The 2008 global recession has a lot to answer for. Aside from so many fashion brands and retailers closing doors and filing for bankruptcy, many barely survived by adopting a discounting strategy and reducing their stock inventory by heavily reducing the retail price of their products.

The discounting strategy fiasco wasn’t a one-off. It lasted for months if not even years. In fact, one can even argue that it hasn’t stopped ever since.

One thing is certain – the heavy product discounting from that period changed forever it seems the shopping habits of the consumers.

“Bargain hunting” is no longer used to describe an occasional activity, it has become the norm.

Fashion Brands and Their Discounting Strategy

Some brands like the Gap are in permanent discount mode. I am not sure there is a customer left that buys any of that brand’s products at full price anymore. But, make no mistake – this is not happening because they are permanently on the brink of collapse (though a few times...

When starting a fashion business, much like starting any business, there are some rules that apply and are there for a reason. Rule number one is to know your niche. That knowledge is the foundation for any successful business (be it a product or service-based) because it has an influence over every aspect of the company. But, deciding on a niche isn’t always easy. In this article, I will show you why knowing your niche is correlated to the success of your business.

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What a phenomenal time to be alive. Never has it been so easy to launch a business from the comfort of your home, get a global audience and be anything you want to be.

And yet so many fashion brands and businesses don’t make it past the launch line. The lucky ones that do…. Work hard, struggle to keep the business afloat and despite their best efforts, most close their doors a few years later, with not a lot to show for all the hard work put in.

One of the most common reason

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To launch a fashion brand to a specific niche of customers or market is an age-old tested recipe for business success. To grow your fashion brand is a whole other story. In this final installment of our 3 part series, we show you how to do it and why it is important in fashion to follow and apply what already is proven to work well.

In part 1 we talked about why defining a niche is important for any brand and business and the wide positive effect it will have on your business long term.

In Part 2 we delved and looked into what steps to take once you have completed your research and development and are ready to launch a fashion brand, product or service.

Now it is time to glimpse at when is the right time to expand and diversify your product offer.

To grow your fashion brand, new products and new markets must be introduced. That's true enough!

But when is the right time? How should it be done?

Now that you have launched your brand it is important to FOCUS on growing and establishi...

Infusing your fashion brand with Know Like Trust factor is incredibly important in today's oversaturated designer fashion market. Or any industry for that matter.

Gone are the days when, if you served your customers nicely, helped them over the phone or didn’t make a fuss when they returned something they stayed loyal and came time and time again to buy more from your business.

In today’s day and age, to remain in business you need to create a loyal following.

Read more: The Basics of How to Start a Fashion Business

To do this, you need to stand out from the rest of your competitors.

To do it – you need to connect on a personal level with your audience – with you buyers and customers. They need to know you exist, to begin with, and once they come across your brand, they need to get to know you, get to like you (and want to know more about you and therefore follow you) and in time grow to trust you.

There is a saying that’s often used in business that says: "...people prefer to ...

In today’s oversaturated market, to build fashion brand trust, stand out and build or create a loyal following is not so easy. Not impossible, but not easy compared to even a few short years back even.

For any business to survive not only do you need to have a good product that fills the hole for a clear market need or desire but to generate sales from multiple sources –or be an omnichannel brand – you need to create a trust for your brand.

But trust is not something you can easily buy or hack your way into. Trust takes time to create and establish.

In today’s world, where patience is in short supply and we often feel the pressure to find quick success, creating fashion brand trust faster is important. It means our businesses stand a better chance of survival. So how do you do that?

Further reading: Fashion Branding Basics for Startups

Here are three ways in which a brand can create fast(er) trust with its customers, leverage its core values and purpose as part of an authentic mar...

Fashion pricing strategy is one of the most challenging areas for fashion apparel and accessories brands. For the most part, the challenge is due to product (SKU) complexity, relatively limited item comparability within (especially small) brands and frequent flow of new collections.

Pricing fashion products historically has involved more art than science. Being that most creative are not so number savvy, pricing has led to problems in many fashion businesses.

Today’s consumers are very educated and they really know what they want.

Savvier about price and positioning, more than ever, they are able to easily compare between competitor brands and contrast across all the available options.

This new reality requires brands to be sharper and requires them to spend time to get their pricing strategy right.

What does that mean?

In real terms, it means that as a brand owner you need to be aware of some basic pricing strategy principles in order to ensure that when you do get to do the...

Designing a fashion collection is relatively easy. Anyone can do it. But creating and putting together a cohesive fashion collection that sells requires you to know the secret sauce. Say YES if you want to know the secret ingredients?

Because we live in an age where we all want the recipe and a step by step process to success, below is a list of the top 5 most important ingredients you need to have in order to create a cohesive fashion collection.

RELATED READING: How to design commercially strong fashion collection.

It pays to put some time upfront and think through the elements covered below. Do this and you will reap the results later.

Repeatedly. That sounds good, YES?

Ready to get stuck in and discover the secret sauce?

OK, pay attention and make a note of the key questions below so you can work on them later.

Let’s start briefly by explaining what “cohesive” means – so there is no confusion.

“Cohesive” means something is well-integrated and unified. Synonyms that also can...

In product-based businesses, the issue of excess stock is often a problem that is overlooked. It is, in fact, one of the silent killers known to the fashion business. Being aware of it and actively managing “it” is imperative for the health of any fashion business. Keeping it as low as possible is the ultimate solution, but dealing with reality and having a clear overstock clearance plan is the most effective solution.

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Excess stock is a silent business killer because it creeps up on brands without them noticing. Season after season it is normal for some stock to be left unsold. But as it piles up, few realise that these leftover unsold products are effectively cash tied up that cannot be put back into work in the business. Worse, it sits on the financial balance sheet as carrying overstock.

Depending at the rate at which overstock accumulates, it can come to a point when if the business begins to struggle financially and wishes to raise in...

Every day, the average person creates enough waste to fill a trash truck. That means that you're responsible for producing around 4 pounds of garbage per day! As more people turn to their computers or smartphones for purchases, now is the right time to shop sustainably. Choosing to purchase clothes online without increasing your eco-footprint involves knowing your measurements before buying anything. Find out how you can save time and money while still getting what your heart desires with these tips.

In the following article, you will learn about carbon footprint and why size matters when shopping online. You can reduce your carbon footprint by learning how waste is created and how it can be reduced or eliminated.

What is your carbon footprint?

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a colourless and odourless gas that contributes to the carbon cycle and is a natural component of our air. Your carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases produced by your activities. Each of us contributes to ...

There is a fine line between inspiration and plagiarism. It’s a line that many companies, well established or otherwise, are happy to cross, if they think they can get away with it.

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Read on to find out what you can do to stop getting plagiarised and protect your designs.

“Imitation is the highest form of flattery” Coco Chanel.

In the pursuit of the next big thing and when your own reserves of originality may be on the wane, temporarily, it’s easy to jump onto someone else’s bandwagon and pass their work off as your own.

This type of behaviour is rife in all creative industries including but not limited to music, art and fashion. It’s really difficult not to be influenced by the things we see or hear every day.

This overexposure to imagery seeps into one's subconscious so perhaps some designers could be forgiven for thinking that their ideas are their own.

Read more on Design & Development in the BECOME A FASHION INSIDER Book

Why is it so Easy fo...