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?
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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!
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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!!!
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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!
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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!!!
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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!
Thank youuu for this Ma'am
Thank you too! What I intend to do just goes with everything you've said. 1. Let no one confuse me about what niche I want to Cater to (another of your articles I read. Lol)… 2. Test the market (was going to do a limited edition) 3. Launch on online platforms or with friends. The problem is 1. Where can I get good tailors? 2. The little I launch, should I launch only one size or in all the sizes I intend to satisfy? That has been a challenge. Because having the same dress in different sizes does increase the amount of production. Will appreciate your reply. Thanks.
Pleasure. Glad it helped!
Hi Ayokka,
1. Hmmnnn….. the issue with tailors is a general one…one we are trying to solve though it's taking a while… DO you have accommodation available for tailors? That will determine those who can work with you – especially if they are coming from out of town. Most of those we know are coming from out of town (and here I am assuming you are in Lagos)
2. I would advise you to go for more sizes if you can afford it. That way you can cater to a wider range of people. I don't think it is really that much more expensive. You really don't use that much more fabric per se across sizes. It will be easier if you had a pattern for each size that way you know exactly how much fabric you need for each size.
Thank you ma'am for this. But can you pls suggest some books on fashion designing?
Hello,
It depends on the area of fashion design you need help with. Is it in the area of fashion design, pattern making, illustration, etc. Let me know.
Besides, there are a lot of references online as well. You can start with a search on what exactly you require and take it from there.
For the person in need of book suggestions- search on Amazon.com. You can even preview some pages of most of the books there. Read the table of content to see if it matches up with what you want. Make sure you read customer reviews to have a feel of what others think about a particular book. Also check for the sales rank of the book. Sales rank is a pointer to the bestselling books. Bear in mind that bestselling does not equate to best in terms of content.
After years of wanting to be a fashion designer. I finally realized that my interest is in training others. So speaking of work experience – are there job or internship opportunities in your establishment? I like what you do. I don't have a formal degree in Fashion but do have a bachelors degree in Industrial Design.
I would also like to know if you are planning a course in pattern grading. One of the comments above about producing designs in different sizes sparked the question. I know the basics but would like to take a comprehensive course in it. Thanks
Nice! Thanks a lot Debonair! 🙂
Hi Debonair,
Sadly there are no internship opportunities available at Martwayne. But do send me your CV and if something comes up, I'll let you know.
We do not have a Course targeted specifically at Pattern Grading. We have a general Pattern-Making Course though and the principles of grading can be explained during the Course for those interested.
Thank you ma. Would send the CV in.
This post is timely. Just what I need.
Hi T. Williams…Extremely Inspired by your blog!
I'm an aspiring Fashion Designer, I'm pretty good at sketching but thats about it. I've always been confused on how to turn my passion from hubby to business and this article just answered a bunch if my questions. Thank you.
I've been looking for exactly this kind of blog for ages and I'm glad I found you…more like stumbled on one of your articles when I was searching Google. (Diff btw a Fashion Designer & Tailor). You have great content and fun to read too.
This is the first time I'm ever commenting on a blog! That's how 'Waowed' I am 😀 May God engrace you more and more.
I am really glad it helped!
😀 😀 😀 Thank you Kachi! I am so glad you enjoyed the blog!
And a huge AMEN to your prayer! 🙂
Thank you ×20 for this post. Thank you for letting God use you
Just what i needed,thank you so much for this article
when will you be conducting another fashion talk or seminar or how can one contact you if we encounter difficulties and need a mentor?
kindly reply.
Just what i needed,thank you so much for this article
when will you be conducting another fashion talk or seminar or how can one contact you if we encounter difficulties and need a mentor?
kindly reply.