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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...

To grow your fashion business you need to not only be visually creative but also be creative with how you conduct business, your strategy, marketing and all aspects that cumulatively contribute to the success of a business. Following "tried and tested" methodology is no longer a guarantee for success. So what now then?

Too many fashion entrepreneurs put their best creative thinking into an idea and believe that the business implementation simply requires following tried-and-true business practices.

But, in today's internet savvy day and age, nothing could be further from the truth.

To win, you need to think outside the box to deliver a better customer experience, business model, and new positioning.

Present Day Scenario

It isn't something that comes naturally to most creative people, especially the ones that are small brands or a “one man band” brand. Few creatives are taught business at college, yet they are encouraged to think BIG. They often leave education eager to start t...

The changing face of the fashion industry... Years ago, when I had a fashion label and sold to boutiques globally, the seasonal selling formula for a designer was pretty simple and straight forward.

Two collections were delivered per year. The Spring/Summer RTW ("ready-to-wear") garments hit the shop floor in January. Depending on the type of collection produced, the selection would typically include lightweight separates comprising of blouses, skirts, dresses, shorts and a couple of jackets. Autumn/Winter RTW collections were delivered in July. The offering was similar to S/S but with the addition of heavier fabrics, knitwear and coating.

Fashion Industry Challenges

The system, while adequate, had its own set of problems. It was business-driven as opposed to being customer-driven. Customer fatigue would inevitably set in through seeing the same items on the shop floor for 5 long months. In addition to this, it made no sense to be shopping for short sleeved dresses in January when t...

Below are some of the findings we found interesting and valuable and which can be of as much help to you, as they would be to us in the future.

Exploring Indian Factories

Living in a place like London can be wonderful – and limiting too if we let it. We are so used to our ways, where everything is at the tip of our fingers, that we can easily be fooled that anything can be achieved from the comfort of one's desktop.

But every so often an opportunity knocks and tempts us away from safety to the unknown.

This is how it felt recently when Team Fashion Insiders decided to board a plane, swap continents and land in India – for a week packed with exploring a new market, forging new contacts, connections, and absorbing new experiences and lessons.

Had we just sat in the office we would not have had the opportunity to get a better understanding of one of the most vast markets and major suppliers of the fashion industry.

Personal Relationships and Human Connection

Though we hear often...

Making a choice between fast fashion vs the slow fashion movement may seem like an obvious choice, yet it is not an easy choice for many to make. One has moral implications while the other is more practical and economical. So what is it to be?

In this consumer- and trend-driven era of valueless clothes, you’re now able to change your outfit up to three times a day, should you so desire. The trend for cheaply-produced, throwaway fashion can be traced back to the early noughties when Philip Green bought the Arcadia group for a cool £850m. In 2005 his jewel in the crown, Topshop, accounted for £1bn of UK clothing sales by the first six months of that year. With the entire clothing market only worth £7bn, Green was onto a winning streak with his 14% stake in the market!

Green's ability to deliver “Fast Fashion” - cheaply-made clothing based on designer fashion trends that are produced very quickly in small quantities - peaked the interest of his competitors. They were determined to em...

It wasn't until recently that fashion brands reached their clients via the retail shops, which in turn operated a well-established wholesale business model. But over the last couple of decades, as online shopping has steadily increased at a fast and furious pace, and countless boutiques closed their doors and larger department stores sales suffered - many wonders what is the future of fashion wholesale?

I love the shopping experience. Good retailers, such as Selfridges, provide brand validation and status, so my first port of call is always the Selfridges handbag department. On my way into the store, I’ll spend an hour caressing the Anya Hindmarch, M2Malettier and Sophie Hulme designs. On my way out I repeat the exercise, albeit with a couple of other designers goods.

Customers like to feel the quality of more expensive products and also love the brand experience. Retail allows you to immerse yourself in your favourite designers ‘live moodboard’ and to be a part of their world. Whil...

The fashion industry is the second most pollutant industry in the world. Now, more than ever, we should be thinking about sustainability. But what is sustainable fashion? And is fashion sustainable?

Is it ecological, is it ethical or is it green?

There are so many definitive buzz words being used in the press that it’s hard not to be confused.

The reality we now, depressingly, find ourselves in, is a situation predicted by Carlo Petrini (founder of the Slow Food Movement). In 1985 he asked a simple question:

“How did we end up in an era when we have to define and certify things that should be normal?”  

To understand the definition of sustainable fashion, we should define the Fast Fashion model to illustrate the differences between the two.

Fast Fashion raised its ugly head towards the latter part of the previous century. It coincided with the rise of the internet as a gateway to consumer consumption. The ready availability of all manner of products online gave rise to a fierc...

Fast fashion vs sustainable fashion are two consumer and lifestyle choices that have polarised the industry of late and created a blame culture of sorts. Regardless of whether they can co-exist, the need to be more responsible and caring towards the environment is clear. Small steps starting with more responsible material choices at the start of the creative process is certainly a way forward. 

Fashion is socially, economically and environmentally important industry and a form of expression. As per 2014 data, the fashion apparel industry is valued at 3 trillion dollars accounting for 2% of the world’s GDP and employs 57.8 million people. Though the fashion industry contributes significantly to the GDP, it is the second highest polluter after oil industry. About 25% of the world’s chemicals are used for textile production.

The fashion industry needs to transform in terms of changing consumer’s relationship with the garment and taming excessive consumption. Fast fashion has phenomenall...

Brands with any integrity have been thinking of ways to build their businesses with a sustainable advantage for a while now.

Below are some Eco-friendly practices that you, as a business can do to contribute your share of sustainability in the fashion industry.

With planet earth being pushed to the limit and recent headlines predicting that a 2C rise in temperatures could set off an uncontrollable chain of events within five decades, everyone needs to do their bit.

No one is more aware of the urgency than millennial students at fashion colleges. Many of them have been developing their work on an eco-friendly ethos.

However, once these students graduate one can only hope that their fledgling businesses are set up in such a way that helps reduce their carbon footprint. Travelling on a path towards greater sustainable practices means analysing the environmental impact of your company and your suppliers.

Here are the 7 Eco-friendly practices for your fashion business:

1. Studio

Sett...

What do you call a retail model that is not going down but getting divided based on the economics of the world, consumer behaviour and early adopters? Let's dive into the fragmentation of retail.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I have seen the terms ‘retail apocalypse’ and ‘perfect storm in retail’ being used in the last 2-3 years. I have watched the collapse of several major chains with an increasing sense of dismay and ‘the end of an era’ nostalgia. Department stores, toy specialists, electronics giants, they were all institutions in their own right!

Now, an apocalypse is a profound word and means ‘the total destruction and end of the world’. Grave! English is not my first language but intuitively it feels wrong to associate the word with the current retail situation. Some retailers are thriving while others are suffering. The respective financial performances are polarised.

Besides the multi-channel retailers with a strong USP and online pure-plays, marketplaces are the bi...