BN Article 3: 5 Myths About Starting a Fashion Business

BN Article 3: 5 Myths About Starting a Fashion Business

by | Jul 27, 2015 | @martwayne, Become a Fashion Designer, Bella Naija, BN Article, Design and Illustration Course, Fashion, Fashion Course, Martwayne Training Center, Power Through Fashion, Tope Williams Adewunmi

Screenshot from http://www.bellanaija.com/2015/07/24/tope-williams-adewunmi-5-myths-about-starting-a-fashion-business/
Good morning good people!!!!!  I am sure you had a GREAT weekend!  I did…even attended a wedding yesterday despite being a bit under the weather.  Y’all know how we Lagos people like to par-ty!!! Will share some pictures at the end of the post 😀
 
Anywayz, I am starting this week on a good note!  Realised I had not posted my last BN Article up here so I decided to do this first thing this morning before my day gets all hectic on me!  

A few years ago, I wrote about certain myths people had about starting a fashion business.  That was more targeted towards people who felt running a fashion business was more about the glitz and glamour.  Here is the link to that post:
 
 
But lately, I had started hearing about certain mindsets people had based on their fears which was preventing them from starting off and I felt the need to address those.  Please note that these myths I have written below by no means suggests that starting a fashion business is a joke.  The knowledge is still key if you want to succeed.  That is what I always preach – you need a thorough knowledge to guide your production team!  
 
I have, however, stated these so you understand that you should not be limited by these fears and should make a move no matter how little and then get the knowledge or partner with people in the areas where you are lacking.
 
Here is the Bella Naija article:
 
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5 Myths About Starting a Fashion Business
 
Or perhaps I should call them “myths” or misconceptions.  I have heard all sorts of reasons from people on why they are a bit hesitant about starting their fashion business.  Some even feel they will crash even before their businesses take off, based on assumptions they have made or discussions they have had with people.  The following are just a few examples of real concerns people have expressed to me in the past and here I am debunking some of these myths and allaying these fears.
1.  You Must Be Able to Sew to be a Successful Fashion Designer
 
This is always top of the list. The general idea around here is that to be taken seriously as a fashion designer you must be able to sew, you must run a production unit, you must sew for people, you must sew the clothes yourself, you must feature in fashion show… and the list goes on and on! NO YOU DO NOT!
 
Fashion Designers develop the concept and put a team together to bring their creative ideas to reality! They do not have to physically sew or even have a production unit! I remember Folake Folarin-Coker of Tiffany Amber disclosing at a seminar a while back that she cannot sew. But does she have a successful label?! Yes she sure does!
 
So please don’t listen to anyone who tells you this. It is just the mindset around here. Being able to sew does not guarantee that you will run a successful fashion business. Same way being able to sketch fabulous designs does not guarantee that as well. There are soooo many other things involved in running a fashion business and sewing is just an aspect of it. If you choose to learn, that’s great! The knowledge is useful to understand the process and guide your production team.
 
2.  You Must Be a “Fashionista” To Be A Good Designer
 
I heard this recently from a lady who had concerns about starting off. She did not think she would be a good designer since she did not consider herself to be a “fashionista” …whatever that means. Apparently a good designer must be dressed to the hilt all the time in the latest trends and fashions OR must dress a certain way with some crazy hair and the most outrageous clothes. If anyone told you that, that’s bull!
Designing great clothes doesn’t mean you have to wear them. Ever noticed what fashion designers wear when taking a bow on the runway?! Many are dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans…obviously because many of them are too busy even to think! Yes, you have to dress well to gain the confidence of your customer but you don’t have to be in the latest clothes or dress all crazy to prove a point. Your product will speak for you.
That said, if you choose to be a fashionista, that’s great! But if you are a simple person by nature, that should not deter you from becoming a fashion designer. After all, Alexander Mcqueen looked like a simple person and dressed in a simple manner but we all know how amazing he was as a designer.
 
3.  You Must Be “Creative” to Run a Fashion Business
 
HA! Someone who was about to take the plunge a while back spoke to me about this particular fear. She was worried she might not do well because she did not consider herself a creative person… neither could she draw very well… and her designs were very simple. I told her not to even give it a second thought.
 
To me, creativity is relative and everyone has their own design philosophy.  As far as I am concerned everyone has some form of creative ability. As long as you can put pencil to paper or explain what you want to your tailor and she churns it out, then you have what it takes.  I know people only tend to consider those who design “never before seen, over-the-top” high fashion clothing as fashion designers. But guess what?  Everyone has at least one pair of jeans in their wardrobe and a t-shirt and those were created by designers! And they are making a lot of money from it as well!
 
Besides, if you feel you are not creative, you can either learn how to be creative or hire someone to be creative for you. There are illustrators out there who can work with you to build on your seemingly “simple” ideas.  That is why fashion companies have design teams. The burden should not only be on the owner to churn out the designs, market the designs, search for customers, buy the fabric, deliver to the customer…and all the other tasks we take up over here. There is a whole lot more to a successful fashion business that being creative and being able to draw. You are now an entrepreneur so you need to step into those shoes. Don’t consume yourself with only the creative sides of running a fashion business.
 
4.  You Must Mingle with the “Right” People
 
I know for many people, the typical definitions of the “right” people are the celebrities and socialites. I have heard that a lot! Well… if that is your target market, then by all means, please go for it! But it is not mandatory you mix with them if you do not plan to design for them. If your target market is the average Joe, then please those are the “right” people for you. Concern yourself with trying to find these people.
 
PLUS! I notice many also focus on just making the money and often neglect to watch their costs. The “right people” must include the fabric suppliers, those who supply and fix our machines, those who provide our zips, etc. These are the people who can make or break our businesses. Why pay N10,000 for a yard of fabric when you can pay N4,500 for the exact same fabric? And no matter how good you are as a designer, if the zips you use keep breaking, then your reputation can go down the drain at the snap of your fingers. So please, concern yourself with not only increasing sales but also reducing your costs!
 
5.  You Need a Lot of Money to Start Your Fashion Business!
 
NOT TRUE! It all depends on the type of fashion business you want to run.  Besides, when you ask those dishing out advice why they feel you need a lot of money, they often focus on stuff like PR, getting a fab website, coming up with fancy logos and business cards….and all what not. If you do not have a lot of money to start off, then start small!  
 
A fashion business is, in fact, one of the easiest to start off with zero naira!   All you have to do is be the middleman between your customer and your tailor. Sketch your designs, take a deposit from the customer (which should be way more than your costs of production), get a tailor to churn out the clothes, deliver it to the customer and get your balance. It is as simple as that!
 
Well to be honest, we know it’s not thaaaat simple… but it’s not that difficult when you have a process in place.  I bet many are already doing this.  All you need to do is continue and save up till you have the funds to start your own production unit.  So really, lack of funds should not be a deterrent.  I can safely tell you that as long as there are weddings…and there always will be weddings…, or birthdays and even funerals, you will be in business!
 
Great!  These are just some of the ones I have heard. What else have they told you that is giving you cold feet about starting off?! Share these myths with us and let’s discuss them.  Or better still… tell us which advice or myth you ignored and how ignoring it was the best decision you ever made!
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That’s it!  Hope this helped!  Have a great week everyone!
 
And remember to appreciate your fashion designer today! That’s my theme for this week!  I think we are not appreciated enough for the work we do and I thought to make it my first Instagram post for the day.  Handle is @martwayne.
Cheers!
How Do I Start My Fashion Business?

How Do I Start My Fashion Business?

by | Jul 21, 2015 | @martwayne, Become a Fashion Designer, Bella Naija, BN Article, Fashion Beyond Stitches, How to Start a Fashion Business, Power Through Fashion, T.Williams, T.Williams-A, Tope Williams Adewunmi

Hello good people!!!!!  I’m sure you all had a GREAT holiday!  I know I did!  I am already looking forward to the next one… (who knows when the next one is coming up?!)  Anywayz!  I had a pretty restful one – totally thankful!  
Haha…. I thought this was hilarious!  I just could not resist!
Image from:  http://trulteskogen.com/onewebstatic/04cb45fd25-24.gif
Ok!  So here is my BN post!  I have actually had this question thrown at me so many times, I knew writing about it was only a matter of time.  Seeing I managed not to lift a finger over the holiday, here is the article which was actually posted on Bella Naija on Thursday.  I made minimal changes to it since I realised it was edited and some portions of my thought process (re: punctuations and brackets) were lost in the editing AND I also added more pictures… 

Tope Williams-Adewunmi:  How Exactly Do I Start My Fashion Business?
Image from: http://www.bellanaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/dreamstime_xl_29485026.jpg
Great!  Glad you’ve taken the first step and decided to take your love for fashion more seriously. But you have no clue how to go about it.  So, we’ll start from the very beginning… hopefully these steps will help shape that vision and move you from concept to reality.
 
Oh…P.S… It will not happen in one day, or a week, or even a month!  If you want to do it properly, it will take a while. So remember these words… baby steps.
 
First Step? Making the decision!

Image from: http://davidduke.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Decision-Making.jpg
You need to decide what exactly what you want to do in the industry and stick to it! This really is the hardest part because you might not even have a clue. And even if you do, people will advise you to go down a different route. So please make that decision before you start off or else you will be miserable – or worse, act on that advice and end up wasting a lot of money in the process. 
 
But the money isn’t really the issue here. The issue is you waking up one morning 10 years from now wondering how exactly you got there.
 
So if, for example, all you always wanted to do was design wedding gowns, find a way to make this work even if there is a lot of money to be made from sewing uniforms – EXCEPT you are doing it just to gather enough funds to start off. In which case, give yourself a time limit and stick to it as best as you can.
Next Thing?! 
 
Writing a life plan for your fashion idea! 
Image from: http://i2.wp.com/homeschoolinghelp.com/wp-content/uploads/smiley-2.JPG?resize=244%2C258
 

No no… don’t roll your eyes yet… I am not talking about a business plan here. Yes many of us tune off when we hear the term “business plan” (including me).  Don’t worry, the business plan will come later and you can always outsource that.  For now, get a notepad and a pen and begin to write – in clear terms what you want to do. If 5 years you have deviated from this plan, you can find your way back.
 
For example, you can start off with… (let’s pretend you’re in italics and I’m the voice in your head [in brackets] guiding you along OR you can do this with a friend):
 
•    I know I like fashion:  [Ok… yes we have established that. What aspect of fashion do you
like?]

 
•   Ladies wear:   [Oh nice! Why ladies wear?]
 
•    I don’t know… I just love clothes and dressing ladies up:  [Ok… so why do you need to 
become a fashion designer to do this?  You don’t have to be fashion designer to dress
people up. Perhaps all you really want to be is a stylist. Or do you want to do this because
being a fashion designer sounds cool?]
 
Well… At this point, you need to know who a fashion designer really is. So conduct some research and be sure this is what you really want to do. Convince yourself of why you want to be the person designing the clothes the ladies will wear… while I move on from this point…
 
[Ok great! So ladieswear! What aspect of ladies wear?]
 
•    Everything! I would like to design everything a woman can wear!  [Errrr… Seriously?  How is that even possible? Even if you can, let’s take one idea at a time.]
 
[Let’s get down to specifics. What do you want to start off with?]
 
•    I think I’d like to design ladies casual wear:  [You think? You’re not sure?! Let’s try
again. What is the first thing you sketch when you put pencil to paper?] 
 
Now would be a good time to quickly sketch something.  Even if you are not great at sketching.  You can also explain your design in words.  That will determine who exactly you are as a fashion designer. You might think you want to design casual wear but find yourself designing  evening wear.
 
•    Okay…. Done! I know I want to design casual wear:   [Oh-kay! Nice! What type of casual
wear?]
 
•    Maybe t-shirts:  [Maybe? Or certainly?!  Try your hand at another sketch]
 
•    Actually I’ve always wanted to have my own T-Shirt line:   [Ok great! T-Shirts then!
What type of T-Shirts?]
 
•    Printed Tees with an interesting twist:  [Ok… now I’m rolling my eyes. Please narrow it
down.]
 
•    Okay, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to draw faces on t-shirts with safety pins and sea shells for example:   [This is the point where I tell you it does sound bizarre but hey… stranger things have happened in fashion. So who knows… it can work.]
 
And that’s it! You go on and on until you begin to narrow it down or till you hit a road block. If you do hit a block… take a breather and start over from where you left off.
 
When you are done with soul-searching…
 
It’s time for Research! Research!! Research!!!

Image from: http://s3.amazonaws.com/libapps/accounts/12722/images/ResearchIcon-300×300.jpg
 
Oh this part is vital! Many of us hate doing research but it is key! Obviously, the Internet Institute is your first point of call! Many consume themselves with just the production aspect of design but I believe it is important to start from scratch.
 
Find out everything you need to know about making T-Shirts, right down to the history of t-shirts, how they evolved over time, who buys t-shirts, who wears the most t-shirts, how much do T-shirts costs, where are t-shirts produced e.t.c. Why? You might think ladies wear t-shirts but find out during your research that the type of t-shirts you want to design might actually appeal to teenagers. The question is, do you want to design for teenagers? It’s all up to you. Talk to people, ask questions, meet with t-shirt designers, etc. The research never ends – even when you start off.  And whatever decision you make based on that research goes into that notepad as well.
 
After research (which is on-going by the way), the next step is to:
 
Get the Relevant Knowledge to Excel in That Field
.
 
Love both pictures so decided to use both 😀
Image 1 (left) from:  http://www.cliparthut.com/clip-arts/269/study-girl-smiley-emoticon-clipart-royalty-free-public-domain-269958.png
Image 2 (right) from:  http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uAZ-NIHKUVI/USO3tx45tZI/AAAAAAAADDM/XI1FfKf84rQ/s1600/Smiley+Book.jpg
Now is the time to get the skills – either through some form of formal education or through work experience.  If you cannot sketch, learn how to sketch. If you feel you want to learn how to sew, then learn how to sew – though it is not mandatory for fashion designers to know how to sew. However, with the horror stories I have heard from fashion designers about their tailors and machinists, you might be better off learning – no matter how little if you want to live longer.
 
SO!  You can choose to go to a fashion school, be self taught (there are enough resources online if you do the research) or get some form of work experience – either paid or unpaid.  That knowledge is necessary to guide your production team – regardless of whether you are producing the T-shirts in-house or outsourcing production. I tell you, it will save you a lot of headache in the long run!
 
Next up?!
 
Testing the Market!

Image from: http://smallbusinessbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/CustomerSatisfaction.jpg
You need to know if people will buy your designs before you take off!  Ask people what they don’t like about your work – that way they give you proper constructive criticism. It helps you improve your product and also builds you a thick skin.
 
Image from: http://www.netsolutionsindia.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Test-Market.jpg
 
Testing the market also helps you know if what you believe was the greatest invention since… errr… cellphones is really that fab.  You just might find out that the “oh-so-brilliant” idea you had of designing t-shirts with seashells and safety pins was a pretty dumb idea after all.  Should you dump that idea?! Nope. You might choose to go ahead and take the chance or go back to the drawing board and restrategize by replacing the safety pins with bugle beads.
 
And just when you are about to launch out:
 
Pray! Pray!! And PRAY!!!
Image from: http://media3.popsugar-assets.com/files/2015/03/23/783/n/1922398/652a1c95_prayer-hands-.xxxlarge.jpg


You really need that divine intervention. Only that inner peace can trump the fear that you are bound to feel deep down.  And you will feel that initial fear but just go ahead and launch – no matter how small.
 
Launching does not necessarily mean having a fashion show. It could mean uploading your items or sketches on your site or online platforms, selling to your friends and colleagues, or just simply showing people your designs and taking their orders whilst working with your tailor.  In my opinion, as long as you are ready to start accepting cash for your creative ideas, you have launched out.
 
Truth be told, it really is not that hard to become a fashion designer. The difficulty lies in being a successful one and I doubt anyone has the perfect recipe for success. But what I always say is what’s the worst that could happen right?  You fall flat on your face or get some mean comments from people who hate your work. What do you do? You pick yourself up after crying for days and try again! Someone out there is bound to like your work and you will eventually carve out your own niche market! ?
 
Great! Those are my tips. I do have more but I’ll stop here.  I’m sure there are a whole lot more out there as well so if you also have tips and pointers for us, do share them as well so we can learn from you!
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This Article originally appeared on www.bellanaija.com… 
 
…(with only the first picture and the italics and the missing brackets here and there.  I honestly cannot do without pictures.  Makes for a more pleasant read methinks… :-D)
 
Anywayz… hope this helped.
Don’t forget to share your tips in the comments section so we can all learn from you and your experiences as well.  I hear some people have had issues with posting comments.  Apologies…hopefully it will become easier.
 
Have a great and productive week ahead!  And watch out for my next BN post! 😀
 
Cheers!
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