If you want to discover what invaluable lessons I learned from launching a fashion fine jewellery brand, then read on.

It is often said that hindsight is 20/20 and in the case of launching and growing fashion business, this most certainly is the case. When you are fresh and new to an industry it is easy to go down a path and make a decision that monumentally alters the course of events for you and your business. Sometimes in a good way and often in not so good ways.

When we look at start-up brands in the fashion space that become successful quickly, we often justify their success by way of assuming it is because they had insider knowledge, connections, money…etc Which sometimes may be the case but often no matter who and what you know, there is no substitute to doing the work and learning the lessons first hand.

This certainly was the case for me. After working in the fashion industry for ten or so years, I was confident that I knew a lot about how the fashion industry worked, the A...

Have you thought about running a pop-up shop to sell your products? Have you thought about where you would hold it, when you would hold it and how you would kit the space out? These are all very important points to consider in order to ensure that your brand’s message is translated to your target audience.

There are so many benefits to setting up a temporary shop in a location chosen by you, the fashion business owner, such as testing your products and interacting directly with your customers offline. Setting up a pop-up shop can also be a low-cost way to launch your fashion business.

You need to make sure that in the short space of time that your pop-up shop is open, you establish your brand to the foot traffic and beyond. Leave your mark and make sure that people remember you – and that those who missed out are so saddened they chase you down online!

Remember: you might not be there for a long time, but you are there for a good time. That means a good shop front, a good atmosphere...

Technology is fantastic, but there are steps you should take to ensure your data is kept cyber-secure.

As a fashion business owner, there are more than just deals and a workspace to secure at the end of your working day. You also need to make sure that you are cyber-secure. Tahir Basheer of Sheridans law firm shares his advice on how to do so.

The issue of cyber-security is always a hot topic, especially after last year's well-documented case of online thieves stealing personal data from iCloud accounts. Celebrities reportedly targeted included Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Ariana Grande, and Rihanna.

There are a number of legal issues involved with this kind of incident, including data protection, breach of privacy and theft. Securely storing sensitive information is really important: this applies to commercially sensitive information (such as designs and prints) and personally sensitive information (such as private photographs).

Here are some useful tips to ensure that informati...

The word mentor has its roots in Greek mythology. It was the name of Athena disguised as a trusted adviser to the young Telemachus. Sometime between then and now the name stuck and usually these days refers to a trusted and experienced advisor, mostly in business relationships.

Having a business mentor is one of the things in life that those that most need it – either don’t know about it or don’t know how to find one; and those that we would consider as least needing one i.e. they are already successful – almost without fail currently have or have had one in the past, because they know and understand the value a good advisor brings.

So while most young entrepreneurs may smirk and be a little nonchalant at the thought of needing to find a business mentor, an older and wiser person will put them right by explaining that if you want to do better at what you do, advance your career, try a new venture, increase the chances of your start-up’s survival, etc. – you need a mentor. Someone you...

Once you make the decision to go into fashion wholesale with your products, to shops, you will need to ensure that you have all of the necessary supporting materials. These include sales items and selling information packs.

Fashion wholesale buyers, surprisingly, are not very visual and need a lot of information from the designer in order to make a constructive decision. If you can provide answers to all of their questions immediately, that is preferable to leaving with a list of queries that will have to be answered after the momentum of your meeting has died down. Arm yourself with the following and make the best first impression:

Fashion Wholesale Samples

First and foremost, present an edited selection of well-made samples to wholesale buyers.

Arm yourself with a full selection of Sales Samples corresponding to every design in your Line Sheet.

The Sales Sample is a version of your design that includes all brand-approved fabric and trims. This is the version that you would sho...

Fashion Trend Forecasting agencies' foresight into future trends is not limited to predicting the colours and materials that will be popular over the next two years. Forecasters also delve into the lifestyles and buying habits of your brands' consumer to gain insight into their present values and future desires. Let's take a look at what these agencies do and why they are important.

What is Fashion Trend Forecasting?

Fashion forecasting is the technique of predicting buying habits and moods of the consumers. It includes the prediction or forecasting of colours, fabrics, textures, and various other styles that are going to be presented on the runway and will be in the stores for the upcoming seasons.

What are the Types of Fashion Forecasting?

Short-term: This is used by merchandisers, production managers or products developers to generate style directions and to shape collections. Most apparel companies these days subscribe to the services which easily provides them with reports ...

The Fashion Fair used to be all about selling. Buyers would descend on the fairs in droves, seeking out new brands to place orders with, while checking on their existing brands new season's products. But it is now much more difficult to actually take an order at a Fashion Fair as they have now become marketing exercises and not sales events.

If you had the right product it would sell.

Fast forward to the age of social media and things have changed drastically.

It is now much more difficult to actually take an order at a Fashion Fair as they have now become marketing exercises and not sales events.

However, don’t be fooled into thinking that no business occurs. It does but this usually happens over an email after the show has ended. Just be aware that the Fashion Fair is a chance for buyers to be wined and dined by their contacts in the industry.

Why a Fashion Fair?

You may be asking yourself whether it would benefit you to show at a fair considering that you may not sell anything...

A wholesale fashion line sheet is an essential sales tool for every brand. No matter how small or large, a line sheet must be presented to buyers if they are to be taken seriously.

As a fashion start-up, you may well be considering the wholesale route to marketing your designs. It’s a valid proposition to want to see your range stocked in brick and mortar shops, and a goal that you should pursue. To achieve this you’ll need to approach stores' buying teams in order to build wholesale accounts, and they should be approached professionally. Once you have secured an appointment they will expect you to have all of your selling documents to hand, such as lookbooks, order forms and most importantly your fashion wholesale line sheet.

You may well ask, what is a wholesale fashion line sheet?

Simply put, a line sheet is a sales tool designed to visually communicate all of the information necessary for a buyer to make a decision about purchasing your collection.

It will include vital inf...

Let it not be forgotten that no (wo)man is an ocean and that in the pursuit of a successful fashion career it's impossible to thrive singlehandedly. This is a genuine story of a fashion professional and her mentee journey.

The Journey of Monisola Omotoso from a fashion designer to a pattern cutter.

When I embarked on my first enterprise as a fashion designer, while in my final year at University I felt invincible and ready to take on the fashion world. I had designed a menswear item that was bought by Paul Smith, the design emporium of the times, Jones, on the Kings Road, and the Duffer of St George. I was supported by my university tutors and the buyers at the stores I sold to.

They advised me and introduced me to members of the press who gave me a lot of coverage in their newspapers and magazines. Looking back, I guess they were my early mentors but at the time I wasn’t even aware of the term and its importance.

After graduating and with the confidence of selling to such illus...

For an industry as dynamic and fast-paced as fashion, why do so many fashion brands fail? A topic that's covered more and more of late, in the wake of so many retail stalwarts and iconic fashion brands filing for bankruptcy.

The fashion industry is famous for its smoke and mirror image. Things are never how they appear to be. This ‘opaque-ness” is often engineered on purpose. It suits the industry to hide the truth and only show the glamour and success. After all - it is glamour and success that create desire and lust, that in turn generate sales.

But peel off the top layer and the truth is rather different.

The fashion industry has been going through a decisive era of major consumer, channel, and supply shifts while suffering from increased economic volatility.

This in itself has led to the bankruptcy of countless small, medium and large brands. Many have come out as a surprise to those not “in the know”. The few on the inside of the industry have seen the writing on the wall ...