As a fashion novice myself I do not purport to know all the ropes of the fashion designing business. My successes however small they may be, mean the world to me, but in the grand scheme of things I have hardly made any strides towards leaving a lasting mark in the industry.
One thing I am certain of is that I have made several mistakes. Mistakes that have cost me financially, that have caused me to lose customers or have negatively impacted the brand that I am trying so hard to build. The good thing about making mistakes is that it forces you to grow. Someone once told me, ‘Sometimes you don’t know, what you don’t know,’ which basically means that learning from a small mistake in the beginning will save you from major headaches later down the line.
The process of learning the business of fashion is a steep learning curve, and your best weapon against getting frustrated is by being patient.
It is important to be aware of your strengths. If you know your strength is in making a particular style of skirt that is popular and easy to produce, then by all means milk it for all it’s worth. Do not go offering customers a range of products with varying degrees of finishing. You are diluting your brand and this makes you look unprofessional. Show customers what you can do best and quietly work on improving your other styles until they are up to scratch.
Understand your output. Business is about creating a demand, but do not think that customers are easily fooled. If you know that as a one-man show, you can only produce a certain number of items, do not commit to making more than you are capable of. It is okay to say no. Rather than doing a less than stellar job, be open with the customers and let them know that within a week you can only produce a certain number of items. This is particularly important when dealing with retailers. Retailers need to be made fully aware of your lead time in order to tailor their marketing accordingly. With time, your brand will grow. You may be able to hire staff to assist you, which will enable you to increase your output.
I am reminded of the story of the Chinese bamboo tree. You can water the seed for four years and nothing happens. Suddenly, in the fifth year the tree sprouts and grows 90 feet in six weeks. So be patient. Everything you do now will culminate into a bud a few years down the line.
