TIPS TO SURVIVING THE FASHION INDUSTRY WITHOUT GOING TO FASHION SCHOOL
My friend Zara Jacqueline just graduated fashion school. Zara and I argue about a lot of things including fashion; I am the entertainer/talent coach while she graduated from the best fashion school in New York meaning she has more authority regarding the do’s and don’ts of fashion. However, we agree a lot on the business of fashion. Here are some tips that are guaranteed to help survive the fashion profession.
Remember, you are the business!
Thinking like an entrepreneur from the start is key. This means to understand how a business works and putting up a plan that highlights your goals, be it short term or long term. Read, Plan, Understudy, Be.
Late? Never!
They say to be a Nigerian ‘Tailor’ you always have to let your customers down for no particular reason. Well, do that and you fail. Every facet of this industry from editorial, PR, styling, buying and importantly designing is all time sensitive. You will always be under pressure so develop a keen sense of time management.
Network, you are not the only sensible or resourceful person.
Build solid relationships with customers, manufacturers, and investors by being consistently reliable. Even while being an intern, running errands or photocopying might be shitty but they still provide opportunity to network.
Open your mind.
Working in this industry takes more than knowing fashion. You must have a wealth of other skills to lend to your position if you really want to make it. Having a varied skill-set, being super-techy or good at graphic design or math in addition to being creative will help you go a long way.
Grow steadily.
Start small with one product line — then develop the brand from there, in a way that feels consistent and carries forward the same design DNA.
Listen and understand times.
This means young designers should pay more attention to feedback from buyers than from friends or the press; good reviews are nice to have, but the only thing that will sustain a business is sales. No need to force customers with unsolicited opinions on how your products look good on them. Let them testify by buying.
Brace yourself. Challenges will come.
New businesses can often be birthed with challenges; one of which can be a struggle with production. You’ll be ordering small quantities at first, which leaves you in a poor bargaining position with manufacturers. They may ask you for a deposit long before you’re going to receive payment from a retailer. This can be difficult, but it’s essential to pay promptly so that production is not delayed — otherwise you could end up late to deliver to retailers, damaging your relationships.
Fashion is not cheap
If you think fashion is a lucrative career, think again. Of course it can be, but you have to be around for a long time doing legit, recognizable work before you make the big bucks, so have a back-up job — something that’ll fund you along the way. One of the biggest challenges you’ll face is that cash flows out — for product development and manufacturing — long before it comes back in from retailers or customers. You will need to know where your funding is coming from and keep your finances under control. Taking investment can mean losing some of your control over the business, so think carefully and don’t give away too much too cheaply.
Meditate, Rest, Take a break
As a fashion professional your holidays have to be conscious and decisive which is a luxury away from the sleepless night, insane deadlines routine. However, you have to learn to de-stress, meditate. These will help you stay sane and birth new ideas.
So, after all these tips, here comes the disclaimer: This is in no way designed to water down the importance of fashion school or insinuate that Zara wasted her time in one. The details and the education that could be harnessed from the fashion discipline can not be contained in a thousand books.
