Business crowdfunding is probably as close to an act of mass altruism as we will get in this age.

Although it is essentially a business transaction, crowdfunding creates a way that people can offer a creative entrepreneur a realistic chance of success – and in turn, creative vision can come to life for those people who want and appreciate it.

Many emerging designers are turning to business crowdfunding – a great post-recession fundraiser – to create a product that they love and know their target consumers will also love, and buy.

One can directly gauge the interest that a specific community has in a product and furthermore seek the validation required, and with many crowdfunding platforms you retain the ownership of your product.

Crowdfunding can also be the ultimate referee and garnish for a CV and portfolio, if sales figures and information on the demographics of the consumer audience are included. It can also be the part-time job that partially finances your fashion business.

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Whether you are an entrepreneur or a more seasoned professional, starting your own fashion business is never easy. It may be easier for some, but it is not easy for anyone.

Fashion business mistakes are easy to make and hard to correct. Seemingly small, they can fast lead to the death of your business in a matter of months or less.

No one is perfect, and running a fashion business requires so many varied skills and know-how, which explains why studies suggest that as many as nine out of ten new businesses don’t make it past their second year.

The fashion industry, as attractive as it may appear, is one of the hardest and riskiest industries in which to enter, crack, and run a successful business.

So when businesses go under, usually there are commonalities that can be spotted that led to the bitter, sad end.

So here are the most common fashion business killjoys.

#1 Fashion Business Mistakes: Lack of Market Need

Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of starting a fashion business b...

In fashion, we are often surrounded by myths and hearsay information. We spoke to Danielle Spiers from Sheridans Employment Group, to attempt to dispel the top 10 employment law myths.

Whilst many employers attempt to rely on common sense and instinct to guide them through the complex maze of employment law, given the speed with which the law changes and the common myths bandied about, frequently, common sense is not enough.

Note: The below information is not intended to provide complete solutions and may vary depending upon the facts of the case.

1. If there is no written contract between an employer and an employee, there is no contract at all

   In the absence of a written contract, a court looks at the intention of the parties and the reality of the situation. By way of example, if the parties orally agree for the employee to be paid a salary of £100,000 per year and the employee is paid £100,000 per year, this salary is likely to be accepted by a court, regardless of the fact it

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Whether you're at the business planning stage, looking for investors, manufacturers or stockists – or considering selling your business – there is inherent value in your intellectual property.

With the help of our expert from Sheridans lawyers, we bring you the top 10 tips on how to protect your brand.

As a designer or brand owner, your livelihood is your creativity – namely your designs, your products and your brand – and the protection of these is central to the value and success of your business.

You can avoid some costly pitfalls by considering some of the key issues from the outset.

1. Protect your brand name

In practice, this means registering your limited company name and any relevant domain names. Ensure your website is correctly set up with well-drafted terms and conditions, a privacy policy, compliance with cookies, e-commerce and distance-selling regulations, secure payment facilities, and that all intellectual property is cleared and protected.

2. Correctly mark up an...

Counterfeiting is a specific term in intellectual property, referring to any infringement or unauthorised use of an intellectual property asset owned by a third party.

For a long time, counterfeiting had been considered a necessary evil, especially in the luxury and fashion spheres, but its exponential surge has become such a threat that various business stakeholders are now reacting faster and meaner to contain this epidemic.

Annabelle Gauberti, founding partner of the London and Paris law firm Crefovi and president of the international association of lawyers for creative industries (IALCI) provides an introduction into what you need to know for your brand.

IALCI is also running a London seminar on Intellectual Property and all fashion professionals are invited, book here.

What rules and laws apply to fighting against counterfeiting?

France, one of the countries most impacted by counterfeiting since French companies had such a large market share in the luxury and fashion sectors,...

There is a lot more to branding than a product simply being recognisable to others, as Tahir Basheer, an industry member specialising in fashion and media law for leading London-based law firm, Sheridans, explains.

Names or symbols that distinguish the clothes of one company from another are generally referred to as a company’s brand. A strong brand is a fundamental part of a fashion company’s identity and generally one of its most prized assets.

Top brands such as Versace, Polo Ralph Lauren, Saint Laurent, Mulberry, Dolce & Gabbana or Moschino have each become synonymous with a particular style, message and reputation.

Commercialisation of a brand can also create a crucial extra revenue stream via the sale, licensing or franchising of a brand. Licensing is particularly commonplace in the fashion industry. Brands can even act as security on the basis of which a bank or lender will lend money.
As a result of the value attached to brands, most companies in the industry will have elemen...

Making the decision to start your own business is the first of MANY that you will have to make during its lifetime. The decisions that you make in the early stages are of the utmost importance, so take time and professional advice where necessary and make the right choices. One of these big decisions that sooner rather than later you will have to make is to define the business structure for your fashion start-up.

There is an abundance of information on the differing business structure options, which sometimes can be overwhelming. What matters most, however, is what makes sense to your business.

Keep it simple and ask yourself some key questions like:

• Are you looking for any benefits/protection/limited liability?
• What legal implications will make the most sense to your business?
• Who will be maintaining your books and records?

Though the fashion industry is different from many others, the business guidelines of the different structures remain largely the same. There are three mai...

If you’re setting up a brand to sell online for the first time or expanding your fashion website to target different customers, there are a number of legal issues you need to consider. Learn about website building keeping all the legal policies in mind.

In this two-part series article, Tahir Basheer - our legal partner specialising in fashion and media law for leading London-based law firm, Sheridan - looks at some of the key issues, including selecting your website, avoiding liability for its content, monitoring your visitors, using social media, monetising and mobilising.

Domain Names

A domain name is your business address on the internet. They help guide customers to your fashion website and develop your brand, as such they are highly valuable – they change hands for millions of pounds and many brands have entered legal disputes to obtain particular domains.

After choosing your desired name, you should consider the following:

1. Is your domain name available?

There are numerou...

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With the surge of the Internet and the increasing popularity of Western fashion trends in Eastern territories and vice versa, the business of international fashion agents and distributors is on the rise. Let's explore about Fashion agents.

Tahir Basheer, an industry member specialising in fashion and media law for leading London-based law firm, Sheridans, offers expert legal advice on using fashion agents to sell your products.

Keeping up with this international demand can be very tricky for fashion designers and brands who already struggle to keep up with local business. It is for this reason that designers and brands are increasingly appointing fashion agents to sell their products in foreign territories on their behalf.

Using fashion agents internationally should give the designer and the brand, an element of control over how their products are marketed and sold. However, the appointment of agents is heavily re...

Most manufacturers include a number of care labels on their clothes to tell consumers that the garments meet certain standards. Let's understand what instructions must go into Care Labels.

These labels include the washing instructions (care labels) you see when you read that your lovely new knitwear, after it has emerged from the washing shrivelled and discoloured, should have actually only been hand washed at precisely 24.7 degrees by a Benedictine Monk before being dried slowly over a naked flame and beaten by a club.

What you might not know is that these logos are actually a type of trademark called "Certification Marks." These marks provide a guarantee that the goods or services bearing the mark meet a certain defined standard or possess a particular characteristic.

The owner of the mark will generally define what that standard or characteristic is. But as these marks are owned by other people, you will often have to pay for the privilege to use them. Generally, this is done by ...