Many fashion brand owners and entrepreneurs I speak to often complain about lack of sales and ask "how do you increase sales for your fashion brand"? They blame the economy, social media and everything under the sun. Their brands and businesses suffer, struggle and often close because of no sales. The reality is somewhat different. Never before have we had so many opportunities to sell our products. If you believe this and still not selling, the harsh truth is that you are simply not doing enough to bring the sales home.

Now there are many reasons why you may not sell a product. It could be that the product price is wrong or the product/market fit is not good.

It could be that your brand marketing communication is lacklustre and not clear enough who you are communicating to.

While we see this daily and help many entrepreneurs get back on track, the act of selling products is really a numbers game.

There is no magic formula.

How much you sell and how you sell really depends on yo

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There are a couple of times in the annual calendar that ignite “fashion passion” like no other.

Usually, this is in January – the start of the year when many “life-changing” plans are made and “start my own business” resolutions penned.

Then there is September! With the holidays over and having taken time to reflect and rest, many inspired by the fashion weeks that kick off all over the world hit the keyboards in an attempt to turn the idea they have been nurturing, into a product to sell. A product or business that they hope will be life-changing.

But somewhere along the way, an integral step of the process of working with fashion manufacturing companies gets skipped by most.

Particularly the new to the industry entrepreneurs.

Many may have had a few years or more working experience in another industry. This valid and useful experience, however, adds a false sense of knowledge and confidence when navigating the much different fashion...

Chinese New Year is the most important festival in China. It signals a new start, wishes of good fortune, and time spent with family. But how will a break for New Year celebrations affect your fashion business?

China’s total population covers up to 1.3 billion people. Its textile manufacturing industry is one of the world’s biggest apparel exporters to the west. The workers in China are mostly migrant which means they work far from their homes.

During Chinese New Year (view dates here), an estimated 340 million workers make the annual pilgrimage from their workplaces to their hometowns and villages.

It is one of the largest human migrations in the world.

Chinese New Year: The Bigger Picture

On an average, the Chinese railway carries 6.4 million passengers every day. But, during the Chinese New Year, there’s a 50% increase in demand. Chinese workers buy tickets weeks before holidays begin to deal with the excess transportation problems. The same problem happens while buying tickets...

The terms "ethical (fashion) manufacturing” and “sustainability” have become the buzz words of our generation. But are they just a marketing gimmick or do brands and customers really care about the issues?

One of the many great things about the internet era we live in is access to information. Everything and anything, 24/7. It is this unparalleled information sharing that has highlighted and proven to us all, that how we live and the actions we chose to take on a daily basis impact our planet.

Or rather threaten it.

Our increased consciousness has given rise to concerns about our ways of life, which in turn lead to scrutinising our habits.

One of the biggest threats to our planet is our obsession with shopping and mindless (over)consumption.

“I first came to ethical living through fashion, after travelling in Cambodia and reflecting on my fast fashion addiction and deciding to break the cycle. Nobody should suffer just because I want cheap clothes!” said Sian Conway from Ethic...

Tech packs! Love them or hate them, if you're in fashion - you simply need them!

Like anything in life, the quality of the outcome depends on the quality of the input. In fashion, this is truer than in most other industries. Without a proper brief, a visual and verbal accurate communication, the end result will be a disappointment. Luckily for us entrepreneurs, it has never been easier to communicate better with manufacturers.

Sayam Kochar - the co-founder of fashion tech company Techpacher spent years creating an easy to use software that allows new and experienced fashion creatives to spec out their ideas and communicate them in the best possible way to manufacturers.

Here he tells us why making tech packs an integral part of your development process is a MUST.

Let me ask you this: What is a tech pack?

For most of you, it’s a static blueprint. A bundle of all your design requirements.

Fashion brands have treated tech packs as mere documents for far too long. They spend hours me...

Fashion manufacturing is not for the faint-hearted. Working with the wrong manufacturer can be painful. Fashion manufacturing is like relationships. In fact, it is apt to compare the process to dating...Pick the right fashion factory - and you’ll live happily ever after. Pick the wrong one - and life will not be worth living. Regardless who you pick - you’ll have to get used to each other and learn to compromise. 

But while we learn how to play the dating game early on and there’s plenty of books on the matter and friendly advice, manufacturing is a whole other game. Working with the wrong manufacturer can create countless problems and lead to loss of business even.

So how do you know if you are working with the wrong manufacturer?

How do you know if there are problems brewing that you may not be aware of, but will sooner or later take you by surprise? How do you spot the symptoms early on and have enough chance to prevent future bigger problems?

Join the 5 Day Fashion Manufacturi...

What a phenomenal time to be alive. There has been no other time in the history of humankind when so much has changed in such a short period of time. When the opportunities we have, outnumber the obstacles we face.

[The original version of this article was first published at Estila magazine Vol 12 / Issue 47]

Being creative in today’s world is exciting. The world really is our oyster. Not only that – but for those of us more conscious about life in general and life on our planet – there is no better time to create, profit and instigate change for the better.

But how can creating and profiting ever be good for the planet?

I know…. It’s almost like the two concepts are mutually exclusive.

Or are they?

Have we been conditioned to think in black and white and the magic really is outside of the lines we have been thought to colour within?

As a creative who grew up not allowed to think of creativity as a profession, I count myself lucky to do what I do today. I grew up in a countr...

Pop-up shops are taking over the retail world but what exactly is a shop that pops up? Pop-up shops are temporary stores at a designated venue, the purpose of which is to attract the consumer with something exclusive and exciting. Layla Webster delves to find out more.

Pop-up shops are rapidly becoming the newest way to promote a new brand or to re-vamp one that is existing. The concept of 'Pop-up' shops or spaces is simple – they are temporary spaces that help promote or expose a brand, an artist or simply an idea. Such spaces are temporary – the idea involves a shop ‘popping’ up one day that could be gone tomorrow. These shops while they may be small and short-lived make a genuine difference. A pop-up is about creating exposure, maybe even a statement.

Pop-up shops have been around since the early 1990s. They first appeared in well-established cities around the globe - Tokyo, Paris, and New York were a few to catch on to this stimulating and unique trend. Although these Pop-ups app...

As anyone who knows or follows the luxury goods industry will tell you: there are luxury goods companies, and then there is Hermes. The family-owned leather goods maker is a true champion of "the art of craft." They continuously find new ways to educate and showcase what true craftsmanship means – be it through pop up exhibitions, store demonstrations, or videos.

The latest new initiative paying respect to the true unsung heroes behind the brand is a series of videos simple titled "No Comment."

The idea behind these short videos is to let its products speak for themselves and shows the Maison's artisans at work. What they achieve is to add a human side to the brand by showing the master craftsmen and designers responsible for the look and feel of products, to provide the viewer with an up-close-and-personal perspective about how Hermes products are handcrafted, and the attention to detail – from the painting, to the polishing, cutting and packaging.

What makes this new campaign so c...

The past looms large watching imperiously, hawk-like, over its legacy. And so it should, in the case of famous fashion houses such as Lanvin, Dior, Chanel and Balenciaga. Once the original designer has left the building, an ever-changing supply of new talent is entrusted with the stress-inducing task of keeping the flame alive.

There’s a fine line between adding one's own signature style to a grand house while also remaining sensitive to its history.

Fashion archives allow new designers to delve into a past that was very different to the present. It can be used in order to gain some insight into the brands DNA and identity, the construction techniques it employed and the research materials it used to inform the shapes and proportions it became famous for.

Clothing was made more sustainably back then, with items made to last longer than a mere season.

An attention to detail was bestowed on well-cut, hand-sewn garments that stood the test of time. With so much there to inspire contem...