might even be rewarded with a bonus or salary review.

As entrepreneurs, we all too often hit those achievements but immediately move on to the next goal. Our happiness and sense of pride is invariably short-lived and pales over the coming days and weeks. Perhaps that business goal is now being implemented in the day to day running, so whilst we are actually living it constantly, the accomplishment can often be absorbed into the background.

Our to-do list is never going to be done, so what’s left is a continuous cycle of striving to the next goal and an ongoing road of things that are yet to be accomplished.

Taking stock to recognise how far you’ve come is what will keep you sane - trust me!

It's tough to remain positive if you come up against knockbacks. If you've had demands from other areas in your life and have neglected your business for a while. It can sometimes feel like it's taking an age to move forward at all.

But if you look back at where you were 6 months ago or a year you suddenly realise how far you've come already.

When was the last time you sat back for ten minutes and gave yourself the credit you deserve for getting to the stage you're at today? Just because you might not be at that launch stage yet doesn’t mean you’re not headed in the right direction.

Getting rid of the hierarchy.

Why do we assume that some achievements or goals are better than others? During mentoring sessions, a common theme with my clients is to only consider the ‘big’ achievements as worth discussing.

The focus is always upon things like sampling or production but little thought is given to what went prior to this stage. The research, the ideas, the inspiration, the design and perfecting this with a designer. Business admin such as registering your company, choosing a name, creating a logo securing a domain name and social media accounts seem trivial to some but they are certainly not. And let's not forget the decision to be your own boss, to start up something unique, to chase that entrepreneurial spirit inside.

Those baby steps you take each day, each week, each month, soon start paving the way for greater things. The cumulative effect they have should not be ignored, for those longer-term goals could never be achieved without the small stuff.

Do something for yourself today.

Set aside some time away from your phone, desk and computer. Allow yourself 30 minutes with a pen and paper and start brainstorming what you've achieved this last year. Don't overthink things, and don't try to put things in any order, just jot down what comes to mind. Remember to sideline that hierarchy and write down things that were both easy and hard to achieve.

And then take some time to review that list, bask in it's glory and remind yourself that you are moving forward.

Sometimes it may not be as fast as you'd like but nothing worthwhile is ever easy!

I'd love to know how you get on with this exercise and if you find this useful.

If you have any questions, comments or feel you need help launching your fashion brand then get in touch and we can discuss your requirements - info@thefashionexpert.co.uk

Michelle Ramsay - The Fashion Expert®

#freelance #fashiondesigner #thefashionexpert #thefashionexpertuk #michelleramsaydesign #fashionbusiness #fashionconsultant #fashiondesign #startupfashion #thatsfashiondarling #startupconsultant #fashionpreneur #fashionstartup #startupspecialist #launchyourbrand #clothingline #fashionmentor #businessoffashion #fashionbusinesscoach #techpackdesigner #fashioncads #techpacks #businessadvice #emergingfashion #sustainablefashion #startafashionbrand #launchaclothingline

5 Issues Factories Have With Fashion Startups, And How To Avoid Them.

5 issues factories have with fashion startups.

There's no doubt that launching a clothing line is tough. It takes dedication, knowledge and time. Many of my clients find dealing with manufacturers the hardest part. It can take a while to find a good fit for your product, and the sampling process can feel laborious, so making sure you've got your process streamlined will help.

Make yourself a desirable startup client.

Often start-ups take an unconventional approach with factories, because they don't know any better and this sometimes leads to frustrations from potential suppliers. In turn the startup can feel deflated, deterred and not sure how to move forward. Learn the processes involved and educate yourself in the stages of manufacture.

I've put together the top 5 issues factories have with fashion startups and some tips to help you avoid these.

1. Lack Of Design Information

One of the biggest time wasting approaches I see amongst start-ups is contacting a prospective manufacturer without any tangible information in the form of completed CAD designs, tech packs and size specs. You might know what you want to launch in your fashion range, however a collection of photos, rough ideas and a vision is not going to cut it with a factory.

At best you'll end up with some cobbled together samples that don't represent your ideas. At worst you'll come across as unprofessional, a newbie they'll have to hand-hold and probably someone they don't have time to coach.

This raw information is what you should discuss with someone like myself - a designer, not a factory. It's tempting to be pro-active and find a factory early on, but you have a much better chance of striking a professional relationship with a potential supplier if you can hand over factory packs for each style.

Create professional factory packs for each style

2. You Don't Speak The Fashion Language

Understanding the correct fashion terminology will help you extensively when discussing your designs with a factory. Take some time to find out the relevant vocabulary that describes your styles, whether that be the fabric quality, the types of trims being used and any special details that make up your design. This information should be itemised in your factory packs from your designer, but make sure you can converse with your supplier in the language of the industry and understand the details. If you can't then use a fashion consultant who will have your back every step of the way.

Use an expert in fashion to help you

3. Unrealistic Expectations

Being aware of minimum order quantities versus price per unit is incredibly important. It's great to have target prices that you hope to produce something for, but if you only want to produce something small like 50 pieces per style then the price is going to reflect that small order.

Equally so, your small MOQ may have an affect on how many colours you can order per style, how specific you can be with base fabrics and how much it will cost to produce anything specific to your brand such as branded hardware.

4. Unworkable Timelines

When you hand over your designs for manufacture, the samples won't appear instantly. Your prototypes will take less time than your bulk production, however you should always allow enough time for re-sampling, allowing for your factory's workload and general turn around time. Each factory will have a different lead time, often booked up weeks to months in advance depending on the time of year. Just because you're ready to go doesn't mean you can dictate timescales for your suppliers. Utilise a realistic fashion calendar to plan your critical path.

Be realistic with times and expectations

5. Unwillingness To Compromise

It's great to aim for that gold standard with your collection but sometimes a little compromise goes a long way. It may be your factory can't source the exact composition of fabric specified in your tech pack, however if they have an alternative does it also do the same job? Sometimes your need for small MOQ's might dictate what you can do in terms of design for branded items like buttons, badges, labels and trims. You may have a better chance at getting what you're looking for by using an available quality and branding that.

Understand where to compromise.

In summary the main takeaways here are:

1. Prepare your designs in a professional manner with all technical and sizing information in place.

2. Do your homework and liaise with your designer to understand what it is you're asking for.

3. Research MOQs.

4. Be realistic with your timeline.

5. Compromising will get you a long way.

If you need help launching your fashion brand then get in touch and we can discuss your needs - info@thefashionexpert.co.uk

Michelle Ramsay - The Fashion Expert®

#freelance #fashiondesigner #thefashionexpert #thefashionexpertuk #michelleramsaydesign #fashionbusiness #fashionconsultant #fashiondesign #startupfashion #thatsfashiondarling #startupconsultant #fashionpreneur #fashionstartup #startupspecialist #launchyourbrand #clothingline #fashionmentor #businessoffashion #fashionbusinesscoach #techpackdesigner #fashioncads #techpacks #businessadvice #emergingfashion #sustainablefashion #startafashionbrand #launchaclothingline

Client Spotlight: LIA M.W

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of working with Aurore Martins, CEO of LIA M.W on a womens' polo shirt range tailored exclusively by women.

Copyright LIA M.W

Aurore is originally from France but now resides in Ireland, and wanted to create a label with a subtle combination of traditional clothing and new fashion trends.

The whole process was really fun for me to work on, right from our initial consultation where we discussed the design ideas, the viability of the brand, and Aurore's concerns and questions regarding launching a fashion brand.

Next came the design stage, creating colourful prints ( which are still to come) as well as feminine yet colourful polo styles which were different with their cut and sew panel detailing, contrast details and trims.

With further consultations we prepared for dealing with factories, sampling and production.

I recently interviewed Aurore on what it's like to set up a clothing line and here is an overview.

Can you introduce yourself, your position and your brand

My name is Aurore Martins and I’m the company director of LIA M.W clothing label.

I’ve recently launched this label that I’ve imagined and created with three amazingly skilled women : Michelle Ramsay, a 15 years experienced fashion designer;

Violaine Malie, who is a very talented web designer; and Trazanne Norwood, an award-winning professional photographer.

This fashion label is a subtle combination between traditional clothing and new fashion trends.

Our first summer collection features four elegant and very girly polo shirts.

Copyright LIA M.W

What do you sell and who are your customers?

LIA MW. polo shirt range has been tailored exclusively by women and for women.

We specialise in women polo shirts. All our designs are unique, timeless and elegant.

Our polo shirts have been designed to be comfortable to wear and to last for decades in your wardrobes.

And our future collections will also feature more items to complete your looks (such as jumper, chinos…).

As mentioned earlier, LIA M.W celebrates women as creative team members, but also celebrates women around the world.

Indeed we will donate a considerable amount of our net profits to a charity, which helps women accessing to education.

What was your background prior to launching in the fashion industry?

I have been working in sales for years before creating my own marketing company three years ago.

What I love the most about my job is the fact I am now able to create/offer services and customer experiences I truly believe in.

Copyright Michelle Ramsay Design Limited

What drove you to set up your brand?

I have always been interested in fashion. I also love creating, being able to see my ideas come to life.

I have been thinking about launching my own brand for a couple of years. However, I was too busy to really work on it.

But last year, something triggered in my mind. After giving birth to my son Leo, I suddenly felt the need to focus on what makes me truly happy. I was finally ready to take up this new challenge !

How long did the launch take from concept to product?

It has been a long process!

First, I took some time to gather all my ideas, to create a business plan and set up the business.

Once I knew exactly which direction I wanted to take (and aware of the fact I am not an expert), I have hired skilled professionals to help me in this process.

We have worked hard on every single before seeing this concept come to life!

To sum up, I would say it takes some time, hard work and determination to launch a new brand.

Copyright LIA M.W

What have been your main challenges with regard to being new to the fashion industry?

To my mind, the hardest part is to get some visibility.

Being new to the fashion industry means starting from zero, and building brand awareness is not an easy task.  

Which of my services have helped the most and why?

Fashion design : Launching a brand wouldn’t be possible without and skilled fashion designer.

Michelle is very talented and she has been very patient to bring my ideas to life.  

Mentoring : our sessions covered different subjects such as project timelines, manufacturer selection, sampling, visibility / brand awareness.

This mentoring  helped me having a better understanding of the fashion industry, and to prioritise tasks.

What are your plans for the brand in 2019?

My plans are to build brand awareness by focusing on social medias and marketing, and sell the first stocks.

Then if everything goes well, I would like to launch a wider range of products for the Autumn / Winter collection.

You can see more online at http://lia-mw.com/

and follow the label here https://www.instagram.com/lia_m.w/

#freelance #fashion #fashiondesigner #fashionconsultant #apparel #cads #techpacks #sizespecs #fashionexpert #thefashionexpertuk #fashionbusiness #fashionstartup #fashionblog #style #fashioncoach #fashionmentor #fashionstartupspecialist #launchyourbrand #clothingdesigner